《道德经》汉英对照 （Waley 译本）

老子 著

Arthur Waley 英译

注：英文翻译不能完全表达古文愿意，敬请读者斟酌

一章

道，可道，非恒道。名，可名，非恒名。无名，天地之始；有名，万物之母。故常无欲，以观其妙；常有欲，以观其徼。此两者同出而异名，同谓之玄。玄之又玄，众妙之门。

The Way that can be told of is not an Unvarying Way;

The names that can be named are not unvarying names.

It was from the Nameless that Heaven and Earth sprang;

The named is but the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures, each after its kind.

Truly, “Only he that rids himself forever of desire can see the Secret Essences”;

He that has never rid himself of desire can see only the Outcomes.

These two things issued from the same mould, but nevertheless are different in name.

This “same mould” we can but call the Mystery,

Or rather the “Darker than any Mystery”,

The Doorway whence issued all Secret Essences.

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二章

天下皆知美之为美，斯恶已；皆知善之为善，斯不善矣。有无相生，难易相成，长短相形，高下相盈，音声相和，前后相随，恒也。是以圣人处无为之事，行不言之教，万物作而弗始，生而弗有，为而弗恃，功成而弗居。夫唯弗居，是以不去。

It is because every one under Heaven recognizes beauty as beauty,

That the idea of ugliness exists.

And equally if every one recognized virtue as virtue,

this would merely create fresh conceptions of wickedness.

For truly, Being and Not-being grow out of one another;

Difficult and easy complete one another.

Long and short test one another;

High and low determine one another.

Pitch and mode give harmony to one another.

Front and back give sequence to one another.

Therefore the Sage relies on actionless activity,

Carries on wordless teaching,

But the myriad creatures are worked upon by him;

He does not disown them.

He rears them, but does not lay claim to them,

Controls them, but does not lean upon them,

Achieves his aim, but does not call attention to what he does;

And for the very reason that he does not call attention to what he does

He is not ejected from fruition of what he has done.

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三章

不尚贤，使民不争；不贵难得之货，使民不为盗；不见可欲，使民心不乱。是以圣人之治，虚其心，实其腹；弱其志，强其骨。常使民无知无欲。使夫知不敢弗为而已，则无不治。

If we stop looking for “persons of superior morality” (hsien) to put in power,

There will be no more jealousies among the people.

If we cease to set store by products that are hard to get,

There will be no more thieves.

If the people never see such things as excite desire,

Their hearts will remain placid and undisturbed.

Therefore the Sage rules

By emptying their hearts

And filling their hearts?

Weakening their intelligence

And toughening their sinews

Ever striving to make the people knowledgeless and desireless.

Indeed he sees to it that if there be any who have knowledge,

They dare not interfere.

Yet through his actionless activity all things are duly regulated.

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四章

道冲，而用之或不盈。渊兮，似万物之宗。挫其锐，解其纷，和其光，同其尘。湛兮，似或存。吾不知谁之子，象帝之先。

The Way is like an empty vessel

That yet may be drawn from

Without ever needing to be filled.

It is bottomless; the very progenitor of all things in the world.

In it all sharpness is blunted,

All tangles untied,

All glare tempered,

All dust soothed.

It is like a deep pool that never dries.

Was it too the child of something else?

We cannot tell.

But as a substanceless image it existed before the Ancestor.

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五章

天地不仁，以万物为刍狗；圣人不仁，以百姓为刍狗。天地之间，其犹橐龠乎？虚而不屈，动而愈出。多闻数穷，不如守中。

Heaven and Earth are ruthless;

To them the Ten Thousand things are but as straw dogs.

The Sage too is ruthless;

To him the people are but as straw dogs.

Yet Heaven and Earth and all that lies between

Is like a bellows

In that it is empty, but gives a supply that never fails.

Work it, and more comes out.

Whereas the force of words is soon spent.

Far better is it to keep what is in the heart.

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六章

谷神不死，是谓玄牝。玄牝之门，是谓天地根。绵绵若存，用之不勤。

The Valley Spirit never dies.

It is named the Mysterious Female.

And the doorway of the Mysterious Female

Is the base from which Heaven and Earth sprang.

It is there within us all the while;

Draw upon it as you will, it never runs dry.

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七章

天长地久。天地所以能长且久者，以其不自生，故能长生。是以圣人后其身而身先，外其身而身存。不以其无私邪？故能成其私。

Heaven is eternal, the Earth everlasting.

How come they to be so?

It is because they do not foster their own lives;

That is why they live so long.

Therefore the Sage

Puts himself in the background; but is always to the fore.

Remains outside; but is always there.

Is it not just because he does not strive for any personal end

That all his personal ends are fulfilled?

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八章

上善若水。水善利万物而不争，居众人之所恶，故几于道。居善地，心善渊，与善仁，言善信，政善治，事善能，动善时。夫唯不争，故无尤。

The highest good is like that of water.

The goodness of is that it benefits the ten thousand creatures;

Yet itself does not scramble,

But is content with the places that all men disdain.

It is this makes water so near to the Way.

And if men think the ground the best place for building a house upon,

If among thoughts they value those that are profound,

If in friendship they value gentleness,

In words, truth; in government, good order;

In deeds, effectiveness; in actions, timeliness -

In each case it is because they prefer what does not lead to strife,

And therefore does not go amiss.

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九章

持而盈之，不如其已。揣而锐之，不可长保。金玉满堂，莫之能守。富贵而骄，自遗其咎。功遂身退，天下之道。

Stretch a bow to the very full,

And you will wish you had stopped in time;

Temper a sword-edge to its very sharpest,

And you will find it soon grows dull.

When bronze and jade fill your hall.

It can no longer be guarded.

Wealth and place breed insolence.

That brings ruin in its train.

When your work is done, then withdraw!

Such is Heaven's Way.

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十章

载营魄抱一，能无离乎？专气致柔，能如婴儿乎？修除玄览，能无疵乎？爱民治国，能无智乎？天门开阖，能为雌乎？明白四达，能无知乎？生之、畜之，生而不有，长而不宰。是为玄德。

Can you keep the unquiet physical-soul from straying,

Hold fast to the Unity, and never quit it?

Can you, when concentrating your breath,

Make it soft like that of a little child?

Can you wipe and cleanse your vision of the Mystery till all is without blur?

Can you love the people and rule the land,

Yet remain unknown?

Can you in opening and shutting the heavenly gates play always the female part?

Can your mind penetrate every corner of the land,

But you yourself never interfere?

Rear them, then, feed them,

Rear them, but do not lay claim to them.

Control them, but never lean upon them;

Be chief among them, but do not manage them.

This is called the Mysterious Power.

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十一章

三十辐共一毂，当其无，有车之用。埏埴以为器，当其无，有器之用。凿户牖以为室，当其无，有室之用。故有之以为利，无之以为用。

We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel;

But it is on the space where there is nothing

That the usefulness of the wheel depends.

We turn clay to make a vessel;

But it is on the space where there is nothing

That the usefulness of the vessel depends.

We pierce doors and windows to make a house;

And it is on these spaces where there is nothing

That the usefulness of the house depends.

Therefore just as we take advantage of what is,

We should recognize the usefulness of what is not.

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十二章

五色令人目盲；五音令人耳聋；五味令人口爽；驰骋畋猎，令人心发狂；难得之货，令人行妨。是以圣人为腹不为目，故去彼取此。

The fives colours confuse the eye,

The fives sounds dull the ear,

The five tastes spoil the palate.

Excess of hunting and chasing

Makes minds go mad.

Products that are hard to get

Impede their owner's movements.

Therefore the Sage

Considers the belly not the eye.

Truly, “he rejects that but takes this”.

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十三章

宠辱若惊，贵大患若身。何谓宠辱若惊？宠为下，得之若惊，失之若惊，是谓宠辱若惊。何谓贵大患若身？吾所以有大患者，为吾有身，及吾无身，吾有何患？故贵以身为天下，若可寄天下；爱以身为天下，若可托天下。

Favour and disgrace goad as it were to madness;

High rank hurts keenly as our bodies hurt.”

What does it mean to say that favour and disgrace goad as it were to madness?

It means that when a rule's subjects get it they turn distraught,

When they lose it they turn distraught.

That is what is meant to by saying favour and disgrace goad as it were to madness.

What does it mean to say that high rank hurts keenly as our bodies hurt?

The only reason that we suffer hurt is that we have bodies;

If we had no bodies, how could we suffer?

Therefore we may accept the saying:

“He who in dealing with the empire regards his high rank

As through it were his body is the best person to be entrusted with rules;

He who in dealing with the empire loves his subjects as one should love one's body

Is the best person to whom one commit the empire.”

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十四章

视之不见，名曰微；听之不闻，名曰希；搏之不得，名曰夷。此三者，不可致诘，故混而为一。其上不皎，其下不昧，绳绳兮不可名，复归于物。是谓无状之状，无物之象，是谓惚恍。迎之不见其首，随之不见其后。执古之道，以御今之有。能知古始，是谓道纪。

Because the eye gazes but can catch no glimpse of it,

It is called elusive.

Because the ear listens but cannot hear it,

It is called the rarefied.

Because the hand feels for it but cannot find it,

It is called the infinitesimal.

These three, because they cannot be further scrutinized,

Blend into one,

Its rising brings no light;

Its sinking, no darkness.

Endless the series of things without name

On the way back to where there is nothing.

They are called shapeless shapes;

Forms without form;

Are called vague semblance.

Go towards them, and you can see no front;

Go after them, and you see no rear.

Yet by seizing on the Way that was

You can ride the things that are now.

For to know what once there was, in the Beginning,

This is called the essence of the Way.

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十五章

古之善为道者，微妙玄通，深不可识。夫唯不可识，故强为之容：豫兮，若冬涉川；犹兮，若畏四邻；俨兮，其若客；涣兮，其若凌释；敦兮，其若朴；旷兮，其若谷；混兮，其若浊。孰能浊以止？静之徐清。孰能安以久？动之徐生。保此道者，不欲盈。夫唯不盈，故能蔽而新成。

Of old those that were the best officers of Court

Had inner natures subtle, abstruse, mysterious, penetrating,

Too deep to be understood.

And because such men could not be understood

I can but tell of them as they appeared to the world:

Circumspect they seemed, like one who in winter crosses a stream,

Watchful, as one who must meet danger on every side.

Ceremonious, as one who pays a visit;

Yet yielding, as ice when it begins to melt.

Blank, as a piece of uncarved wood;

Yet receptive as a hollow in the hills.

Murky, as a troubled stream —–

(Tranquil, as the vast reaches of the sea,

Drifting as the wind with no stop.)

Which of you an assume such murkiness,

To become in the end still and clear?

Which of you can make yourself insert,

To become in the end full of life and stir?

Those who possess this Tao do not try to fill themselves to the brim,

And because they do not try to fill themselves to the brim,

They are like a garment that endures all wear and need never be renewed.

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十六章

致虚极，守静笃。万物并作，吾以观复。夫物芸芸，各复归其根。归根曰静，静曰复命。复命曰常，知常曰明。不知常，妄作，凶。知常容，容乃公，公乃王，王乃天，天乃道，道乃久，殁身不殆。

Push far enough towards the Void,

Hold fast enough to Quietness,

And of the ten thousand things none but can be worked on by you.

I have beheld them, whither they go back.

See, all things howsoever they flourish

Return to the root from which they grew.

This return to the root is called Quietness;

Quietness is called submission to Fate;

What has submitted to Fate has become part of the always so.

To know the always-so is to be Illumined;

Not to know it, means to go blindly to disaster.

He who knows the always-so has room in him for everything;

He who has room in him for everything is without prejudice.

To be without prejudice is to be kingly;

To be kingly is to be of heaven;

To be of heaven is to be in Tao.

Tao is forever and he that possess it,

Though his body ceases, is not destroyed.

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十七章

太上，不知有之；其次，亲而誉之；其次，畏之；其次，侮之。信不足焉，有不信焉。悠兮，其贵言。功成事遂，百姓皆谓：「我自然」。

Of the highest the people merely know that such a one exists;

The next they draw near to and praise.

The next they shrink from, intimidated; but revile.

Truly, “It is by not believing people that you turn them into liars”.

But from the Sage it is so hard at any price to get a single word

That when his task is accomplished, his work done,

Throughout the country every one says: “It happened of its own accord”.

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十八章

大道废，有仁义；智慧出，有大伪；六亲不和，有孝慈；国家昏乱，有忠臣。

It was when the Great Way declined

That human kindness and morality arose;

It was when intelligence and knowledge appeared

That the Great Artifice began.

It was when the six near ones were no longer at peace

That there was talk of “dutiful sons”;

Nor till fatherland was dark with strife

Did we hear of “loyal slaves”.

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十九章

绝圣弃智，民利百倍；绝仁弃义，民复孝慈；绝巧弃利，盗贼无有。此三者以为文，不足。故令有所属：见素抱朴，少思寡欲，绝学无忧。

Banish wisdom, discard knowledge,

And the people will be benefited a hundredfold.

Banish human kindness, discard morality,

And the people will be dutiful and compassionate.

Banish skill, discard profit,

And thieves and robbers will disappear.

If when these three things are done they find life too plain and unadorned,

Then let them have accessories;

Give them Simplicity to look at, the Uncarved Black to hold,

Give them selflessness and fewness of desires.

Banish learning, and there will be no more grieving.

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二十章

唯之与阿，相去几何？美之与恶，相去若何？人之所畏，不可不畏。荒兮，其未央哉！众人熙熙，如享太牢，如春登台。我独泊兮，其未兆；沌沌兮，如婴儿之未孩；儡儡兮，若无所归。众人皆有馀，而我独若遗。我愚人之心也哉，沌沌兮！俗人昭昭，我独昏昏。俗人察察，我独闷闷。淡兮，其若海，望兮，若无止。众人皆有以，而我独顽似鄙。我独异于人，而贵食母。

Between wei and o

What after all is the difference?

Can it be compared to the difference between good and bad?

The saying “what others avoid I too must avoid”

How false and superficial it is?

All men, indeed, are wreathed in smiles,

As though feasting after the Great Sacrifice,

As though going up to the Spring Carnival.

I alone am inert, like a child that has not yet given sign;

Like an infant that has not yet smiled.

I droop and drift, as though I belonged nowhere.

All men have enough and to spare;

I alone seem to have lost everything.

Mine is indeed the mind of a very idiot,

So dull am I.

The world is full of people that shine;

I alone am dark.

They look lively and self-assured;

I alone depressed.

(I seem unsettled as the ocean;

Blown adrift, never brought to a stop.)

All men can be put to some use;

I alone am intractable and boorish.

But wherein I most am different from men

Is that I prize no sustenance that comes not from the Mother's breast.

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二十一章

孔德之容，惟道是从。道之为物，惟恍惟惚。惚兮恍兮，其中有象；恍兮惚兮，其中有物；窈兮冥兮，其中有精；其精甚真，其中有信。自今及古，其名不去，以阅众甫。吾何以知众甫之状哉？以此。

Such the scope of the All-pervading Power.

That it alone can act through the Way.

For the Way is a thing impalpable, incommensurable.

Incommensurable, impalpable.

Yet latent in it are forms;

Impalpable, incommensurable

Yet within it are entities.

Shadowy it is and dim;

Yet within it there is a force,

Is none the less efficacious.

From the times of old till now

Its charge has not departed

But cheers onward the many warriors.

How do I know that the many warriors are so?

Through this.

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二十二章

「曲则全，枉则直，洼则盈，敝则新，少则得，多则惑。」是以圣人抱一为天下式。不自见，故明；不自是，故彰；不自伐，故有功；不自矜，故长。夫唯不争，故天下莫能与之争。古之所谓「曲则全」者，岂虚言哉！诚全而归之。

“To remain whole, be twisted!”

To become straight, let yourself be bent.

To become full, be hollow.

Be tattered, that you may be renewed.

Those that have little, may get more,

Those that have much, are but perplexed.

Therefore the ; Sage

Clasps the Primal Unity,

Testing by it everything under heaven.

He does not show himself; therefore he seen everywhere.

He does not define himself, therefore he is distinct.

He does not boast of what he will do, therefore he succeeds.

He is not proud of his work, and therefore it endures.

He does not contend,

And for that very reason no one under heaven can contend with him.

So then we see that the ancient saying “To remain whole, be twisted!” was no idle word;

For true wholeness can only be achieved by return.

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二十三章

希言自然。故飘风不终朝，骤雨不终日。孰为此者？天地。天地尚不能久，而况于人乎？故从事于道者，同于道；德者，同于德；失者，同于失。同于道者，道亦乐得之；同于德者，德亦乐得之；同于失者，失亦乐得之。信不足焉，有不信焉。

To be always talks is against nature.

For the same reason a hurricane never lasts a whole morning,

Nor a rainstorm all day.

Who is it that makes the wind and rain?

It is Heaven-and Earth.

And if even Heaven-and Earth cannot blow or pour for long,

How much less in his utterance should man?

Truly, if one uses the Way as one's instrument,

The results will be like the Way;

If one uses the “power” as instrument,

The results will be like the “power”.

If one uses what is the reverse of the “power”,

The results will be the reverse of the “power”.

For to those who have conformed themselves to the Way,

The Way readily lends its power.

To those who have conformed themselves to the power,

The power readily, lends more power.

While to those who conform themselves to inefficacy,

Inefficacy readily lends its ineffectiveness.

“It is by not believing in people that you turn them into liars.”

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二十四章

企者不立；跨者不行；自见者不明；自是者不彰；自伐者无功；自矜者不长。其在道也，曰馀食赘形，物或恶之，故有道者不居。

'He who stands on tip-toe, does not stand firm;

He who takes the longest strides, does not walk the fastest.”

He who does his own looking sees little,

He who defines himself is not therefore distinct.

He who boasts of what he will do succeeds in nothing;

He who is proud of his work, achieves nothing that endures.

Of these, from the standpoint of the Way, it is said:

“Pass round superfluous dishes to those that have already had enough,

And no creature but will reject them in disgust.”

That is why he that possesses Tao does not linger.

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二十五章

有物混成，先天地生。寂兮寥兮，独立而不改，周行而不殆，可以为天地母。吾不知其名，字之曰道，强为之名曰大。大曰逝，逝曰远，远曰反。故道大，天大，地大，人亦大。域中有四大，而人居其一焉。人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。

There was something formless yet complete,

That existed before heaven and earth;

Without sound, without substance,

Dependent on nothing, unchanging,

All pervading, unfailing.

One may think of it as the mother of all things under heaven.

Its true name we do not know;

Were I forced to say to what class of things it belongs

I should call it Great (ta)

Now ta also means passing on,

And passing on means going Far Away,

And going far away means returning.

Thus just as Tao has “this greatness” and as earth has it and as heaven has it,

So may the ruler also have it.

Thus “within the realm there are four portions of greatness”,

And one belongs to the king.

The ways of men are conditioned by those of earth.

The ways of earth, by those of heaven.

The ways of heaven by those of Tao, and the ways of Tao by the Self-so.

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二十六章

重为轻根，静为躁君。是以君子终日行不离辎重。虽有荣观，燕处超然。奈何万乘之主，而以身轻天下？轻则失根，躁则失君。

As the heavy must be the foundation of the light,

So quietness is lord and master of activity.

Truly, “A man of consequence though he travels all day

Will not let himself be separated from his baggage-wagon,

However magnificent the view, he sits quiet and dispassionate”.

How much less, then, must be the lord of ten thousand chariots

Allow himself to be lighter than these he rules!

If he is light, the foundation is lost;

If he is active, the lord and master is lost.

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二十七章

善行，无辙迹；善言，无瑕谪；善数，不用筹策；善闭，无关楗而不可开；善结，无绳约而不可解。是以圣人常善救人，故无弃人；常善救物，故无弃物。是谓神明。故善人者，不善人之师；不善人者，善人之资。不贵其师，不爱其资，虽智大迷。是谓要妙。

Perfect activity leaves no track behind it;

Perfect speech is like a jade-worker whose tool leaves no mark.

The perfect reckoner needs no counting-slips;

The perfect door has neither bolt nor bar,

Yet cannot be opened.

The perfect knot needs neither rope nor twine,

Yet cannot be united.

Therefore the Sage

Is all the time in the most perfect way helping men,

He certainly does not turn his back on men;

Is all the time in the most perfect way helping creatures,

He certainly does not turn his back on creatures.

This is called resorting to the Light.

Truly, “the perfect man is the teacher of the imperfect;

But the imperfect is the stock-in-trade of the perfect man”.

He who does not respect his teacher,

He who does not take care of his stock-in-trade,

Much learning through he may possess, is far astray.

This is the essential secret.

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二十八章

知其雄，守其雌，为天下溪。为天下溪，常德不离。常德不离，复归于婴儿。知其荣，守其辱，为天下谷。为天下谷，常德乃足。常德乃足，复归于朴。知其白，守其黑，为天下式。为天下式，常德不忒。常德不忒，复归于无极。朴散则为器，圣人用之，则为官长。故大制无割。

“He who knows the males, yet cleaves to what is female

Because like a ravine, receiving all things under heaven,”

And being such a ravine

He knows all the time a power that he never calls upon in vain.

This is returning to the state of infancy.

He who knows the white, (yet cleaves to the black

Becomes the standard by which all things are tested;

And being such a standard

He has all the time a power that never errs,

He returns to the Limitless.

He who knows glory,) yet cleaves to ignominy

Become like a valley that receives into it all things under heaven,

And being such a valley

He has all the time a power that suffices;

He returns to the state of the Uncarved Block.

Now when a block is sawed up it is made into implements;

But when the Sage uses it, it becomes Chief of all Ministers.

Truly, “The greatest carver does the least cutting”.

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二十九章

将欲取天下而为之，吾见其不得已。天下神器，不可为也。为者败之，执者失之。物，或行或随，或嘘或吹，或强或羸，或挫或隳。是以圣人去甚，去奢，去泰。

Those that would gain what is under heaven by tampering with it -

I have seen that they do not succeed.

For that which is under heaven is like a holy vessel, dangerous to tamper with.

Those that tamper with it, harm it.

Those that grab at it, lose it.

For among the creatures of the world some go in front, some follow;

Some blow hot when others would be blowing cold.

Some are feeling vigorous just when others are worn out.

Therefore the Sage “discards the absolute, the all-inclusive, the extreme”.

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三十章

以道佐人主者，不以兵强天下，其事好还：师之所居，荆棘生焉。大军之后，必有凶年。善有果而已，不以取强。果而勿矜，果而勿伐，果而勿骄，果而不得已，果而勿强。物壮则老，是谓不道，不道早已。

He who by Tao purposes to help a ruler of men

Will oppose all conquest by force of arms;

For such things are wont to rebound.

Where armies are, thorn and brambles grow.

The raising of a great host

Is followed by a year of dearth.

Therefore a good general effects his purpose and then stops; he does not take further advantage of his victory.

Fulfils his purpose and does not glory in what he has done;

Fulfils his purpose and does not boast of what he has done;

Fulfils his purpose, but takes no pride in what he has done;

Fulfils his purpose, but only as a step that could not be avoided.

Fulfils his purpose, but without violence;

For what has a time of vigour also has a time of decay.

This is against Tao,

And what is against Tao will soon perish.

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三十一章

夫兵者，不祥之器。物或恶之，故有道者不居。君子居则贵左，用兵则贵右，故兵者非君子之器。不祥之器，不得已而用之，恬淡为上。胜而不美，而美之者，是乐杀人。夫乐杀人者，则不可得志于天下矣。吉事尚左，凶事尚右。偏将军居左，上将军居右，言以丧礼处之。杀人之众，以悲哀泣之，战胜以丧礼处之。

Fine weapons are none the less ill-omened things.

(People despise them, therefore,

Those in possession of the Tao do not depend on them.)

That is why, among people of good birth,

In peace the left-hand side is the place of honour,

But in war this is reversed and the right-hand side is the place of honour.

(Weapons are ill-omened things, which the superior man should not depend on.

When he has no choice but to use them,

The best attitude is to retain tranquil and peaceful.)

The Quietist, even when he conquers, does not regard weapons as lovely things.

For to think them lovely means to delight in them,

And to delight in them means to delight in the slaughter of men.

And he who delights in the slaughter of men

Will never get what he looks for out of those that dwell under heaven.

(Thus in happy events,

The left-hand side is the place of honour, in grief and mourning,

The right-hand is the place of honour.

The lieutenant general stands on the left,

While the supreme general stands on the right,

Which is arranged on the rites of mourning.)

A host that has slain men is received with grief and mourning;

He that has conquered in battle is received with rites of mourning.

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三十二章

道常无名。朴虽小，天下莫能臣。侯王若能守之，万物将自宾。天地相合，以降甘露，民莫之令而自均。始制有名，名亦既有，夫亦将知止。知止可以不殆。譬道之在天下，犹川谷之于江海。

Tao is eternal, but has no fame (name);

The Uncarved Block, though seemingly of small account,

Is greater than anything that is under heaven.

If kings and barons would but possess themselves of it,

The ten thousand creatures would flock to do them homage;

Heaven-and-earth would conspire

To send Sweet Dew,

Without law or compulsion, men would dwell in harmony.

Once the block is carved, there will be names,

And so soon as there are names,

Know that it is time to stop.

Only by knowing when it is time to stop can danger be avoided.

To Tao all under heaven will come

As streams and torrents flow into a great river or sea.

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三十三章

知人者智，自知者明；胜人者有力，自胜者强。知足者富。强行者有志。不失其所者久。死而不亡者寿。

To understand others is to have knowledge;

To understand oneself is to be illumined.

To conquer others needs strength;

To conquer oneself is harder still.

To be content with what one has is to be rich.

He that works through violence may get his way;

But only what stays in its place

Can endure.

When one dies one is not lost, there is no other longevity.

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三十四章

大道泛兮，其可左右。万物恃之而生而不辞，功成而不名有。衣养万物而不为主，可名于小；万物归焉而不为主，可名为大。以其终不自为大，故能成其大。

Great Tao is like a boat that drifts;

It can go this way; it can go that.

The ten thousand creatures owe their existence to it and it does not disown them;

Yet having produced them, it does not take possession of them.

Makes no claim to be master over them,

(And asks for nothing from them.)

Therefore it may be called the Lowly.

The ten thousand creatures obey it,

Though they know not that they have a master;

Therefore it is called the Great.

So too the Sage just because he never at any time makes a show of greatness

In fact achieves greatness.

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三十五章

执大象，天下往。往而不害，安平泰。乐与饵，过客止。道之出口，淡乎其无味，视之不足见，听之不足闻，用之不足既。

He who holding the Great From goes about his work in the empire

Can go about his, yet do no harm.

All is peace, quietness and security.

Sound of music, smell of good dishes

Will make the passing stranger pause.

How difference the words that Tao gives forth!

So thin, so flavourless!

If one looks for Tao, there is nothing solid to see;

If one listens for it, there is nothing loud enough to hear.

Yet if one uses it, it is inexhaustible.

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三十六章

将欲歙之，必故张之；将欲弱之，必故强之；将欲废之，必故兴之；将欲取之，必故与之。是谓微明。柔弱胜刚强。鱼不可脱于渊，国之利器不可以示人。

What is in the end to be shrunk

Must first be stretched.

Whatever is to be weakened

Must begin by being made strong.

What is to be overthrown

Must begin by being set up.

He who would be a taker

Must begin as a giver.

This is called “dimming” one's light.

It is thus that the soft overcomes the hard

And the weak, the strong.

“It is best to leave the fish down in his pool;

Best to leave the State's sharpest weapons wherenone can see them.”

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三十七章

道恒无名，侯王若能守之，万物将自化。化而欲作，吾将镇之以无名之朴。无名之朴，夫亦将不欲。不欲以静，天地将自正。

Tao never does;

Yet through it all things are done.

If the barons and kings would but possess themselves of it,

The ten thousand creatures would at once be transformed.

And if having been transformed they should desire to act,

We must restrain them by the blankness of the Unnamed.

The blankness of the Unnamed

Brings dispassion;

To be dispassionate is to be still.

And so, of itself, the whole empire will be at rest.

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三十八章

上德不德，是以有德；下德不失德，是以无德。上德无为而无以为；下德无为而有以为。上仁为之而无以为；上义为之而有以为。上礼为之而莫之应，则攘臂而扔之。故失道而后德，失德而后仁，失仁而后义，失义而后礼。夫礼者，忠信之薄，而乱之首。前识者，道之华，而愚之始。是以大丈夫居其厚，不居其薄；居其实，不居其华。故去彼取此。

The man of highest “power” does not reveal himself as a possessor of “power”;

Therefore he keeps his “power”.

The man of inferior “power” cannot rid it of the appearance of “power”;

Therefore he is in truth without “power”.

The man of highest “power” neither acts nor is there any who so regards him;

The man of inferior “power” both acts and is so regarded.

The man of highest humanity, though he acts, is not regarded;

Whereas a man of even the highest morality both acts and is so regarded;

While even he who is best versed in ritual not merely acts,

But if people fail to respond

Then he will pull up his sleeves and advance upon them.

That is why it is said:

“After Tao was lost, then came the 'power';

After the 'power' was lost, then came human kindness.”

After human kindness was lost, then came morality,

After morality was lost, then came ritual.

Now ritual is the mere husk of loyalty and promise-keeping

And is indeed the first step towards brawling.”

Foreknowledge may be the “flower of doctrine”,

But it is the beginning of folly.

Therefore the full-grown man takes his stand upon the solid substance

And not upon the mere husk,

Upon the fruit and not upon the flower.

Truly, “he reject that and takes this”.

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三十九章

昔之得一者：天得一以清；地得一以宁；神得一以灵；谷得一以盈；侯得一以为天下正。其致之。天无以清，将恐裂；地无以宁，将恐废；神无以灵，将恐歇；谷无以盈，将恐竭；侯王无以贵高，将恐蹶。故贵以贱为本，高以下为基。是以侯王自谓「孤」、「寡」、「不谷」。此非以贱为本耶？非乎？故致数誉无誉。是故不欲禄禄如玉。珞珞如石。

As for the things that from of old have understood the Whole —

The sky through such understanding remains limpid,

Earth remains steady,

The spirits keep their holiness,

The abyss is replenished,

The ten thousand creatures bear their kind,

Barons and princes direct their people.

It is the Whole that causes it.

Were it not so limpid, the sky would soon get torn,

Were is not for steadiness, the earth would soon tip over,

Were it not for their holiness, the spirit would soon wither away.

Were it not for this replenishment, the abyss would soon go dry,

Were it not that ten thousand creatures can bear their kind,

They would soon become extinct.

Were the barons and princes no longer directors of their people

And for that reason honoured and exalted, they would soon be overthrown.

Truly “ the humble is the stem upon which the mighty grows,

The low is the foundation upon which the high is laid.”

That is why barons and princes refer to themselves as “The Orphan”,

“The Needy”, “The Ill-provided.

Is this not indeed a case of might rooting itself upon humility?

True indeed are the sayings:

“Enumerate the parts of a carriage,

And you still have not explained what a carriage is,”

And They did not want themselves to tinkle like jade-bells,

While others resounded like stone chimes”.

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四十章

反者道之动；弱者道之用。天下万物生于有，有生于无。

In Tao the only motion is returning;

The only useful quality, weakness.

For though all creatures under heaven are the products of Being,

Being itself is the product of Not-being.

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四十一章

上士闻道，勤而行之；中士闻道，若存若亡；下士闻道，大笑之。不笑不足以为道。故建言有之：「明道若昧，进道若退，夷道若类，上德若谷，大白若辱，广德若不足，建德若偷；质真若渝，大方无隅，大器晚成，大音希声；大象无形。」道隐无名，夫唯道，善始且善成。

When the man of highest capacities hears Tao

He does his best to put it into practice.

When the man of middling capacity hears Tao

He is in two minds about it.

When the man of low capacity hears Tao

He laughs loudly at it.

If he did not laugh, it would not be worth the name of Tao.

Therefore the proverb has it:

“The way out into the light often looks dark,

The way that goes ahead often looks as if it went back.”

The way that is least hilly often looks as if it went up and down,

The “power” that is really loftiest looks like an abyss,

What is sheerest white looks blurred.

The “power” that is most sufficing looks inadequate,

The “power” that stands firmest looks flimsy.

What is in its natural, pure state looks faded;

The largest square has no corners,

The greatest vessel takes the longest to finish,

Great music has the faintest notes,

The Great From is without shape.

For Tao is hidden and nameless.

Yet Tao alone supports all things and brings them to fulfillment.

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四十二章

道生一，一生二，二生三，三生万物。万物负阴而抱阳，冲气以为和。人之所恶，唯「孤」、「寡」、「不谷」。而王公以为称。故，物或损之而益，或益之而损。人之所教，我亦教之：「强梁者不得其死」，吾将以为教父。

Tao gave birth to the One;

The One gave birth successively to two things,

Three things, up to ten thousand.

These ten thousand creatures cannot turn their backs to the shade

Without having the sun on their bellies,

And it is on this blending of the breaths that their harmony depends.

To be orphaned, needy, ill-provided is what men most hate;

Yet princes and dukes style themselves so.

Truly, “things are often increased by seeking to diminish them

And diminished by seeking to increase them.”

The maxims that others use in their teaching I too will use in mine.

Show me a man of violence that came to a good end,

And I will take him for my teacher.

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四十三章

天下之至柔，驰骋天下之至坚。无有入无间。吾是以知无为之有益。不言之教，无为之益，天下希及之。

What is of all things most yielding

Can overwhelm that which is of all things most hard.

Being substanceless it can enter even where is no space;

That is how I know the value of action that is actionless.

But that there can be teaching without words,

Value in action that is actionless,

Few indeed can understand.

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四十四章

名与身孰亲？身与货孰多？得与亡孰病？是故，甚爱必大费，多藏必厚亡。知足不辱，知止不殆，可以长久。

Fame or one's own self, which matters to one most?

One's own self or things bought, which should count most?

In the getting or the losing, which is worse?

Hence he who grudges expense pays dearest in the end;

He who has hoarded most will suffer the heaviest loss.

Be content with what you have and are, and no one can despoil you;

Who stops in time nothing can harm.

He is forever safe and secure.

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四十五章

大成若缺，其用不弊。大盈若冲，其用不穷。大直若屈，大巧若拙，大辩若讷。躁胜寒，静胜热，清静为天下正。

What is most perfect seems to have something missing;

Yet its use is unimpaired.

What is most full seems empty;

Yet its use will never fail.

What is most straight seems crooked;

The greatest skill seems like clumsiness,

The greatest eloquence like stuttering.

Movement overcomes cold;

But staying still overcomes heat.

So he by his limpid calm

Puts right everything under heaven.

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四十六章

天下有道，却走马以粪。天下无道，戎马生于郊。祸莫大于不知足；咎莫大于欲得。故，知足之足，常足矣。

When there is Tao in the empire

The galloping steeds are turned back to fertilize the ground by their droppings.

When there is not Tao in the empire

War horses will be reared even on the sacred mounds below the city walls.

(No lure is greater than to possess what others want,)

No disaster greater than not to be content with what one has,

No presage of evil greater than men should be wanting to get more.

Truly:

“He who has once known the contentment that comes simply through being content,

Will never again be otherwise than contented”.

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四十七章

不出户，知天下；不窥牖，见天道。其出弥远，其知弥少。是以圣人不行而知，不见而明，不为而成。

Without leaving his door

He knows everything under heaven.

Without looking out of his window

He knows all the ways of heaven.

For the further one travels

The less one knows.

Therefore the Sage arrives without going,

Sees all without looking,

Does nothing, yet achieves everything.

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四十八章

为学日益，为道日损。损之又损，以至于无为。无为而无不为。取天下常以无事。及其有事，不足以取天下。

Learning consists in adding to one's stock day by day;

The practice of Tao consists in “subtracting day by day,

Subtracting and yet again subtracting

Till one has reached inactivity.

But by this very inactivity

Everything can be activated.”

Those who of old won the adherence of all who live under heaven

All did so not interfering.

Had they interfered,

They would never have won this adherence.

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四十九章

圣人常无心，以百姓心为心。善者吾善之，不善者吾亦善之，得善。信者吾信之，不信者吾亦信之，得信。圣人在天下，歙歙焉，为天下浑其心，圣人皆孩之。

The Sage has no heart of his own;

He uses the heart of the people as his heart.

Of the good man I approve,

But of the bad I also approve,

And thus he gets goodness.

The truthful man I believe, but the liar I also believe,

And thus he gets truthfulness.

The Sage, in the dealings with the world, seems like one dazed with fright;

For the world's sake be dulls his wits.

The Hundred Families all the time strain their eyes and ears,

The Sage all the time sees and hears no more than an infant sees and hears.

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五十章

出生入死。生之徒，十有三；死之徒，十有三；人之生，动之死地，亦十有三。夫何故？以其生之厚。盖闻善摄生者，陵行不遇兕虎，入军不被甲兵。兕无所投其角，虎无所措其爪，兵无所容其刃。夫何故？以其无死地。

He who aims at life achieves death.

If the “companions of life” are thirteen,

So likewise are the “companions of death” thirteen.

How is it that the “death-stops” in man's life

And activity are also thirteen?

It is because men feed life too grossly.

It is said that he who has a true hold on life,

When he walks on land does not meet tigers or wild buffaloes;

In battle he is not touched by weapons of war.

Indeed,

A buffalo that attacked him would find nothing for its horns to butt,

A tiger would find nothing for its claws to tear,

A weapon would find no place for its point to enter in.

And why?

Because such men have no “death-spot” in them.

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五十一章

道生之，德畜之，物形之，器成之。是以万物莫不尊道而贵德。道之尊，德之贵，夫莫之命而常自然。故道生之，德畜之。长之育之，亭之毒之，养之覆之，生而不有，为而不恃，长而不宰，是谓玄德。

Tao gave them birth;

The “power” of Tao reared them,

Shaped them according to their kinds,

Perfected them, giving to each its strength.

Therefore

Of the ten thousand things there is not one that does not worship Tao

And do homage to its “power”.

No mandate ever went forth that accorded to Tao the right to be worshipped,

Nor to its “power” the right to be worshipped,

Nor to its “power” the right to receive homage.

It was always and of itself so.

Therefore as Tao bore them and the “power” of Tao reared them,

Made them grow, fostered them,

Harboured them,

Brewed for them,

So you must rear them, but not lay claim to them,

Control them, but never lean upon them,

Be chief among them, but not manage them.

This is called the mysterious power.”

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五十二章

天下有始，以为天下母。既得其母，以知其子。既知其子，复守其母，没身不殆。塞其兑，闭其门，终身不勤。启其兑，济其事，终身不救。见小曰明，守柔曰强。用其光，复归其明，无遗身殃，是为习常。

That which was the beginning of all things under heaven

We may speak of as the “mother” of all things.

He who apprehends the mother

Thereby knows the sons.

And he who has known the sons,

Will hold all the tighter to the mother,

And to the end of his days suffer no harm;

“Block the passages, shut the doors,

And till the end your strength shall not fail.

Open up the passages, increase your doings,

And till your last day no help shall come to you.”

As good sight means seeing what is very small

So strength means holding on to what is weak.

He who having used the outer-light can return to the innerlight

Is thereby preserved from all harm.

This is called resorting to the always-so.

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五十三章

使我介然有知，行于大道，唯施是畏。大道甚夷，而民好径。朝甚除，田甚芜，仓甚虚，服文采，带利剑，厌饮食，财货有馀，是为盗竽。非道也哉！

He who has the least scrap of sense,

Once he has got started on the great highway has nothing to fear

So long as he avoids turnings.

For great highways are safe and easy.

But men love by-paths.

So long as Court is in order

They are content to let their fields run to weed

And their granaries stand empty.

They wear patterns and embroideries,

Carry sharp swords, glut themselves with drink and food,

Have more possessions than they can use.

These are the riotous ways of brigandage; they are not the Highway.

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五十四章

善建者不拔，善抱者不脱，子孙以祭祀不辍。修之于身，其德乃真；修之于家，其德乃馀；修之于乡，其德乃长；修之于邦，其德乃丰；修之于天下，其德乃普。故以身观身，以家观家，以乡观乡，以邦观邦，以天下观天下。吾何以知天下然哉？以此。

What Tao plants cannot be plucked,

What Tao clasps, cannot slip.

By its virtue alone can one generation after another carry on the ancestrial sacrifice.

Apply it to yourself and by its power you will be freed from dross.

Apply it to your household and your household shall thereby have abundance.

Apply it to the village, and the village will be made secure.

Apply it to the kingdom, and the kingdom shall thereby be made to flourish.

Apply it to an empire, and the empire shall thereby be extended.

Therefore just as through oneself one may contemplate Oneself,

So through the household one may contemplate the Household,

And through the village, one may contemplate the Village,

And through the kingdom, one may contemplate the Kingdom,

And through the empire, one may contemplate the Empire.

How do I know that the empire is so?

By this.

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五十五章

含「德」之厚，比于赤子。毒虫不螫，猛兽不据，攫鸟不搏。骨弱筋柔而握固。未知牝牡之合而作，精之至也。终日号而不嗄，和之至也。知和曰常，知常曰明，益生曰祥，心使气曰强。物壮则老，谓之不道，不道早已。

The impunity of things fraught with the “power”

May be likened to that of an infant.

Poisonous insects do not sting it,

Nor fierce beasts seize it,

Nor clawing birds maul it,

Its bones are soft, its sinews weak; but its grip is strong.

Not yet to have known the union of male and female,

But to be completely formed,

Means that the vital force is at its height;

To be able to scream all day without getting hoarse

Means that the harmony is at its perfection.

To understand such harmony is to understand the always so.

To understand the always-so is to be illumined.

But to fill life to the brim is to invite omens.

If the heart makes calls upon the life-breath, rigidity follows.

Whatever has a time of vigour also has a time of decay.

Such things are against Tao,

And whatever is against Tao is soon destroyed.

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五十六章

知者不言，言者不知。塞其兑，闭其门，挫其锐，解其纷，和其光，同其尘，是谓玄同。故不可得而亲，不可得而疏；不可得而利，不可得而害；不可得而贵，不可得而贱。故为天下贵。

Those who know do not speak;

Those who speak do not know.

Black the passages,

Shut the doors,

Let all sharpness be blunted,

All tangles untied,

All glare tempered.

All dust smoothed.

This is called the mysterious leveling.

He who has achieved it cannot either be drawn into friendship or repelled,

Cannot be benefited, cannot be harmed,

Cannot either be raised or humbled,

And for that very reason is highest of all creatures under heaven.

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五十七章

以正治国，以奇用兵，以无事取天下。吾何以知其然哉？以此：天下多忌讳，而民弥贫；人多利器，国家滋昏；人多伎巧，奇物滋起；法令滋彰，盗贼多有。故圣人云：「我无为，而民自化；我好静，而民自正；我无事，而民自富；我无欲，而民自朴。」

“Kingdoms can only be governed if rules are kept;

Battles can only be won if rules are broken.”

But the adherence of all under heaven can only be won by letting-alone.

How do I know that it is so?

By this.

The more prohibitions there are, the more ritual avoidances,

The poorer the people will be.

The more “sharp weapons” there are,

The more benighted will the whole land grow.

The more cunning craftsmen there are,

The more pernicious contrivances will be invented.

The more laws are promulgated,

The more thieves and bandits there will be.

Therefore a sage has said:

So long as I “do nothing” the people will of themselves be transformed.

So long as I love quietude, the people will of themselves go straight.

So long as I act only by inactivity the people will of themselves become prosperous.

So long as I have no wants

The people will of themselves return to the “state of the Uncarved Block”.

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五十八章

其政闷闷，其民淳淳；其政察察，其民缺缺。祸兮，福之所倚，福兮，祸之所伏。孰知其极？其无正。正复为奇，善复为妖。人之迷，其日固久！是以圣人方而不割，廉而不刿，直而不肆，光而不耀。

When the ruler looks repressed the people will be happy and satisfied;

When the rule looks lively and self-assured the people will be carping and discontented.

“It is upon bad fortune that good fortune leans, upon good fortune that bad fortune rests.”

But though few know it, there is a bourn where there is neither right nor wrong;

In a realm where every straight is doubled by a crooked,

And every good by an ill, surely mankind has gone long enough astray?

Therefore the Sage

Squares without cutting,

Shapes the corners without iopping,

Straightens without stretching,

Gives forth light without shining.

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五十九章

治人、事天，莫若啬。夫为啬，是谓早服，早服谓之重积德。重积德则无不克。无不克则莫知其极。莫知其极，可以有国。有国之母，可以长久。是谓深根固柢，长生久视之道。

You cannot rule men nor serve heaven unless you have laid up a store;

This “laying up a store” means quickly absorbing,

And “quickly absorbing” means doubling one's garnered “power”.

Double your garnered power and it acquires a strength that nothing can overcome.

If there is nothing it cannot overcome, it know no bounds,

And only what knows no bounds is huge enough to keep a whole kingdom in its grasp.

But only he who having the kingdom goes to the Mother can keep it long.

This is called the art of making the roots strike deep by fencing the trunk,

Of making life long by fixed staring.

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六十章

治大国若烹小鲜。以道莅天下，其鬼不神。非其鬼不神，其神不伤人。非其神不伤人，圣人亦不伤人。夫两不相伤，故德交归焉。

Ruling a large kingdom is indeed like cooking small fish.

They who by Tao all that is under heaven

Did not let an evil spirit within them display its powers.

Nay, it was not only that the evil spirit did not display its powers;

Neither was the Sage's good spirit used to the hurt of other men.

Nor was it only that his good spirit was not used to harm other men,

The Sage himself was thus saved from harm.

And so, each being saved from harm,

Their “powers” could converge towards a common end.

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六十一章

大国者下流，天下之牝，天下之交。牝常以静胜牡，以静为下。故大国以下小国，则取小国；小国以下大国，则取大国。故或下以取，或下而取。大国不过欲兼畜人，小国不过欲入事人。夫两者各得所欲，大者宜为下。

A large kingdom must be like the low ground towards which all streams flows down.

It must be a point towards which all things under heaven converge.

Its part must be that of the female in its dealings with all things under heaven.

The female by quiescence conquers the male; by quiescence gets underneath.

If a large kingdom can in the same way succeed in getting underneath a small kingdom

Then it will win the adherence of the small kingdom;

And it is because small kingdoms are by nature in this way underneath large kingdoms

That they win the adherence of large kingdoms.

The one must get underneath in order to do it;

The other is underneath and therefore does it.

(What large countries really need is more inhabitants;

And what small countries need is some place

Where their surplus inhabitants can go and get employment.)

Thus each gets what it needs.

That is why I say the large kingdom must “get underneath”.

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六十二章

道者，万物之奥。善人之宝，不善人之所保。美言可以市尊，美行可以加人。人之不善，何弃之有？故立天子，置三公，虽有拱璧以先驷马，不如坐进此道。古之所以贵此道者何？不曰：求以得，有罪以免邪？故为天下贵。

Tao in the Universe is like the south-west corner in the house.

It is the treasure of the good man,

The support of the bad.

There is a traffic in speakers of fine words;

Persons of grave demeanour are accepted as gifts;

Even the bad let slip no opportunity to acquire them.

Therefore on the day of an Emperor's enthronement

Or at the installation of the three officers of State

Rather than send a team of four horses, preceded by a disc of jade,

Better were it, as can be done without moving from one's seat,

To send this Tao.

For what did the ancients say of this Tao,

How did they prize it?

Did they not say of those that have it

“Pursuing, they shall catch; pursued, they shall escape?”

They thought it, indeed, most precious of all things under heaven.

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六十三章

为无为，事无事，味无味。大小多少，报怨以德。图难于其易；为大于其细。天下难事，必作于易；天下大事，必作于细。是以圣人终不为大，故能成其大。夫轻诺必寡信，多易必多难。是以圣人犹难之，故终无难矣。

It acts without action, does without doing,

Finds flavour in what is flavourless,

Can make the small great and the few many,

“Requites injuries with good deeds,

Deals with the hard while it is still easy,

With the great while it is still small.”

In the governance of empire everything difficult

Must be dealt with while it is still easy,

Everything great must be dealt with while it is still small.

Therefore the Sage never has to deal with the great;

And so achieves greatness.

But again “Light assent inspires little confidence

And 'many easies' means many a hard.”

Therefore the Sage knows too how to make the easy difficult,

And by doing so avoid all difficulties!

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六十四章

其安易持；其未兆易谋；其脆易泮；其微易散。为之于未有，治之于未乱。合抱之木，生于毫末；九层之台，起于累土；千里之行，始于足下。为者败之；持者失之。是以，圣人无为，故无败；无持，故无失。民之从事，常于几成而败之。慎终如始，则无败事。是以圣人欲不欲，不贵难得之货，学不学，复众人之所过。以辅万物自然而不敢为。

“What stays still is easy to hold;

Before there has been an omen it is easy to lay plans.

What is tender is easily torn,

What is minute is easy to scatter.”

Deal with things in their state of not-yet-being,

Put them in order before they have got into confusion.

For “the tree big as a man's embrace began as a tiny sprout,

The tower nine storeys high began with a heap of earth,

The journey of a thousand leagues began with what was under the feet”.

He who acts, harms; he who grabs, lets slip.

Therefore the Sage does not act, and so does not harm;

Does not grab, and so does not let slip.

Whereas the people of the world, at their tasks,

Constantly spoil things when within an ace of completing them.

“Heed the end no less than the beginning,”

And your work will not be spoiled.

Therefore the Sage wants only things that are unwanted,

Sets no store by products difficult to get,

And so teaches things untaught,

Turning all men back to the things they have left behind,

That the ten thousand creatures may be restored to their Self-so.

This he does; but dare not act.

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六十五章

古之善为道者，非以明民，将以愚之。民之难治，以其智多。故以智治国，国之贼；不以智治国，国之福。知此两者亦稽式。常知稽式，是谓玄德。玄德深矣，远矣，与物反矣，然后乃至大顺。

In the days of old those who practiced Tao with success did not,

By means of it,

Enlighten the people, but on the contrary sought to make them ignorant.

The more knowledge people have, the harder they are to rule.

Those who seek to rule by giving knowledge

Are like bandits preying on the land.

Those who rule without giving knowledge

Bring a stock of good fortune to the land.

To have understood the difference between these who things

Is to have a test and standard

To be always able to apply this test and standard

Is called the mysterious “power”, so deep-penetrating,

So far-reaching,

That can follow things back —

All the way back to the Great Concordance.

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六十六章

江海所以能为百谷王者，以其善下之，故能为百谷王。是以圣人欲上民，必以言下之；欲先民，必以身后之。是以圣人居上而民不重，居前而民不害。是以天下乐推而不厌。以其不争，故天下莫能与之争。

How did the great rivers and seas get their kingship

Over the hundred lesser streams?

Through the merit of being lower than they;

That was how they got their kingship.

Therefore the Sage

In order to be above the people

Must speak as though he were lower than the people.

In order to guide them

He must put himself behind them.

Only thus can the Sage be on top and the people not be crushed by his weight.

Only thus can he guide, and the people not be led into harm

Indeed in this way everything under heaven will into harm be pushed by him

And will not find his guidance irk-some.

This he does by not striving;

And because he does not strive, none can contend with him.

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六十七章

天下皆谓我道大，似不肖。夫唯大，故似不肖。若肖，久矣其细也夫！我有三宝，持而保之：一曰慈，二曰俭，三曰不敢为天下先。慈，故能勇；俭，故能广；不敢为天下先，故能成器长。今舍慈且勇，舍俭且广，舍后且先，死矣。夫慈，以战则胜，以守则固。天将救之，以慈卫之。

Every one under heaven says that our Way is greatly like folly.

But it is just because it is great, that it seems like folly.

As for things that do not seem like folly — well,

There can be no question about their smallness!

Here are my three treasures.

Guard and keep them!

The first is pity;

The second, frugality;

The third, refusal to be “foremost of all things under heaven.”

For only he that pities is truly able to be brave;

Only he that is frugal is able to be profuse.

Only he that refuse to be foremost of all things

Is truly able to become chief of all Ministers.

At present your bravery is not based on pity,

Nor your profusion on frugality,

Nor your vanguard on your rear; and this is death.

But pity cannot fight without conquering or guard without.

But pity cannot fight without conquering or guard without saving.

Heaven arms with pity those whom it would not see destroyed.

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六十八章

善为士者，不武。善战者，不怒。善胜敌者，不与。善用人者，为之下。是谓不争之德，是谓用人之力，是谓配天，古之极。

The best charioteers do not rush ahead;

The best fighters do not make displays of wrath.

The greatest conqueror wins without joining issue;

The best user of men acts as though he were their inferior.

This is called the power that comes of not contending,

Is called the capacity to use men,

The secret of being mated to heaven, to what was of old.

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六十九章

用兵有言：「吾不敢为主，而为客；不敢进寸，而退尺。」是谓行无行，攘无臂，执无兵，乃无敌矣。祸莫大于轻敌，轻敌几丧吾宝。故抗兵相若，哀者胜矣。

The strategists have the sayings:

“When you doubt your ability to meet the enemy's attack,

Take the offensive yourself”

And “If you doubt your ability to advance an inch, then retreat a foot”.

This latter is what we call to march without moving,

To roll the sleeve, but present no bare arm,

The hand that seems to hold, yet had no weapon in it,

A host that can confront, yet presents no battle-front.

Now the greatest of all calamities is to attack and find no enemy.

I can have no enemy only at the price of losing my treasure.

Therefore when armies are raised

And issues joined it is he who does not delight in war that wins.

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七十章

吾言甚易知，甚易行。天下莫能知，莫能行。言有宗，事有君。夫唯无知，是以不我知。知我者希，则我者贵。是以圣人被褐而怀玉。

My words are very easy to understand

And very easy to put into practice.

Yet no one under heaven understands them;

No one puts them into practice.

But my words have an ancestry, my deeds have a lord;

And it is precisely because men do not understand this

That they are unable to understand me.

Few then understand me, but it is upon this very fact my value depends.

It is indeed in this sense that “the Sage wears hair-cloth on top,

But carries jade under neath his dress.”

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七十一章

知不知，上，不知不知，病。圣人不病，以其病病，是以不病。

“To know when one does not know is best.

To think one knows when one does not know is a dire disease.

Only he who recognizes this disease as a disease

Can cure himself of the disease.

The Sage's way of curing disease

Also consists in making people recognize their diseases as diseases

And thus ceasing to be diseased.

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七十二章

民不畏威，则大威至。无狎其所居，无厌其所生。夫唯不厌，是以不厌。是以圣人自知不自见，自爱不自贵。故去彼取此。

Never mind if the people are not intimidated by your authority.

A Mightier Authority will deal with them in the end.

Do not narrow their dwelling or harass their lives;

And for the very reason that you do not harass them,

They will cease to turn from you.

Therefore the Sage knows himself but does not show himself.

Knows his own value, but does not put himself on high.

Truly, he rejects that but takes this”.

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七十三章

勇于敢，则杀，勇于不敢，则活。此两者，或利或害。天之所恶，孰知其故？天之道，不争而善胜，不言而善应，不召而自来，姗然而善谋。天网恢恢，疏而不失。

He whose braveness lies in daring, slays.

He whose braveness lies in not daring , gives life.

Of these two, either may be profitable or unprofitable.

But “Heaven hates what it hates;

None can know the reason why”.

Wherefore the Sage, too, disallows it.

For it is the way of Heaven not to strive but none the less to conquer,

Not to speak, but none the less to get an answer,

Not to beckon; yet things come to it of themselves.

Heaven is like one who says little, yet none the less has laid his plans.

Heaven's net is wide;

Coarse are the meshes, yet nothing slips through.

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七十四章

民不畏死，奈何以死惧之？若使民常畏死，而为奇者，吾得执而杀之，孰敢？常有司杀者杀。夫代司杀者杀，是谓代大匠斫。夫代大匠斫者，希有不伤其手矣。

The people are not frightened of death.

What then is the use of trying to intimidate them with the death-penalty?

And even supposing people were generally frightened of death

And did not regard it as an everyday thing,

Which of us would dare to seize them and slay them?

There is the Lord of Slaughter always ready for this task,

And to do it in his stead is like thrusting oneself into the master-carpenter's place

And doing his chipping for him.

Now “he who tries to do the master-carpenter's chipping for him is lucky if he does not cut his hand.”

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七十五章

民之饥，以其上食税之多，是以饥。民之不治，以其上之有为，是以不治。民之轻死，以其上求生之厚，是以轻死。夫唯无以生为者，是贤于贵生。

The people starve because those above them eat too much tax-grain.

That is the only reason why they starve.

The people are difficult to keep in order because those above them interfere.

That is the only reason why they are so difficult to keep in order.

The people attach no importance to death,

Because those above them are too grossly absorbed in the pursuit of life.

That is why they attach no importance to death.

And indeed, in that their hearts are so little set on life

They are superior to these who set store by life.

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七十六章

人之生也柔弱，其死也坚强。草木之生也柔脆，其死也枯槁。故坚强者死之徒，柔弱者生之徒。是以兵强则灭，木强则折，强大居下，柔弱居上。

When he is born, man is soft and weak;

In death he becomes stiff and hard.

The ten thousand creatures and all plants

And trees while they are alive are supple and soft,

But when and dead they become brittle and dry.

Truly, what is stiff and hard is a “companion of death”;

What is soft and weak is a “companion of life”.

Therefore “the weapon that is too hard will be broken,

The tree that has the hardest wood will be cut down”.

Truly, the hard and mighty are cast down;

The soft and weak set on high.

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七十七章

天之道，其犹张弓欤？高者抑之，下者举之，有馀者损之，不足者补之。天之道，损有馀而补不足。人之道，则不然：损不足以奉有馀。孰能有馀以奉天下？唯有道者。是以圣人为而不恃，功成而不居，其不欲见贤。

Heaven's way is like the bending of a bow.

When a bow is bent the top comes down and the bottom-end comes up.

So too does Heaven take away from those who have too much,

And give to those that have not enough.

But if it is Heaven's way to take from those who have too much

And give to those who have not enough, this is far from being man's way.

He takes away from those that have not-enough in order

To make offering to those who already have too much.

One there is and one only, so rich that he the possessor of Tao.

(If, then, the Sage “though he controls does not lean,

And when he has achieved his aim does not linger”,

It is because he does not wish to reveal himself as better than others.)

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七十八章

天下莫柔弱于水，而攻坚强者莫之能胜，以其无以易之。弱之胜强，柔之胜刚，天下莫不知，莫能行。是以圣人云：「受国之垢，是谓社稷主；受国不祥，是为天下王。」正言若反。

Nothing under heaven is softer or more yielding than water;

But when it attacks things hard and resistant there is not one of them that can prevail.

For they can find no way of altering it.

That the yielding conquers the resistant

And the soft conquers the hard is a fact known by all men,

Yet utilized by none.

Yet it is in reference to this that the Sage said

“Only he who has accepted the dirt of the country can be lord of its soil shrines;

Only he who takes upon himself the evils of the country

Can become a king among those what dwell under heaven.”

Straight words seem crooked.

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七十九章

和大怨，必有馀怨，安可以为善？是以圣人执左契而不责于人。有德司契，无德司彻。天道无亲，恒与善人。

(To requite injuries with good deeds.)

To allay the main discontent,

But only in a manner that will certainly produce further discontents can hardly be called successful.

Therefore the Sage behaves like the holder of the left-hand tally,

Who stays where he is and does not go round making claims on people.

For he who has the “power” of Tao is the Grand Almoner;

He who has not the “power” is the Grand Perquisitor.

“It is Heaven's way, without distinction of persons,

To keep the good perpetually supplied.”

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八十章

小邦寡民。使有什伯之器而不用；使民重死而不远徙。虽有舟舆，无所乘之；虽有甲兵，无所陈之。使民复结绳而用之。甘其食，美其服，安其居，乐其俗。邻邦相望，鸡犬之声相闻，民至老死，不相往来。

Given a small country with few inhabitants,

He could bring it about that through

There should be among the people contrivances requiring ten times,

A hundred times less labour, they would not use them.

He could bring it about that the people would be ready

To lay down their lives and lay them down again in defence of their homes,

Tather than emigrate.

There might still be boats and carriage,

But no one would go in them;

There might still be weapons of war,

But no one would drill with them.

He could bring it about that

“The people should have no use for any from of writing save knotted ropes,

Should be contented with their food, pleased with their clothing,

Satisfied with their homes,

Should take pleasure in their rustic tasks.

The next place might be so near at hand

That one could one could hear the cocks crowing in it, the dogs barking;

But the people would grow old and die without ever having been there”.

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八十一章

信言不美，美言不信。善者不辩，辩者不善。知者不博，博者不知。圣人不积，既以为人己愈有，既以与人己愈多。天之道，利而不害；圣人之道，为而不争。

True words are not fine-sounding;

Fine-sounding words are not true.

The good man does not prove by argument;

The he who proves by argument is not good.

True wisdom is different from much learning;

Much learning means little wisdom.

The Sage has no need to hoard;

When his own last scrap has been used up on behalf of others,

Lo, he has more than before!

When his own last scrap has been used up in giving to other,

Lo, his stock is even greater than before!

For heaven's way is to sharpen without cutting,

And the Sage's way is to act without striving.

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