Wen Zi (文子)

老子曰：“有物混成，先天地生，惟象無形，窈窈冥冥，寂寥淡漠，不聞其聲，吾強為之名，字之曰道。”夫道者，高不可極，深不可測，苞裹天地，稟受無形，原流泏泏，沖而不盈，濁以靜之徐清，施之無窮，無所朝夕，卷之不盈一握，約而能張，幽而能明，柔而能剛，含陰吐陽，而章三光；山以之高，淵以之深，獸以之走，鳥以之飛，麟以之遊，鳳以之翔，星曆以之行；以亡取存，以卑取尊，以退取先。古者三皇，得道之統，立於中央，神與化遊，以撫四方。是故能天運地墆，輪轉而無廢，水流而不止，與物終始。風興雲蒸，雷聲雨降，並應無窮，已雕已琢，還復於樸。無為為之而合乎生死，無為言之而通乎德，恬愉無矜而得乎和，有萬不同而便乎生。和陰陽，節四時，調五行，潤乎草木，浸乎金石，禽獸碩大，毫毛潤澤，鳥卵不敗，獸胎不殰，父無喪子之憂，兄無哭弟之哀，童子不孤，婦人不孀，虹蜺不見，盜賊不行，含德之所致也。天常之道，生物而不有，成化而不宰，萬物恃之而生，莫知其德，恃之而死，莫之能怨，收藏畜積而不加富，佈施稟受而不益貧；忽兮怳兮，不可為象兮，怳兮忽兮，用不詘兮，窈兮冥兮，應化無形兮，遂兮通兮，不虛動兮，與剛柔卷舒兮，與陰陽俯仰兮。

Laozi said: "There is something formed in an undifferentiated whole, born before heaven and earth; it has only an image and no form, dim and dark, silent and still, and its sound cannot be heard; I reluctantly give it a name and style it the Dao (Laozi uses this word to refer to the origin and manner of operation of all things, which in itself cannot be described)." The Dao is so high that it cannot be reached to its limit, so deep that it cannot be fathomed; it wraps heaven and earth and receives the formless; its source flows ceaselessly, empty and never filled; when muddied, it becomes still and slowly clears; it gives without end, with no morning or evening; rolled up, it does not fill a handful, yet it can stretch though compact, can be bright though obscure, can be hard though soft; it holds yin and breathes out yang, and makes the three lights shine; mountains are high because of it, abysses deep because of it, beasts run because of it, birds fly because of it, the qilin roams because of it, the phoenix soars because of it, the stars and calendar move because of it; by loss it gains preservation, by humility it gains honor, by retreat it gains the lead. In ancient times the Three Sovereigns obtained the thread of the Dao, stood in the center, with spirit roaming with transformation, to comfort the four directions. Therefore heaven could revolve and earth could be settled, wheeling round without ceasing, water flowing without stopping, beginning and ending with things. Wind rises and clouds steam, thunder sounds and rain falls, all responding without limit; what has been carved and polished returns again to pu (uncarved simplicity, the unworked material; not "plain" in the adjectival sense). Acting through non-action (wuwei: not forcing things by subjective will, letting things run according to their own nature, not doing nothing at all), one accords with life and death; speaking through non-action, one communicates with virtue (de: the capacity that the Dao shows when embodied in concrete things, not virtue in the ethical sense); calm and joyful without pride, one attains harmony, and holding ten thousand differences, one finds it easy to live. It harmonizes yin and yang, regulates the four seasons, tunes the five phases, moistens grass and trees, soaks into metal and stone; birds and beasts grow large, their fur glossy, birds' eggs are not broken and animals' embryos are not lost; fathers have no grief over lost sons, elder brothers no sorrow over a dead younger brother, children are not orphaned and women are not widowed, rainbows do not appear and bandits do not run rampant: all of this is brought about by holding virtue. The constant Way of Heaven gives birth to things without possessing them and completes transformations without ruling over them; all things depend on it to live and do not know its virtue, depend on it to die and cannot resent it; storing and accumulating, it does not grow richer; giving and receiving, it does not grow poorer; vague and indistinct, it cannot be made into an image; indistinct and vague, it is used and never exhausted; dim and dark, it responds and transforms without form; smooth and open, it does not move in vain; it rolls and unrolls with hard and soft, and bows and rises with yin and yang.

老子曰：大丈夫恬然無思，惔然無慮，以天為蓋，以地為車，以四時為馬，以陰陽為御，行乎無路，遊乎無怠，出乎無門。以天為蓋則無所不覆也，以地為車則無所不載也，四時為馬則無所不使也，陰陽御之則無所不備也。是故疾而不搖，遠而不勞，四支不動，聰明不損，而照明天下者，執道之要，觀無窮之地。故天下之事不可為也，因其自然而推之，萬物之變不可救也，秉其要而歸之。是以聖人內修其本，而不外飾其末，厲其精神，偃其知見故漠然無為而無不為也，無治而無不治也。所謂無為者，不先物為也；無治者，不易自然也；無不治者，因物之相然也。

Laozi said: The great man is calm and without thought, tranquil and without worry; he takes heaven as his canopy, earth as his cart, the four seasons as his horses, yin and yang as his drivers; he walks where there is no road, roams where there is no weariness, and goes out where there is no door. Taking heaven as canopy, nothing is left uncovered; taking earth as cart, nothing is left uncarried; the four seasons as horses, nothing is left unemployed; yin and yang as drivers, nothing is left unprovided. So he is swift without shaking, goes far without tiring, does not move his four limbs and does not harm his sharp senses, yet illuminates the world: this is one who holds to the essential of the Dao and looks upon the land without limit. Therefore the affairs of the world cannot be forced; follow their natural way (ziran: being so of oneself, as one originally is; not "nature" in the sense of the natural world) and push along; the changes of all things cannot be forcibly rescued; hold to their essential and return. For this reason the sage cultivates the root within and does not adorn the branches without, polishes his spirit and rests his knowledge and views, and so is silent and without action yet leaves nothing undone, without governing yet leaves nothing ungoverned. By non-action is meant not rushing ahead of things to act; by non-governing, not changing what is natural; by leaving nothing ungoverned, following the way things are so of one another.

老子曰：執道以御民者，事來而循之，物動而因之；萬物之化無不應也，百事之變無不耦也。故道者，虛無、平易、清靜、柔弱、純粹素樸，此五者，道之形象也。虛無者道之舍也，平易者道之素也，清靜者道之鑒也，柔弱者道之用也。反者道之常也，柔者道之剛也，弱者道之強也。純粹素樸者道之幹也。虛者中無載也，平者心無累也，嗜慾不載，虛之至也，無所好憎，平之至也，一而不變，靜之至也，不與物雜，粹之至也，不憂不樂，德之至也。夫至人之治也，棄其聰明，滅其文章，依道廢智，與民同出乎公。約其所守，寡其所求，去其誘慕，除其貴欲，捐其思慮。約其所守即察，寡其所求即得，故以中制外，百事不廢，中能得之則外能牧之。中之得也，五藏寧，思慮平，筋骨勁強，耳目聰明。大道坦坦，去身不遠，求之遠者，往而復返。

Laozi said: One who holds to the Dao to govern the people follows when affairs come and relies on things when they move; there is no transformation of things to which he does not respond, no change in affairs with which he does not match. So the Dao is emptiness, ease, clarity and stillness, softness and weakness, and pure simplicity; these five are the image of the Dao. Emptiness is the Dao's dwelling, ease is the Dao's plainness, clarity and stillness are the Dao's mirror, and softness and weakness are the Dao's function. Return is the Dao's constancy, softness is the Dao's hardness, weakness is the Dao's strength. Pure simplicity is the Dao's trunk. Emptiness means there is nothing loaded within; ease means the heart has no entanglement. Not loading desires is the utmost of emptiness; having nothing liked or hated is the utmost of ease; being single and unchanging is the utmost of stillness; not mixing with things is the utmost of purity; neither grieving nor rejoicing is the utmost of virtue. The governance of the perfected person abandons cleverness and wipes out ornament, relies on the Dao and discards knowledge, and goes out together with the people in common cause. He simplifies what he guards, reduces what he seeks, removes temptation and admiration, eliminates the value placed on desire, and sets aside deliberation. Simplifying what he guards makes him clear-sighted, and reducing what he seeks makes him obtain; thus using the inner to regulate the outer, a hundred affairs are not neglected; if the inner can attain, the outer can be tended. When the inner attains, the five organs are at peace, thought is level, sinews and bones are strong, and ears and eyes are keen. The great Way is broad and level and not far from the body; those who seek it far away, having gone, must come back.

老子曰：聖人忘乎治人，而在乎自理。貴忘乎勢位，而在乎自得，自得即天下得我矣；樂忘乎富貴，而在乎和，知大己而小天下，幾於道矣。故曰：“至虛極也，守靜篤也，萬物並作，吾以觀其復。”夫道者，陶冶萬物，終始無形，寂然不動，大通混冥，深閎廣大不可為外，折毫剖芒不可為內，無環堵之宇，而生有無之間也。真人體之以虛無、平易、清靜、柔弱、純粹素樸，不與物雜，至德天地之道，故謂之真人。真人者，大己而小天下，貴治身而賤治人，不以物滑和，不以欲亂情，隱其名姓，有道則隱，無道則見，為無為，事無事，知不知也，懷天道，包天心，噓吸陰陽，吐故納新，與陰俱閉，與陽俱開，與剛柔卷舒，與陰陽俯仰，與天同心，與道同體；無所樂，無所苦，無所喜，無所怒，萬物玄同，無非無是。夫形傷乎寒暑燥濕之虐者，形究而神壯，神傷於喜怒思慮之患者，神盡而形有餘。故真人用心杖性，依神相扶，而得終始，是以其寢不夢，覺而無憂。

Laozi said: The sage forgets governing others, and attends to ordering himself. He values forgetting power and position, and attends to self-attainment, and when he has self-attainment, the world is attained by me; he delights in forgetting wealth and rank, and attends to harmony; knowing to make himself great and the world small, he draws near to the Dao. So it is said: "Reach the utmost emptiness, hold firm to stillness; all things arise together, and by this I watch their return." The Dao molds all things, beginning and ending without form, still and unmoving, greatly penetrating and merging with the dark, so deep and vast that it cannot be called outside, so fine that splitting a hair or dividing an awn cannot be called inside; it has no walled enclosure, yet is born between being and non-being. The true person embodies it with emptiness, ease, clarity and stillness, softness and weakness, and pure simplicity, not mixed with things, utmost in virtue with the Way of heaven and earth, and so is called a true person. The true person makes himself great and the world small, values governing himself and despises governing others, does not let things disturb his harmony or desires disorder his feelings, hides his name and surname, hides when the Dao is present and appears when the Dao is absent, does what is not done, serves what is not served, knows what is not known, cherishes the Way of Heaven, embraces the mind of Heaven, breathes yin and yang, exhales the old and takes in the new, closes with yin and opens with yang, rolls and unrolls with hard and soft, bows and rises with yin and yang, shares one mind with Heaven and one body with the Dao; nothing he delights in, nothing he suffers, nothing he rejoices over, nothing he rages at, and the myriad things are profoundly (deep and unfathomable) the same, neither right nor wrong. Those whose bodies are harmed by the cruelty of cold and heat, dryness and damp, exhaust the body while the spirit stays strong; those whose spirits are harmed by the troubles of joy, anger and thought, exhaust the spirit while the body has surplus. So the true person uses the mind according to nature, and relies on spirit and mutual support, and thereby attains the end and beginning; therefore in sleep he has no dreams and in waking he has no worries.

孔子問道。老子曰：正汝形，一汝視，天和將至；攝汝知，正汝度，神將來舍，德將為汝容，道將為汝居。瞳子，若新生之犢，而無求其故，形若枯木，心若死灰，真其實知而不以曲故自持，恢恢無心可謀，“明白四達，能無知乎？”

Confucius asked about the Dao. Laozi said: Straighten your form, concentrate your gaze, and the harmony of Heaven will arrive; gather in your knowledge, set your measures right, and the spirit will come to dwell; virtue will be your countenance and the Dao will be your dwelling. Your pupils will be like a newborn calf's, not seeking its reason, your form like dead wood and your mind like dead ashes, truly real in knowing and not holding oneself up by crooked skill, vast and without a mind to scheme, "clear and reaching in all directions, can you be without knowing?"

老子曰：夫事生者應變而動，變生於時，知時者無常之行。故“道可道，非常道也，名可名，非常名也。”書者言之所生也，言出於智，智者不知，非常道也；名可名，非藏書者也。“多聞數窮，不如守中”，“絕學無憂”，“絕聖棄智，民利百倍”。人生而靜，天之性也；感物而動，性之害也；物至而應，智之動也；智與物接，而好憎生焉；好憎成形，而智怵於外，不能反己，而天理滅矣。是故聖人不以人易天，外與物化而內不夫情，故通於道者，反於清靜，空於物者，終於無為。以恬養智，以漠合神，即乎無垠，循天者與道遊也，隨人者與俗交也；故聖人不以事滑天，不以欲亂情，不謀而當，不言而信，不慮而得，不為而成。是以處上而民不重，居前而人不害，天下歸之，姦邪畏之，以其無爭於萬物也，故莫敢與之爭。

Laozi said: Those who live by affairs move in response to change; change arises from the times, and one who knows the times has no constant course. So "the Dao that can be spoken is not the constant Dao; the name that can be named is not the constant name." Books are born of words, words issue from knowledge, and knowers do not know the Dao; this is not the constant Dao; a name that can be named is not for those who store books. "Much hearing and repeated exhaustion are not as good as keeping to the center," "cut off learning and have no worries," "cut off sageliness and discard knowledge, and the people will benefit a hundredfold." People are born still, which is Heaven's nature; moving in response to things is harm to the nature; responding when things arrive is the stirring of knowledge; when knowledge meets things, liking and hating arise; when liking and hating take shape, knowledge is startled outwardly, unable to return to itself, and the principle of Heaven is destroyed. So the sage does not let the human alter the heavenly, transforms outwardly with things and does not lose his feelings inwardly; therefore one who penetrates the Dao returns to clarity and stillness, and one who is empty of things ends in non-action. Nourish knowledge with calm, unite with spirit through stillness, and one draws near the boundless. One who follows Heaven roams with the Dao, and one who follows people mixes with the vulgar; so the sage does not let affairs disturb the heavenly or desire disorder the feelings, hits the mark without scheming, is trusted without speaking, gains without deliberating, and accomplishes without acting. Therefore, in a high position the people do not feel him heavy, standing in front, people do not feel harmed; the world turns to him and the wicked fear him; because he does not contend with the myriad things, no one dares to contend with him.

老子曰：夫人從欲失性，動未嘗正也，以治國則亂，以治身則穢，故不聞道者，無以反其性，不通物者，不能清靜。原人之性無邪穢，久湛於物即易，易而忘其本即合於其若性。水之性慾清，沙石穢之；人之性慾平，嗜慾害之，唯聖人能遺物反己。是故聖人不以智役物，不以欲滑和，其為樂不忻忻，其於憂不惋惋，是以高而不危，安而不傾。故聽善言便計，雖愚者知說之；稱聖德高行，雖不肖者知慕之；說之者眾而用之者寡，慕之者多而行之者少，所以然者，掔於物而繫於俗。故曰：我無為而民自化，我無事而民自富，我好靜而民自正，我無欲而民自樸。清靜者德之至也，柔弱者道之用也，虛無恬無形大，有形細，無形多，有形少，無形強，有形弱，無形實，有形虛。有形者遂事也，無形者作始也，遂事者成器也，作始者樸也。有形則有聲，無形則無聲，有形產於無形，故無形者有形之始也。廣厚有名，有名者貴全也；儉薄無名，無名者賤輕也；殷富有名，有名尊寵也；貧寡無名，無名卑弱也；雄牡有名，有名者章明也；雌牝無名，無名者隱約也；有餘者有名，有名者高賢也；不足者無名，無名者任下也。有功即有名，無功即無名，有名產於無名，無名者有名之母也，天之道有無相生也，難易相成也。是以聖人執道，虛靜微妙以成其德，故有道即有德，有德即有功，有功即有名，有名即復於道，功名長久，終身無咎，王公有功名，孤寡無功名，故曰聖人自謂孤寡，歸其根本。功成而不有，故有功以為利，無名以為用。古民童蒙，不知東西，貌不離情，言不出行，行出無容，言而不文，其衣致，神德不全於身者，不知何遠之能壞，欲害之心忘乎中者，即飢虎可尾也，而況於人？

Laozi said: People follow desire and lose their nature; their movements have never been upright; used to govern a state, it is disordered, used to govern oneself, it is foul. So those who have not heard the Dao have no way to return to their nature, and those who do not penetrate things cannot be clear and still. Tracing back, human nature has no wickedness or filth; sunk long in things it changes, and changing and forgetting its root it fits with something that merely resembles nature. The nature of water wishes to be clear, but sand and stones foul it; the nature of people wishes to be level, but appetites and desires harm it; only the sage can leave things behind and return to himself. So the sage does not use knowledge to command things or desire to disturb harmony; in joy he is not elated, in worry he is not distressed, and so he is high without danger and secure without toppling. When one hears good words and sound plans, even a fool knows to like them; when one praises sage virtue and lofty conduct, even the unworthy know to admire them. Those who like are many and those who use are few; those who admire are many and those who practice are few; the reason is that they are drawn by things and tied by custom. So it is said: I do nothing and the people transform themselves; I engage in no affairs and the people become rich themselves; I love stillness and the people become upright themselves; I have no desires and the people become simple themselves. Clarity and stillness are the utmost of virtue, and softness and weakness are the function of the Dao. Empty, calm and joyful: the formless is great and the formed is small; the formless is many and the formed is few; the formless is strong and the formed is weak; the formless is real and the formed is empty. The formed is the accomplished matter, and the formless is the beginning of action; the accomplished matter is a finished vessel, and the beginning of action is uncarved simplicity. What has form has sound, what has no form has no sound, and the formed is produced from the formless, so the formless is the beginning of the formed. The broad and thick have names, and what has a name values completeness; the frugal and thin have no names, and what has no name is despised as light; the opulent and rich have names, and what has a name is honored and favored; the poor and scant have no names, and what has no name is lowly and weak; the male has a name, and what has a name is conspicuous; the female has no name, and what has no name is hidden and obscure; those with surplus have names, and what has a name is lofty and worthy; those lacking have no names, and what has no name takes the lower tasks. With merit there is name, without merit there is no name; the named is produced from the nameless, and the nameless is the mother of the named. The Way of Heaven is that being and non-being give birth to each other, and the difficult and the easy complete each other. So the sage holds to the Dao, using emptiness, stillness and subtlety to complete his virtue; with the Dao there is virtue, with virtue there is merit, with merit there is name, and with name one returns to the Dao, so that merit and fame last long and one is free of fault all one's life. Kings and dukes have merit and fame, while the orphaned and widowed have no merit or fame, and so it is said the sage calls himself orphaned and widowed, returning to his root. When the work is done he does not possess it, and so has merit as benefit and has no name as use. In ancient times the people were childlike and ignorant, not knowing east from west, their appearance not apart from their feelings, their words not beyond their conduct, their conduct without adornment and their words without ornament. Those whose clothing is plain and whose spiritual virtue is not complete in the body do not know how far they will be ruined; those who have forgotten, within, the heart that desires to harm can be followed even by a hungry tiger, let alone by people.

體道者佚而不窮，任數者勞而無功，夫法刻刑誅者，非帝王之業也，箠策繁用者，非致遠之御也，好憎繁多，禍乃相隨，故先王之法非所作也，所因也，其禁誅非所為也，所守也，故能因則大，作即細，能守則固，為即敗。夫任耳目以聽視者，勞心而不明，以智慮為治者，苦心而無功，任一人之材，難以至治，一人之能，不足以治三畝。循道理之數，因天地之然，即六合不足均也，聽失於非譽，目淫於綵女，禮亶不足以放愛，誠心可以懷遠，故兵莫憯乎志，鏌錚為下寇，莫大於陰陽，而枹鼓為細，所謂大寇伏屍不言節，中寇藏於山，小寇遯於民間。故曰民多智能，奇物滋起，法令滋章，盜賊多有去彼取此，天殃不起。故以智治國，國之賊，不以智治國，國之德，愉者萬物之祖也，三者行則淪於無形。無形者，一之謂也，一者，無心合於天下也。佈德不溉，用之不勤，視之不見，聽之不聞，無形而有形生焉，無聲而五音鳴焉，無味而五味形焉，無色而五色成焉，故有生於無，實生於虛。音之數不過五，五音之變不可勝聽也，味之數不過五，五味之變不可勝嘗也，色之數不過五，五色之變不可勝觀也。音者宮立而五音形矣，味者甘立而五味定矣，色者白立而五色成矣，道者一立而萬物生矣。故一之理，施於四海，一之嘏，察於天地，其全也、敦兮其若樸，其散也、渾兮其若濁，濁而徐清，沖而徐盈，澹然若大海，汜兮若浮云，若無而有，若亡而存。

One who embodies the Dao is at ease and never in want, and one who relies on techniques and calculations toils without result. Harsh laws and punishments are not the business of emperors and kings; frequent use of the whip is not the way to drive a team far. When liking and hating are many, misfortune follows. So the laws of the former kings were not made but followed; their prohibitions and punishments were not contrived but kept. So following is great, and making is petty; keeping is firm, and doing is ruinous. One who relies on ears and eyes to listen and see toils in mind and is not clear; one who governs by cleverness and deliberation labors at heart without result. Relying on the talent of one person, it is hard to reach perfect order; the ability of one person is not enough to govern three mu. Following the number of Dao and principle, relying on the natural way of heaven and earth, even the six directions would not be level enough. Hearing is lost to praise and blame, and the eye is led astray by fair women; though ritual be thick it is not enough to release love, but a sincere heart can bring distant peoples near. So no weapon is more grievous than intent, and Moye is the lesser; no bandit is greater than yin and yang, and drum and mallet are minor. The so-called great bandit lies as a corpse and does not discuss restraint; the middling bandit hides in the mountains; the small bandit flees among the people. So it is said: the more the people have knowledge and ability, the more strange things arise; the more laws and orders are displayed, the more thieves and bandits there are; discard that and take this, and Heaven's calamity does not arise. So governing a state by cleverness is the thief of the state, and not governing a state by cleverness is the virtue of the state. Joy is the ancestor of all things, and when these three are practiced, one sinks into the formless. The formless is the One; the One is a mindless union with the world. Spreading virtue without irrigating, using it without exhausting, looking without seeing, listening without hearing, the formless gives rise to form, the soundless sounds the five notes, the tasteless forms the five flavors, the colorless completes the five colors; so being is born of non-being, and the real is born of the empty. The number of sounds does not exceed five, yet the changes of the five notes cannot all be heard; the number of flavors does not exceed five, yet the changes of the five flavors cannot all be tasted; the number of colors does not exceed five, yet the changes of the five colors cannot all be seen. For sound, the gong note being established completes the five notes; for flavor, sweetness being established settles the five flavors; for color, white being established completes the five colors; and for the Dao, the One being established gives birth to all things. So the principle of the One extends over the four seas, and the blessing of the One is seen throughout heaven and earth. When it is whole, it is thick and honest like uncarved wood; when it is scattered, it is murky like muddy water. Muddy, it slowly clears; empty, it slowly fills; calm like the great sea, floating like drifting clouds, seeming not to be yet being, seeming to be lost yet surviving.

老子曰：萬物之摠，皆閱一孔，百事之根，皆出一門，故聖人一度循軌，不變其故，不易其常，放準循繩，曲因其常。夫喜怒者，道之邪也；憂悲者，德之失也；好憎者，心之過也；嗜慾者，生之累也。人大怒破陰，大喜墜陽，薄氣發喑，驚怖為狂，憂悲焦心，疾乃成積，人能除此五者，即合於神明。神明者，得其內，得其內者，五藏寧，思慮平，耳目聰明，筋骨勁強，疏達而不悖，堅強而不匱，無所太過，無所不逮。天下莫柔弱於水，水為道也，廣不可極，深不可測，長極無窮，遠淪無涯，息耗減益，過於不訾，上天為雨露，下地為潤澤，萬物不得不生，百事不得不成，大苞群生而無私好，澤及蚑蟯而不求報，富贍天下而不既，德施百姓而不費，行不可得而窮極，微不可得而把握，擊之不創，刺之不傷，斬之不斷，灼之不燻，淖約流循而不可靡散，利貫金石，強淪天下，有餘不足，任天下取與，稟受萬物而無所先後，無私無公，與天地洪同，是謂至德。夫水所以能成其至德者，以其卓約潤滑也，故曰：“天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅，無有入於無間。”夫無形者，物之太祖，無音者，類之太宗，真人者，通於靈府，與造化者為人，執玄德於心，而化馳如神。是故不道之道，芒乎大哉，未發號施令而移風易俗，其唯心行也。萬物有所生而獨如其根，百事有所出而獨守其門，故能窮無窮，極無極，照物而不眩，響應而不知。

Laozi said: The sum of all things all passes through a single aperture; the root of a hundred affairs all comes out of one gate. So the sage follows the track once and does not change the old or alter the constant, he sets down the level and follows the line, and in bending, follows the constant. Joy and anger are deviations of the Dao; grief and sorrow are losses of virtue; liking and hating are faults of the mind; appetite and desire are burdens of life. When a person is greatly angry, he breaks yin; when greatly joyful, he topples yang; when thin qi (the flowing substance that makes up and runs through all things) bursts out, he loses his voice; fright and terror become madness; grief and worry scorch the heart and illness accumulates. If a person can remove these five, he accords with the divine light. The divine light is gaining one's inner self; gaining one's inner self, the five organs are at peace, thought is level, ears and eyes are keen, sinews and bones are strong, open and penetrating without contradiction, firm and strong without lack, nothing excessive and nothing falling short. In the world nothing is softer or weaker than water, and water is the Dao: so broad that it cannot be reached to its limit, so deep that it cannot be fathomed, so long it is endless, so distant it has no shore, its ebb and flow, decrease and increase beyond measuring; above, it becomes rain and dew in heaven; below, it moistens the earth; all things cannot but be born, a hundred affairs cannot but be accomplished; it greatly embraces all beings without private favor, its benefit reaches even crawling insects and it seeks no repayment; it enriches the world without being exhausted, bestows virtue on the people without being spent; its course cannot be exhausted, its subtlety cannot be grasped; strike it and it is not wounded, pierce it and it is not harmed, cut it and it is not severed, burn it and it does not smoke; supple and flowing, it cannot be dispersed; its sharpness can pierce metal and stone, its strength can submerge the world; surplus or lack, it lets the world take or give; it receives all things without first or last, with no private person and no public, vastly the same as heaven and earth: this is called supreme virtue. The reason water can achieve its supreme virtue is that it is supple and slippery, so it is said: "The softest thing in the world gallops through the hardest thing in the world; that which has no being enters where there is no gap." The formless is the great ancestor of things; the soundless is the great clan head of kinds. The true person penetrates the spirit-treasury, pairs with the one who creates and transforms, holds the profound virtue in the heart, and transforms and gallops like a spirit. So the Dao that is not the Dao is vast and great, and without issuing any command it changes customs, simply with the mind in action. All things have their births and one alone knows the root; all affairs have their sources and one alone guards the gate; so he can exhaust the inexhaustible and reach the limit of the limitless, illuminate things without being dazzled and respond like an echo without knowing it.

老子曰：夫得道者，志弱而事強，心虛而應當。志弱者柔毳安靜，藏於不取，行於不能，澹然無為，動不失時，故“貴必以賤為本，高必以下為基。”託小以包大，在中以制外，行柔而剛，力無不勝敵無不陵，應化揆時，莫能害之。欲剛者必以柔守之，欲強者必以弱保之，積柔即剛，積弱即強，觀其所積，以知存亡。強勝不若己者，至於若己者而格，柔勝出於己者，其力不可量，故“兵強則滅，木強則折。”革強則裂，齒堅於舌而先斃，故“柔弱者生之幹也，堅強者死之徒。”先唱者窮之路，後動者達之原。夫執道以耦變，先亦制後，後亦制先，何即？不失所以制人，人亦不能制也。所謂後者，調其數而合其時，時之變則，間不容息，先之則太過，後之則不及，日迴月周，時不與人遊，故聖人不貴尺之璧，而貴寸之陰，時難得而易失。故聖人隨時而舉事，因資而立功，守清道，拘雌節，因循而應變，常後而不先，柔弱以靜，安徐以定，大堅固不能與爭也。

Laozi said: One who attains the Dao has a weak will and strong deeds, an empty mind and fitting responses. A weak will is soft, downy and quiet, hidden in not taking, acting in not being able, calm and without action, moving without missing the moment, so "the noble must take the humble as its root, and the high must take the low as its foundation." Relying on the small to embrace the great, using the center to regulate the outer, acting softly yet being firm, his strength overcomes everywhere and no enemy is not overwhelmed, responding to transformation and measuring the times, nothing can harm him. One who wishes to be hard must guard it with softness, and one who wishes to be strong must protect it with weakness; accumulate softness and one becomes hard, accumulate weakness and one becomes strong; look at what he accumulates and one will know whether he will survive or perish. The strong overcomes those who are not as strong as himself, but when he meets an equal he is checked; the soft overcomes those who surpass him, and its strength cannot be measured. So "a strong army is destroyed, and a strong tree breaks." Strong leather splits, and teeth, though firmer than the tongue, perish first; so "softness and weakness are the trunk of life, and hardness and strength are of the kind of death." Singing first is the road to poverty, and moving later is the source of success. One who holds to the Dao to match change, first can control later, and later can control first; why? Because not losing is how one controls others, and others cannot control him. What is called later is to adjust to the number and fit the time. The changes of the times leave no gap to catch a breath; going first is too much and going later is too little. The sun turns and the moon circles; time does not roam with people, so the sage values not a foot of jade but an inch of time, for time is hard to get and easy to lose. So the sage acts according to the time, establishes merit relying on resources, keeps to the pure Way, holds the female measure, follows and responds to change, is always later and not first, uses softness and weakness to be still, and calm and slowness to be settled, and even the firmest cannot contend with him.

老子曰：機械之心藏於中，即純白之不粹。神德不全於身者，不知何逺之能壞，欲害之心忘乎中者，即飢虎可尾也，而況於人乎。體道者佚而不窮，任數者勞而無功。夫法刻刑誅者，非帝王之業也。箠策繁用者，非致逺之御也。好憎繁多，禍乃相隨。故先王之法，非所作也，所因也；其禁誅，非所為也，所守也。故能因即大，作即細，能守即固，為即敗。夫任耳目以聼視者，勞心而不明，以智慮為治者，苦心而無功。任一人之材，難以至治。一人之能，不足以治三畝之宅。循道理之數，因天地自然，即六合不足均也。聼失於非譽，目淫於彩色，禮亶不足以放愛，誠心可以懐逺。故兵莫憯乎志，鏌鋣為下；寇莫大於陰陽，而枹鼓為細。所謂大寇伏屍，不言節。中寇藏於山，小寇遯於民間。故曰民多智能，奇物滋起。法令滋章，盜賊多有。去彼取此，天殃不起。故，以智治國國之賊，不以智治國國之德。夫無形大，有形細。無形多，有形少。無形強，有形弱。無形實，有形虛。有形者逐事也。無形者作始也。逐事者成器也，作始者，檏也。有形則有聲，無形則無聲。有形產於無形，故無形者有形之始也。廣厚有名，有名者貴全也。儉薄無名，無名者賎輕也。殷富有名，有名者尊寵也。貧寡無名，無名者卑辱也。雄壯有名，有名者章明也。雌牝無名，無名者隱約也。有餘者有名，有名者高賢也，不足者無名，無名者任下也。有功即有名，無功即無名。有名產於無名，無名者有名之母也。夫道有無相生，難易相成也。是以聖人執道，虛靜微妙，以成其德。故有道即有德，有德即有功，有功即有名，有名即復歸於道。功名長久，終身無咎。王公有功名，孤寡無功名，故曰聖人自謂孤寡，歸其根本。功成而不有，故有功以為利，無名以為用。古者，民童蒙，不知東西，貌不離情，言不出行，行出無容。

When a scheming, mechanical heart is hidden within, pure whiteness is no longer pure. One whose spirit and virtue are not whole in his person may be ruined at any time, who knows how soon; one who has forgotten the heart of wanting to harm others can be followed even by a hungry tiger, how much more by people? One who embodies the Way is at ease and never in want; one who relies on techniques and calculations toils without result. Harsh laws and punishments are not the work of emperors and kings. Frequent whipping is not the way to drive a team far. Where likes and dislikes are many, calamity follows. So the laws of the former kings were not made by them but followed by them; their prohibitions and punishments were not things they did but things they kept. So one who can follow becomes great, while one who makes becomes petty; one who can keep is firm, while one who acts is ruined. One who relies on ears and eyes to hear and see wears out his heart without being clear; one who governs by wisdom and scheming labors in his heart without result. Relying on the talent of one man, it is hard to reach perfect order. The ability of one man is not enough to govern a house of three mu. Follow the numbers of the principle of the Way and rely on the naturalness of heaven and earth, and even the six directions will not be too much to keep level. Hearing is lost to praise and blame, the eye is lured by bright colors, and however generous ritual may be it is not enough to give free rein to love, while a sincere heart can embrace the distant. So no weapon is more grievous than the will, and the sword Moye is only the lesser; no bandit is greater than yin and yang, and the drum and drumstick are only the petty. As the saying goes, the great bandit lies as a corpse and does not speak of moderation. The middling bandit hides in the mountains, and the small bandit flees among the people. So it is said: when the people have much cleverness, strange things multiply; when laws and orders are made more prominent, thieves and robbers increase. Cast away that and take this, and Heaven’s calamity does not arise. So to govern a state by cleverness is the thief of the state, and not to govern a state by cleverness is the virtue of the state. The formless is great, the formed is small. The formless is many, the formed is few. The formless is strong, the formed is weak. The formless is solid, the formed is empty. The formed is what completes affairs. The formless is the start of making. What completes affairs is a finished vessel, and what starts making is the uncarved block. What has form has sound, and what is formless has no sound. The formed is produced from the formless, so the formless is the beginning of the formed. Breadth and thickness have a name, and what has a name values completeness. Frugality and thinness have no name, and what has no name is considered lowly and light. Abundance and wealth have a name, and what has a name is honored and favored. Poverty and scarcity have no name, and what has no name is lowly and disgraced. Vigor and strength have a name, and what has a name is conspicuous. Female softness has no name, and what has no name is hidden and reserved. Those with surplus have a name, and those with a name are high and worthy; those with deficiency have no name, and those with no name bear the lower tasks. With achievement there is a name, without achievement there is no name. What has a name is produced from what has no name, and what has no name is the mother of what has a name. In the Way, being and non-being give birth to one another and difficult and easy complete one another. Therefore the sage holds to the Way, empty, still, subtle, and wondrous, to complete his virtue. So with the Way there is virtue, with virtue there is achievement, with achievement there is a name, and with a name one returns again to the Way. When achievement and fame last long, there is no fault for one’s whole life. Kings and dukes have achievement and fame, while the orphaned and lonely have no achievement or fame, and so the sage calls himself orphaned and lonely, returning to his root. When his work is done he does not take possession, and so he takes achievement as advantage and having no name as use. In ancient times the people were ignorant like children, did not know east from west, their appearance did not depart from their feelings, their words did not go beyond their deeds, and their deeds came forth without adornment.

言而不文，其衣煖而無綵，其兵鈍而無刃，行蹎蹎。視瞑瞑，立井而飲，耕田而食，不佈施，不求德，高下不相傾，長短不相形，風齊於俗可隨也，事周於能易為也，矜偽以惑世，軻行以迷眾，聖人不以為俗。

(He continued:) Their words had no polish, their clothes were warm but had no patterns, their weapons were dull and had no edge, they walked slowly and looked dimly, dug wells to drink and plowed fields to eat, did not give charity and did not seek credit, high and low did not topple one another, and long and short did not shape one another. When the manner is in line with custom, one can follow it; when the affairs match one’s ability, they are easy to do. Showing off and deceit to bewilder the age and harsh conduct to confuse the multitude are not taken by the sage as custom.

老子曰：天致其高，地致其厚，日月照，列星朗，陰陽和，非有為焉，正其道而物自然。陰陽四時非生萬物也，雨露時降非養草木也，神明接，陰陽和，萬物生矣。夫道者，藏精於內，棲神於心，靜漠恬惔，悅穆胸中，廓然無形，寂然無聲。官府若無事，朝廷若無人，無隱士，無逸民，無勞役，無怨刑，天下莫不仰上之象，主之旨，絕國殊俗莫不重譯而至，非家至而人見之也，推其誠心，施之天下而已。故賞善罰暴者，正令也；其所以能行者，精誠也。令雖明不能獨行，必待精誠，故摠道以被民弗從者，精誠弗包也。

Laozi said: Heaven reaches its height, Earth reaches its thickness, the sun and moon shine, the ranked stars are bright, yin and yang are in harmony, and none of this is deliberate action; they correct their Way and things are so of themselves. Yin and yang and the four seasons do not give birth to the myriad things, and the rain and dew falling in season do not nourish the grass and trees; when spirit and brightness meet and yin and yang harmonize, the myriad things come to life. The Way hides essence within, lodges spirit in the heart, is still, silent, calm, and plain, makes the breast joyful and serene, wide and without form, quiet and without sound. Then the offices seem to have nothing to do, the court seems empty, there are no hermits, no idle people, no forced labor, no resented punishments, and there is no one in the world who does not look up to the ruler’s image and the sovereign’s intention, and remote states and strange customs all come after passing through repeated translation; it is not that he goes to each house or each person sees him, but only that he extends his sincere heart and applies it to the world. So rewarding good and punishing violence is the correct order, but what makes it work is refined sincerity. Even if orders are clear they cannot go alone, and must wait for refined sincerity. So when one governs the people by gathering the Way to cover them and they do not follow, it is because refined sincerity has not enveloped them.

老子曰：天設日月，列星辰，張四時，調陰陽。日以暴之，夜以息之，風以乾之，雨露以濡之。其生物也，莫見其所養而萬物長；其殺物也，莫見其所喪而萬物亡。此謂神明。是故聖人象之，其起福也，不見其所以而福起；其除禍也，不見其所由而禍除。稽之不得，察之不虛，日計不足，歲計有餘，寂然無聲，一言而大動天下，是以天心動化者也。故精誠內形，氣動於天，景星見，黃龍下，鳳皇至，醴泉出，嘉穀生，河不滿溢，海不波湧；逆天暴物，即日月薄蝕，五星失行，四時相乘，晝冥宵光，山崩川涸，冬雷夏霜。天之與人，有以相通，故國之沮亡也，天文變，世俗亂，虹蜺見，萬物有以相連，精氣有以相薄，故神明之事，不可以智巧為也，不可以強力致也。故大人與天地合德，與日月合明，與鬼神合靈，與四時合信，懷天心，抱地氣，執沖含和，不下堂而行四海，變易習俗，民化遷善，若生諸己，能以神化者也。

Laozi said: Heaven sets up the sun and moon, arrays the stars and constellations, spreads out the four seasons, and harmonizes yin and yang. The day comes to scorch, the night comes to rest, the wind comes to dry, and the rain and dew come to moisten. In its giving life to things, one does not see what it nourishes and yet the myriad things grow; in its killing things, one does not see what it destroys and yet the myriad things perish. This is called spirit and brightness. So the sage models himself on it: when blessing arises he does not see why and blessing arises; when calamity is removed he does not see whence and calamity is removed. Seek it and you cannot find it, examine it and it is not empty; counting by the day it falls short, counting by the year it is in surplus; silent and without sound, a single word moves the whole world, moving and transforming through the heart of Heaven. So refined sincerity takes shape within, qi moves in Heaven, auspicious stars appear, the yellow dragon descends, the phoenix arrives, sweet springs emerge, fine grain grows, the rivers do not overflow, and the seas do not surge with waves; but when one goes against Heaven and does violence to things, the sun and moon are eclipsed, the five planets lose their course, the four seasons encroach on one another, day is dark and night is bright, mountains collapse and rivers dry up, thunder sounds in winter and frost falls in summer. There is a connection between Heaven and humankind, so when a state is about to perish, the heavenly signs change, the customs of the age fall into disorder, rainbows appear, the myriad things are linked, and the essences and qi press upon one another. So the affairs of spirit and brightness cannot be done by cleverness and skill and cannot be brought about by strength. So the great person joins virtue with Heaven and Earth, brightness with the sun and moon, spirit with ghosts and spirits, and trustworthiness with the four seasons; he embraces the heart of Heaven, holds the qi of Earth, grasps the middle and contains harmony, and without descending from his hall travels throughout the four seas, changing customs so that the people are transformed and move toward goodness as if it were born from themselves; he is one who can transform by spirit.

老子曰：夫人道者，全性保真，不虧其身，遭急迫難，精通乎天，若乃未始出其宗者，何為而不成，死生同域，不可脅凌，又況官天地，懷萬物，返造化，含至和，而已未嘗死者也。精誠形乎內，而外喻於人心，此不傳之道也。聖人在上，懷道而不言，澤及萬民，故不言之教，芒乎大哉！君臣乖心，倍譎見於天，神氣相應徵矣，此謂不言之辯，不道之道也。夫召遠者使無為焉，親近者言無事焉，唯夜行者能有之，卻走馬以糞，車軌不接於遠方之外，是謂坐馳陸沉。天道無私就也，無私去也，能者有餘，拙者不足，順之者利，逆之者兇。是故以智為治者難以持國，唯同乎大和而持自然應者，為能有之。

Laozi said: The way of humans is to keep one’s nature whole and preserve the true, not diminishing one’s person; when met with urgency and danger, one’s essence rises to communicate with Heaven. For one who has never left his source, what would he do that fails? Death and life are in one realm for him, and he cannot be coerced or bullied, how much more one who governs heaven and earth, embraces the myriad things, returns to creation and transformation, contains perfect harmony, and has never died of himself. Refined sincerity takes shape within and is conveyed outwardly to people’s hearts; this is the Way that cannot be transmitted. The sage above embraces the Way and does not speak, and his grace reaches the myriad people, so the teaching without words, how vast and great! When ruler and ministers are estranged in heart, deviation and falsity appear in Heaven, and spirit and qi respond and show signs; this is called argument without words, the Way not spoken of. One who summons the distant uses non-action, one who is close speaks of no affairs, and only one who walks at night can have this. Turn back the running horses to fertilize the fields, and let carriage tracks not extend beyond far lands; this is called sitting while galloping, sinking on dry land. The Way of Heaven has no private approach and no private leaving; the capable have surplus and the clumsy fall short, the compliant benefit and the contrary meet misfortune. So one who governs by cleverness can hardly hold a state; only one who is the same as the great harmony and holds to naturalness to respond can have it.

老子曰：夫道之與德，若圍之與革，遠之即近，近之即逺，稽之不得，察之不虛。是故聖人若鏡，不將不迎，應而不藏，萬物而不傷。其得之也，乃失之也，其失之也，乃得之也，故通於大和者，闇若醇醉而甘臥以遊其中，若未始出其宗，是謂大通，此假不用能成其用也。

Laozi said: The Way and virtue are like the shaft and the leather of a carriage: draw away from it and it is near, draw near to it and it is far; seek it and you cannot find it, examine it and it is not empty. So the sage is like a mirror, neither sending nor welcoming, responding without storing, and the myriad things are not harmed. To gain it is to lose it, and to lose it is to gain it. So one who penetrates the great harmony, in darkness as if drunk, sleeps sweetly and roams in it, as if he had never left his source; this is called great penetration, and it is using not-using to accomplish one’s use.

老子曰：昔黃帝之治天下，理日月之行，治陰陽之氣，節四時之度，正律曆之數，別男女，明上下，使強不掩弱，眾不暴寡，民保命而不夭，歲時熟而不兇，百官正而無私，上下調而無尤，法令明而不闇，輔佐公而不阿，田者讓畔，道不拾遺，市不預賈，故於此時，日月星辰不失其行，風雨時節，五穀豐昌，鳳皇翔於庭，麒麟遊於郊。虙犧氏之王天下，枕石寢繩，殺秋約冬，負方州，抱員天，陰陽所擁沉滯不通者竅理之，逆氣戾物傷民厚積者絕止之，其民童蒙不知西東，視瞑瞑，行蹎蹎，侗然自得，莫知其所由，浮游汎然，不知所本，罔養不知所如往，當此之時，禽獸蟲蛇無不懷其爪牙，藏其螫毒，功揆天地。至黃帝要繆乎太祖之下，然而不章其功，不揚其名，隱真人之道，以從天地之固然，何即道德上通，而智故消滅也。

Laozi said: In the past, when the Yellow Emperor governed the world, he regulated the courses of the sun and moon, ordered the qi of yin and yang, set the measure of the four seasons, corrected the numbers of pitch-pipes and the calendar, distinguished men from women, made clear high and low, so that the strong did not overpower the weak, the many did not oppress the few, the people preserved their lives and did not die young, the seasons were ripe and there was no misfortune, the hundred officials were upright and without selfishness, high and low were in harmony and without blame, laws and orders were clear and not obscure, assistants were impartial and did not flatter, those who plowed fields yielded the boundary, nothing lost was picked up on the road, and in the market no one raised prices in advance; so at that time the sun, moon, and stars did not lose their courses, wind and rain came in season, the five grains were abundant, the phoenix soared in the courtyard, and the qilin roamed in the countryside. When Fu Xi ruled the world, he pillowed on stone and slept by the cord, and the killing of autumn and storing of winter had their measure; with his back to the square provinces and embracing the round heaven, where yin and yang were blocked and stagnant he cleared them, and where contrary qi harmed things and injured the people and built up he stopped it; the people were ignorant like children and did not know west from east, looked dimly and walked slowly, naive and content, not knowing where things came from, drifting and floating, not knowing their origin, vaguely not knowing where they were going. At that time, birds, beasts, insects, and snakes all drew in their claws and fangs and hid their stings and poison, and his achievement could measure heaven and earth. When it came to the Yellow Emperor, he made a compact beneath the Great Ancestor and did not display his achievement or spread his name, hiding the Way of the true person, to follow what was so of heaven and earth. Why? Because the Way and virtue communicated upward, and cleverness and contrivance disappeared.

老子曰：天不定，日月無所載，地不定，草木無所立，身不寧，是非無所形，是故有真人而後有真智，其所持者不明，何知吾所謂知之非不知與？積惠重貨，使萬民欣欣，人樂其生者，仁也；舉大功，顯令名，體君臣，正上下，明親疏，存危國，繼絕世，立無後者，義也；閉九竅，藏志意，棄聰明，反無識，芒然仿佯乎塵垢之外，逍遙乎無事之業，含陰吐陽而與萬物同和者，德也。是故道散而為德，德溢而為仁義，仁義立而道德廢矣。

Laozi said: If Heaven is not settled, the sun and moon have nowhere to be carried; if Earth is not settled, grass and trees have nowhere to stand; if the person is not at peace, right and wrong have nowhere to take shape. So there is a true person and only then true knowledge. If what one holds is not clear, how can one know that what I call knowing is not ignorance? To accumulate kindness and heavy goods so that the myriad people are joyful and delight in their lives is benevolence; to perform great deeds, make a name famous, embody ruler and subject, correct high and low, make clear close and distant, preserve endangered states, continue broken lines, and set up heirs for those who have none is righteousness; to shut the nine openings, hide intention, abandon sharp hearing and clear sight, return to no-knowing, wander vaguely beyond dust and dirt, roam freely in an enterprise without affairs, contain yin and breathe out yang and be in harmony with the myriad things is virtue. So the Way disperses and becomes virtue, virtue overflows and becomes benevolence and righteousness, and when benevolence and righteousness are established, the Way and virtue are abandoned.

老子曰：神越者言華，德蕩者行偽，至精芒乎中，而言行觀乎外，此不免以身役物也。精有愁盡而行無窮極，所守不定而外淫於世俗之風，是故聖人內脩道術而不外飾仁義，知九竅四肢之宜，而遊乎精神之和，此聖人之遊也。

Laozi said: One whose spirit leaps outward speaks of flowers, and one whose virtue runs loose acts falsely. The supreme essence lies vast within, but speech and conduct show outside, and then one cannot avoid being a servant of things with one’s body. Essence can be exhausted by worry while conduct has no limit; what one holds is unsettled and one is led outward by the winds of custom, so the sage cultivates the techniques of the Way within and does not adorn himself outwardly with benevolence and righteousness, knows what suits the nine openings and four limbs, and roams in the harmony of spirit; this is the sage’s roaming.

老子曰：若夫聖人之遊也，即動乎至虛，遊心乎太無，馳於方外，行於無門，聽於無聲，視於無形，不拘於世，不繫於俗。故聖人所以動天下者，真人不過，賢人所以矯世者，聖人不觀。夫人拘於世俗，必形繫而神洩，故不免於累，使我可拘係者，必其命有在外者。

Laozi said: As for the sage’s roaming, it moves in utmost emptiness, wanders the heart in the great nothingness, gallops beyond the quarters, walks where there is no gate, listens to the soundless, looks at the formless, is not bound by the age or tied by custom. So what the sage uses to move the world, the true person does not surpass; what the worthy use to correct the age, the sage does not look at. When people are bound by the age and custom, their forms are surely tied and their spirits leak outward, so they cannot escape being burdened. What makes me subject to being bound is surely that fate lies outside.

老子曰：人主之思，神不馳於胸中，智不出於四域，懷其仁誠之心，甘雨以時，五穀蕃殖，春生夏長，秋收冬藏，月省時考，終歲獻貢，養民以公，威厲以誠，法省不煩，教化如神，法寬刑緩，囹圄空虛，天下一俗，莫懷姦心，此聖人之恩也。夫上好取而無量，即下貪功而無讓，民貧苦而分爭生，事力勞而無功，智詐萌生，盜賊滋彰，上下相怨，號令不行，夫水濁者魚噞，政苛者民亂，上多欲即下多詐，上煩擾即下不定，上多求即下交爭，不治其本而救之於末，無以異於鑿渠而止水，抱薪而救火。聖人事省而治，求寡而贍，不施而仁，不言而信，不求而得，不為而成，懷自然，保至真，抱道推誠，天下從之如響之應聲，影之像形，所脩者本也。

Laozi said: When the ruler thinks, his spirit does not gallop within his breast, his wisdom does not go beyond the four regions, he embraces a heart of benevolence and sincerity, sweet rain falls in season, the five grains multiply, spring gives birth and summer grows, autumn harvests and winter stores, he inspects by the month and assesses by the season, tribute is offered at year’s end, he nourishes the people impartially and rules with sincerity, laws are few and not troublesome, teaching and transformation are like spirit, laws are lenient and punishments are gentle, prisons are empty, feelings are one, and no one harbors treacherous thoughts; this is the grace of the sage. When those above like to take without measure, those below grow greedy for credit and do not yield, the people are poor and suffering and quarrels over shares arise, affairs are burdensome without achievement, cunning and deceit sprout, thieves and robbers multiply, high and low resent one another, and orders are not carried out. When the water is muddy, the fish gape at the surface; when government is harsh, the people riot. When those above have many desires, those below have much deceit; when those above are fussy, those below are unsettled; when those above demand much, those below contend with one another. To not govern the root and to rescue the branches is no different from digging a channel to stop water or carrying firewood to put out a fire. The sage does little yet governs, asks little yet is sufficient, is benevolent without giving, trusted without speaking, gains without seeking, accomplishes without acting, embraces naturalness, preserves the utmost truth, holds to the Way and extends sincerity, and the world follows him like an echo to a sound or a shadow to a form, because what he cultivates is the root.

老子曰：精神越於外，智慮蕩於內者，不能治形，神之所用者遠，則所遺者近。故“不出於戶以知天下，不窺於牖以知天道，其出彌遠，其知彌少。”此言精誠發於內，神氣動於天也。

Laozi said: One whose spirit leaps outward and whose thoughts run wild within cannot govern the body. What the spirit uses is far, and what it leaves behind is near. So “without going out the door one knows the world, without looking out the window one knows the Way of Heaven; the farther one goes out, the less one knows.” This says that refined sincerity arises within and the spirit-qi moves in Heaven.

老子曰：冬日之陽，夏日之陰，萬物歸之而莫之使，極自然至精之感，弗召自來，不去而往，窈窈冥冥，不知所為者而功自成，待目而照見，待言而使命，其於治難矣。皋陶喑而為大理，天下無虐刑，有貴乎言者也，師曠瞽而為太宰，晉國無亂政，有貴乎見者也。不言之令，不視之見，聖人所以為師也，民之化上，不從其言，從其所行，故人君好勇，弗使鬥爭而國家多難，其漸必有劫殺之亂矣。人君好色，弗使風議而國家昏亂，其積至於淫佚之難，故聖人精誠別於內，好憎明於外，出言以副情，發號以明指。是故刑罰不足以移風，殺戮不足以禁姦，唯神化為貴，精至為神，精之所動，若春氣之生，秋氣之殺。故君子者，其猶射者也，於此毫末，於彼尋丈矣！故理人者，慎所以感之。

Laozi said: The yang of winter days and the yin of summer days, which the myriad things turn to without anyone sending them, are the response of the utmost naturalness and refined essence, coming unsummoned and going without leaving, dark and obscure, no one knowing what is done yet the achievement completing itself. To wait for the eye to see and wait for speech to command makes governing difficult. Gao Yao was mute and served as chief judge, and the world had no cruel punishments, so there is something more precious than speech; Shi Kuang was blind and served as grand steward, and the state of Jin had no disorderly government, so there is something more precious than sight. The command without words and the sight without looking are what makes the sage a teacher. The people are transformed by their superior, not following his words but following his deeds. So if the ruler loves bravery, even if he does not let people fight, the state will have many troubles, and gradually there will surely be disorders of robbery and killing. If the ruler loves women, even if he does not allow criticism, the state will fall into confusion, and as it builds up it will reach the calamity of license. So the sage divides refined sincerity within and makes likes and dislikes plain without, brings forth words to match his feelings and issues orders to make clear his meaning. So punishments are not enough to change customs and killing is not enough to stop crime, and only transformation by spirit is valuable. When essence arrives it is spirit, and what essence moves is like the birth of spring qi and the killing of autumn qi. So the superior person is like an archer: here he is off by a hair, and there he is off by whole fathoms. So those who govern people must be careful about what they use to move them.

老子曰：懸法設賞而不能移風易俗者，誠心不抱，故聽其音則知其風，觀其樂即知其俗，見其俗即知其化。夫抱真效誠者，感動天地，神踰方外，令行禁止，誠通其道而達其意，雖無一言，天下萬民、禽獸、鬼神與之變化。故太上神化，其次使不得為非，其下賞賢而罰暴。

Laozi said: To hang up laws and set up rewards and yet be unable to change customs is because sincerity has not been held. So by hearing its music one knows its custom, by watching its pleasures one knows its customs, and by seeing its customs one knows its transformation. One who embraces truth and shows sincerity moves heaven and earth, his spirit goes beyond the quarters, his orders are carried out and prohibitions halted, his sincerity penetrates the Way and reaches its meaning, and even without a single word the myriad people of the world, birds, beasts, and ghosts and spirits are transformed with him. So the highest is transformation by spirit, the next is making it impossible to do wrong, and the lowest is rewarding the worthy and punishing the violent.

老子曰：大道無為，無為即無有，無有者，不居也，不居者即處無形，無形者不動，不動者無言也，無言者即靜而無聲無形，無聲無形者，視之不見，聽之不聞，是謂微妙，是謂至神，“綿綿若存”，“是謂天地根。”道無形無聲，故聖人強為之形，以一句為名天地之道。大以小為本，多以少為始，天子以天地為品，以萬物為資，功德至大，勢名至貴，二德之美與天地配，故不可不軌大道以為天下母。

Laozi said: The great Way is non-action; non-action is non-being; non-being is not dwelling; not dwelling is being in the formless; the formless does not move; not moving, there are no words; with no words it is still and without sound and without form. What is soundless and formless, look for it and you cannot see it, listen for it and you cannot hear it; this is called subtle and wondrous, this is called supreme spirit, “continuous and unbroken, as if it exists,” “this is called the root of heaven and earth.” The Way has no form and no sound, so the sage forces a form on it and uses a word to name the Way of heaven and earth. The great takes the small as its root, and the many take the few as their beginning. The Son of Heaven takes heaven and earth as his rank and the myriad things as his resources, his merit and virtue are utmost and his power and name utmost honored, and these two beautiful virtues match heaven and earth, so one cannot fail to take the great Way as a norm and regard it as the mother of the world.

老子曰：振窮補急則名生利起，除害即功成，世無災害，雖聖無所施其德，上下和睦，雖賢無所立其功。故至人之治，含德抱道，推誠樂施，無窮之智，寢說而不言。天下莫知貴其不言者，故“道可道，非常道也，名可名，非常名也。”著於竹帛，鏤於金石，可傳於人者，皆其麤也。三皇五帝三王，殊事而同心，異路而同歸，末世之學者，不知道之所體一德之所摠要，取成事之跡跪坐而言之，雖博學多聞，不免於亂。

Laozi said: To relieve the poor and remedy urgent difficulties gives rise to a name and gives rise to profit; to remove calamity completes achievement. If the world had no calamities, even a sage would have nowhere to apply his virtue; if high and low were harmonious, even a worthy would have nowhere to establish his achievement. So the governing of the perfect person embraces virtue and holds to the Way, extends sincerity and delights in giving, has inexhaustible wisdom, and puts away discussion and does not speak. No one in the world knows to value the unspoken, and so “the Way that can be spoken is not the constant Way; the name that can be named is not the constant name.” What is written on bamboo and silk, engraved on metal and stone, and can be handed down to others is all coarse trace. The Three Sovereigns, Five Emperors, and Three Kings differed in affairs but were the same in heart, differed in roads but were the same in destination. Scholars of the last ages do not know the One that is embodied or the essential summary that virtue holds, and take only the traces of accomplished affairs and sit on their knees discussing them; though widely learned and much heard, they do not avoid disorder.

老子曰：心之精者，可以神化，而不可說道。聖人不降席而匡天下，情甚於●呼，故同言而信，信在言前也，同令而行，誠在令外也。聖人在上，民化如神，情以先之，動於上不應於下者，情令殊也。三月嬰兒未知利害，而慈母愛之愈篤者，情也。故言之用者，變變乎小哉，不言之用者，變變乎大哉。信君子之言，忠君子之意，忠信形於內，感動應乎外，賢聖之化也。

Laozi said: What is refined in the heart can transform by spirit but cannot be used to speak of the Way. The sage does not leave his mat and yet sets the world right, his feeling stronger than shouting (the received text is damaged at this word), so with the same words others believe, for trust lies before the words are spoken; with the same orders others obey, for sincerity lies outside the text of the orders. When the sage is above, the people are transformed as if by spirit, because feeling goes first. When those above move and those below do not respond, it is because feeling and orders do not agree. A three-month-old infant does not yet know benefit and harm, yet a loving mother loves him all the more deeply, and that is feeling. So the use of speech produces small transformations, and the use of non-speech produces great transformations. To trust the words of the superior person and be loyal to his intent, loyalty and trust take form within, and what moves them responds outside; this is the transformation of the worthy and the sage.

老子曰：子之死父，臣之死君，非出以求名也，恩心藏於中而不違其難也。君子之憯怛非正為也，自中出者也，亦察其所行，聖人不慚於影，君子慎其獨也，舍近期遠，塞矣。故聖人在上則民樂其治，在下則民慕其意，志不忘乎欲利人。

Laozi said: A son who dies for his father and a minister who dies for his ruler do not go out to seek a name; a heart of kindness is hidden within and he does not avoid the danger. The superior person’s grief and compassion are not made on purpose; they come from within. One should also look at what he does. The sage is not ashamed before his shadow, and the superior person is careful even when alone. If one sets aside the near to seek the far, the road is blocked. So when the sage is above, the people delight in his government; when he is below, the people admire his intention. His heart and will never forget to benefit others.

老子曰：勇士一呼，三軍皆闢，其出之誠，唱而不和，意而不載，中必有不合者也。不下席而匡天下者，求諸己也，故說之所不至者，容貌至焉，容貌所不至者，感忽至焉，感乎心，發而成形，精之至者可形接，不可以照期。

Laozi said: When a brave man gives a shout, the three armies draw back, because the shout comes out of sincerity. If one sings and there is no response, if one has intent but it cannot be carried, there must be some disagreement in between. To set the world right without leaving one’s mat is to seek it in oneself. So it is said: what cannot be reached by appearance is reached by moving feeling, and what cannot be reached by appearance is reached by the sudden stir. It moves the heart and, issued forth, takes form. When essence reaches its utmost, one can meet in form, but one cannot fix a date by the light of illumination.

老子曰：言有宗，事有本，失其宗本，伎能雖多，不如寡言。害眾著倕而使斷其指，以期大巧之不可為也，故匠人智為，不以能以時，閉不知閉也，故必杜而後開。

Laozi said: Words have a main purpose and affairs have a root; if one loses the main purpose and root, however many skills one has, it is not as good as speaking little. Fearing that the multitude would praise the skill of Gong Chui (a master craftsman), he had him cut off his own finger, to show that great skill cannot be deliberately made. So the craftsman’s clever work cannot rely on ability alone but must fit the time; when it is time to close he does not know to close, and so he must first block and only then open.

老子曰：聖人之從事也，所由異路而同歸，存亡定傾若一，志不忘乎欲利人也。故秦楚燕魏之歌，異傳而皆樂，九夷八狄之哭，異聲而皆哀。夫歌者樂之微，哭者哀之效也，愔於中，發於外，故在所以感之矣。聖人之心，日夜不忘乎欲利人，其澤之所及亦遠矣。

Laozi said: When the sage acts, the roads by which he passes differ but the destination is the same, survival and ruin, steadying and toppling are like a single matter, and his heart and will never forget to benefit others. So the songs of Qin, Chu, Yan, and Wei differ in the way they are transmitted but are all music; the wailing of the Nine Yi and Eight Di differs in sound but is all grief. Songs are the sign of joy and wailing is the verification of grief, stored up inside and released outside, so it depends on what one uses to move them. The sage’s heart day and night never forgets to benefit others, and the reach of his grace is far.

老子曰：人無為而治，有為也即傷。無為而治者，為無為，為者不能無為也，不能無為者，不能有為也。人無言而神，有言即傷。無言而神者載無言則傷有神之神者。

Laozi said: People who practice non-action can govern, and those who act will cause harm. Governing by non-action is doing that non-action; those who act cannot practice non-action. Those who cannot practice non-action cannot truly act either. People who do not speak are spirit-like, and those who speak will cause harm. Those who are spirit-like without speaking carry non-speech; once there is speech, it harms the spirit that has spirit.

文子曰：名可強立，功可強成。昔南榮疇恥聖道而獨亡於己，南見老子，受教一言，精神曉靈，屯閔脩達，勤苦十日不食，如享太牢，是以明照海內，名立後世，智略天地，察分秋毫，稱譽華語，至今不休，此謂名可強立也。故田者不強，囷倉不滿，官御不勵，誠心不精，將相不強，功烈不成，王侯懈怠，後世無名。至人潛行，譬猶雷霆之藏也，隨時而舉事，因資而立功，進退無難，無所不通。夫至人精誠內形，德流四方，見天下有利也，喜而不忘，天下有害也，憂若有喪。夫“憂民之憂者，民亦憂其憂，樂民之樂者，民亦樂其樂，故憂以天下，樂以天下，然而不王者，未之有也。”“聖人之法，始於不可見，終於不可及，處於不傾之地，積於不盡之倉，載於不竭之府。出令如流水之原，使民於不爭之官，開必得之門，不為不可成，不求不可得，不處不可久，不行不可復。”大人行可說之政，而人莫不順其命，命順則從，小而致大，命逆則以善為害，以成為敗。夫所謂大丈夫者，內強而外明，內強如天地，外明如日月，天地無不覆載，日月無不照明。大人以善示人，不變其故，不易其常，天下聽令，如草從風。政失於春，歲星盈縮，不居其常；政失於夏，熒惑逆行；政失於秋，太白不當，出入無常；政失於冬，辰星不效其鄉，四時失政，鎮星搖蕩，日月見謫，五星悖亂，彗星出。春政不失禾黍滋，夏政不失雨降時，秋政不失民殷昌，冬政不失國家寧康。

Wenzi said: A name can be established by effort, and achievement can be accomplished by effort. In the past Nanrong Chou was ashamed that the sage’s Way was lost to him alone, went south to see Laozi, received a single sentence of instruction, and his spirit awakened and became clear, his blockages opened, and after ten days of hard effort without eating it was as if he were enjoying a grand sacrificial feast; thus his brightness illuminated all within the seas and his name was established for later generations, his wisdom could plan for heaven and earth, his observation could distinguish the tip of an autumn hair, and praise of his fine words has not ceased to this day; this is called a name that can be established by effort. So if the farmer does not exert strength, the granaries are not full; if the officials and attendants are not roused, sincerity is not refined; if generals and ministers do not exert strength, merit is not completed; if kings and marquises are lax, later generations have no name for them. The perfect person acts in secret, like thunder in hiding, undertakes things in season, establishes achievement on the basis of available resources, and in advancing and retreating has no difficulty and there is nothing that does not penetrate. The perfect person’s refined sincerity takes shape within and his virtue flows through the four quarters; seeing benefit for the world he rejoices and does not forget it, seeing harm for the world he grieves as if for a death. “One who worries over what the people worry about, the people also worry over what he worries about; one who delights in what the people delight in, the people also delight in what he delights in. So to share worry with the world and share joy with the world and yet not become king has never happened.” “The sage’s law begins in the unseen and ends in the unreachable, stands on ground that does not tilt, stores in a granary that is never exhausted, and carries in a treasury that never runs dry. He issues orders like the source of flowing water, places the people in positions without contention, and opens the gate where there must be gain. He does not do what cannot be accomplished, does not seek what cannot be obtained, does not dwell where it cannot last, and does not walk where there is no return.” The great person carries out governance that can be made to work, and no one fails to follow his commands. When commands are compliant they are followed, and from small things the great can be reached; when commands are contrary, good turns into harm and completion into failure. The so-called great man is strong within and bright without, strong within like heaven and earth, bright without like the sun and moon; heaven and earth cover and carry everything, the sun and moon illuminate everything. The great person shows others by goodness, does not change the old or alter the constant, and the world obeys his orders as grass follows the wind. If government errs in spring, Jupiter waxes and wanes and does not keep its course; if government errs in summer, Mars goes retrograde; if government errs in autumn, Venus does not keep its place and its rising and setting are irregular; if government errs in winter, Mercury does not show its verification in its proper position. When the four seasons’ government fails, Saturn sways, the sun and moon receive blame, the five planets go astray, and comets appear. If the government of spring does not fail, millet and grain flourish; if the government of summer does not fail, rain falls in season; if the government of autumn does not fail, the people are prosperous; if the government of winter does not fail, the state is peaceful and healthy.

老子曰：天地未形，窈窈冥冥，渾而為一，寂然清澄，重濁為地，精微為天，離而為四時，分而為陰陽，精氣為人，粗氣為蟲，剛柔相成，萬物乃生。精神本乎天，骨骸根於地，精神入其門，骨骸反其根，我尚何存，故聖人法天順地，不拘於俗，不誘於人，以天為父，以地為母，陰陽為綱，四時為紀，天靜以清，地定以寧，萬物逆之死，順之生，故靜漠者神明之宅，虛無者道之所居。夫精神者所受於天也，骨骸者所稟於地也，“道生一，一生二，二生三，三生萬物。萬物負陰而抱陽，沖氣以為和。”

Laozi said: Before heaven and earth had form, all was dark and obscure, chaotic and one, quiet and clear; the heavy and turbid became earth, the fine and subtle became heaven, parting became the four seasons, dividing became yin and yang, the essential qi became humans, the coarse qi became insects, and the hard and soft completed one another, and only then were the myriad things born. Spirit is rooted in Heaven and the bones and body are rooted in Earth; when spirit enters its gate and the bones return to their root, what is left of me? So the sage models himself on Heaven and follows Earth, is not bound by custom, is not led astray by people, takes Heaven as father and Earth as mother, yin and yang as the guiding thread, and the four seasons as the record. Heaven is still and clear, Earth is settled and calm, and things that go against them die while those that follow them live. So stillness and silence are the dwelling of spirit and brightness, and emptiness and non-being are where the Way resides. Spirit is received from Heaven, and the bones and body are endowed by Earth. “The Way gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to the myriad things. The myriad things carry yin on their backs and embrace yang, and the two qi surge against each other and become harmony.”

老子曰：人受天地變化而生，一月而膏，二月血脈，三月而胚，四月而胎，五月而筋，六月而骨，七月而成形，八月而動，九月而躁，十月而生。形骸已成，五藏乃形，肝主目，腎主耳，脾主舌，肺主鼻，膽主口，外為表，中為裡，頭員法天，足方象地，天有四時、五行、九曜、三百六十日，人有四支、五藏、九竅、三百六十節。天有風雨寒暑，人有取與喜怒，膽為云，肺為氣，脾為風，腎為雨，肝為雷，人與天地相類，而心為之主。耳目者日月也，血氣者風雨也，日月失行，薄蝕無光，風雨非時，毀折生災，五星失行，州國受其殃。天地之道，至閎以大，尚由節其章光，愛其神明，人之耳目何能久燻而不息？精神何能馳騁而不乏？是故聖人守內而不失外。夫血氣者人之華也，五藏者人之精也，血氣專乎內而不外越，則胸腹充而嗜慾寡，嗜慾寡則耳目清而聽視聰達，聽視聰達謂之明。五藏能屬於心而無離，則氣意勝而行不僻，精神盛而氣不散，以聽無不聞，以視無不見，以為無不成，患禍無由入，哀氣不能襲，故所求多者所得少，所見大者所知小。夫孔竅者精神之戶牖，血氣者五藏之使候，故耳目淫於聲色，即五藏動搖而不定，血氣滔蕩而不休，精神馳騁而不守，禍福之至雖如丘山，無由識之矣，故聖人愛而不越。聖人誠使耳目精明玄達，無所誘慕，意氣無失清靜而少嗜慾，五藏便寧，精神內守形骸而不越，即觀乎往世之外，來事之內，禍福之間何足見也，故其出彌遠者，其知彌少。以言精神不可使外淫也，故五色亂目，使目不明，五音入耳，使耳不聰，五味亂口，使口生創，趣舍滑心，使行飛揚。故嗜慾使人氣淫，好憎使人精勞，不疾去之，則志氣日耗。

Laozi said: Humans are born by receiving the transformations of heaven and earth: in one month it is fat, in two months blood vessels, in three months an embryo, in four months a fetus, in five months sinews are born, in six months bones are born, in seven months form is complete, in eight months it can move, in nine months it stirs restlessly, and in ten months it is born. When the body is complete, the five viscera take form. The liver governs the eyes, the kidneys govern the ears, the spleen governs the tongue, the lungs govern the nose, and the gallbladder governs the mouth. The outside is the surface, the middle is the interior. The round head models heaven, the square feet resemble earth. Heaven has four seasons, five phases, nine luminaries, and three hundred sixty days; humans have four limbs, five viscera, nine openings, and three hundred sixty joints. Heaven has wind, rain, cold, and heat; humans have taking and giving, joy and anger. The gallbladder is cloud, the lungs are qi, the spleen is wind, the kidneys are rain, the liver is thunder. Humans are of a kind with heaven and earth, and the heart is the master. The ears and eyes are the sun and moon, and blood and qi are wind and rain. When the sun and moon lose their course, they are eclipsed and without light; when wind and rain are out of season, they destroy and cause calamity; when the five planets lose their course, states and provinces suffer misfortune. The Way of heaven and earth is extremely deep, broad, and great, and yet it restrains its brilliance and cherishes its spirit and brightness; how can human ears and eyes be scorched for long without rest? How can spirit gallop without exhaustion? So the sage keeps within and does not let it leak outside. Blood and qi are the splendor of a person, and the five viscera are the essence of a person. When blood and qi are concentrated inside and do not leap outward, the chest and abdomen are full and desires are few; when desires are few, the ears and eyes are clear and hearing and seeing are keen, and keen hearing and seeing is called brightness. When the five viscera can belong to the heart and not scatter, qi and intention prevail and conduct is not perverse, spirit is abundant and qi does not disperse; with it one hears everything, sees everything, accomplishes everything, no calamity can enter, and sorrowful qi cannot invade. So those who seek much gain little, and those who see the great know little. The openings are the gates and windows of the spirit, and blood and qi are the messengers of the five viscera. So when the ears and eyes indulge in sounds and colors, the five viscera sway and are unsettled, blood and qi surge without rest, the spirit gallops and does not keep its place, and when calamity or blessing comes, even like a hill or mountain, one cannot recognize it. So the sage cherishes it and does not let it leap outward. If the sage makes his ears and eyes bright and penetrating, free of enticement and admiration, his spirit and qi not lost, clear, still, and with few desires, the five viscera are at peace, the spirit keeps within and the body does not leap outward, and he can look beyond past ages and within matters to come; what then is there to see between calamity and blessing? So the farther one goes out, the less one knows. This says that the spirit must not be let loose outward. So the five colors confuse the eyes and make them unclear; the five sounds enter the ears and make them dull; the five flavors confuse the mouth and make it sore; taking and rejecting confuse the heart and make conduct reckless. So desires make people’s qi overflow, and likes and dislikes make people’s essence weary; if one does not hurry to remove them, will and qi are worn away day by day.

夫人所以不能終其天年者，以生生之厚，夫唯無以生為者，即所以得長生，天地運而相通，萬物摠而為一，能知一即無一之不知也，不能知一即無一之能知也。吾處天下亦為一物，而物亦物也，物之與物，何以相物，欲生不可事也，憎死不可辭也，賤之不可憎也，貴之不可喜也，因其資而寧之，弗敢極弗敢極也，即至樂極也。

(He continued:) The reason people cannot live out their allotted years is that they nourish life too richly. Only those who do not take nourishing life as their business gain long life by it. Heaven and earth move and communicate, and the myriad things converge into one. One who can know the One lacks knowledge of nothing; one who cannot know the One cannot know anything. In the world I am also one thing, and the other is also a thing; between thing and thing, by what do they make things of one another? Wanting life cannot be forced, hating death cannot be declined, lowliness should not be hated, honor should not be rejoiced in; follow your resources and let them be at peace, and do not dare to go to extremes. Not daring to go to extremes is the utmost of supreme joy.

老子曰：所謂聖人者，因時而安其位，當世而樂其業，夫哀樂者德之邪，好憎者心之累，喜怒者道之過，故其生也天行，其死也物化，靜即與陰合德，動即與陽同波，故心者形之主也，神者心之寶也，形勞而不休即蹶，精用而不已則竭，是以聖人遵之不敢越也。以無應有，必究其理，以虛受實，必窮其節，恬愉虛靜，以終其命，無所鉕，無所親，抱德煬和，以順於天，與道為際，與德為鄰，不為福始，不為禍先，死生無變於己，故曰至神。神則以求無不待也，以為無不成也。

Laozi said: The so-called sage rests in his position according to the time and delights in his work in the face of the age. Sorrow and joy are a deviation of virtue, likes and dislikes are a burden on the heart, and joy and anger are faults of the Way. So his life is the movement of Heaven and his death is the transformation of things; when still he joins virtue with yin, and when moving he shares the wave of yang. So the heart is the master of the body, and the spirit is the treasure of the heart. When the body toils without rest it falls; when essence is used without stopping it dries up; so the sage follows it and does not dare to overstep. He answers being with non-being, and must exhaust its principle; he receives fullness with emptiness, and must exhaust its measure. Calm, joyful, empty, and still, he lives out his life, with none he holds distant (the received text has a modern element name here, which has no classical meaning; set against “close,” it should be read as “distant”), none he holds close, embracing virtue and nourishing harmony so as to follow Heaven, joined to the Way and neighbor to virtue, not making the start of blessing and not making the head of calamity, life and death making no change in him, and so he is called supremely spirit-like. Having reached spirit, there is nothing he seeks and does not obtain, and nothing he does that does not succeed.

老子曰：輕天下即神無累，細萬物即心不惑，齊生死則意不懾，同變化則明不眩。夫至人倚不橈之柱，行無關之途，稟不竭之府，學不死之師，無往而不遂，無之而不通，屈伸俯仰，抱命不惑而宛轉，禍福利害，不足以患心。夫為義者可迫以仁，而不可劫以兵，可正以義，不可懸以利，君子死義，不可以富貴留也，為義者不可以死亡恐也，又況於無為者乎！無為者即無累，無累之人，以天下為影柱，上觀至人之倫，深原道德之意，下考世俗之行，乃足以羞也，夫無以天下為者，學之建鼓也。

Laozi said: If you regard the world lightly, the spirit has no burden; if you regard the myriad things as small, the heart is not confused; if you regard life and death as equal, the will does not fear; if you regard transformation as the same, clarity does not dazzle. The perfect person leans on a pillar that does not bend, walks a road with no barrier, receives from a treasury that does not run dry, and learns from a teacher who does not die; there is nowhere he goes that does not succeed, nowhere he arrives that does not pass through, bending and stretching, stooping and looking up, holding his fate unconfused and turning freely, and calamity and blessing, benefit and harm are not enough to trouble his heart. One who practices righteousness can be pressed by benevolence, but cannot be coerced by weapons; he can be corrected by righteousness, but cannot be dangled with profit. The superior person dies for righteousness and cannot be held back by wealth and rank; one who practices righteousness cannot be frightened by death, how much less one who practices non-action! With non-action there is no burden. One without burden regards the world as a shadow on a pillar, looks up to the like of perfect persons, studies deeply the meaning of the Way and virtue, and below considers the conduct of the common age, and this is enough to feel shame. One who does not take the world as his business is the beacon drum of learning.

老子曰：尊勢厚利，人之所貪，比之身則賤，故聖人食足以充虛接氣，衣足以蓋形禦寒，適情辭餘，不貪得，不多積，清目不視，靜耳不聽，閉口不言，委心不慮，棄聰明，反太素，休精神，去知故，無好憎，是謂大通，除穢去累，莫若未始出其宗，何為而不成。知養生之和者，即不可懸以利，通內外之符者，不可誘以勢，無外之外，至大，無內之內，至貴，能知大貴，何往不遂。

Laozi said: Honored position and rich gain are what people covet, but compared with one’s own self they are lowly. So the sage eats only enough to fill the void and connect the breath, wears only enough to cover the body and ward off cold, suits his feelings and declines the excess, does not covet gain and does not store up much. He clears his eyes and does not look, stills his ears and does not listen, shuts his mouth and does not speak, sets down his heart and does not ponder, abandons sharp hearing and clear sight, returns to the Great Simplicity, rests his spirit, removes cleverness and skill, and has no likes and dislikes; this is called great penetration. To remove filth and remove burden, nothing is better than never leaving that source, and what could he do that fails? One who knows the harmony of nourishing life cannot be dangled with profit; one who penetrates the tally between inside and outside cannot be lured by power. The outside beyond what has no outside is the utmost great, and the inside beyond what has no inside is the utmost honored; one who can know this great and honored, where would he go that he does not succeed?

老子曰：古之為道者，理情性，治心術，養以和，持以適，樂道而忘賤，安德而忘貧。性有不欲，無欲而不得，心有不樂，無樂而不為，無益於性者不以累德，不便於生者不以滑和。不縱身肆意而制度，可以為天下儀，量腹而食，制形而衣，容身而居，適情而行，餘天下而不有，委萬物而不利，豈為貧富貴賤失其性命哉！永若然者，可謂能體道矣。

Laozi said: In ancient times those who practiced the Way regulated their nature and feelings, governed the techniques of the heart, nourished themselves with harmony and held themselves with what is fitting, delighted in the Way and forgot lowliness, rested in virtue and forgot poverty. If nature does not desire something, there is no desire that cannot be obtained; if the heart does not enjoy something, there is no joy it will not do without. What does not benefit one’s nature is not used to burden virtue, and what does not suit life is not used to disorder harmony. Not indulging the body or letting loose one’s qi, but having measure, one can be a model for the world. Eat by measure of the belly, dress by measure of the body, live where there is room for the body, act where it suits feeling, do not possess even the surplus of the world, set down the myriad things and take no profit from them; how could such a person lose his life over poverty, wealth, honor, or lowliness! One who is always like this can be said to embody the Way.

老子曰：人受氣於天者，耳目之於聲色也，鼻口之於芳臭也，肌膚之於寒溫也，其情一也，或以死，或以生，或為君子，或為小人，所以為制者異。神者智之淵也，神清則智明，智者心之府也，智公則心平，人莫鑒於流潦而鑒於澄水，以其清且靜也，故神清意平乃能形物之情，故用之者必假於不用也。夫鑒明者則塵垢不汙也，神清者嗜慾不誤也，故心有所至，則神慨然在之，反之於虛，則消躁藏息矣，此聖人之遊。故治天下者，必達性命之情而後可也。

Laozi said: Humans receive qi from Heaven, and the ears and eyes toward sound and color, the nose and mouth toward fragrance and stench, and the skin toward cold and warmth, have the same feelings; some die by them, some live by them, some become superior persons, some become petty persons, because they are restrained differently. Spirit is the abyss of wisdom; when spirit is clear, wisdom is bright. Wisdom is the storehouse of the heart; when wisdom is impartial, the heart is level. People do not look at flowing water to reflect themselves but at still water, because it is clear and still. So when spirit is clear and intention level, the true state of things can be revealed, and one who uses it must rely on not using it. When a mirror is bright, dust and dirt cannot stain it; when spirit is clear, desires cannot confuse it. So wherever the heart goes, the spirit is there in generous ease; return it to emptiness, and haste vanishes and breath is stored; this is the sage’s roaming. So one who governs the world must penetrate the true state of nature and fate, and only then is it possible.

老子曰：夫所謂聖人者，適情而已，量腹而食，度形而衣，節乎己而，貪汙之心無由生也，故能有天下者，必無以天下為也，能有名譽者，必不以越行求之，誠達性命之情，仁義因附。若夫神無所掩，心無所載，通洞條達，澹然無事，勢利不能誘，聲色不能淫，辯者不能說，智者不能動，勇者不能恐，此真人之遊也。夫生生者不生，化化者不化，不達此道者，雖知統天地，明照日月，辯解連環，辭潤金石，猶無益於天下也，故聖人不失所守。

Laozi said: The so-called sage simply suits his feelings, eats by the measure of his belly, dresses by the measure of his body, and restrains himself, so a corrupt heart has nowhere to be born. So one who can hold the world must not take the world as his business; one who can have a reputation must not seek it by going beyond his station. If one truly penetrates the true state of nature and fate, benevolence and righteousness attach themselves to him in due course. As for a spirit with nothing to cover it, a heart with nothing to carry, penetrating and unobstructed, calm and without affairs, power and profit cannot lure him, sound and color cannot lead him astray, the eloquent cannot persuade him, the clever cannot shake him, the brave cannot frighten him; this is the true person’s roaming. What makes life is not itself born, what makes transformation is not itself transformed. One who does not penetrate this Way, even if his wisdom can encompass heaven and earth, his clarity illuminate the sun and moon, his eloquence untie linked rings, and his words moisten metal and stone, still brings no benefit to the world. So the sage does not lose what he keeps.

老子曰：靜漠恬惔，所以養生也，和愉虛無，所以據德也，外不亂內即性得其宜，靜不動和即德安其位，養生以經世，抱德以終年，可謂能體道矣。若然者，血脈無鬱滯，五藏無積氣，禍福不能矯滑，非譽不能塵垢，非有其世，孰能濟焉，有其才不遇其時，身猶不能脫，又況無道乎。夫目察秋毫之末者，耳不聞雷霆之聲，耳調金玉之音者，目不見太山之形，故小有所志，則大有所忘。今萬物之來，擢拔吾生，攓取吾精，若泉原也，雖欲勿稟，其可得乎？今盆水若清之經日，乃能見眉睫，濁之不過一撓，即不能見方圓也，人之精神難清而易濁，猶盆水也。

Laozi said: Stillness, silence, calm, and plainness are used to nourish life; harmony, joy, emptiness, and non-being are used to hold fast to virtue. When the outside does not disturb the inside, nature obtains its proper place; when stillness does not agitate harmony, virtue rests in its position. To nourish life in passing through the age and to embrace virtue in living out one’s years can be called embodying the Way. In this way, the blood vessels have no stagnation, the five viscera have no accumulated qi, calamity and blessing cannot twist or disorder one, and praise and blame cannot cover one with dust. Without such an age, who could accomplish anything? Having such talent but not meeting such a time, one cannot even free oneself, how much less when the Way is absent. The eye that can see the tip of an autumn hair cannot hear the sound of thunder; the ear that can tune the notes of metal and jade cannot see the shape of Mount Tai. So where there is focus on small things, there is forgetting of great things. Now when the myriad things come, pulling out my life and taking away my essence like a spring of water, even if I wanted not to receive them, could I manage it? A basin of water, if left clear for a whole day, lets one see the eyebrows and lashes; stirred muddy with a single scratch, one cannot see squares and circles. A person’s spirit is hard to clear and easy to muddy, like this basin of water.

老子曰：上聖法天，其次尚賢，其下任臣，任臣者危亡之道也，尚賢者痴惑之原也，法天者治天地之道也，虛靜為王，虛無不受，靜無不持，知虛靜之道，乃能終始，故聖人以靜為治，以動為亂，故曰勿撓勿纓，萬物將自清，勿驚勿駭，萬物將自理，是謂天道也。

Laozi said: The highest sage models himself on Heaven, the next honors the worthy, and the lowest relies on ministers. Relying on ministers is the road to peril and ruin, honoring the worthy is the source of foolish confusion, and modeling on Heaven is the Way of governing heaven and earth. Emptiness and stillness are the king: with emptiness there is nothing that is not received, and with stillness there is nothing that is not held. Knowing the Way of emptiness and stillness, one can have an end and a beginning. So the sage regards stillness as order and movement as disorder. So it is said: do not stir, do not entangle, and the myriad things will clear themselves; do not startle, do not alarm, and the myriad things will order themselves. This is called the Way of Heaven.

老子曰：天子公侯以天下一國為家，以萬物為畜，懷天下之大，有萬物之多，即氣實而志驕，大者用兵侵小，小者倨傲凌下，用心奢廣，譬猶飄風暴雨，不可長久。是以聖人以道鎮之，執一無為而不損沖氣，見小守柔，退而勿有，法於江海，江海不為，故功名自化，弗強，故能成其王，為天下牝，故能神不死，自愛，故能成其貴，萬乘之勢，以萬物為功名，權任至重，不可自輕，自輕則功名不成。夫道，大以小而成，多以少為主，故聖人以道邪天下，柔弱微妙者見小也，儉嗇損缺者見少也，見小故能成其大，見少故能成其美。天之道，抑高而舉下，損有餘奉不足，江海處地之不足，故天下歸之奉之，聖人卑謙，清靜辭讓者見下也，虛心無有者見不足也，見下故能致其高，見不足故能成其賢，矜者不立，奢者不長，強梁者死，滿溢者亡，飄風暴雨不終日，小谷不能須臾盈，飄風暴雨行強梁之氣，故不能久而滅，小谷處強梁之地，故不得不奪，是以聖人執雌牝，去奢驕，不敢行強梁之氣，執雌牝，故能立其雄牡，不敢奢驕，故能長久。

Laozi said: The Son of Heaven, dukes, and marquises take the whole world and a single state as their family and the myriad things as their livestock; carrying in their bosom the greatness of the world and possessing the abundance of the myriad things, their qi becomes solid and their will arrogant. The great use troops to invade the small, the small are haughty and bully those below, and the heart is extravagant and wide, like a whirlwind and sudden rain that cannot last. So the sage uses the Way to restrain it, holds to the One and non-action without diminishing the empty qi, sees the small and guards softness, withdraws and does not possess, and models himself on the rivers and seas. The rivers and seas do not deliberately act, and so achievement and fame complete themselves; they do not force, and so they can become kings; they are the female of the world, and so can be spirit-like and not die; they love themselves, and so they can become honored. The power of ten thousand chariots takes the myriad things as achievement and fame, its authority and responsibility are extremely heavy, and it must not regard itself lightly, for if it regards itself lightly, achievement and fame are not completed. The Way is completed by relying on the small for the great, and the many take the few as their master. So the sage uses the Way to preside over the world (the received text has a different character here, which should be read as “preside”). Softness, weakness, and subtlety are seeing the small, and thrift and reduction are seeing the few. Seeing the small is how one can complete one’s greatness, and seeing the few is how one can complete one’s excellence. The Way of Heaven presses down the high and lifts up the low, reduces the surplus and supplements the lacking. The rivers and seas dwell in the lacking places of the earth, so the world returns to them and serves them. The sage is lowly, modest, still, and yielding, which is seeing the low; he is empty-hearted and without having, which is seeing insufficiency. Seeing the low is how he can reach his height, and seeing insufficiency is how he can complete his worthiness. The boastful cannot stand, the extravagant cannot last long, the violent die, and the overflowing perish. A whirlwind and sudden rain cannot last the whole day, and a small valley cannot be full for even a moment. The whirlwind and sudden rain practice violent qi, and so they cannot last long and fade; the small valley is in a violent place, and so it cannot but be seized. So the sage holds to the female and removes extravagance and arrogance, and does not dare practice violent qi. Holding to the female, he can establish his male; not daring to be extravagant and arrogant, he can last long.

老子曰：天道極即反，盈即損，日月是也。聖人日損而沖氣不敢自滿，日進以牝，功德不衰，天道然也，人之情性皆好高而惡下，好得而惡亡，好利而惡病，好尊而惡卑，好貴而惡賤，眾人為之，故不能成，執之，故不能得。是以聖人法天，弗為而成，弗執而得，與人同情而異道，故能長久。故三皇五帝有戒之器，命曰侑卮，其沖即正，其盈即覆。夫物盛則衰，日中則移，月滿則虧，樂終而悲，是故聰明廣智守以愚，多聞博辯守以儉，武力勇毅守以畏，富貴廣大守以狹，德施天下守以讓，此五者先王所以守天下也。“服此道者不欲盈，夫唯不盈，是以弊不新成。”

Laozi said: The Way of Heaven, on reaching the extreme, turns back; when full, it decreases; the sun and moon are like this. The sage reduces himself day by day and does not dare let the empty qi become full, advances day by day with female softness, and his merit and virtue do not decline; the Way of Heaven is like this. The nature and feelings of humans all love the high and dislike the low, love gain and dislike loss, love profit and dislike harm, love honor and dislike lowliness, love nobility and dislike meanness. The multitude act, and so cannot succeed; they grasp, and so cannot obtain. So the sage models himself on Heaven, accomplishes without acting and obtains without grasping, is the same as people in feelings but different in the Way, and so can last long. So the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had a vessel of warning called the youzhi (a tilting wine vessel that rights itself when empty and tips over when full); when it is empty it stands upright, and when it is full it overturns. Things when full decline, the sun at midday turns aslant, the moon when full wanes, and joy at its end turns to sorrow. So the clever and widely wise guard themselves with foolishness, the learned and eloquent guard themselves with thrift, the martial and courageous guard themselves with fear, the wealthy and great guard themselves with narrowness, and those whose virtue is bestowed on the world guard themselves with yielding. These five are how the former kings guarded the world. “One who holds to this Way does not seek fullness, and precisely because he does not seek fullness, he can guard what he has and not be in haste to complete it.”

老子曰：聖人與陰俱閉，與陽俱開，能至於無樂也，即無不樂也，無不樂即至樂極矣。是以內樂外，不以外樂內，故有自樂也，即有自志貴乎天下，所以然者，因而為天下之要也。不在於彼而在於我，不在於人而在於身，身得則萬物備矣。故達於心術之論者，即嗜慾好憎外矣，是故無所喜，無所怒，無所樂，無所苦，萬物玄同，無非無是。故士有一定之論，女有不易之行，不待勢而尊，不須財而富，不須力而強，不利貨財，不貪世名，不以貴為安，不以賤為危，形神氣志各居其宜。夫形者生之舍也，氣者生之元也，神者生之制也，一失其位即三者傷矣，故以神為主者形從而利，以形為制者神從而害。其生貪叨多欲之人，莫宜乎勢利，誘慕乎名位，幾以過人之知，位高於世，即精神日耗以遠，久淫而不還，形閑中拒，即無由入矣，是以時有盲忘自失之患。夫精神志氣者，靜而日充以壯，躁而日耗以老，是故聖人持養其神，和弱其氣，平夷其形，而與道浮沉，如此則萬物之化無不偶也，百事之變無不應也。

Laozi said: The sage closes together with yin and opens together with yang. One who can reach the state of no-joy has nothing that is not joy; having nothing that is not joy is the utmost of supreme joy. Therefore one delights the outer with the inner, and does not delight the inner with the outer; so one who has his own joy has a purpose that is more valuable than the world. The reason is that this is the essential of the world. It lies not in others but in me, not in others but in oneself; once oneself has it, the myriad things are complete. So one who understands the theory of the art of the mind places cravings, likes and dislikes outside. Therefore there is nothing he is glad about, nothing he is angry about, nothing he delights in, nothing he suffers from; the myriad things are mysteriously the same, with no wrong and no right. So a scholar has a fixed doctrine, a woman has conduct that cannot be altered; one is honored without waiting for power, rich without needing wealth, strong without needing force, does not take profit or goods, does not covet worldly fame, does not take rank as peace, does not take lowliness as danger, and form, spirit, qi and will each dwell in their proper place. Form is the lodging of life, qi is the source of life, and spirit is the master of life; once any loses its place, all three are harmed. So one who takes spirit as master has form follow and benefit; one who takes form as ruler has spirit follow and suffer. Those who are by nature greedy and of many desires find nothing more fitting than power and profit, and are lured by fame and rank, almost relying on extraordinary cleverness, and with position higher than the world, their spirit wears away day by day and goes far from them, and long indulged and dissolute does not return; form closes off the inside, so nothing can get in, and so from time to time there is the trouble of blind forgetfulness and losing oneself. Spirit and will, if still, grow fuller and stronger every day; if restless, are consumed and age every day. So the sage nourishes his spirit, harmonizes and softens his qi, levels his form, and floats and sinks with the Way. Like this, none of the transformations of the myriad things fails to match, and none of the changes of the hundred affairs fails to be answered."

老子曰：所謂真人者，性合乎道也。故有而若無，實而若虛，治其內不治其外，明白太素，無為而復樸，體本抱神，以遊天地之根，芒然仿佯塵垢之外，逍遙乎無事之業，機械智巧，不載於心，審於無假，不與物遷，見事之化，而守其宗，心意專於內，通達禍福於一，居不知所為，行不知所之，不學而知，弗視而見，弗為而成，弗治而辯，感而應，迫而動，不得已而往，如光之燿，如影之效，以道為循，有待而然，廓然而虛，清靜而無，以千生為一化，以萬異為一宗。有精而不使，有神而不用，守大渾之樸，立至精之中，其寢不夢，其智不萌，其動無形，其靜無體，存而若亡，生而若死，出入無間，役使鬼神，精神之所能登假千道。使精神暢達而不失於元，日夜無隙而與物為春，即是合而生時於心者也。故形有靡而神未嘗化，以不化應化，千變萬轉而未始有極，化者復歸於無形也，不化者與天地俱生，俱生者未嘗化其所化者即化，此真人之遊純粹素道。

Laozi said: The so-called true person is one whose nature accords with the Way. So he has but seems to have nothing, is solid but seems empty; he governs his inside and not his outside, understands the Great Plainness, acts without acting and returns to the uncarved block, embodies the root and embraces spirit, to roam at the roots of heaven and earth, wandering vaguely beyond the dust and grime, free and unfettered in the work of non-affairs, with no machinery or cleverness stored in his heart, examining what is not borrowed, not shifting with things, seeing the transformations of affairs and holding to their source. His mind is focused within, making calamity and fortune one; when dwelling he does not know what he is doing, when walking he does not know where he is going, he knows without learning, sees without looking, accomplishes without doing, discerns without governing, responds when stirred, moves only when pressed, goes only when he must, like the shining of light, like the following of a shadow, taking the Way as his path, relying on what he awaits; vast and empty, pure and still, he treats a thousand lives as one transformation and ten thousand differences as one source. He has essence and does not use it, has spirit and does not put it to work, holding to the uncarved simplicity of the Great Chaos, standing in supreme refinement. His sleep has no dreams, his wisdom does not sprout, his movement has no form, his stillness has no body; existing he seems gone, living he seems dead, going out and in without gaps, commanding ghosts and spirits, and what spirit can reach comes near the Way. He lets his spirit flow freely and does not lose its source, with no gap by day or night, and shares with things the spring, and this is the person who joins with the Way and gives rise to the seasons in his heart. So form wears away but spirit has never been transformed. He answers transformation with the untransformed, through a thousand changes and ten thousand turns never reaching a limit. What is transformed returns to formlessness, while the untransformed lives together with heaven and earth. What lives together has never been transformed; what it transforms is transformed. This is the true person roaming in the pure plain Way."

老子曰：道至高無上，至深無下，平乎準，直乎繩，圓乎規，方乎矩，包裹天地而無表裡，洞同覆蓋而無所硋，是故體道者，不怒不喜，其坐無慮，寢而不夢，見物而名，事至而應。

Laozi said: The Way is the highest with nothing above it, the deepest with nothing below it, level like a water level, straight like an ink line, round like a compass, square like a carpenter's square, enclosing heaven and earth without inside or outside, open and all-covering without obstruction. So one who embodies the Way is neither angry nor glad; sitting, he has no thoughts; sleeping, he has no dreams; seeing a thing, he gives it a name; when an affair comes, he responds."

老子曰：欲屍名者必生事，事生即舍公而就私，倍道而任己，見譽而為善，立而為賢，即治不順理而事不順時，治不順理則多責，事不順時則無功，妄為要中，功成不足以塞責，事敗足以滅身。

Laozi said: One who wants to be the master of fame will surely bring about troubles, and when troubles arise he abandons the public for the private, turns his back on the Way and lets himself go; seeing praise he does good, and only when he is established is he regarded as worthy; his governing does not accord with principle and his affairs do not accord with the time. When governing does not accord with principle, blame is great; when affairs do not accord with the time, there is no achievement. Acting recklessly while seeking to hit the mark, even when success is achieved it is not enough to stop the blame, and when the affair fails it is enough to destroy one's person."

老子曰：無為名屍，無為謀府，無為事任，無為智主。藏於無形，行於無怠，不為福先，不為禍始，始於無形，動於不得已，欲福先無禍，欲利先遠害。故無為而寧者，失其所寧即危，無為而治者，失其所治即亂，故“不欲碌碌如玉，落落如石。”其文好者皮必剝，其角美者身必殺，甘泉必竭，直木必伐，華榮之言後為愆，石有玉傷其山，黔首之患固在言。

Laozi said: Do not be the master of fame, do not be the storehouse of schemes, do not be the one to shoulder affairs, do not be the master of knowledge. Hide in formlessness, move without slackness, do not be first in fortune, do not be the start of calamity. Begin from formlessness, and move only when you cannot do otherwise. If you want fortune, first make sure there is no calamity; if you want profit, first keep away from harm. So one at peace through non-action will be in danger if he loses what keeps him at peace; one who governs through non-action will fall into disorder if he loses what he governs by. So "do not wish to glitter like fine jade, but would rather be hard and plain like stone." A beautifully patterned hide is sure to be stripped, a creature with beautiful horns is sure to be killed, a sweet spring is sure to run dry, and a straight tree is sure to be cut. Fine words later become faults, jade in stone injures the mountain, and the troubles of the people lie originally in words."

老子曰：時之行動以從，不知道者福為禍。天為蓋，地為軫，善用道者終無盡，地為軫，天為蓋，善用道者終無害。陳彼五行必有勝，天之所覆無不稱，故“知不知，上，不知知，病也。”

Laozi said: When the times move, move and follow them; one who does not know this will find even fortune turned to calamity. Heaven is the canopy and earth is the carriage frame; one who is good at using the Way never comes to an end; earth is the frame and heaven the canopy, and one who is good at using the Way is never harmed. Arrange the Five Phases and there must be mutual overcoming, and what heaven covers is never out of balance. So "to know that one does not know is best; to not know yet think one knows is a sickness.""

老子曰：山生金，石生玉，反相剝，木生蟲，還自食，人生事，還自賊。夫好事者未嘗不中，爭利者未嘗不窮，善遊者溺，善騎者墮，各以所好反自為禍。得在時不在爭，治在道不在聖，土處下不爭高，故安而不危，水流下不爭疾，故去而不遲。“是以聖人無執故無失，無為故無敗。”

Laozi said: Mountains produce metal and rocks produce jade, yet they erode one another; trees produce insects, which come back to eat them; people produce affairs, which come back to harm them. One who likes stirring up affairs has never failed to be hit, and one who contends for profit has never failed to be in want. A good swimmer drowns, a good rider falls from his horse, each bringing calamity on himself through what he likes. Gain lies in timing, not in contending; order lies in the Way, not in sages. Earth sits below and does not contend to be high, so it is safe and not in danger; water flows downward and does not contend to be swift, so it departs and is not slow. "So the sage holds on to nothing and therefore does not lose, does not act and therefore does not fail.""

老子曰：一言不可窮也，二言天下宗也，三言諸侯雄也，四言天下雙也。貞信則不可窮，道德則天下宗，舉賢德，諸侯雄，惡少愛眾天下雙。

Laozi said: One sentence cannot be exhausted; two sentences make the world look up to you; three sentences make you a leader of the feudal lords; four sentences make the world a pair. Steadfast trustworthiness cannot be exhausted; Way and virtue make the world look up to you; promoting the worthy and virtuous makes you a leader of the feudal lords; disliking the few and loving the many makes the world a pair."

老子曰：人有三死非命亡焉：飲食不節，簡賤其身，病共殺之，樂得無已，好求不止，刑共殺之，以寡犯眾，以弱凌強，兵共殺之。

Laozi said: There are three kinds of death that people suffer not by fate: one who eats and drinks without restraint and treats his body lightly, illness kills him together; one who takes pleasure without stopping and seeks without end, punishment kills him together; one who offends the many with the few and bullies the strong with the weak, weapons kill him together."

老子曰：其施厚者其報美，其怨大者其禍深，薄施而厚望，畜怨而無患者，未之有也。察其所以往者，即知其所以來矣。

Laozi said: Where giving is generous, the repayment is fine; where resentment is great, the calamity is deep. To give thinly while expecting much, and to store up resentment without trouble, has never happened. Examine where he has gone, and you will know where he came from."

老子曰：原天命，治心術，理好憎，適情性，即治道通矣。原天命即不惑禍福，治心術即不妄喜怒，理好憎即不貪無用，適情性即欲不過節。不惑禍福即動靜順理，不妄喜怒即賞罰不阿，不貪無用即不以欲害性，欲不過節即養生知足，凡此四者，不求於外，不假於人，反己而得矣。

Laozi said: Trace back to heaven's mandate, govern the art of the mind, sort out likes and dislikes, and harmonize one's nature and feelings, and the way of governing is open. Tracing back to heaven's mandate, one is not confused by calamity and fortune; governing the art of the mind, one does not rejoice or rage recklessly; sorting out likes and dislikes, one does not covet the useless; harmonizing nature and feelings, desires do not exceed the proper measure. Not confused by calamity and fortune, movement and stillness accord with principle; not rejoicing or raging recklessly, rewards and punishments are not partial; not coveting the useless, one does not harm one's nature by desire; desires not exceeding the measure, one nourishes life and knows contentment. These four are not sought outside or borrowed from others; turning back to oneself, one obtains them."

老子曰：不求可非之行，不憎人之非己，修足譽之德，不求人之譽己。不能使禍無至，信己之不智，而不能使福必來，信己之不讓。禍之至非己之所生，故窮而不憂，福之來非己之所成，故通而不矜，是故閑居而心樂，無為而治。

Laozi said: Do not seek conduct that invites criticism, nor hate others for criticizing you; cultivate virtue worthy of praise, nor seek others' praise. You cannot prevent calamity from coming, so be sure you are not wise; nor can you make fortune surely come, so be sure you are not modest. When calamity comes it is not of your making, so you do not worry in poverty; when fortune comes it is not of your doing, so you do not boast in success. Therefore, at leisure your heart is glad, and you govern by non-action."

老子曰：道者守其所已有，不求其所以未有，求其所未得即所有者亡，脩其所已有即所欲者至。治未固於不亂，而事為治者必危，行者未免於無非，而急求名者必剉，故福莫大於無禍，利莫大於不喪。故“物或益之而損，損之而益”。道不可以勸就利者，而可以安神避害，故嘗無禍不嘗有福，嘗無罪不嘗有功。道曰芒芒昧昧，從天之威，與天同氣無思慮也，無設儲也，來者不迎，去者不將，人雖東西南北，獨立中央。故處眾枉，不失其直，與天下並流，不離其域，不為善，不避醜，遵天之道，不為始，不專己，循天之理，不豫謀，不棄時，與天為期，不求得，不辭福，從天之則，內無奇福，外無奇禍，故禍福不生，焉有人賊。故至德言同略，事同福，上下一心，無歧道旁見者，退章於邪，開道之於善，而民向方矣。

Laozi said: The Way is holding to what one already has and not seeking what one does not yet have. Seeking what is not yet obtained, one loses what one already has; cultivating what one already has, what one wants arrives. One who has not yet made his government secure against disorder but hurries to act in order to seek order will surely be in danger; one who has not yet escaped blame in his conduct but hurries to seek fame will surely be frustrated. So there is no fortune greater than having no calamity, and no profit greater than not losing. So "things are sometimes gained by being diminished, and sometimes lost by being increased." The Way cannot be urged on those who chase after profit, but it can calm the spirit and avoid harm. So having experienced no calamity, one need not have experienced blessing; having experienced no fault, one need not have experienced merit. The Way says: vast and obscure, follow Heaven's majesty and share Heaven's qi. Have no worries and no hoardings, do not welcome what comes or send off what goes. Though a person goes east, west, south or north, he stands alone in the center. So amid many crooked ones, he does not lose his own straightness; flowing along with the world, he does not leave his own domain. Do not do good in order to be praised, do not hide from ugliness, follow Heaven's Way; do not rush to begin, do not cling to yourself, follow Heaven's principle; do not plan ahead, do not abandon the time, keep your appointment with Heaven; do not seek to gain, do not refuse blessing, follow Heaven's rule. With no extraordinary fortune within and no extraordinary calamity outside, calamity and fortune do not arise, so where would anyone come to harm you? So with supreme virtue, words match shared plans and affairs share blessings, those above and below are of one mind, with no divergent opinions branching off, driving evil away and opening the Way toward good, and the people turn toward uprightness."

老子曰：為善即勸，為不善即觀，勸即生責，觀即生患，故道不可以進而求名，可以退而脩身。故聖人不以行求名，不以知見求譽，治隨自然，己無所與，為者有不成，求者有不得，人有窮而道無通，有智而無為與無智同功，有能而無事與無能同德，有智若無智，有能若無能，道理達而人才滅矣。人與道不兩明，人愛名即不用道，道勝人即名息，道息人名章即危亡。

Laozi said: Do good and you are urged on; do not do good and you are watched. Being urged on brings demands; being watched brings trouble. So the Way cannot be used to advance and seek fame, but can be used to retreat and cultivate oneself. So the sage does not seek fame by conduct or praise by knowledge; his governing follows nature, and he himself takes no part. What one acts for sometimes fails, and what one seeks sometimes cannot be had. People come to an end but the Way is never blocked; having knowledge yet not acting has the same merit as having no knowledge; having ability and being free of affairs has the same virtue as having no ability. Having knowledge like having none, having ability like having none, the principle is understood and the sharpness of human talent is extinguished. Man and the Way cannot both shine: if man loves fame, he does not use the Way; when the Way prevails over man, fame ceases; if the Way ceases and man's fame shines, there is danger and ruin."

老子曰：使信士分財，不如定分而探籌，何則？有心者之於平，不如無心者。使廉士守財，不如閉戶而全封，以為有欲者之於廉，不如無欲者也。人舉其疵則怨，鑑見其醜則自喜，人能接物而不與己，則免於累矣。

Laozi said: To have an honest scholar divide the goods is not as good as setting the shares and drawing lots; why? One who has a mind to be fair is not as good as one with no mind. To have an incorruptible scholar guard the goods is not as good as shutting the door and sealing it, because one with desires seeking incorruptibility is not as good as one with no desires. When others point out his flaws he resents it, but when a mirror shows his ugliness he accepts it. If a person can receive things without mixing in himself, he is free from entanglement."

老子曰：凡事人者，非以寶幣，必以卑辭。幣單而欲不厭，卑體免辭，論說而交不結，約束誓盟，約定而反先日，是以君子不外飾仁義，而內脩道術。脩其境內之事，盡其地方，勸民守死，堅其城郭，上下一心，與之守社稷，即為飾者不伐無罪，為利者不攻難得，此必全之道，必利之理。

Laozi said: In serving others, if one does not use treasure and coin, one must use humble words. When the coin is used up and desire is still not satisfied, one lowers oneself and speaks humbly, discusses friendship but cannot form it, binds oneself by oath and covenant, and the pledge is broken sooner than before. Therefore a gentleman does not decorate benevolence and righteousness outside but cultivates the art of the Way within. Cultivate the affairs within the borders, exert the strength of the land, urge the people to hold to death, make the walls and city secure, and with those above and below of one mind, guard the altars together with them; then those who act for show will not attack the innocent, and those who act for profit will not attack what is hard to take. This is the way that is sure to preserve, the principle that is sure to profit."

老子曰：聖人不勝其心，眾人不勝其欲，君子行正氣，小人行邪氣。內便於性，外合於義，循理而動，不繫於物者，正氣也；推於滋味，淫於聲色，發於喜怒，不顧後患者，邪氣也。邪與正相傷，欲與性相害，不可兩立，一起一廢，故聖人捐欲而從性。目好色，耳好聲，鼻好香，口好味，合而說之，不離利害，嗜慾也，耳目鼻口不知所欲，皆心為之制，各得其所，由此觀之，欲不可勝亦明矣。

Laozi said: The sage is not overcome by the mind, and the many are not overcome by desire. The gentleman practices upright qi, and the petty person practices depraved qi. To be convenient to one's nature within and consistent with righteousness without, to move by principle and not be tied by things, is upright qi; to be driven by flavors, indulging in sounds and colors, bursting out in joy and anger, with no regard for later troubles, is depraved qi. Depravity and uprightness harm each other, desire and nature injure each other, and they cannot both stand; when one rises the other is cast aside, so the sage discards desire and follows his nature. The eyes love color, the ears love sound, the nose loves fragrance, the mouth loves flavor; together they are pleased and do not leave profit and harm; this is craving and desire. Ears, eyes, nose and mouth do not themselves know what they want; all are governed by the mind, which lets each have its place. From this it can be understood that desire cannot be overcome."

老子曰：治身養性者，節寢處，適飲食，和喜怒，便動靜，內在己者得，而邪氣無由入。飾其外，傷其內，扶其情者害其神，見其文者蔽其真，無須臾忘為賢者，必困其性，百步之中忘其為容者，必累其形，故羽翼美者傷其骸骨，枝葉茂者害其根荄，能兩美者天下無之。

Laozi said: One who governs his person and nourishes his nature moderates his sleeping place, regulates his food and drink, harmonizes joy and anger, and makes movement and stillness convenient; when what is within oneself is attained, depraved qi has no way to enter. To decorate the outside is to injure the inside; to prop up the feelings is to harm the spirit; to show off ornamental patterns is to hide the truth. One who never forgets for a moment that he wants to be worthy will surely trap his nature; one who forgets his bearing within a hundred steps will surely burden his body. So feathers that are beautiful harm the bones, branches and leaves that are luxuriant harm the roots, and there is no one in the world who can be beautiful in both."

老子曰：天有明不憂民之晦也，地有財不憂民之貧也，至德道者若丘山，嵬然不動，行者以為期，直己而足物，不為人賜，用之者亦不受其德，故安而能久。天地無與也，故無奪也，無德也，無怨也。善怒者必多怨，善與者必善奪，唯隨天地之自然而能勝理。故譽見即毀隨之，善見即惡從之，利為害始，福為禍先，不求利即無害，不求福即無禍，身以全為常，富貴其寄也。

Laozi said: Heaven has brightness and does not worry that people are in the dark; earth has wealth and does not worry that people are poor. One of supreme virtue who accords with the Way is like a hill or mountain, towering and unmoving, and travelers take it as a landmark. He rectifies himself and lets things be abundant, gives not for the sake of people, and those who use his gifts do not receive his virtue for it, so he is at peace and lasts long. Heaven and earth do not give, so they do not take away; they do not bestow virtue, so they are not resented. One who is good at anger surely has many resentments, and one who is good at giving surely is good at taking; only by following the naturalness of heaven and earth can one prevail by principle. So when praise appears, blame follows; when good appears, evil follows. Profit is the beginning of harm, and fortune is the forerunner of calamity. Do not seek profit and there is no harm; do not seek fortune and there is no calamity. For the person, preservation is the constant; wealth and rank are merely lodged in him."

老子曰：聖人無屈奇之服，詭異之行，服不雜，行不觀，通而不華，窮而不懾，榮而不顯，隱而不辱，異而不怪，同用無以名之，是謂大通。

Laozi said: The sage has no unusual clothes or strange conduct; his dress is not mixed or gaudy, his conduct is not showy, he is accomplished but not splendid, in distress but not afraid, honored but not conspicuous, hidden but not disgraced, different but not strange, the same in use yet with no way to name him; this is called Great Penetration."

老子曰：道者直己而待命，時之至不可迎而反也，時之去不可足而援也，故聖人不進而求，不退而讓，隨時三年，時去我走，去時三年，時在我後，無去無就，中立其所。天道無親，唯德是與，福之至非己之所求，故不伐其功，禍之來非己之所生，故不悔其行，中心其恬，不累其德，狗吠不驚，自信其情，誠無非分，故通道者不惑，知命者不憂。帝王之崩藏骸於野，其祭也祀之於明堂，神貴於形也，故神制形則從，形勝神則窮，聰明雖用，必反諸神，謂之大通。

Laozi said: The Way is to rectify oneself and wait for fate. When the time comes, do not go to meet it and make it return; when the time goes, do not lift your foot to drag it back. So the sage does not advance to seek or retreat to yield. Following the time for three years, when the time leaves me I go; leaving the time for three years, the time is behind me. Neither going nor approaching, he stands in the middle where he is. The Way of Heaven has no private favorites and gives only to the virtuous. When fortune comes it is not of one's seeking, so he does not boast of his merit; when calamity comes it is not of one's making, so he does not regret his conduct. His heart is calm and quiet and does not burden his virtue. Even when dogs bark he is not startled, trusting his own feelings, truly with nothing improper, so one who understands the Way is not confused and one who knows fate does not worry. When an emperor or king dies, his bones are buried in the wilds, yet sacrifices to him are made in the Bright Hall, which shows that spirit is nobler than form. So when spirit rules form, form obeys; when form prevails over spirit, it is exhausted. Even when intelligence is used, it must return to spirit; this is called Great Penetration."

老子曰：古之存己者，樂德而忘賤，故名不動志，樂道而忘貧，故利不動心，是以謙而能樂，靜而能澹。以數筭之壽，憂天下之亂，猶憂河水之涸，泣而益之也，故不憂天下之亂，而樂其身治者，可與言道矣。

Laozi said: The ancients who preserved themselves delighted in virtue and forgot lowliness, so fame could not move their will; delighted in the Way and forgot poverty, so profit could not move their hearts. Therefore they were modest and could be glad, still and could be plain. With a lifespan that can be counted out, to worry about the world's disorder is like worrying that the river will run dry and adding to it with tears. So one who does not worry about the disorder of the world, but delights in his own self being well ordered, may be spoken to about the Way."

老子曰：人有三怨：爵高者人妒之，官大者主惡之，祿厚者人怨之。夫爵益高者意益下，官益大者心益小，祿益厚者施益博，脩此三者怨不作，故貴以賤為本，高以下為基。

Laozi said: People have three kinds of resentment: those of high rank are envied, those of high office are disliked by the ruler, and those with generous salaries are resented. The higher the rank, the lower one's intention; the greater the office, the smaller one's heart; the more generous the salary, the wider one's giving. Cultivate these three, and resentment will not arise. So the honorable takes the humble as its root, and the high takes the low as its foundation."

老子曰：言者所以通己於人也，聞者所以通人於所也。既聞其聾，人道不通，故有聞聾之病者，莫知事通，豈獨形骸有闇聾哉！心並有之。塞也，莫知所通，此闇聾之類也。夫道之為宗也，有形者皆生焉，其為親也亦戚矣，饗穀食氣者皆壽焉，其為君也亦惠矣，諸智者學焉，其為師也亦明矣。人皆以無用害有用，故知不博而日不足，以博弈之日問道，聞見深矣，問與不問，猶闇聾之比於人也。

Laozi said: Speech is how one gets oneself through to others, and hearing is how one gets others through to oneself. If one is both blind and deaf, the human way is blocked. So one who has the illness of blindness and deafness does not know how affairs are to be connected; how can it be only the body that is blind and deaf! The mind has it too. When blocked, it does not know where things connect, and this is of the blind-and-deaf kind. The Way as the source: all that has form is born from it, so as a parent it is near enough; all who eat grain and take in qi live long because of it, so as a ruler it is generous enough; all who have knowledge learn from it, so as a teacher it is bright enough. People all use what is useless to harm what is useful, so their knowledge is not broad and their days are not enough. If one took the days spent on games and used them to ask about the Way, what one heard and saw would be deep. Asking or not asking is like a blind and deaf person compared to an ordinary one."

老子曰：人之情心服於德，不服於力，德在與不在來，是以聖人之慾貴於人者，先貴於人，欲尊於人者，先尊於人，欲勝人者，先自勝，欲卑人者，先自卑，故貴賤尊卑，道以制之。夫古之聖王以其言下人，以其身後人，即天下樂推而不猒，戴而不重，此德重有餘而氣順也，故知與之為取，後之為先，即幾於道矣。

Laozi said: As for human feeling, the heart submits to virtue and does not submit to force. Virtue lies in giving, not in taking. Therefore the sage who wishes to be honored by others first honors others; who wishes to be esteemed by others first esteems others; who wishes to surpass others first surpasses himself; who wishes to make others lowly first makes himself lowly. So honor and lowliness, esteem and humility are governed by the Way. The sage kings of old placed themselves below others in their words and behind others in their person, and the world gladly supported them without tiring, bore them on their heads without feeling the weight; this is virtue that is heavy and abundant and qi that is in harmony. So to know that giving is taking and being behind is being ahead is to come close to the Way."

老子曰：德少而寵多者譏，才下而位高者危，無大功而有厚祿者微，故物或益之而損，或損之而益。眾人皆知利利，而不知病病，唯聖人知病之為利，利之為病。故再實之木其根必傷，掘藏之家其後必殃，夫大利者反為害，天之道也。

Laozi said: One whose virtue is little but whose favor is great is mocked; one whose talent is low but whose position is high is in danger; one who has no great merit but a generous salary will decline. So things are sometimes gained by being increased and sometimes lost by being diminished. Everyone knows the profit of profit but does not know the sickness of sickness. Only the sage knows that sickness can be profit and profit can be sickness. So a tree that bears fruit twice a year will certainly have its roots injured; those who dig up and loot others' burial places will surely have calamity for their descendants. Great profit turning into harm is the Way of Heaven."

老子曰：小人從事曰苟得，君子曰苟義。為善者，非求名者也，而名從之，名不與利期，而利歸之，所求者同，所極者異，故動有益則損隨之。言無常是，行無常宜者，小人也；察於一事，通於一能，中人也；兼覆而並有之，技能而才使之者，聖人也。

Laozi said: The petty person in acting says: only seek to gain; the gentleman says: only seek to accord with righteousness. One who does good does not seek fame, yet fame follows; fame does not make an appointment with profit, yet profit comes to it. What is sought is the same, but what is reached differs. So when movement brings benefit, loss follows. One whose words are never always right and whose conduct is never always fitting is a petty person; one who examines one matter and masters one skill is a middling person; one who covers all and holds them all together, using each according to skill and talent, is a sage."

老子曰：生所假也，死所歸也，故世治即以義衛身，世亂即以身衛義，死之日，行之終也，故君子慎一用之而已矣。故生受於天也，命所遭於時也，有其才不遇其世，天也，求之有道，得之在命。君子能為善不能必得其福，不忍而為非而未必免於禍，故君子逢時即進，得之以義，何幸之有！不時即退，讓之以禮，何不幸之有！故雖處貧賤而猶不悔者，得其所貴也。

Laozi said: Life is what is borrowed, and death is where one returns. So when the age is well ordered one protects one's person with righteousness; when the age is in disorder one protects righteousness with one's person. The day of one's death is the end of conduct, so the gentleman is careful only about this one use. Life is received from Heaven, and fate is the time one meets. To have such talent and not meet such an age is Heaven's doing; seeking it has a way, but obtaining it lies in fate. The gentleman can do good, but cannot be sure of obtaining fortune; he cannot bear to do wrong, but is not necessarily spared calamity. So when the gentleman meets his time he advances, obtaining by righteousness; what luck is that! When he does not meet his time he withdraws, declining by ritual; what misfortune is that! So that one who, though in poverty and lowliness, still does not regret it, has obtained what he values."

老子曰：人有順逆之氣生於心，心治則氣順，心亂則氣逆，心之治亂在於道德，得道則心治，失道則心亂，心治則交讓，心亂則交爭，讓則有德，爭則生賊，有德則氣順，賊生則氣逆，氣順則自損以奉人，氣逆則損人以自奉，二氣者可道已而制也。天之道其猶響之報聲也，德積則福生，禍積則怨生，官敗於官茂，孝衰於妻子，患生於憂解，病甚於且瘉，故“慎終如始，無敗事也。”

Laozi said: People have qi that is compliant or contrary, arising from the heart; when the heart is ordered the qi is compliant, and when the heart is disordered the qi is contrary. Whether the heart is ordered or disordered depends on the Way and virtue: with the Way, the heart is ordered; without it, the heart is disordered. When the heart is ordered, people yield to one another; when it is disordered, they seize from one another; yielding brings virtue, and contending brings harm; virtue makes qi compliant, and harm makes qi contrary. Compliant qi diminishes oneself to serve others; contrary qi diminishes others to serve oneself. These two kinds of qi can be governed by the Way. The Way of Heaven is like an echo answering a sound: when virtue accumulates, fortune is born; when calamity accumulates, resentment is born. An official's career is spoiled when he has succeeded (the base text has "guan mao" here, which, paired with the next phrase "filial piety declines because of wife and children," should be read as "huan cheng"), filial piety declines because of wife and children, trouble arises when worry is resolved, and illness is worst when it is about to be cured. So "if one remains as careful at the end as at the beginning, there will be no failures.""

老子曰：舉枉與直，如何不得，舉直與枉，勿與遂往，所謂同汙而異泥者。

Laozi said: When you promote the crooked and set them together with the straight, how could you fail; when you promote the straight and set them together with the crooked, do not follow along in going straight. This is what is meant by the same mud but different quality of mud."

老子曰：聖人同死生，愚人亦同死生，聖人同生死，明於分理，愚人同生死，不知利害之所在。道懸天，物布地，和在人，人主不和即天氣不下，地氣不上，陰陽不調，風雨不時，人民疾飢。

Laozi said: The sage regards death and life as the same, and the fool also regards death and life as the same. The sage treats death and life as the same because he is clear about distinctions and principle; the fool treats death and life as the same because he does not know where profit and harm lie. The Way hangs in heaven, things are spread out on earth, and harmony is in humans. When the ruler is not in harmony, heaven's qi does not descend and earth's qi does not rise, yin and yang are out of balance, wind and rain are untimely, and the people suffer illness and hunger."

老子曰：得萬人之兵，不如聞一言之當，得隋侯之珠，不如得事之所由，得和氏之璧，不如得事之所適。天下雖大，好用兵者亡，國雖安，好戰者危，故“小國寡民，使有阡陌之器而勿用。”

Laozi said: To obtain an army of ten thousand is not as good as hearing one apt word; to obtain the pearl of the Marquis of Sui is not as good as obtaining the reason behind an affair; to obtain the jade disc of He is not as good as obtaining what is fitting in an affair. Though the world is large, those who love the use of arms perish; though a state is at peace, those who love war are in danger. So "let the state be small and the people few, so that even if there are tools of tenfold and hundredfold efficiency they are not used." (The base text reads "qian mo zhi qi"; the Laozi has "shi bai zhi qi.")"

老子曰：能成霸王者，必勝者也，能勝敵者，必強者也，能強者，必用人力者也，能用人力者，必得人心者也，能得人心者，必自得者也，自得者，必柔弱者已。能勝不如己者，至於若己者而挌，柔勝出於若己者，其事不可度，故能眾不勝，成大勝者也。

Laozi said: One who can become a hegemon or king must be one who can win; one who can defeat enemies must be strong; one who can be strong must be one who uses the strength of others; one who can use the strength of others must be one who wins people's hearts; one who can win people's hearts must be self-possessed; and the self-possessed must be soft and weak. He can defeat those inferior to himself, and when he meets those equal to himself he fights them; softness and weakness prevail over those equal to oneself, and that affair cannot be fathomed, so he is able to refrain from forcing a victory over the many and accomplishes a great victory."

老子曰：清虛者，天之明也，無為者，治之常也，去恩惠，舍聖智，外賢能，廢仁義，滅事故，棄佞辯，禁姦偽，則賢不肖者齊於道矣。靜則同，虛則通，至德無為，萬物皆容，虛靜之道，天長地久，神微周盈，於物無宰。十二月運行，周而復始，金木水火土，其勢相害，其道相待。故至寒傷物，無寒不可，至暑傷物，無暑不可，故可與不可皆可，是以大道無所不可，可在其理，見可不趨，見不可不去，可與不可，相為左右，相為表裡。凡事之要，必從一始，時為之紀，自古及今，未嘗變易，謂之天理。上執大明，下用其光，道生萬物，理於陰陽，化為四時，分為五行，各得其所，與時往來，法度有常，下及無能，上道不傾，群臣一意，天地之道無為而備，無求而得，“是以知其無為而有益也。”

Laozi said: Purity and emptiness are Heaven's brightness; non-action is the constant of government. Remove favors, discard sagely wisdom, put worthiness aside, abolish benevolence and righteousness, extinguish affairs and incidents, cast off glib argument and forbid deceit and falsehood, and the worthy and the unworthy are all equal in the Way. Stillness brings sameness, emptiness brings penetration, supreme virtue is non-action, and the myriad things can all be contained. The Way of emptiness and stillness lasts as long as heaven and earth; spirit is subtle and all-pervading, with no mastery over things. The twelve months turn and begin again; of metal, wood, water, fire and earth, their forces harm one another and their ways wait on one another. So extreme cold harms things, yet one cannot do without cold; extreme heat harms things, yet one cannot do without heat. Therefore both what is permissible and what is not are permissible; the Great Way has nothing that is not permissible, and permissibility lies in that principle: when one sees what is permissible, one does not rush toward it; when one sees what is not permissible, one does not leave it, and what is permissible and what is not act as left and right, as outside and inside for each other. The essential in all matters must begin from the One, taking time as the thread; from ancient times till now it has never changed, and this is called Heaven's principle. Above, hold to the great light, and below, use its radiance; the Way gives birth to the myriad things, governs yin and yang, transforms into the four seasons, divides into the Five Phases, each in its place, coming and going with the times, with laws constant, reaching down to the incapable, with the Way above never tilting and all ministers of one mind. The Way of heaven and earth is non-action yet complete, seeking nothing yet obtaining, "and from this I know the benefit of non-action.""

老子曰：樸，至大者無形狀，道，至大者無度量，故天員不中規，地方不中矩。往古來今謂之宙，四方上下謂之宇，道在中而莫知其所，故見不遠者，不可與言大，知不博者，不可與論至。夫岙道與物通者，無以相非，故三皇五帝法籍殊方，其得民心一也。若夫規矩勾繩，巧之具也，而非所以巧也，故無絃雖師文不能成其曲，徒絃則不能獨悲，故絃，悲之具也，非所以為悲也。至於神和，遊於心手之間，放意寫神，論愛而形於絃者，父不能以教子，子亦不能受之於父，此不傳之道也。故肅者形之君也，而寂寞者音之主也。

Laozi said: The uncarved block, at its greatest, has no shape; the Way, at its greatest, has no measure. So heaven's roundness does not match a compass, and earth's squareness does not match a square. The past and the present are called zhou (time), the four directions and up and down are called yu (space), and the Way is within them, yet no one knows where it is. So one who does not see far cannot be spoken to of the great; one who does not know widely cannot be discussed the utmost. The Way that interpenetrates with things has no way for them to blame one another (the base text reads "ao dao," which should be read "fu dao"). So the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had different directions in their laws and records, but they were the same in winning the people's hearts. As for compass, square, hook and ink line, they are tools of skill, but not skill itself. So without strings, even Shi Wen could not complete a tune; with strings alone, there is no sadness by itself. So strings are the instrument of sadness, but not sadness itself. As for the harmony of spirit, roaming between heart and hand, giving free rein to the mind and drawing out the spirit, expressing love and shaping it on the strings, a father cannot use it to teach his son, nor can a son receive it from his father; this is the Way that cannot be transmitted. So solemnity is the ruler of form, and silence is the master of sound."

老子曰：天地之道，以德為主，道為之命，物以自正。至微甚內，不以事貴，故不待功而立，不以位為尊，不待名而顯，不須禮而莊，不用兵而強。故道立而不教，明照而不察，道立而不教者，不奪人能也，明照而不察者，不害其事也。夫教道者，逆於德，害於物，故陰陽四時，金木水火土，同道而異理，萬物同情而異形。智者不相教，能者不相受，故聖人立法，以導民之心，各使自然，故生者無德，死者無怨。天地不仁，以萬物為芻狗，聖人不仁，以百姓為芻狗。夫慈愛仁義者，近狹之道也，狹者入大而迷，近者行遠而惑，聖人之道，入大不迷，行遠不惑，常虛自守，可以為極，是謂天德。

Laozi said: The Way of heaven and earth takes virtue as its master; the Way gives it its mandate, and things thereby rectify themselves. The utmost subtlety lies deep within, and is not made noble by affairs, so it stands without waiting for achievement, is not honored by rank, is manifest without waiting for fame, is dignified without needing ritual, and is strong without using arms. So the Way stands and does not teach, shines and does not scrutinize. The Way stands and does not teach, not depriving people of their abilities; it shines and does not scrutinize, not harming the matter. Those who teach the Way go against virtue and harm things. So yin and yang, the four seasons, metal, wood, water, fire and earth share the Way but differ in principle, and the myriad things share their nature but differ in form. The wise do not teach one another, and the capable do not receive from one another. So the sage establishes laws to guide the people's minds, letting each follow its own nature, so that the living have no virtue to be grateful for, and the dead have no resentment. Heaven and earth have no favorites, treating the myriad things as straw dogs for sacrifice, letting them live and die of themselves; the sage too has no favorites, treating the hundred families as straw dogs, letting them live and flourish naturally. Compassion, benevolence and righteousness are the way of the near and narrow. The narrow is lost when it enters the great; the near is confused when it goes far. The Way of the sage enters the great without being lost and goes far without being confused, always empty and holding itself, able to serve as the utmost; this is called Heavenly Virtue."

老子曰：聖人天覆地載，日月照臨，陰陽和，四時化，懷萬物而不同，無故無新，無疏無親，故能法天者，天不一時，地不一材，人不一事，故緒業多端，趨行多方。故用兵者，或輕或重，或貪或廉，四者相反，不可一也，輕者欲發，重者欲止，貪者欲取，廉者不利非其有也。故勇者可令進鬥，不可令持堅，重者可令固守，不可令凌敵，貪者可令攻取，不可令分財，廉者可令守分，不可令進取，信者可令持約，不可令應變，五者，聖人兼用而材使之。夫天地不懷一物，陰陽不產一類，故海不讓水潦以成其大，山林不讓枉橈以成其崇，聖不辭其負薪之言以廣其名。夫守一隅而遺萬方，取一物而棄其餘，則所得者寡，而所治者淺矣。

Laozi said: The sage is covered by heaven and borne by earth, and sun and moon shine upon him; yin and yang are harmonized, the four seasons transform, he embraces the myriad things without treating them alike, with nothing old and nothing new, nothing distant and nothing near. So one who can model himself on heaven: heaven is not one season, earth is not one kind of material, humans are not one kind of task, so undertakings are of many kinds and conduct goes in many directions. So those who use arms, some are light, some heavy, some greedy, some honest, the four being opposed, so they cannot be treated uniformly. The light want to launch, the heavy want to stop, the greedy want to take, and the honest do not count what is not theirs as profit. So the brave may be ordered to advance and fight, but not to hold a strong fortress; the steady may be ordered to hold firmly, but not to overrun the enemy; the greedy may be ordered to attack and seize, but not to divide the goods; the honest may be ordered to keep their share, but not to press forward; the trustworthy may be ordered to hold to an agreement, but not to respond to changes. These five the sage uses together and employs according to talent. Heaven and earth do not embrace one kind of thing, and yin and yang do not produce one kind; so the sea does not refuse the floods in order to complete its greatness, mountains and forests do not refuse the crooked and bent in order to complete their height, and the sage does not refuse the words of a firewood carrier in order to widen his fame. One who holds to one corner and neglects the ten thousand quarters, takes one thing and discards the rest, gains little and governs shallowly."

老子曰：天之所覆，地之所載，日月之所照，形殊性異，各有所安，樂所以為樂者，乃所以為悲也，安所以為安者，乃所以為危也。故聖人之牧民也，使各便其性，安其居，處為其所能，周其所適，施其所宜，如此即萬物一齊，無由相過。天下之物，無貴無賤，因其所貴而貴之，物無不貴，因其所賤而賤之，物無不賤，故不尚賢者，言不放魚於木，不沈鳥於淵。昔堯之治天下也，舜為司徒，契為司馬，禹為司空，后稷為田疇，奚仲為工師，其導民也，水處者漁，林處者採，谷處者牧，陵處者田，地宜事，事宜其械，械宜其材，皋澤織網，陵坡耕田，如是外民得以所有易所無，以所工易所拙。是以離叛者寡，聽從者眾，若風之過蕭，忽然而感之，各以清濁應，物莫不就其所利，避其所害。是以鄰國相望，雞狗之音相聞，而足跡不接於諸侯之境，車軌不結於千里之外，皆安其居也。故亂國若盛，治國若虛，亡國若不足，存國若有餘。虛者，非無人也，各守其職也，盛者，非多人也，皆徼於未也，有餘者，非多財也，欲節事寡也，不足者，非無貨也，民鮮而費多也，故先王之法，非所作也，所因也，其禁誅，非所為也，所守也，上德之道也。

Laozi said: What heaven covers, earth bears, and sun and moon shine on differ in form and vary in nature, and each has its own peace. To delight in what is delighted in is in fact to grieve; to be at peace in what is peaceful is in fact to be in danger. So the sage in shepherding the people lets each be at ease in his nature, peaceful in his dwelling, placed in what he can do, covering what suits him, carrying out what is fitting, so that the myriad things are all equal and none can overstep the other. Among the things of the world, there is neither noble nor base; if one honors what a thing finds honorable, nothing is not honored; if one despises what a thing finds despicable, nothing is not despised. So not exalting the worthy and able means not placing fish in trees or sinking birds in the depths. In the past, when Yao governed the world, Shun was Minister of Education, Qi was Minister of War, Yu was Minister of Works, Houji managed the fields, and Xizhong was master craftsman. He guided the people: those living by water fished, those in forests gathered, those in valleys herded, those on hills farmed; the land was suited to the task, the task was suited to the tools, and the tools were suited to the materials; in marshes they wove nets, and on slopes they plowed fields, so that people beyond the pale could exchange what they had for what they lacked, and what they were skilled at for what they were poor at. Therefore few rebelled and many obeyed, like wind passing through a pipe: when suddenly stirred, each responds in its own pitch, clear or low, and there is no thing that does not go toward what benefits it and avoid what harms it. Therefore neighboring states could see each other and hear each other's crowing of cocks and barking of dogs, yet footprints did not reach the borders of the feudal lords and cart tracks did not link up a thousand li away, all being content in their dwellings. So a disordered state seems full, a well-governed state seems empty, a state facing ruin seems lacking, and a state that endures seems to have surplus. Empty does not mean without people, but that each keeps his post; full does not mean many people, but that all seek the branches; surplus does not mean much wealth, but that desires are moderate and affairs few; lacking does not mean no goods, but that the people are few and expenses many. So the laws of the former kings were not created but followed; their prohibitions and punishments were not their own doing but what they kept to. This is the Way of highest virtue."

老子曰：以道治天下，非易人性也，因其所有而循暢之，故因即大，作即小。古之瀆水者，因水之流也，生稼者，因地之宜也，征伐者，因民之慾也，能因則無敵於天下矣。物必有自然而人事有治也，故先王之製法，因民之性而為之節文，無其性，不可使順教，無其資，不可使遵道。人之性有仁義之資，其非聖人為之法度，不可使向方，因其所惡以禁姦，故刑罰不用，威行如神，因其性即天下聽從，怫其性即法度張而不用。道德者，則功名之本也，民之所懷也，懷之則功名立。古之善為君者法江海，江海無為以成其大，窪下以成其廣，故能長久，為天下谿谷，其德乃足，無為能取百川，不求故能得，不行故能至，是以取天下而無事。不自奉故富，不自見故明，不自矜故長，處不肖之地，故為天下王，不爭故莫能與之爭，終不為大故能成其大，江海近於道，故能長久，與天地相保。公正脩道，即功成不有，不有即強固，強固而不以暴人，道深即德深，德深即功名遂成，此謂玄德深矣！遠矣！其與物反矣！天下有始，莫知其理，唯聖人能知所以，非雄非雌，非牝非牡，生而不死，天地以成，陰陽以形，萬物以生。故陰與陽，有員有方，有短有長，有存有亡，道為之命，幽沉而光事，於心甚微，於道甚當，死生同理，萬物變化，合於一道。簡生忘死，何往不壽，去事與言，慎無為也。守道周密，於物不宰，至微無形，天地之始，萬物同於道而殊形，至微無物，故能周恤，至大無外，故為萬物蓋，至細無內，故為萬物貴。道之存生，德之安形，至道之度，去好去惡，無有知故，易意和心，無以道迕。夫天地專而為一，分而為二，交而合之，上下不失，專而為一，分而為五，反而合之，必中規矩。夫道至親不可疏，至近不可遠，求之近者，往而復反。

Laozi said: Governing the world by the Way does not change people's nature, but follows what they inherently have and lets it flow freely. So following is great, and contriving is small. In ancient times, those who opened waterways followed the flow of the water; those who grew crops followed what the land was suited for; those who waged war followed the people's desires. One who can follow is without rival in the world. Things certainly have their naturalness, and human affairs have their ordering. So the former kings made laws that followed the people's nature and regulated and refined it; without that nature, they could not be made to follow teaching; without that endowment, they could not be made to follow the Way. Human nature has the endowment of benevolence and righteousness, but unless a sage sets up laws for it, it cannot be made to turn toward uprightness. Prohibiting wickedness according to what people hate means punishments are unused and authority works like a spirit; following their nature makes the world obey, while going against their nature means laws are set up but not used. Way and virtue are the root of merit and fame, and what the people turn toward; turn toward them and merit and fame are established. In ancient times, those who were good rulers modeled themselves on rivers and seas. The rivers and seas achieved their greatness through non-action and their breadth through lowness, so they can last long and be valleys of the world, and their virtue is then sufficient. Non-action can take in the hundred streams; not seeking is how one can gain; not moving is how one can arrive; so one takes the world and has nothing to do. Not nourishing himself, he is rich; not displaying himself, he is bright; not exalting himself, he lasts long; dwelling in the place of the unworthy, he is king of the world. Precisely because he does not contend with others, no one in the world can contend with him; because in the end he does not try to be great, he is able to complete his greatness. The rivers and seas are close to the Way, so they last long and keep company with heaven and earth. Upright and cultivating the Way, one achieves success without possessing it; not possessing, one is firm; firm, and not using it to do violence to others. When the Way is deep, virtue is deep; when virtue is deep, merit and fame are completed. This is called Mysterious Virtue; how deep, how far-reaching, how it runs contrary to things! All things in the world have a beginning, yet no one knows its principle; only the sage can know its reason. Neither male nor female, neither bull nor cow, living and not dying, by it heaven and earth were completed, by it yin and yang took form, by it the myriad things were born. So yin and yang, round and square, short and long, existing and perishing, are given their mandate by the Way, hidden and sunk yet illuminating affairs; in the heart it is very subtle, in the Way it is very apt, death and life share the same principle, the myriad things change, and all accord with one Way. Simplify life and forget death, and where would one go that is not long-lived; remove affairs and words, and be careful in non-action. Hold to the Way with closeness and do not rule over things. The utmost subtlety has no form and is the beginning of heaven and earth; the myriad things share the Way but differ in form. The utmost subtlety has no thing, so it can provide universal relief; the utmost great has no outside, so it serves as the canopy of the myriad things; the utmost fine has no inside, so it is valued by the myriad things. The Way is used to preserve life, and virtue is used to settle the form. The measure of the supreme Way is to remove liking and remove disliking, because there is no cleverness; make your intention level and easy, harmonize your heart, and do not oppose it with the Way. Heaven and earth, concentrated, are one body; divided, they are two; crossed and joined, above and below are not lost; concentrated, they are one; divided, they are five; turned back and joined, they surely accord with the compass and square. The Way is closest and cannot be distanced, nearest and cannot be made far; one who seeks in what is near goes off and returns again."

老子曰：帝者有名，莫知其情，帝者貴其德，王者尚其義，霸者迫於理。聖人之道，於物無有，道挾然後任智，德薄然後任形，明淺然後任察。任智者中心亂，任刑者上下怨，任察者下求善以事上即弊。是以聖人因天地以變化，其德乃天覆而地載，道之以時，其養乃厚，厚養即治，雖有神聖，人何以易之。去心智，故省刑罰，反清靜，物將自正。道之為君如屍，儼然玄默，而天下受其福，一人被之不褒，萬人被之不褊。是故重為惠，重為暴，即道迕矣。為惠者佈施也，無功而厚賞，無勞而高爵，即守職懈於官，而遊居者亟於進矣。夫暴者妄誅也，無罪而死亡，行道者而被刑，即脩身不勸善，而為邪行者輕犯上矣。故為惠者即生姦，為暴者即生亂，姦亂之俗，亡國之風也。故國有誅者而主無怒也，朝有賞者而君無與也，誅者不怨君，罪之當也，賞者不德上，功之致也，民知誅賞之來，皆生於身，故務功脩業，不受賜於人，是以朝廷蕪而無跡，田野闢而無穢，故太上下知而有之。王道者，處無為之事，行不言之教，清靜而不動，一度而不搖，因循任下，責成不勞，謀無失策，舉無過事，言無文章，行無儀表，進退應時，動靜循理，美醜不好憎，賞罰不喜怒。名各自命，類各自以，事由自然，莫出於己，若欲狹之，乃是離之，若欲飾之，乃是賊之。天氣為魂，地氣為魄，反之玄妙，各處其宅，守之勿失，上通太一，太一之精，通合於天。天道嘿嘿，無容無則，大不可極，深不可測，常與人化，智不能得，輪轉無端，化逐如神，虛無因循，常後而不先。其聽治也，虛心弱志，清明不闇，是故群臣輻湊並進，無愚智賢不肖，莫不盡其能，君得所以制臣，臣得所以事君，即治國之所以明矣。

Laozi said: Emperors have a name, but no one knows their true substance. Emperors value their virtue, kings esteem their righteousness, and hegemons are pressed by principle. The Way of the sage has no possession in things. When the Way is narrow, then cleverness is employed; when virtue is thin, then punishment is employed (the base text writes "form" here; paired with "employing scrutiny" below, it should be read as "punishment"); when clarity is shallow, then scrutiny is employed. Where cleverness is employed the heart is disordered; where punishment is employed those above and below resent each other; where scrutiny is employed those below seek the good in order to serve those above, and then abuses arise. Therefore the sage changes along with heaven and earth, and his virtue is then covered by heaven and borne by earth; he guides according to the seasons, and his nurture is then generous, and generous nurture brings order; even if there were a divine sage, what could people use to change it. Remove the mind's cleverness, so punishments are reduced, return to purity and stillness, and things will rectify themselves. The Way as ruler is like the impersonator of the dead at a sacrifice, solemn and darkly silent, yet the world receives his blessing; one person covered by it does not feel it is too generous, and ten thousand people covered by it do not feel it is too narrow. Therefore valuing the bestowing of favors and valuing the use of violence are both contrary to the Way. Bestowing favors is giving out; to reward generously without merit and give high rank without toil means those who keep their posts grow lax toward their offices while idle wanderers hurry to advance. Violence is wrongly punishing and killing; to put the innocent to death and punish those who follow the Way means those who cultivate themselves are not encouraged toward good and those who do evil readily offend their superiors. So bestowing favors breeds wickedness and using violence breeds disorder, and a custom of wickedness and disorder is the wind of a ruined state. So the state has punishments yet the ruler has no anger, the court has rewards yet the lord has no private favoritism: those punished do not resent the lord, for the punishment fits the crime; those rewarded do not feel grateful for the lord's virtue, for the merit was brought about by themselves. The people know that punishments and rewards come from themselves, so they devote themselves to achievement and cultivate their work, and do not receive gifts from others. So the court is overgrown and without traces, and the fields are opened up and without weeds. So of the best rulers, the people only know that he exists. The kingly way handles affairs entirely by non-action and carries out teaching without words, still and unmoving, with a single standard unwavering, relying on and employing those below, assigning responsibility without toil, with no mistake in plans, no error in undertakings, no ornament in speech and no show in conduct, advancing and withdrawing in response to the times, moving and resting according to principle, with no liking or disliking of beauty and ugliness, and no joy or anger in reward and punishment. Names name themselves, kinds take themselves for what they are, affairs proceed from nature, and none comes from oneself. If one tries to narrow it, one departs from it; if one tries to adorn it, one harms it. Heaven's qi is the hun soul and earth's qi is the po soul; return to that mystery, each dwelling in its house, holding fast without losing it, and communicating above with the Great One. The essence of the Great One unites with Heaven. The Way of Heaven is silent, without form or rule, too great to reach the limit of and too deep to fathom, constantly transforming with people, unattainable by cleverness, turning without beginning, transforming like a spirit, empty, and following, always behind and never ahead. In his hearing and governing, his mind is empty and his will soft, clear and not dark. So his ministers converge like spokes to a hub, advancing together, and whether foolish or wise, worthy or unworthy, there are none who do not exhaust their abilities. The ruler obtains the means of controlling ministers, and ministers obtain the means of serving the ruler, and this is why the state is well governed."

老子曰：知而好問者聖，勇而好問者勝，乘眾人之智者即無不任也，用眾人之力者即無不勝也，用眾人之力者，烏獲不足恃也，乘眾人之勢者，天下不足用也。無權不可為之勢，而不循道理之數，雖神聖人不能以成名。故聖人舉事，未嘗不因其資而用之也，有一形者處一位，有一能者服一事，力勝其任，即舉者不重也，能勝其事，即為者不難也。聖人兼而用之，故人無棄人物無棄材。

Laozi said: One who knows and likes to ask is a sage; one who is brave and likes to ask can prevail. By availing oneself of the wisdom of the many, nothing is beyond one's use; by using the strength of the many, there is nothing one cannot overcome. Using the strength of the many, Wu Huo is not worth relying on; availing oneself of the force of the many, the world is not enough to use. Without the force that no expedient can do without, yet not following the course of reason, even a divine sage could not make a name. So when the sage undertakes things, he has never failed to rely on that resource and use it. Those with one kind of form occupy one position, and those with one kind of ability serve one task. When strength is equal to the task, what is lifted is not heavy; when ability is equal to the affair, what is done is not hard. The sage uses all of them together, so there are no persons cast aside and no materials cast aside."

老子曰：所謂無為者，非謂其引之不來，推之不去，迫而不應，感而不動，堅滯而不流，捲握而不散，謂其私志不入公道，嗜慾不枉正術，循理而舉事，因資而立功，推自然之勢，曲故不得容，事成而身不伐，功立而名不有，若夫水用舟，涉用䦊，泥用輴，山用樏，夏瀆冬陂，因高為山，因下為池，非吾所為也。聖人不恥身之賤，惡道之不行也，不憂命之短，憂百姓之窮也，故常虛而無為，抱素見樸，不與物雜。

Laozi said: What is called non-action does not mean that if you pull it, it does not come, or if you push it, it does not go, that when pressed it does not respond, when stirred it does not move, solid and stagnant and not flowing, rolled up and clenched and not dispersing; it means that private will does not enter the public Way, craving and desire do not bend the right art, one undertakes affairs by following principle, accomplishes merit by relying on resources, pushes the force of naturalness, does not allow crooked cleverness to be admitted, and when affairs are done does not boast, when merit is established does not claim the name. As for using boats on water, sledges on sand (the base text has an unusual character here), mud-sledges on mud, mountain-climbing gear on mountains, digging ditches in summer and making embankments in winter, making hills from the height and pools from the low, none of this is done by me. The sage is not ashamed of his own lowly status, but hates that the Way is not practiced; he does not worry about his short life, but worries about the people's poverty. So he is always empty and without action, embraces plainness and shows simplicity, and does not mix with things."

老子曰：古之立帝王者，非以奉養其欲也，聖人踐位者，非以逸樂其身也，為天下之民，強陵弱，眾暴寡，詐者欺愚，勇者侵怯，又為其懷智不以相教，積財不以相分，故立天子以齊一之。一人之明，不能遍照海內，故立三公九卿以輔翼之。為絕國殊俗，不得被澤，故立諸侯以教誨之。是以天地四時無不應也，官無隱事，國無遺利，所以衣寒食飢，養老弱，息勞倦，無不以也。神農形悴，堯瘦虞，舜黧黑，禹胼胝，伊尹負鼎而幹湯，呂望鼓刀而入周，百里奚傳賣，管仲束縛，孔子無黔突，墨子無煖席，非以貪祿慕位，將欲事起於天下之利，除萬民之害也。自天子至於庶人，四體不勤，思慮不困，於事求贍者，未之聞也。

Laozi said: In ancient times, emperors and kings were set up not to nourish their desires; sages took the throne not to enjoy ease for themselves. This was because among the people of the world, the strong bullied the weak, the many oppressed the few, the cunning deceived the foolish, the brave encroached on the timid, and also because those with knowledge did not teach one another and those who accumulated wealth did not share it, so a Son of Heaven was set up to unify them. One person's sight cannot illuminate everything within the seas, so the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers were set up to assist him. Because distant countries and different customs could not receive his grace, feudal lords were set up to instruct them. So heaven, earth and the four seasons were all answered, officials had no hidden affairs, the state had no overlooked benefits, and all was used to clothe the cold, feed the hungry, nourish the old and weak, and give rest to the weary. Shennong's form was worn and thin, Yao was gaunt, Shun was dark, Yu had calluses on his hands and feet, Yi Yin carried a cauldron on his back to seek Tang, Lu Wang beat his butcher's knife and entered Zhou, Baili Xi was sold from one master to another, Guan Zhong was bound, Confucius had no chimney blackened by smoke, and Mozi had no warm mat; it was not that they coveted salary or longed for position, but that they wished to devote themselves to promoting the benefit of the world and removing the harm to the ten thousand people. From the Son of Heaven to the common people, I have not heard of anyone whose four limbs were not diligent and whose thoughts were not troubled who yet sought sufficiency in his work."

老子曰：所謂天子者，有天道以立天下也。立天下之道，執一以為保，反本無為，虛靜無有，忽恍無際，遠無所止，視之無形，聽之無聲，是謂大道之經。

Laozi said: The so-called Son of Heaven is one who has the Way of Heaven and thereby establishes the world. The way of establishing the world is to hold to the One as one's safeguard, return to the root and act without action, be empty and still with nothing possessed, vague and hazy without boundary, far without a place to stop; look at it and it has no form, listen to it and it has no sound; this is called the constant of the Great Way."

老子曰：夫道者，體員而法方，背陰而抱陽，左柔而右剛，履幽而戴明，變化無常，得一之原，以應無方，是謂神明。天員而無端，故不得觀，地方而無涯，故莫窺其門，天化遂無形狀，地生長無計量。夫物有勝，唯道無勝，所以無勝者，以其無常形勢也，輪轉無形，象日月之運行，若春秋之代謝，日月之晝夜，終而復始，明而復晦，制形而無形，故功可成，物物而不物，故勝而不屈。廟戰者帝，神化者王，廟戰者法天道，神化者明四時，修正於境內，而遠方懷德，制勝於未戰，而諸侯賓服也。古之得道者，靜而法天地，動而順日月，喜怒合四時。號令比雷霆，音氣不戾八風，詘伸不獲五度。因民之慾，乘民之力，為之去殘除害，夫同利者相死，同情者相成，同行者相助，循己而動，天下為鬥。故善用兵者，用其自為用，不能用兵者，用其為己用，用其自為用，天下莫不可用，用其為己用，無一人之可用也。

Laozi said: The Way is round in body and square in rule; it turns its back on yin and embraces yang, is soft on the left and hard on the right, treads on the dark and wears the bright. Its changes are without constancy; grasping the root of the One, it responds to what has no direction. This is called divine illumination. Heaven is round and has no end, so one cannot see its whole; earth is square and has no edge, so no one has glimpsed its gate. Heaven transforms and completes without form, and earth gives growth without measure. Among things there are some that can be overcome, but only the Way cannot be overcome. The reason it cannot be overcome is that it has no constant posture and turns without form, like the movement of the sun and moon, like the turning of spring and autumn; day and night of sun and moon end and begin again, bright and then dark. It shapes forms while having no form itself, and so its work can be completed; it makes things things while not being a thing itself, and so it prevails without being bent. One who wins by temple strategy becomes an emperor, and one who wins by divine transformation becomes a king. Temple strategy models itself on the Way of Heaven, and divine transformation illuminates the four seasons. He sets things right within his borders, and distant lands cherish his virtue; he wins before the battle, and the lords submit as guests. The ancients who attained the Way were still and modeled themselves on heaven and earth, moved and followed the sun and moon, joined joy and anger to the four seasons, made orders like thunder, and their voice and breath did not clash with the eight winds, their bending and stretching did not go against the five measures. They followed the people's desires, used the people's strength, and removed cruelty and harm for them. Those who share the same interests die for one another, those who share the same feelings complete one another, those who share the same conduct help one another; moving by their own accord, the world fights for him. So one who is good at using soldiers makes them serve themselves; one who cannot use soldiers makes them serve him. When he makes them serve themselves, there is no one in the world he cannot use; when he makes them serve him, there is not one person who can be used.

老子曰：治身，太上養神，其次養形，神清意平，百節皆寧，養生之本也，肥肌膚，充腹腸，供嗜慾，養生之末也。治國，太上養化，其次正法，民交讓爭處卑，財利爭受少，事力爭就勞，日化上而遷善，不知其所以然，治之本也，利賞而勸善，畏刑而不敢為非，法令正於上，百姓服於下，治之末也，上世養本，而下世事末。

Laozi said: In governing the self, the highest is to nourish the spirit and the next is to nourish the body. When the spirit is clear and the mind level, all the joints are at peace, and this is the root of nourishing life; fattening the flesh and skin, filling the belly and intestines, and supplying appetites is the branch of nourishing life. In governing a state, the highest is to nourish transformation and the next is to correct the laws. When the people yield to one another and compete to take the lower place, when they compete to accept the smaller share of wealth and profit and to take on more labor in their tasks, and day by day are transformed by their superior toward goodness without knowing why, this is the root of governing; encouraging good with rewards of profit, fearing punishment and so not daring to do wrong, with laws and orders set right above and the people submitting below, is the branch of governing. The ages of old nourished the root, and the later ages pursue the branch.

老子曰：欲治之主不世出，可與治之臣不萬一，以不世出求不萬一，此至治所以千歲不一也。蓋霸王之功不世立也，順其善意，防其邪心，與民同出一道，則民可善，風俗可美。所貴聖人者，非貴其隨罪而作刑也，貴其知亂之所生也。若開其銳端，而縱之放僻淫佚，而棄之以法，隨之以刑，雖殘賊天下不能禁其姦矣。

Laozi said: A ruler who wishes to govern does not appear in every age, and ministers who can govern with him do not come one in ten thousand. To seek one in ten thousand with someone who does not appear in every age is the reason why perfect order is not found once in a thousand years. The achievements of a hegemon or a king also are not established in every age. Follow the good intentions, guard against evil hearts, and go out by one road with the people, and then the people can be good and customs fine. What is valued in a sage is not that he carries out punishments according to crimes, but that he knows where disorder comes from. If one opens the sharp end and lets them indulge in vice and excess, and then discards them with the law and follows up with punishments, then even if he were to cruelly destroy the whole world, he could not stop their wickedness.

老子曰：身處江海之上，心在魏闕之下，即重生，重生即輕利矣。猶不能自勝即從之，神無所害也，不能自勝而強不從，是謂重傷，重傷之人無壽類矣。故曰：知和曰常，知常曰明，益生曰祥，心使氣曰強，是謂玄同，用其光，復歸其明。

Laozi said: To be on the river or the sea in body while one's heart is below the palace gate is to value life, and valuing life makes one take profit lightly. If one cannot yet overcome oneself, go along with it and the spirit is not harmed; if one cannot overcome oneself and yet forcibly refuses to go along, this is called doubly wounding, and a doubly wounded person is not of the class of the long-lived. So it is said: to know harmony is called constancy, to know constancy is called clarity, to keep adding to life is taken as auspicious but is in fact calamity, and when the mind drives the breath, it is called force. This is called mysterious sameness. Use its light, and return again to its inner brightness.

老子曰：天下莫易於為善，莫難於為不善。所謂為善者，靜而無為，適情辭餘，無所誘惑，循性保真，無變於己，故曰為善易也。所謂為不善難者，篡弒矯詐，躁而多欲，非人之性也，故曰為不善難也。今之以為大患者，由無常厭度量生也，故利害之地，禍福之際，不可不察。聖人無欲也，無避也，事或欲之，適足以失之，事或避之，適足以就之，志有所欲，即忘其所為，是以聖人審動靜之變，而適受與之度，理好憎之情，和喜怒之節。夫動靜得即患不侵也，受與適即罪不累也，理好憎即憂不近也，和喜怒即怨不犯也。體道之人不苟得，不讓禍，其有不棄，非其有不制，恆滿而不溢，常虛而易贍。故自當以道術度量，即食充虛，衣圉寒，足以溫飽七尺之形，無道術度量，而以自要尊貴，即萬乘之勢不足以為快，天下之富不足以為樂，故聖人心平志易，精神內守，物不能惑。

Laozi said: Under heaven nothing is easier than doing good and nothing is harder than doing what is not good. What is called doing good is to be still and without action, to suit one's feelings and shed what is excessive, to be without temptation, to follow one's nature and preserve the genuine, with no change toward oneself; therefore doing good is said to be easy. What is called the difficulty of doing what is not good is usurping and murdering, deceit and trickery, restlessness and many desires, which are not human nature; therefore doing what is not good is said to be hard. What are now taken as great troubles come from lack of constancy, satiety and measure. So one must examine the ground of gain and harm and the boundary between fortune and misfortune. The sage has no desire, and no avoidance either. Sometimes one wants a thing and that is just enough to lose it; sometimes one avoids a thing and that is just enough to run into it. When the will has something it desires, one forgets what one is doing. Therefore the sage examines the changes of movement and stillness, suits the measure of taking and giving, regulates the feelings of like and dislike, and harmonizes the rhythm of joy and anger. When movement and stillness are right, trouble does not invade; when taking and giving are fitting, guilt does not burden; when likes and dislikes are regulated, worry does not draw near; when joy and anger are harmonized, resentment does not offend. One who embodies the Way does not take things carelessly, does not refuse misfortune that is his due, does not discard what is his, does not control what is not his; always full without overflowing, always empty and easily supplied. So if one measures oneself by the Way, then food that fills the empty and clothes that ward off the cold are enough to warm and feed a seven-foot body; without measuring by the Way, and wanting to be honored, even the power of ten thousand chariots is not enough for pleasure, and the wealth of the world is not enough for joy. Therefore the sage's mind is level and his will easy, his spirit keeps within, and things cannot confuse him.

老子曰：勝人者有力，自勝者強。能強者，必用人力者也，能用人力者，必得人心者也，能得人心者，必自得者也，未有得己而失人者也，未有失己而得人者也。故為治之本，務在安人，安人之本，在於足用，足用之本，在於不奪時，不奪時之本，在於省事，省事之本，在於節用，節用之本，在於去驕，去驕之本，在於虛無，故知生之情者，不務生之所無以為，知命之情者，不憂命之所無奈何。目悅五色，口惟滋味，耳淫五聲，七竅交爭，以害一性，日引邪欲竭其天和，身且不能治，奈治天下何，所謂得天下者，非謂其履勢位，稱尊號，言其運天下心，得天下力也，有南面之名，無一人之譽，此失天下也。故桀紂不為王，湯武不為放，故天下得道，在守四夷，天下失道，守在諸侯，諸侯得道，守在四境，諸侯失道，守在左右。故曰無恃其不吾奪也，恃吾不可奪也，行可奪之道，而非篡弒之行，無益於持天下矣。

Laozi said: To overcome others is called strength of force, and to overcome oneself is called being strong. One who can be strong must be one who can use people's strength; one who can use people's strength must be one who wins people's hearts; one who wins people's hearts must be one who has found himself. There is no one who has not found himself and yet wins people, and no one who has lost himself and yet gains people. So the root of governing lies in securing the people; the root of securing the people lies in sufficiency of use; the root of sufficiency of use lies in not taking away the seasons; the root of not taking away the seasons lies in reducing affairs; the root of reducing affairs lies in economy of use; the root of economy of use lies in removing arrogance; the root of removing arrogance lies in emptiness and nothingness. So those who know the real nature of life do not strive to seek what life has no means to produce; those who know the real nature of fate do not worry about what fate cannot help. If the eyes delight in the five colors, the mouth craves flavors, and the ears indulge in the five tones, and the seven openings contend with one another to harm one nature, and day by day one draws in evil desires and exhausts one's natural harmony, one cannot even govern one's own body; with what could one govern the world? What is called gaining the world does not mean occupying a position of power or assuming a title of honor; it means turning the world's hearts and gaining the world's strength. To bear the name of facing south, yet not have the praise of a single person, is to lose the world. So Jie and Zhou are not counted as kings, and Tang and Wu are not counted as having exiled their lords. When the world has the Way, the guards are the four barbarians; when the world loses the Way, the guards are the lords; when the lords have the Way, the guards are the four borders; when the lords lose the Way, the guards are those at their sides. So it is said: do not rely on others not taking from me, but on my being impossible to take from. To practice a way that can be taken from, and not the conduct of usurpers and murderers, is of no use for holding the world.

老子曰：善治國者，不變其故，不易其常。夫怒者逆德也，兵者兇器也，爭者人之所亂也，陰謀逆德，好用兇器，治人之亂，逆之至也。非禍人不能成禍，不如挫其銳，解其紛，和其光，同其塵。人之性情皆願賢己而疾不及人，願賢己則爭心生，疾不及人則怨爭生，怨爭生則心亂而氣逆，故古之聖王退爭怨，爭怨不生則心治而氣順，故曰不尚賢使民不爭。

Laozi said: One who governs a state well does not change what is old and does not alter what is constant. Anger is going against virtue, weapons are instruments of ill omen, and strife is the means by which people fall into disorder. To plot against virtue and love to use instruments of ill omen to cure people's disorder is the extreme of going against. It is not that harming people cannot make harm; better to blunt the sharp edge, untie the knots, soften the glare and blend with the dust of the world. It is the nature of people to wish themselves to be worthy and to resent not being equal to others: wishing oneself worthy gives rise to a contending heart, and resenting not being equal to others gives rise to resentment and strife, and when resentment and strife arise, the heart is disordered and the breath runs contrary. So the sage kings of old withdrew from strife and resentment, and when strife and resentment do not arise the heart is ordered and the breath smooth. So it is said: do not exalt the worthy, so that the people do not contend.

老子曰：治物者，不以物以和，治和者，不以和以人，治人者，不以人以君，治君者，不以君以欲，治欲者，不以欲以性，治性者，不以性以德，治德者，不以德以道。以道本人之性，無邪穢，久湛於物即忘其本，即合於若性。衣食禮俗者，非人之性也，所受於外也，故人性慾平，嗜慾害之，唯有道者能遺物反己。有以自鑒，則不失物之情，無以自鑒，則動而惑營。夫縱欲失性，動未嘗正，以治生則失身，以治國則亂人，故不聞道者無以反性。古者聖人得諸己，故令行禁止，凡舉事者，必先平意清神，神清意平，物乃可正。聽失於非譽，目淫於綵色，而欲得事正即難矣，是以貴虛。故水激則波起，氣亂則智昏，昏智不可以為正，波水不可以為平，故聖王執一，以理物之情性。夫一者，至貴無適於天下，聖王託於無適，故為天下命。

Laozi said: One who governs things does so not by things but by harmony; one who governs harmony does so not by harmony but by people; one who governs people does so not by people but by the ruler; one who governs the ruler does so not by the ruler but by desire; one who governs desire does so not by desire but by nature; one who governs nature does so not by nature but by virtue; one who governs virtue does so not by virtue but by the Way. Taking the Way as the root of human nature, there is no evil or filth; sunk too long in things, one forgets that root, and so comes to match what only resembles nature. Clothing, food, ritual and custom are not human nature but are received from outside. So human nature wishes to be level, but cravings harm it; only one who has the Way can leave things behind and return to himself. One who has something by which to see himself does not lose the true state of things; one who lacks it moves and is confused and scheming. Indulging desires loses one's nature, and movement is never rightly set; using it to manage life, one loses one's body, and using it to govern a state, one throws people into disorder. So one who has not heard the Way has no way back to nature. The sages of old gained it in themselves, and so their orders were carried out and their prohibitions held. In every undertaking, one must first level the mind and clear the spirit; when the spirit is clear and the mind level, things can then be set right. If hearing is lost in blame and praise, and the eyes are indulged in bright colors, wanting to get affairs set right is hard, so emptiness is valued. When water is stirred, waves rise; when the breath is disordered, wisdom is dimmed; dim wisdom cannot make things right, and waving water cannot be level. So the sage kings hold to the One in order to govern the nature of things. The One is most valued and has no match under heaven; the sage kings rely on having no match, and so they are the mandate of the world.

老子曰：陰陽陶冶萬物，皆乘一氣而生。上下離心，氣乃上蒸，君臣不和，五穀不登，春肅秋榮，冬雷夏霜，皆賊氣之所生也。天地之間，一人之身也，六合之內，一人之形也，故明於性者，天地不能脅也，審於符者，怪物不能惑也。聖人由近以知遠，以萬裡為一同，氣蒸乎天地，禮義廉恥不設，萬民莫不相侵暴虐，由在乎混冥之中也。廉恥陵噦，及至世之衰，害多而財寡，事力勞而養不足，民貧苦而忿爭生，是以貴仁。人鄙不齊，比周朋黨，各推其與，懷機巧詐之心，是以貴義。男女群居，雜而無別，是以貴禮。性命之情，淫而相迫於不得已，則不和，是以貴樂。故仁義禮樂者，所以救敗也，非通治之道也。誠能使神明定於天下，而心反其初，則民性善，民性善則天地陰陽從而包之，則財足而人贍，貪鄙忿爭之心不得生焉。仁義不害，而道德定而天下，而民不淫於綵色，故德衰然後飾仁義，和失然後調聲，禮淫然後飾容。故知道德，然後知仁義不足行也，知仁義，然後知禮樂不足脩也。

Laozi said: Yin and yang mold and fire the ten thousand things, all born by riding one breath. When high and low are of different hearts, the breath rises in steam; when ruler and ministers are not in harmony, the five grains do not ripen. Spring that kills and autumn that blossoms, winter thunder and summer frost are all born of harmful breath. Between heaven and earth, it is like the body of one person; within the six directions, it is like the form of one person. So those who are clear about nature cannot be coerced by heaven and earth, and those who examine the tallies cannot be confused by strange things. The sage knows the far from the near, and sees ten thousand li as the same. When the breath steams in heaven and earth and ritual, righteousness, integrity and shame are not set up, none of the myriad people fails to invade and abuse one another; this is because they are in the primal darkness. When integrity and shame decline (the base text has a miswritten character here), the age declines: harm is great and wealth scarce, labor is toilsome and support insufficient, the people grow poor and bitter and anger and strife arise, so benevolence is valued. People are mean and uneven, form cliques and parties and each promote their own faction, harboring tricks and deceitful hearts, so righteousness is valued. Men and women live together in groups, mixed without distinction, so ritual is valued. The feelings of nature and life run to excess and press upon each other in what cannot be avoided, and there is no harmony, so music is valued. So benevolence, righteousness, ritual and music are for rescuing what has failed; they are not the way of universal order. If one could truly make the divine illumination settled under heaven and the mind return to its beginning, then the people's nature would be good; when the people's nature is good, heaven and earth and yin and yang would embrace it in turn, wealth would suffice and people be supplied, and hearts of greed, meanness, anger and strife would not arise. Benevolence and righteousness would not be harmed, the Way and virtue would be settled under heaven, and the people would not indulge in bright colors. So only after virtue declines are benevolence and righteousness cultivated; only after harmony is lost is sound tuned; only after ritual is excessive is demeanor adorned. So when one knows the Way and virtue, one knows that benevolence and righteousness are not enough to put into practice; when one knows benevolence and righteousness, one knows that ritual and music are not enough to cultivate.

老子曰：清靜之治者，和順以寂寞，質真而素樸，閑靜而不躁，在內而合乎道，出外而同乎義，其言略而循理，其行悅而順情，其心和而不偽，其事素而不飾，不謀所始，不議所終，安即即留，激即行，通體乎天地，同胃乎陰陽，一和乎四時，明朗乎日月，與道化者為人，機械詐偽莫載乎心。是以天覆以德，地載以樂，四時不失序，風雨不為虐，日月清靜而揚光，五星不失其行，此清靜之所明也。

Laozi said: The governance of clear stillness is harmonious and quiet, genuine and plain, leisurely and still without restlessness; within it accords with the Way, and outwardly it is the same as righteousness. His words are brief and follow principle, his conduct is joyful and follows feeling, his mind is harmonious and without falsity, and his affairs are plain and unadorned. He does not plan the beginning or discuss the end; if at peace he stays, if provoked he moves; his body is in communion with heaven and earth, he shares breath with yin and yang (the base text reads 'same stomach', which should be read as 'same breath' or 'same name'), is at one with the four seasons, is bright like sun and moon, and is a person transformed by the Way, in whose heart no tricks or deceit are lodged. So Heaven covers him with virtue, Earth bears him with music, the four seasons do not lose their order, wind and rain do not rage, sun and moon are clear and still and spread their light, and the five planets do not lose their courses. This is what clear stillness makes manifest.

老子曰：治世之職易守也，其事易為也，其禮易行也，其責易賞也。是以人不兼官，官不兼士，士農工商，鄉別州異，故農與農言藏，士與士言行，工與工言巧，商與商言數。是以士無遺行，工無苦事，農無廢功，商無折貨，各安其性。異形殊類，易事而不悖，失處而賤，得勢而貴。夫先知遠見之人，才之盛也，而治世不以責於人，博聞強志，口辯辭給，人知之溢也，而明主不以求於下，敖世賤物，不從流俗，士之伉行也，而治世不以為化民。故高不可及者，不以為人量，行不可逮者，不可為國俗，故人才不可專用，而度量道術可世傳也。故國治可與愚守也，而軍旅可以法同也，不待古之英俊，而人自足者，因其所有而並用之。末世之法，高為量而罪不及也，重為任而罰不勝也，危為其難而誅不敢也，民困於三責，即飾智而詐上，犯邪而行危，雖峻法嚴刑，不能禁其姦。獸窮即觸，鳥窮即啄，人窮即詐，此之謂也。

Laozi said: In an age of good order, the duties are easy to keep, the tasks easy to do, the rituals easy to practice, and the responsibilities easy to reward. So people do not hold two offices, officials do not take on the work of scholars, and scholars, farmers, artisans and merchants are separated by village and district; farmers talk with farmers of harvest and storage, scholars with scholars of conduct, artisans with artisans of skill, and merchants with merchants of numbers. So scholars have no lapse of conduct, artisans no distressing work, farmers no neglected labor, and merchants no spoiled goods, each at peace with his nature. Though their forms and kinds differ, when they change posts they do not go against one another; lose their place and they are lowly, gain their position and they are honored. Those with foresight and far vision are the flower of talent, but an age of good order does not hold people to that; wide learning, strong memory, and fluent debate are the overflow of human knowledge, but an enlightened ruler does not demand it of those below; scorning the age and despising things, not following common custom, is the proud conduct of scholars, but an age of good order does not use it to transform the people. So what is too high to reach is not made the measure of people, and conduct that cannot be matched is not made the custom of the state. So the talents of people cannot be relied on alone, while measures and techniques of the Way can be passed on through the ages. So a state in good order can be held together with fools, and armies can be made uniform by law, without waiting for the heroes of ancient times, and people are self-sufficient, because it draws on what they already have and uses it all together. The laws of the last age set the standard high and punish those who fall short, set the duty heavy and punish those who cannot bear it, make the difficulty perilous and execute those who dare not. The people, pressed by these three demands, adorn their wit to deceive the ruler, commit wrong and act dangerously, and even with harsh law and severe punishment, wickedness cannot be stopped. A cornered beast gores, a cornered bird pecks, and a cornered man cheats: this is what that means.

老子曰：雷霆之聲可以鐘鼓象也，風雨之變可以音律知也，大可睹者，可得而量也，明可見者，可得而蔽也，聲可聞者，可得而調也，色可察者，可得而別也。夫至大，天地不能函也，至微，神明不能見也，及至建律曆，別五色，異清濁，味甘苦，即樸散而為器矣。立仁義，脩禮樂，即德遷而為偽矣。民飾智以驚愚，設詐以攻上，天下有能持之，而未能有治之者也。夫智能彌多，而德滋衰，是以至人淳樸而不散。夫至人之治，虛無寂寞，不見可欲，心與神處，形與性調，靜而體德，動而理通，循自然之道，緣不得已矣。漠然無為而天下和，淡然無欲而民自樸，不忿爭而財足，求者不得，受者不讓，德反歸焉，而莫之惠。不言之辯，不道之道，若或通焉，謂之天府。取焉而不損，酌焉而不竭，莫知其所求由，謂之搖光，搖光者，資糧萬物者也。

Laozi said: The sound of thunder can be imitated with bells and drums, and the changes of wind and rain can be known through the pitch pipes. What is great and visible can be measured; what is bright and visible can be covered; what is sounding and audible can be tuned; what is colored and observable can be distinguished. As for the utmost great, heaven and earth cannot contain it; as for the utmost subtle, the spirits cannot see it. When the pitch pipes and calendar are established, the five colors distinguished, clear and turbid differentiated, and sweet and bitter tasted, the uncarved block is scattered and becomes vessels. When benevolence and righteousness are established and ritual and music cultivated, virtue shifts and becomes artifice. The people adorn their wit to startle fools and set up deceit to attack their rulers; there are those in the world who can hold to this, but none who can govern it. Intelligence and ability grow ever more numerous, while virtue declines further, so the perfect person is simple and does not scatter. The perfect person's governing is empty, nothing and quiet; he does not reveal what can stir desires, his heart dwells with the spirit, his form is tuned to nature, still he embodies virtue, and moving his principle is open; he follows the Way of nature and acts only on what cannot be avoided. Silent and without action, the world is at peace; plain and without desire, the people become simple of themselves; without anger or strife, wealth is sufficient; what is sought is not obtained, what is received is not declined, virtue returns, but there is no one who bestows kindness. Argument without words, a Way without speaking; if anyone penetrates it, it is called the Celestial Storehouse. Draw from it and it does not diminish; dip into it and it does not run dry, and no one knows where what is sought comes from; this is called Yaoguang. Yaoguang is what supplies the ten thousand things.

老子曰：天愛其精，地愛其平，人愛其情，天之精，日月星辰、雷霆風雨也，地之平，水火金木土也，人之情，思慮聰明喜怒也，故閉其四關，止五道，即與道淪。神明藏於無形，精氣反於真，目明而不以視，耳聰而不以聽，口當而不以言，心條通而不以思慮，委而不為，知而不矜，直性命之情，而知故不得害。精存於目即其視明，在於耳即其聽聰，留於口即其言當，集於心即其慮通，故閉四關即終身無患，四支九竅，莫死莫生，是謂真人。地之生財，大本不過五行，聖人節五行，即治不荒。

Laozi said: Heaven loves its essence, earth loves its evenness, and humans love their feelings. The essence of heaven is sun, moon, stars, thunder, wind and rain; the evenness of earth is water, fire, metal, wood and earth; the feelings of humans are thought, intelligence, joy and anger. So close those four gates and stop the five roads, and one sinks into oneness with the Way. The spirit is hidden in formlessness, and essence and breath return to the genuine; the eyes are keen but not used to see, the ears sharp but not used to hear, the mouth fitting but not used to speak, the mind clear and open but not used to scheme; one entrusts and does not act, knows and does not boast, straightens the feelings of nature and life, and cunning and wit cannot do harm. When essence stays in the eyes, sight is clear; in the ears, hearing is sharp; in the mouth, speech is fitting; gathered in the heart, thought is clear. So when the four gates are closed there is no trouble all one's life; the four limbs and nine openings have no death and no birth, and this is called a true person. The earth produces wealth, and its great root is no more than the five phases; the sage regulates the five phases, and his governing is not neglected.

老子曰：衡之於左右，無私輕重，故可以為平，繩之於內外，無私曲直，故可以為正，人主之於法，無私好憎，故可以為令，德無所立，怨無所藏，是任道而合人心者也。故為治者，知不與焉，水戾破舟，木擊折軸，不怨木石而罪巧拙者，智不載也，故道有智則亂，德有心則險，心有眼則眩。夫權衡規矩，一定而不易，常一而不邪，方行而不留，一日形之，萬世傳之，無為之為也。人之言曰：國有亡主，世亡亡道，人有窮而理無不通，故無為者，道之宗也。得道之宗，並應無窮，故不因道理之數，而專己之能，其窮中遠。夫人君者不出戶以知天下者，因物以識物，因人以知人。故積力之所舉，即無不勝也，眾智之為，即無不成也。千人之眾無絕糧，萬人之群無廢功，工無異伎，士無兼官，各守其職，不得相予，人得所宜，物得所安，是以器械不惡，職事不慢也。夫責少易償也，職寡易守也，任輕易勸也，上操約少之分，下效易為之功，是以居日久而不相厭也。

Laozi said: The balance has no private lightness or heaviness toward left or right, and so it can serve as the level; the cord has no private crookedness or straightness toward inside or outside, and so it can serve as the straight; a ruler has no private likes or dislikes toward the law, and so he can issue orders. Virtue sets up nothing and resentment has nowhere to hide; this is relying on the Way and fitting people's hearts. So in governing, cleverness has no part in it. Water that is fierce breaks a boat, and wood that strikes breaks an axle; we do not blame the wood or stone but attribute it to skill or clumsiness; this is knowledge not being borne. So when the Way has cleverness, there is disorder; when virtue has a heart, there is danger; when the heart has eyes, there is dizziness. Scale, compass and square are fixed and do not change, always one and not crooked, moving squarely and not lingering; once formed in a day, they are handed down for ten thousand ages; this is acting through non-action. As people say: a state may have a lost ruler but the world has no lost Way; a person may be at a loss but the principle is never blocked. So non-action is the ancestor of the Way. Gaining the ancestor of the Way, one answers to the inexhaustible together. So one who does not rely on the number of principles of the Way but relies on his own ability alone will be far from escaping hardship along the way. A ruler who knows the world without leaving his door does so by knowing things through things and knowing people through people. So what the pooled strength lifts cannot fail to win, and what the many wits do cannot fail to be done. A crowd of a thousand does not run out of food, a host of ten thousand does not lose work, craftsmen do not have different skills, officials do not hold two posts, each guards his own duty and cannot give it to another, people get what is fitting and things get their peace, and so tools are not bad and duties are not slighted. Light duties are easy to repay, few tasks easy to keep, light assignments easy to encourage. Those above hold a brief and small share, those below imitate work that is easy to do, and so they live together long without tiring of one another.

老子曰：帝者體太一，王者法陰陽，霸者則四時，君者用六律。體太一者，明於天地之情，通於道德之倫，聰明照於日月，精神通於萬物，動靜調於陰陽，嗔怒和於四時，覆露皆道，溥洽而無私，蜎飛蠕動，莫不依德而生，德流方外，名聲傳乎後世。法陰陽者，承天地之和，德與天地參，光明與日月並照，精神與鬼神齊靈，圓履方，枹表寢繩，內能理身，外得人心，發施號令，天下從風，則四時者，春生夏長，秋收冬藏，取與有節，出入有量，喜怒剛柔，不離其理，柔而不脆，剛而不折，寬而不肆，肅而不悖，優遊委順，以養群類，其德含愚而容不肖，無所私愛也。用六律者，生之與殺也，賞之與罰也，與之以奪也，非此無道也，伐亂禁暴，興賢廢不肖，匡邪以為正，懷險以為平，矯枉以為直，明於施令，開塞之道，乘時因勢，以服役人心者也。帝者體陰陽即寢，王者法四時即削，霸者用六律即辱，君者失準繩即廢，故小而行大即窮塞而不親，大而行小即狹隘而不容。

Laozi said: An emperor embodies the Supreme One, a king models himself on yin and yang, a hegemon follows the four seasons, and a lord uses the six pitch pipes. One who embodies the Supreme One understands the feelings of heaven and earth, penetrates the order of the Way and virtue, his keen intelligence shines like sun and moon, his spirit reaches all things, his movement and stillness are tuned to yin and yang, and his joy and anger accord with the four seasons (the base text reads 'angry'); his covering and moistening are all the Way, spreading everywhere without bias; the flying and crawling creatures all live relying on his virtue, his virtue flows beyond the borders, and his fame is handed down to later ages. One who models himself on yin and yang receives the harmony of heaven and earth, his virtue joins heaven and earth as a triad, his brightness shines alongside the sun and moon, his spirit is as numinous as ghosts and spirits, the round treads on the square, and he embraces the gnomon and sleeps with the cord (the base text reads 'drumstick gnomon'); within he can govern himself, outside he gains people's hearts, and when he issues orders the world follows like wind. One who models himself on the four seasons (the base text reads 'follows the four seasons' continuing from 'follows like wind', and should be read 'models himself on the four seasons') grows in spring and summer and gathers and stores in autumn and winter, taking and giving with restraint and going out and in with measure, his joy and anger, hard and soft never leaving their principle, soft without being brittle, hard without breaking, generous without license, stern without going against, leisurely and yielding, nourishing all kinds, his virtue embraces the foolish and tolerates the unworthy, and he has no private favorites. One who uses the six pitch pipes uses birth and killing, reward and punishment, giving and taking, and without these there is no Way: he attacks disorder and forbids violence, raises the worthy and dismisses the unworthy, corrects the crooked to make it right, brings the dangerous to level, straightens the bent, is clear about the way of issuing orders and opening and blocking, and rides the times and follows circumstances to command people's hearts. An emperor who stops embodying yin and yang falls into neglect, a king who stops modeling the four seasons is reduced, a hegemon who stops using the six pitch pipes is disgraced, and a lord who loses the standard line is deposed. So when the small practices the great, it is blocked and not close; when the great practices the small, it is narrow and cannot hold.

老子曰：地廣民眾，不足以為強，甲堅兵利，不可以恃勝，城高池深，不足以為固，嚴刑峻罰，不足以為威。為存政者，雖小必存焉，為亡政者，雖大必亡焉。故善守者無與禦，善戰者無與鬥，乘時勢，因民欲，而天下服。故善為政者，積其德，善用兵者，畜其怒，德積而民可用也，怒畜而威可立也。故文之所加者，深則權之所服者大，德之所施者博，則威之所制者廣，廣即我強而適弱。善用兵者，先弱敵而後戰，故費不半而功十倍。故千乘之國行文德者王，萬乘之國好用兵者亡，王兵先勝而後戰，敗兵先戰而後求勝，此不明於道也。

Laozi said: Broad land and many people are not enough to be strong; strong armor and sharp weapons cannot be relied on for victory; high walls and deep moats are not enough to be secure; harsh punishments and severe penalties are not enough to be awesome. One who practices a government that preserves, though small, will surely survive; one who practices a government that destroys, though great, will surely perish. So one who is good at defending has no one to oppose him, one who is good at fighting has no one to fight with; riding circumstances and following the people's desires, the world submits. So one who governs well accumulates his virtue, and one who uses soldiers well stores up his anger: when virtue is accumulated the people can be used, and when anger is stored up awe can be established. So the deeper the cultural influence applied, the greater the power that submits; the broader the virtue bestowed, the wider the awe that restrains; the wider it is, the stronger I am and the weaker the enemy. One who uses soldiers well first weakens the enemy and then fights, and so costs less than half and gains ten times the achievement. So a state of a thousand chariots that practices cultural virtue becomes a king, and a state of ten thousand chariots that loves to use soldiers perishes. The soldiers of a king win first and then fight; the soldiers of the defeated fight first and then seek victory, and this is not understanding the Way.

老子曰：君子之道，靜以脩身，儉以養生。靜即下不擾，下不擾即民不怨，下擾即政亂，民怨即德薄，政亂賢者不為謀，德薄勇者不為鬥。亂主則不然，一日有天下之富，處一主之勢，竭百姓之力，以奉耳目之欲，志專於宮室臺榭，溝池苑囿，猛獸珍怪，貧民飢餓，虎狼厭芻豢，百姓凍寒，宮室衣綺繡，故人主畜茲旡用之物，而天下不安其性命矣。

Laozi said: The way of the gentleman is to cultivate the self through stillness and nourish life through frugality. When he is still, those below are not disturbed, and when those below are not disturbed, the people do not resent him; when those below are disturbed, government falls into disorder, and when the people resent him, virtue is thin. When government is disordered, the worthy do not offer plans, and when virtue is thin, the brave do not fight. A disordered ruler is not like this: in one day he has the wealth of the world and holds the power of a single lord, exhausts the strength of the people to serve the desires of his ears and eyes, and his will is fixed on palaces, terraces and pavilions, moats, ponds and parks, fierce beasts and rare curiosities. The poor people go hungry, while tigers and wolves are fed full with grain and meat; the common people freeze, while the palaces are clothed in embroidered silk. So the ruler keeps these useless things (the base text has a misprinted character here), and the world cannot be at peace in its life.

老子曰：非惔漠無以明德，非寧靜無以致遠，非寬大無以並覆，非正平無以制斷，以天下之目視，以天下之耳聽，以天下之心慮，以天下之力爭，故號令能下究，而臣情得上聞，百官條通，群臣輻湊。喜不以賞賜，怒不以罪誅，法令察而不苛，耳目通而不闇，善否之情，日陳於前而不逆，故賢者盡其智，不肖者竭其力，近者安其性，遠者懷其德，得用人之道。夫乘輿馬者，不勞而致千里，乘舟楫者不遊而濟江海，使言之而是，雖商夫芻蕘，猶不可棄也，言之而非，雖在人君卿相，猶不可用也，是非之處，不可以貴賤尊卑論也。其計可用，不羞其位，其言可行，不貴其辯，闇主則不然，群臣盡誠效忠者，希不用其身也，而親習邪枉，賢者不能見也，疏遠卑賤，竭力盡忠者不能聞也。有言者窮之以辭，有諫者誅之以罪，如此而欲安海內、存萬方，其離聰明亦以遠矣。

Laozi said: Without plainness and indifference there is no way to make virtue bright; without tranquility there is no way to reach far; without breadth there is no way to cover all; without being upright and even there is no way to judge. He sees with the eyes of the world, hears with the ears of the world, thinks with the hearts of the world, and strives with the strength of the world, so his orders can reach to the bottom and the feelings of ministers can be heard above, the hundred officials are open and ordered, and the ministers gather like spokes to a hub. He does not reward from joy or punish from anger, his laws are clear without being harsh, his ears and eyes are open without being dim, and the true state of good and bad is laid before him day by day without opposition. So the worthy exhaust their wisdom, the unworthy give their strength, those near are at peace in their nature, and those far cherish his virtue; this is the way of using people well. One who rides a carriage and horses reaches a thousand li without labor, and one who rides a boat crosses rivers and seas without swimming. If a statement is right, even if it comes from a peddler or a gatherer of grass and firewood it should not be discarded; if a statement is not right, even if it comes from a ruler or minister it should not be used. The judgment of right and wrong cannot be decided by noble or lowly, honored or humble rank. If a plan can be used, one is not ashamed of the planner's rank; if a statement can be carried out, one does not prize the eloquence. A dim ruler is not like this: of ministers who give their sincerity and loyalty, few do not end up being used up; he is close to the wicked and crooked, so the worthy cannot be seen, and those distant, lowly and exhausting their loyalty cannot be heard. Those who have words he silences with arguments, those who remonstrate he punishes with execution. Wishing in this way to pacify all within the seas and preserve the ten thousand regions is already far from keen intelligence.

老子曰：能尊生，雖富貴不以養傷身，雖貧賤不以利累形。今受先祖之遺爵，必重生之所由來之矣，而輕失之，豈不惑哉。貴以身治天下，可以寄天下，愛以身治天下，所以託天下矣。

Laozi said: One who can honor life, though rich and noble, does not use it to harm the body, and though poor and lowly, does not let profit burden the form. Now when one receives a rank left by one's ancestors, one surely values the life from which it came, yet one loses it lightly; is that not confused? One who values himself as he values the world in governing the world may be entrusted with the world; one who cherishes himself as he cherishes the world in governing the world may be given charge of the world.

文子問治國之本。

Wenzi asked about the root of governing a state.

老子曰：本在於治身，未嘗聞身治而國亂，身亂而國治也。故曰：脩之身，其德乃真。道之所以至妙者，父不能以教子，子亦不能受之於父，故道可道，非常道也，名可名，非常名也。

Laozi said: The root lies in governing the self. I have never heard of a self that is governed while the state is in disorder, or a self in disorder while the state is governed. So it is said: cultivate this principle in oneself, and one's virtue is pure and true. The Way is so wondrous that a father cannot use it to teach his son, nor can a son receive it from his father. So a Way that can be spoken is not the constant Way, and a name that can be named is not the constant name.

文子問曰：何行而民親其上？

Wenzi asked: How should one act so that the people draw near and attach to their ruler?

老子曰：使之以時而敬慎之，如臨深淵，如履薄冰，天地之間，善即吾畜也，不善即吾讎也，昔者夏商之臣，反讎桀紂，而臣湯武，宿沙之民，自攻其君，歸神農氏，故曰：“人之所畏，不可不畏也。”

Laozi said: Employ them in season and treat them with reverence and care, as if standing at the edge of a deep abyss or walking on thin ice. Between heaven and earth, what is good is my herd, and what is not good is my enemy. In the past the ministers of Xia and Shang turned against Jie and Zhou as enemies and submitted to Tang and Wu; the people of Susha attacked their own lord and came over to Shennong. So it is said: "What people fear, one cannot but fear."

老子曰：治大者，道不可以小，地廣者，制不可以狹，位高者，事不可以煩，民眾者，教不可以苛。事煩難治，法苛難行，求多難贍，寸而度之，至丈必差，銖而解之，至石必過，石稱丈量，徑而寡失，大較易為智，曲辯難為慧。故無益於治，有益於亂者，聖人不為也，無益於用者，有益於費者，智者不行也。故功不厭約，事不厭省，求不厭寡，功約易成，事省易治，求寡易贍，任於眾人則易。故小辯害義，小義破道，道小必不通，通必簡。河以逶迆故能遠，山以陵遲故能高，道以優遊故能化。夫通於一伎，審於一事，察於一能，可以曲說，不可以廣應也。夫調音者，小絃急，大絃緩，立事者，賤者勞，貴者佚。道之言曰：芒芒昧昧，因天之威，與天同氣。同氣者帝，同義者王，同功者霸，無一焉者亡。故不言而信，不施而仁，不怒而威，是以天心動化者也。施而仁，言而信，怒而威，是以精誠為之者也，施而不仁，言而不信，怒而不威，是以外貌為之者也。故有道以理之，法雖少，足以治，無道以理之，法雖眾，足以亂。

Laozi said: One who governs the great cannot make the Way small; where the land is wide, the system cannot be narrow; where the position is high, affairs cannot be complicated; where the people are many, teaching cannot be harsh. When affairs are complicated they are hard to govern, when laws are harsh they are hard to carry out, and when demands are many they are hard to meet. Measuring by the inch, one will surely be off by the time one reaches a zhang; dividing by the zhu, one will surely exceed by the time one reaches a shi; weighing by the shi and measuring by the zhang is straightforward and loses little. Large estimates are easily done by the wise, but crooked arguments are hard to call wisdom. So what does not help order and helps disorder, the sage does not do; what does not help use and helps waste, the wise do not carry out. So one never tires of simplifying achievement, of reducing affairs, or of cutting demands: when achievement is simple it is easily done, when affairs are reduced they are easily governed, when demands are few they are easily met, and employing many people becomes easy. So petty argument harms righteousness, petty righteousness breaks the Way, and a small Way is sure to be blocked, while the Way that penetrates is sure to be simple. The river goes far because it winds, the mountain is high because it rises gradually, and the Way transforms because it is unhurried. One who has penetrated one skill, examined one matter, or inspected one ability can give a partial account but cannot answer broadly. In tuning an instrument, the small strings are tight and the large strings loose; in setting up affairs, the lowly toil and the noble take ease. The words of the Way say: vast and dim, relying on the awe of Heaven, sharing the same breath as Heaven. One who shares the same breath becomes an emperor, one who shares the same righteousness a king, one who shares the same achievement a hegemon, and one who has none of these perishes. So being trusted without speaking, being benevolent without giving, being awesome without anger, is moving and transforming with the heart of Heaven; giving and being benevolent, speaking and being trusted, being angry and awesome, is acting through sincerity; giving yet not benevolent, speaking yet not trusted, angry yet not awesome, is acting through outward appearance. So when there is the Way to govern, though laws are few, they suffice to govern; when there is no Way to govern, though laws are many, they suffice to cause disorder.

老子曰：鯨魚失水，則制於螻蟻，人君舍其所守，而與臣爭事，則制於有司，以無為持位，守職者以聽從取容，臣下藏智而不用，反以事專其上。人君者，不任能而好自為，則智日困而自負責，數窮於下，則不能申理，行墮於位，則不能持制，智不足以為治，威不足以行刑，則無以與下交矣。喜怒形於心，嗜慾見於外，則守職者離正而阿上，有司枉法而從風，賞不當功，誅不應罪，則上下乖心，君臣相怨，百官煩亂而智不能解，非譽萌生而明不能照，非己之失而反自責，則人主愈勞，人臣愈佚，是以代大匠斲者，希有不傷其手。與馬逐走，筋絕不能及也，上車攝轡，馬死衡下，伯樂相之，王良御之，明主求之，無御相之勞而致千里，善乘人之賢也。人君之道，無為而有就也，有立而無好也，有為即議，有好即諛，議即可奪，諛即可誘。夫以建而制於人者，不能持國，故善建者不拔，言建之無形也，唯神化者，物莫能勝。中欲不出謂之賴，外邪不入謂之閉，中賴外閉，何事不節，外閉中賴，何事不成。故不用之，不為之，而有用之，而有為之，不伐之言，不奪之事，循名責實，使自有司，以不知為道，以禁苛為主，如此則百官之事，各有所考。

Laozi said: A whale that has lost the water is mastered by mole crickets and ants; a ruler who abandons what he should hold and contends with his ministers over affairs is mastered by his officials. Holding his position by non-action, the official who keeps his post accommodates by compliance, while the ministers hide their wisdom and do not use it, and instead take over affairs and monopolize them above. A ruler who does not employ the able and likes to do things himself finds his wit daily more cornered and himself bearing responsibility; when his schemes are exhausted below, he cannot set things in order, and when his conduct falls short of his position he cannot hold the controls; his wit is not enough to govern and his awe not enough to carry out punishment, and so he has no way to deal with those below. When joy and anger show in the heart and cravings appear outside, officials keeping their posts turn away from the right and flatter the ruler, officers bend the law and follow the wind, rewards do not match merit and executions do not fit crime, then high and low are of different minds, ruler and ministers resent each other, the hundred officials are vexed and confused and wit cannot resolve it, blame and praise sprout and clear sight cannot illuminate; not blaming his own loss but turning to blame himself, the more the ruler toils the more his ministers take ease. So of those who take over from a master carpenter to cut and shave, few do not cut their own hands. Racing a horse, even if the tendons are snapped he cannot catch it; if one mounts the cart and takes the reins, the horse dies under the yoke. Bo Le judged it and Wang Liang drove it; an enlightened ruler seeks it, and with no labor of driving or judging reaches a thousand li, which is the worth of one who is good at riding on people. The way of a ruler is to accomplish things through non-action and to establish things without having preferences: if he acts, he is debated; if he has preferences, he is flattered; if debated, he can be overthrown; if flattered, he can be lured. One who is controlled by others because of what he has built cannot hold the state. So one who builds well cannot be uprooted, which means that he builds in the formless. Only what is divinely transformed cannot be overcome by things. What keeps desires within from going out is called the bolt (the base text has a miswritten character here, set against 'closed' below, and should be read as 'bolt'), and what keeps outer evils from coming in is called the closing. With the bolt within and the closing without, what affair is not regulated; with the closing without and the bolt within, what affair is not accomplished. So not using it and not doing it, yet there is someone who uses it and does it; he does not boast of his words, does not take over others' work, follows names to hold reality to account, lets each official be responsible for himself, takes not-knowing as the Way and forbidding harshness as principal; in this way the affairs of the hundred officials each have their examination.

老子曰：食者人之本也，民者國之基也，故人君者，上因天時，下盡地理，中用人力。是以群生遂長，萬物蕃殖，春伐枯槁，夏收百果，秋蓄蔬食，冬取薪杪，以為民資，生無乏用，死無傳屍。先王之法，不掩群而取镺●，不涸澤而漁，不焚林而獵，豺未祭獸，罝罘不得通於野，獺未祭魚，網罟不得入於水，鷹隼未擊，羅網不得張於皋，草木未落，斤斧不得入於山林，昆蟲未蟄，不得以火田，育孕不牧，鷇卵不探，魚不長尺不得取，犬豕不期年不得食，是故萬物之發若蒸氣出，先王之所以應時脩備，富國利民之道也，非目見而足行之，欲利民者也不忘乎心，即人自備矣。

Laozi said: Food is the root of people, and the people are the foundation of the state. So a ruler follows the seasons of heaven above, exhausts the principles of earth below, and uses human strength in between. In this way all living things grow and thrive and the ten thousand things multiply: in spring cut the withered, in summer gather the many fruits, in autumn store vegetables and food, in winter take firewood and brush; these are the people's supplies, so that in life there is no lack of use and in death no corpse is left to roll about. The law of the former kings: do not ambush herds of beasts and take their young (the base text has a damaged character after 'young', which should be read as a young deer or similar), do not drain a marsh to catch fish, do not burn a forest to hunt. Until the jackal has made its sacrifice of beasts, rabbit nets may not be set in the fields; until the otter has made its sacrifice of fish, fishing nets may not go into the water; until the hawks and falcons have struck, nets may not be spread in the marsh; until plants and trees have fallen, axes may not enter the mountains and forests; until insects have gone into hibernation, fire may not be used to clear fields. Pregnant animals are not slaughtered, nestlings and eggs are not taken, fish under a foot are not caught, and dogs and pigs under a year old are not eaten. So the growth of the ten thousand things is like steam coming up. The former kings kept up preparations in season because it was the way to enrich the state and benefit the people; it is not that they saw it with their eyes and did it with their feet, but that those who wished to benefit the people did not forget it in their hearts, and people became provided for themselves.

老子曰：古者，明君取下有節，自養有度，必計歲而收，量民積聚，知有餘不足之數，然後取奉，如此，即得承所受於天地，而離於飢寒之患。其憯怛於民也，國有飢者，食不重味，民有寒者，冬不被裘，與民同苦樂，即天下無哀民。闇主即不然，取民不裁其力，求下不量其積，男女不得耕織之業，以供上求，力勤財盡，有旦無暮，君臣相疾。且人之為生也，一人蹠來而耕，不益十獁，中田之收不過四石，妻子老弱仰之而食，或時有災害之患，以供上求，即人主愍之矣。貪主暴君，涸漁其下，以適無極之慾，則百姓不被天和、履地德矣。

Laozi said: The enlightened rulers of old took from those below with restraint and fed themselves with measure; they surely calculated the year before collecting and gauged what the people had stored, knew the numbers of surplus and shortfall, and only then took tribute. In this way they were able to receive what they were given by heaven and earth and be free of the trouble of hunger and cold. He grieved for the people: if the state had hungry people, he did not take two flavors at a meal; if the people were cold, he did not wear fur in winter. Sharing the bitterness and sweetness of the people, he had no mourning people under heaven. A dim ruler is not like this: he takes from the people without gauging their strength, asks from those below without measuring their savings, so that men and women cannot work their farming and weaving to supply what their superiors demand; their strength is worn out and their wealth used up, with dawn but no dusk, and ruler and ministers hate each other. Moreover, in making a living, one person treading the plow does not till more than ten mu (the base text has a misprinted character here), and a middling field yields no more than four shi, on which wife, children and the old and weak depend for food; and at times there are disasters, and then further demands from above; the ruler ought to have pity. A greedy lord and cruel prince drains and fishes out those below to satisfy desires that have no limit, and then the people do not receive the harmony of heaven or tread on the virtue of earth.

老子曰：天地之氣，莫大於和，和者，陰陽調，日夜分，故萬物春分而生，秋分而成，生與成，必得和之精。故積陰不生，積陽不化，陰陽交接，乃能成和。是以聖人之道，寬而栗，嚴而溫，柔而直，猛而仁。夫太剛則折，太柔則卷，道正在於剛柔之間。夫繩之為度也，可卷而懷也，引而申之，可直而布也，長而不撗，短而不窮，直而不剛，故聖人體之。夫恩推即懦，懦即不威，嚴推即猛，猛即不和，愛推即縱，縱即不令，刑推即禍，禍即無親，是以貴和也。

Laozi said: Of the breath between heaven and earth, none is greater than harmony. Harmony is when yin and yang are balanced and day and night are equal. So the ten thousand things are born at the spring equinox and ripen at the autumn equinox, and birth and ripening must obtain the essence of harmony. So accumulated yin does not give birth and accumulated yang does not transform; only when yin and yang meet can harmony be achieved. Therefore the way of the sage is generous yet awe-inspiring, strict yet warm, gentle yet upright, fierce yet benevolent. Too hard breaks, too soft curls, and the Way lies just between hard and soft. A cord used as a measure can be rolled up and held to the breast, or drawn out and stretched straight and spread; long it does not run crosswise, short it does not run out, straight it is not hard; so the sage embodies it. When kindness is pushed too far, it becomes weakness, and weakness has no awe; when strictness is pushed too far, it becomes fierceness, and fierceness has no harmony; when love is pushed too far, it becomes indulgence, and indulgence means orders are not carried out; when punishment is pushed too far, it becomes disaster, and disaster means no one is close. So harmony is valued.

老子曰：國之所以存者，得道也，所以亡者，理塞也，故聖人見化以觀其徵。德有昌衰，風為先萌，故得生道者，雖小必大，有亡徵者，雖成必敗。國之亡也，大不足恃，道之行也，小不可輕，故存在得道，不在於小，亡在失道，不在於大。故亂國之主，務於地廣，而不務於仁義，務在高位，而不務於道德，是舍其所以存，造其所以亡也。若上亂三光之明，下失萬民之心，孰不能承，故審其己者，不備諸人也。古之為道者，深行之謂之道德，淺行之謂之仁義，薄行之謂之禮智，此六者，國家之綱維也。深行之則厚得福，淺行之則薄得福，盡行之天下服。古者脩道德即正天下，脩仁義即正一國，脩禮智即正一鄉，德厚者大，德薄者小。故道不以雄武立，不以堅強勝，不以貪競得，立在天下推己，勝在天下自服，得在天下與之，不在於自取，故雌牝即立，柔弱即勝，仁義即得，不爭即莫能與之爭，故道之在於天下也，譬猶江海也。天之道，為者敗之，執者失之，夫欲名是大而求之爭之，吾見其不得已，而雖執而得之，不留也。夫名不可求而得也，在天下與之，與之者歸之，天下所歸者，德也，故云：上德者天下歸之，上仁者海內歸之，上義者一國歸之，上禮者一鄉歸之，無此四者，民不歸也。不歸用兵即危道也，故曰：“兵者，不祥之器，不得已而用之。”殺傷人，養而勿美，故曰：“死地，荊棘生焉，以悲哀泣之，以喪禮居之。”是以君子務於道德，不重用兵也。

Laozi said: A state survives by obtaining the Way and perishes when principle is blocked. So the sage sees transformation and observes its signs. Virtue has its flourishing and decline, and the wind sprouts first. So one who obtains the Way of life, though small, will surely become great; one who has signs of ruin, though established, will surely fail. A state's ruin cannot be prevented by size, and the Way's practice cannot be belittled by smallness. So survival lies in obtaining the Way, not in being small; ruin lies in losing the Way, not in being large. So the ruler of a disordered state works at widening his land and not at benevolence and righteousness, works at high position and not at the Way and virtue; this is abandoning what preserves and making what destroys. If above he disorders the light of the three luminaries and below he loses the hearts of the ten thousand people, no one can sustain him. So one who examines himself does not need to guard against others. Those who followed the Way in ancient times, practicing it deeply, called it the Way and virtue; practicing it shallowly, benevolence and righteousness; practicing it thinly, ritual and wisdom; these six are the cords and ties of a state. Deep practice brings thick blessing, shallow practice brings thin blessing, and full practice brings the world to submit. In ancient times, cultivating the Way and virtue set the world right, cultivating benevolence and righteousness set a state right, and cultivating ritual and wisdom set a village right: thick virtue is great, thin virtue is small. So the Way is not established by martial prowess, not won by hardness and strength, not obtained by greedy competition. It is established when the world supports one, won when the world submits of itself, obtained when the world gives, not by one's own taking. So being female establishes, being soft and weak wins, being benevolent and righteous obtains, and not contending leaves no one able to contend with him. So the Way is in the world like the rivers and seas. The Way of Heaven defeats those who act on it and loses for those who hold it. Those who want fame to be great and seek it and fight for it, I see will not succeed; even if they seize it and get it, it will not remain. Fame cannot be obtained by seeking, but lies in what the world gives; to what is given the world turns, and what the world turns to is virtue. So one of the highest virtue is turned to by the world, one of the highest benevolence is turned to by all within the seas, one of the highest righteousness is turned to by a state, and one of the highest ritual is turned to by a village; without these four, the people do not turn. If they do not turn and one uses soldiers, this is a perilous way. So it is said: "Weapons are instruments of ill omen, to be used only when there is no choice." Killing and wounding people, one stores them but does not consider it fine. So it is said: "Where armies are stationed, brambles grow; mourn and weep over them, and treat them with funeral rites." So the gentleman works at the Way and virtue and does not value using soldiers.

文子問：仁義禮何以為薄於道德也？

Wenzi asked: Why are benevolence, righteousness and ritual thinner than the Way and virtue?

老子曰：為仁者，必以哀樂論之，為義者，必以取與明之，四海之內，哀樂不能遍，竭府庫之財貨，不足以贍萬民，故知不如脩道而行德，因天地之性，萬物自正而天下贍，仁義因附，“是以大丈夫居其厚，不居其薄。”夫禮者，實之文也，仁者，恩之效也，故禮因人情而制，不過其實，仁不溢恩，悲哀抱於情，送死稱於仁。夫養生不強人所不能及，不絕人所不能已，度量不失其適，非譽無由生矣，故制樂足以合歡，喜不出於和，明於死生之分，通於侈儉之適也。末世即不然，言與行相悖，情與貌相反，禮飾以煩，樂擾以淫，風俗溺於世，非譽華於朝，故至人廢而不用也。與驥逐走，即人不勝驥，託於車上，即驥不勝人，故善用道者，乘人之資以立功，以其所能，託其所不能。主興之以時，民報之以財，主遇之以禮，民報之以死，故有危國無安君，有憂主無樂臣。德過其位者尊，祿過其德者兇，德貴無高，義取無多，不以德貴竊位，不以義取盜財。聖人安貧樂道，不以欲傷生，不以利累己，故不違義而取安。古者無德不尊，無能不官，無功不賞，無罪不誅，其進人也以禮，其退人也以義，小人之世，其進人也若上之天，其退人也若內之淵，言古者以疾今也。相馬失之瘦，選士失之貧，豚肥充廚，骨骴不官。君子察實，無信讒言，君過而不諫，非忠臣也，諫而不聽，君不明也，民沉溺而不憂，非賢言也，故守節死難，人臣之職也，衣寒食飢，慈父之恩也。以大事小謂之變人，以小犯大謂之逆天，前雖祭天，後必入淵，故鄉裡以齒，老窮不遺，朝廷以爵，尊卑有差。夫崇貴者，為其近君也，尊老者，謂其近親也，敬長者，謂其近兄也。生而貴者驕，生而富者奢，故富貴不以明道自鑑，而能無為非者寡矣。學而不厭，所以治身也，教而不倦，所以治民也，賢師良友，舍而為非者寡矣。

Laozi said: One who practices benevolence must discuss it in terms of sorrow and joy; one who practices righteousness must make it clear in terms of taking and giving. Within the four seas, sorrow and joy cannot reach everyone; even if one exhausted the wealth of the storehouses, it would not be enough to supply the ten thousand people. So knowing this, it is better to cultivate the Way and practice virtue, following the nature of heaven and earth, so that the ten thousand things set themselves right and the world is supplied and sufficient, and benevolence and righteousness follow along. "Therefore a great man dwells in the thick and does not stay in the thin." Ritual is the ornament of reality, and benevolence is the effect of kindness. So ritual is made according to human feeling and does not exceed reality, and benevolence does not overflow kindness. Grief is held in feeling, and sending off the dead matches benevolence. In nourishing life one does not force on people what they cannot reach, and does not cut off what they cannot stop; measure does not lose its fitness, and blame and praise have no place to arise. So music is made enough to join in joy, and joy does not go beyond harmony; one is clear about the division of death and life and fits the measure between extravagance and frugality. The last age is not like this: words and deeds go against each other, feelings and appearance are opposite, ritual is adorned with complexity and music disturbed by excess, custom is drowned in the age, blame and praise flower in the court, and so the perfect person is set aside and unused. Racing against a fine steed, a man cannot beat the steed; riding on a cart, the steed cannot beat the man. So one who uses the Way well rides on the resources of others to establish achievement, uses what they can do and entrusts them with what they cannot. When the ruler raises up in season, the people repay him with wealth; when the ruler treats them with ritual, the people repay him with death. So there are endangered states but no peaceful rulers, and worried lords but no joyful ministers. Virtue greater than one's rank is honored, and salary greater than one's virtue is ill-omened. Nothing is higher than the nobility of virtue, and nothing taken is more than righteousness; do not steal position by the nobility of virtue, and do not steal wealth by taking in the name of righteousness. The sage is content in poverty and delights in the Way, does not harm life with desire, does not burden himself with profit, and so, not going against righteousness, finds peace. In ancient times, one without virtue was not honored, one without ability was not given office, one without merit was not rewarded, one without guilt was not punished; people were advanced by ritual and removed by righteousness. In the age of petty people, advancing people is like sending them up to heaven and removing them like casting them into an abyss, and they speak of antiquity in order to condemn the present. One may misjudge a horse by its leanness, or choose scholars wrongly by their poverty; fat pigs fill the kitchen but their bones are not made officials. The gentleman examines reality and does not trust slander. A ruler who has faults and is not remonstrated with has no loyal minister; if he is remonstrated with and does not listen, the ruler is not enlightened; people sinking in distress and no one worrying is not the word of a worthy. So holding to one's principles and dying in time of trouble is the duty of a minister; clothing the cold and feeding the hungry is the kindness of a loving father. Serving the small with the great is called changing people, and offending the great with the small is called going against Heaven; even if one offers sacrifices to Heaven in front, one will fall into the abyss behind. So in the village, rank goes by age, and the old and poor are not left out; in court, rank goes by title, and the noble and lowly have gradations. Honoring the noble is because they are close to the ruler; honoring the old is because they are close to parents; respecting elders is because they are close to elder brothers. Those born noble are proud, and those born rich are extravagant, so those who, being rich and noble, do not use the clear Way to check themselves and still do no wrong are few. Learning without being satisfied is how one governs oneself; teaching without tiring is how one governs the people. Of those who have good teachers and good friends, few put them aside and do wrong.

知賢之謂智，愛賢之謂仁，尊仁之謂義，敬賢之謂禮，樂賢之謂樂。古之善為天下者，無為而無不為也，故為天下有容，能得其容，無為而有功，不得其容，動作必兇。為天下容曰，“與兮其若冬涉大川，猶兮其若畏四鄰，儼兮其若容，渙兮其若冰之液，敦兮其若樸，混兮其若濁，廣兮其若谷”，此為天下容。與兮其若冬涉大川者，不敢行也，猶兮其若畏四鄰者，恐四傷也，儼兮其若容者，謙恭敬也，渙兮其若冰之液者，不敢積藏也，敦兮其若樸者，不敢廉成也，混兮其若濁者，不敢明清也，廣兮其若谷者，不敢盛盈也，不敢行者，退不敢先也，恐自傷者，守柔弱不敢矜也，謙恭敬者，自卑下尊敬人也，不敢積藏者，自損弊不敢堅也，不敢廉成者，自虧缺不敢全也，不敢清明者，處濁辱而不敢新鮮也，不敢盛盈者，見不足而不敢自賢也。夫道，退故能先，守柔弱故能矜，自卑下故能高人，自損弊故實堅，自虧缺故盛全，處濁辱故新鮮，見不足故能賢，道無為而無不為也。

To know the worthy is called wisdom, to love the worthy is called benevolence, to honor benevolence is called righteousness, to respect the worthy is called ritual, to delight in the worthy is called music. Those in ancient times who were good at governing the world did nothing and yet nothing was left undone. So there is a bearing for governing the world, and one who gets this bearing accomplishes things through non-action; one who does not get it will surely meet ill whenever he acts. The bearing for governing the world is described: "Hesitant, like crossing a great river in winter; wary, like guarding against neighbors on all four sides; dignified, like a guest; yielding, like ice about to melt; simple, like uncarved wood; murky, like muddy water not yet cleared; vast, like a deep valley." This is the bearing for governing the world. Hesitant like crossing a river in winter, one does not dare to go; wary like guarding against neighbors, one fears being hurt on all four sides; dignified like a guest, one is modest and respectful; yielding like ice about to melt, one does not dare to store up; simple like uncarved wood, one does not dare to trim off the edges; murky like muddy water, one does not dare to be clear and bright; vast like a valley, one does not dare to be full. Not daring to go means holding back and not daring to go first; fearing to hurt oneself means holding to softness and weakness and not daring to boast; being modest and respectful means putting oneself low and honoring others; not daring to store up means impairing oneself and not daring to be firm; not daring to trim means leaving oneself lacking and not daring to be complete; not daring to be clear and bright means dwelling in murk and disgrace and not daring to be fresh; not daring to be full means seeing one's insufficiency and not daring to think oneself worthy. In the Way, holding back is how one can be first, holding to softness and weakness is how one can be proud, putting oneself low is how one can be higher than others, impairing oneself is how one becomes solid, leaving oneself lacking is how one becomes full and complete, dwelling in murk and disgrace is how one becomes fresh, and seeing one's insufficiency is how one can be worthy. The Way does nothing and yet nothing is left undone.

老子曰：凡學者，能明於天人之分，通於治亂之本，澄心清意以存之，見其終始反其虛無，可謂達矣。治之本，仁義也，其末，法度也。人之所生者，本也，其所不生者，末也，本末，一體也，其兩愛之，性也，先本後末，謂之君子，先末後本，謂之小人。法之生也，以輔義，重法棄義，是貴其冠履而忘其首足也。重仁義者，廣崇也，不益其厚而張其廣者毀，不廣其基而增其高者覆，故不大其棟，不能任重，任重莫若棟，任國莫若德。人主之有民，猶城中之有基，木之有根，根深即本固，基厚即上安。故事不本於道德者，不可以為經，言不合於先王者，不可以為道，便說掇取，一行一切之術，非天下通道也。

Laozi said: A learner who can understand the division between Heaven and humans, penetrate the root of order and disorder, clear the mind and purify the will so as to preserve it, and see its end and beginning and return to emptiness, may be called one who has attained. The root of order is benevolence and righteousness, and its branch is law and measure. What people are born with is the root, and what they are not born with is the branch. Root and branch are one body, and loving both sides is nature. One who puts root before branch is called a gentleman, and one who puts branch before root is called a petty person. The law arises to assist righteousness; to value law and discard righteousness is to value the cap and shoes and forget the head and feet. One who values benevolence and righteousness widens and exalts; to enlarge the breadth without thickening the base is to be ruined, and to widen the height without widening the foundation is to collapse. So without enlarging the ridgepole, one cannot bear a heavy load; for bearing a load nothing is better than the ridgepole, and for bearing a state nothing is better than virtue. A ruler's having a people is like a city having a foundation and a tree having roots: when the roots are deep the trunk is firm, and when the foundation is thick the top is secure. So affairs that do not rest on the Way and virtue cannot serve as constants, and words that do not accord with the former kings cannot serve as the Way. Clever theories picking up a single practice or a single trick are not the universal way of the world.

老子曰：治人之道，其猶造父之御駟馬也，齊輯之乎轡銜，正度之乎胸膺，內得於中心，外合乎馬志，故能取道致遠，氣力有餘，進退還曲，莫不如意，誠得其術也。今夫權勢者，人主之車輿也，大臣者，人主之駟馬也，身不可離車輿之安，手不可失駟馬之心，故駟馬不調，造父不能以取道，君臣不和，聖人不能以為治。執道以御之，中才可盡，明分以示之，姦邪可止，物至而觀其變，事來而應其化，近者不亂即遠者治矣，不用適然之教，而得自然之道，萬舉而不失矣。

Laozi said: The way of governing people is like Zao Fu driving a team of four horses: he uses the reins and bits to bring them into line and the breastbands to set the measure, obtaining within in his own heart and accord without with the horses' will, so he can take the road and reach far with strength to spare, and advancing, retreating, turning and curving are never against his wishes; truly he has found the art. Now power and position are the ruler's carriage, the great ministers are the ruler's team of four, and his body cannot leave the safety of the carriage, nor can his hand lose the heart of the team. So when the four horses are not in harmony, Zao Fu cannot take the road; when ruler and ministers are not in harmony, a sage cannot govern. Hold the Way to drive them, and the middling talents can all be exhausted; make the divisions clear and show them, and the wicked can be stopped. When things arrive, observe their change; when matters come, respond to their transformation; when the near is not disordered, the far is governed. Without relying on teaching by chance, and obtaining the Way of nature, ten thousand undertakings will not fail.

老子曰：凡為道者，塞邪道，防未然，不貴其自是也，貴其不得為非也，故曰勿使可欲，無日不求，勿使可奪，無日不爭，如此即人慾釋，而公道行矣。有餘者止於度，不足者逮於用，故天下可一也。夫釋職事而聽非譽，棄功勞而用朋黨，即奇伎天長，守職不進，民俗亂於國，功臣爭於朝，故有道以御人，無道則制於人矣。

Laozi said: Those who practice the Way block the crooked paths and guard against what has not yet happened; they do not value that a person thinks himself right, but that he be unable to do wrong. So it is said: do not let what can be desired appear, and there will be no daily seeking; do not let what can be seized appear, and there will be no daily contention. Then human desires are put down and the public Way is practiced. Where there is surplus, it stops at the measure; where there is lack, it reaches what is needed; so the world can be unified. If people put aside their duties and listen to praise and blame, discard achievement and employ cliques, then freakish skills and short-lived talents prevail, those who keep their posts do not advance, popular custom disorders the state, and meritorious ministers quarrel at court. So one who has the Way uses it to command others, and one who has no Way is controlled by others.

老子曰：治國有常而利民為本，政教有道而今行為古，苟利於民，不必法古，苟周於事，不必循俗。故聖人法與時變，禮與俗化，衣服器械，各便其用，法度制令，各因其宜，故變古未可非，而循俗未足多也。誦先王之書不若聞其言，聞其言，不若得其所以言，得其所以言者，言不能言也，故“道可道，非常道也，名可名，非常名也。”聖人所由曰道，猶金石也，一調不可更，事，猶琴瑟也，每終改調。故法制禮樂者，治之具也，非所以為治也，故曲士不可與論至道者，訊寤於俗而束於教。

Laozi said: Governing a state has constants, but benefiting the people is the root; government and teaching have a Way, but one uses present practice as the ancient. If it benefits the people, there is no need to model on antiquity; if it suits the affairs, there is no need to follow custom. So the sage's laws change with the times, rites are transformed with customs, clothes and tools each suit their use, and laws and orders each follow what is fitting. So changing the ancient is not necessarily wrong, and following custom is not worth praising. Reciting the books of the former kings is not as good as hearing their words, hearing their words is not as good as getting that by which they spoke, and getting that by which they spoke is what words cannot say. Therefore "the Way that can be spoken is not the constant Way; the name that can be named is not the constant name." What the sage follows is called the Way, like bells and stones, with one pitch that cannot be changed; while affairs are like the zither and se, where the tuning is changed at the end of each piece. So laws, institutions, rites and music are the tools of government, not what makes government. For this reason one cannot discuss the utmost Way with a narrow scholar, who is awakened by custom and bound by teaching.

老子曰：天下幾有常法哉！當於世事，得於人理，順於天地，詳於鬼神，即可以正治矣。昔者三皇無制令而民從，五帝有制令而無刑罰，夏后氏不負言，殷人誓，周人盟。末世之衰也，忍垢而輕辱，貪得而寡羞，故法度制令者，論民俗而節緩急，器械者，因時變而制宜適。夫制於法者，不可與遠舉，拘禮之人，不可使應變，必有獨見之明，獨聞之聰，然後能擅道而行。夫知法之所由生者，即應時而變，不知治道之源者，雖循終亂，今為學者，循先襲業，握篇籍，守文法，欲以為治，非此不治，猶持方枘而內員鑿，欲得宜適亦難矣。夫存危治亂，非智不能，道先稱古，雖愚有餘，故不用之法，聖人不行也，不驗之言，明主不聽也。

Laozi said: Where in the world are there constant laws! If you fit the affairs of the age, follow human principle, accord with heaven and earth, and attend to the spirits, you can govern rightly. In the past the Three Sovereigns had no orders and the people followed; the Five Emperors had orders but no punishments; the house of Xia did not break its word, the people of Yin swore oaths, and the people of Zhou made covenants. In the declining age they endure dirt and make light of disgrace, covet gain and have little shame. So laws, institutions and orders weigh the people's customs and regulate fast and slow; tools and devices follow changes of time and are made to fit. Those controlled by law cannot be taken on distant undertakings; those bound by ritual cannot be made to respond to change. One must have a unique clarity of sight and a unique keenness of hearing, and only then can one command the Way and act. One who knows where law arises changes with the time; one who does not know the source of the Way of governing, even if he follows the rules, ends in disorder. Those who study today follow the predecessors and inherit their trades, hold writings and keep to the texts of law, wishing to govern by them, and say without this it cannot be governed; it is like pushing a square tenon into a round mortise, and it is hard to fit. To preserve what is in danger and to order what is in chaos is not beyond wisdom; to praise the ancients is enough even for the foolish. So the sage does not practice laws that are not used, and the clear-sighted ruler does not heed words that are not tested.

文子問曰：法安所生？

Wenzi asked: Where does law come from?

老子曰：法生於義，義生於眾適，眾適合乎人心，此治之要也。法非從天下也，非從地出也，發乎人間，反己自正。誠達其本，不亂於末，知其要，不惑於疑，有諸已，不非於人，無諸己，不責於所立，立於下者，不廢於上，所禁於民者，不行於身，故人主之製法也，先以自為檢式，故禁勝於身，即令行於民。夫法者，天下之準繩也，人主之度量也，縣法者，法不法也，法定之後，中繩者賞，缺繩者誅，雖尊貴者不輕其賞，卑賤者不重其刑，犯法者，雖賢必誅，中度者，雖不肖無罪，是故公道行而和欲塞也。古之置有司也，所以禁民使不得恣也，其立君也，所以制有司使不得專行也，法度道術，所以禁君使無得撗斷也。人莫得恣，即道勝而理得矣，故反樸無為，無為者，非謂其不動也，言其從己出也。

Laozi said: Law is born of righteousness, righteousness is born of what the multitude finds fitting, and when what the multitude finds fitting accords with the human heart, that is the essential of government. Law does not descend from heaven or come out of the earth; it arises among people and, returning to oneself, corrects itself. Truly reach the root and one is not disordered at the tips; know the essentials and one is not confused by doubts. What one has oneself, one does not blame in others; what one does not have, one does not demand of what one establishes. What is established below is not abolished above; what is forbidden to the people is not practiced by oneself. So when a ruler makes law, he first takes himself as the standard, and if the prohibitions bind him first, then orders are carried out among the people. Law is the world's plumb line and the ruler's measure. Posting laws is to set a standard for those who do not keep it. Once the law is fixed, those who meet the line are rewarded and those who fall short are punished; even the exalted do not have their rewards reduced, and even the lowly do not have their punishment made heavier. One who breaks the law, though worthy, must be punished; one who meets the standard, though unworthy, is without guilt. So the public Way is practiced and private desire is blocked. In ancient times officials were set up to prevent the people from running riot; a ruler was set up to prevent officials from acting on their own; and law, institutions and the arts of the Way were used to prevent the ruler from deciding arbitrarily. When people cannot run riot, the Way prevails and principle is attained. So one returns to simplicity and non-action. Non-action does not mean that he does not move, but that it comes forth from himself.

老子曰：善賞者，費少而勸多，善罰者，刑省而禁姦，善與者，用約而為德，善取者，入多而無怨，故聖人因民之所喜以勸善，因民之所憎以禁姦，賞一人而天下趨之，罰一人而天下畏之，是以至賞不費，至刑不濫，聖人守約而治廣，此之謂也。

Laozi said: One who is good at rewarding spends little and encourages much; one who is good at punishing uses few punishments and stops wickedness; one who is good at giving uses little and is counted virtuous; one who is good at taking gathers much and has no resentment. So the sage relies on what the people like to encourage good and on what they hate to prevent wickedness. Reward one person and the whole world hurries toward it; punish one person and the whole world is afraid. Therefore the utmost reward costs nothing and the utmost punishment is not excessive. The sage keeps to the little and governs the broad, which is what this means.

老子曰：臣道，方論是處，當為事先唱，守職明分，以立成功，故君臣異道即治，同道即亂，各得其宜，處有其當，即上下有以相使也。故枝不得大於榦，末不得強於本，言輕重大小有以相制也。夫得威勢者，所持甚小，所任甚大，所守甚約，所制甚廣，十圍之木，持千鈞之屋，得所勢也，五寸之關，能制開闔，所居要也。下必行之令，順之者利，逆之即兇，天下莫不聽從者，順也，發號令行禁止者，以眾為勢也。義者，非能盡利於天下之民也，利一人而天下從之，暴者，非能盡害於海內也，害一人而天下叛之，故舉措廢置，不可不審也。

Laozi said: The way of the minister is to discuss what is right with uprightness, to take responsibility and be the first to lead in affairs, to keep his post and make his division clear, in order to establish success. So when ruler and minister have different ways there is order, and when they have the same way there is disorder; when each gets what suits him and dwells where he belongs, those above and below have what they can use to direct each other. So a branch must not be larger than the trunk and the tip must not be stronger than the root, which means that light and heavy, large and small have what they can use to restrain each other. One who has authority holds very little, is entrusted with very much, keeps very little, and controls very much. A tree ten spans around supports a house of a thousand jun, because it has the advantage of its position; a bolt five inches long can control opening and closing, because it is located at the crucial point. The orders that must be carried out below, whose compliance brings benefit and whose defiance brings misfortune, which no one in the world fails to obey, are in accord; one who issues orders and enforces prohibitions takes the multitude as his power. Righteousness is not able to benefit all the people of the world, yet benefiting one person makes the world follow; tyranny is not able to harm everyone within the seas, yet harming one person makes the world revolt. So one cannot but be careful about actions, appointments and dismissals.

老子曰：屈寸而申尺，小枉而大直，聖人為之，今人君之論臣也，不計其大功，總其略行，而求其小善，即失賢之道也。故人有厚德，無間其小節，人有大譽，無疵其小故。夫人情莫不有所短，成其大略是也，雖有小過，不以為累也，成其大略非也，閭裡之行未足多也。故小謹者無成功，訾行者不容眾，體大者節疏，度巨者譽遠，論臣之道也。

Laozi said: Bend one inch to stretch a foot, be slightly crooked to be greatly straight; the sage does this. Today rulers judging ministers do not count their great merit or sum up their broad conduct, but seek their small goodness, and this is the way to lose worthy men. So when a person has great virtue, do not pick at his small points; when a person has great reputation, do not find fault with his small incidents. In human feeling there is no one without shortcomings: if he accomplishes the broad outline rightly, then even if he has small faults, they are not counted as a burden; if he does not accomplish the broad outline rightly, then his conduct in the village is not worth praising. So the overly careful in small things have no success, and those who criticize people's conduct are not tolerated by the crowd. Where the body is large the joints are loose; where the measure is great the reputation reaches far; this is the way to judge ministers.

老子曰：自古及今，未有能全其行者也，故君子不責備於一人，方而不割，廉而不劌，直而不肆，博達而不訾，道德文武，不責備於人以力，自脩以道，而不責於人，易賞也，自修以道，則無病矣。夫夏后氏之璜，不能無瑕，明月之珠，不能無穢，然天下寶之者，不以小惡妨大美。今志人之所短，忘人之所長，而欲求賢於天下，即難矣。夫眾人之見，位之卑身之賤，事之洿辱，而不知其大略，故論人之道，貴即觀其所舉，富即觀其所施，窮即觀其所受，賤即觀其所為，視其所患難以智勇，動以喜樂以觀其守，委以貨財以觀其仁，振以恐懼以觀其節，如此則人情可知矣。

Laozi said: From ancient times until now, no one has been able to perfect his conduct. So the gentleman does not demand everything from a single person: he is square but does not cut people, has corners but does not stab people, is straight but not reckless, is broad and penetrating but does not criticize. In matters of Dao and De, civil and martial, he does not use force to demand things of others, but cultivates himself by the Way without blaming others, and so rewards easily. When he cultivates himself by the Way, he has no fault. The jade huang of the house of Xia cannot be without flaw, and a moon-bright pearl cannot be without blemish. Yet the world treasures them, because it does not let small defects spoil great beauty. Now, if one remembers people's shortcomings and forgets their strengths and yet hopes to find worthy men in the world, it is hard. The crowd's perception sees only low rank and lowly status, and the disgrace of their tasks, and does not know their broad outline. So the way to judge people is this: when they are exalted, observe whom they promote; when rich, what they give; when poor, what they accept; when lowly, what they do; observe what difficulties they face to see their wisdom and courage; move them with joy and pleasure to see whether they hold firm; entrust them with goods and wealth to see their benevolence; shake them with fear to see their integrity. In this way human feeling can be known.

老子曰：屈者所以求申也，枉者所以求直也，屈寸申尺，小枉大直，君子為之，百川並流，不注海者不為谷，趨行殊方，不歸善者不為君子。善言貴乎可行，善行貴乎仁義，夫君子之過，猶日月之蝕，不害於明，故智者不妄為，勇者不妄殺，擇是而為之，計禮而行之，故事成而功足恃也，身立而名足稱也，雖有智能，必以仁義為本而後立，智能並行，聖人以仁義為準繩，中繩者謂之君子，不中繩者謂之小人。君子雖死亡，其名不滅，小人雖得勢，其罪不除。左手據天下之圖，而右手刎其喉，雖愚者不為，身貴於天下也。死君親之難者，視死如歸，義重於身也。故天下大利也，比身即小，身之所重也，比之仁義即輕，此以仁義為準繩者也。

Laozi said: Bending is a way of seeking to stretch, and being crooked is a way of seeking to be straight. Bending an inch to stretch a foot, being slightly crooked to be greatly straight, the gentleman does this. When a hundred rivers flow together, one that does not pour into the sea is not counted a valley; when paths of travel differ, one that does not lead to good is not counted a gentleman. Good words are valued for being practicable, and good conduct for benevolence and righteousness. The faults of a gentleman are like eclipses of sun and moon, which do not harm their brightness. So the wise do not act rashly and the brave do not kill rashly; they choose what is right before acting, and weigh ritual before proceeding, so affairs succeed and the merit can be relied on, and the person stands and the name is worth praising. Even if he has intelligence and ability, he must make benevolence and righteousness his root and only then stand firm. Intelligence and ability go together, and the sage takes benevolence and righteousness as the plumb line: one who meets the line is called a gentleman, one who does not is called a petty person. A gentleman, even in death, his name does not perish; a petty person, even when he gains power, his guilt is not removed. With the left hand holding the map of the world and the right hand cutting one's own throat, even a fool would not do it, for the body is more precious than the world. One who dies for the distress of ruler or parent regards death as going home, because righteousness weighs more than the body. So the world is a great benefit, but small compared with the body; the body is what is heavy, but light compared with benevolence and righteousness. This is taking benevolence and righteousness as the plumb line.

老子曰：道德之備猶日月也，夷狄蠻貊不能易其指，趣舍同即非譽在俗，意行均即窮達在時，事周於世即功成，務合於時即名立。是故立功名之人，簡於世而謹於時，時之至也，即間不容息。古之用兵者，非利土地而貪寶賂也，將以存亡平亂為民除害也，貪叨多欲之人，殘賊天下，萬民騷動，莫寧其所。有聖人勃然而起，討強暴，平亂世，為天下除害，以濁為清，以危為寧，故不得不中絕。赤帝為火炎，故黃帝擒之，共工為水害，故顓頊誅之。教人以道，導之以德而不聽，即臨之以威武，臨之不從，則制之以兵革。殺無罪之民，養不義之主，害莫大也，聚天下之財，贍一人之慾，禍莫深焉，肆一人之慾，而長海內之患，此天倫所不取也。所為立君者，以禁暴亂也，今乘萬民之力，反為殘賊，是以虎傅翼，何謂不除。夫畜魚者，必去其蝙獺，養禽獸者，必除其豺狼，又況牧民乎！是故兵革之所為起也。

Laozi said: The completeness of Dao and De is like the sun and moon, and the Yi, Di, Man and Mo barbarians cannot change its direction. When what is taken and left is the same, praise and blame lie in custom; when intentions and conduct are equal, poverty and success lie in the times. When affairs fit the age, merit is achieved; when work accords with the time, a name is established. So those who establish merit and name are simple in the world and careful about the time; when the time comes, the gap cannot hold a single breath. In ancient times those who used soldiers did not seek profit in land or covet treasures and bribes; they were about to preserve what was perishing and settle what was in chaos, and remove harm for the people. Greedy and covetous people with many desires brutalize the world and the myriad people are in turmoil, with no place to settle. A sage rose up forcefully, punished the violent, pacified the chaotic age, removed harm for the world, turned turbid into clear and danger into peace, and so could not but break off the cycle midway. The Red Emperor was fire's blaze, and so the Yellow Emperor seized him; Gong Gong was the harm of water, and so Zhuanxu punished him. One uses the Way to teach people, and if leading them by virtue is not heeded, one confronts them with awe and martial force; if confronting them does not make them follow, one subdues them with arms. To kill innocent people and support an unrighteous ruler is a harm greater than anything; to gather the wealth of the world to satisfy the desires of one man is a calamity deeper than anything; to indulge the desires of one man and increase the sorrows within the seas is not accepted by the order of heaven. So a ruler is set up to prevent violence and disorder; now if he rides on the strength of the myriad people and instead becomes a brute, it is like adding wings to a tiger, so how can one say he is not to be removed. One who raises fish must get rid of bats and otters, and one who keeps birds and beasts must remove wolves and jackals, so how much more one who shepherds the people! This is why arms arise.

老子曰：為國之道，上無苛令，官無煩治，士無偽行，工無淫巧，其事任而不擾，其器完而不飾。亂世即不然，為行者相揭以高，為禮者相矜以偽，車輿極於雕琢，器用遂於刻鏤，求貨者爭難得以為寶，詆文者逐煩撓以為急，事為詭辯，久稽而不決，無益於治，有益於亂，工為奇器，歷歲而後成，不周於用。故神農之法曰：丈夫丁壯不耕，天下有受其飢者，婦人當年不織，天下有受其寒者。故身親耕，妻親織，以為天下先，其導民也，不貴難得之貨，不重無用之物。是故耕者不強，無以養生，織者不力，無以衣形，有餘不足，各歸其身，衣食饒裕，姦邪不生，安樂無事，天下和平，智者無所施其策，勇者無所錯其威。

Laozi said: The way of governing a state is this: above there are no harsh orders, in office no vexatious governance, among scholars no false conduct, among craftsmen no extravagant ingenuity, their work is entrusted without disturbance, and their tools are complete without ornament. A disordered age is not like this: those who act vie to expose each other and so rise high, those who practice ritual put on airs and so are false, carriages are carved to the extreme, utensils are engraved to the full, those who seek goods contend for what is hard to get and treat it as treasure, those who cavil at texts chase after vexations and think them urgent, they make sophistry of affairs and delay without deciding, which does nothing for government and helps disorder; craftsmen make strange devices that take years to complete and do not serve any use. So the law of Shennong says: if a grown man in his prime does not plow, someone in the world will suffer hunger; if a woman in her prime does not weave, someone in the world will suffer cold. So he himself plowed and his wife herself wove, to set an example for the world. In guiding the people he did not value hard-to-get goods or esteem useless things. So if the plowing is not vigorous, there is nothing to sustain life; if the weaving is not strenuous, there is nothing to clothe the body. Surplus and shortage each fall on oneself, food and clothing are ample, wickedness is not born, people are at ease and without trouble, the world is at peace, the wise have no place to apply their schemes, and the brave have no place to set up their might.

老子曰：霸王之道，以謀慮之，以策圖之，挾義而動，非以圖存也，將以存亡也。故聞敵國之君，有暴虐其民者，即舉兵而臨其境，責以不義，刺以過行。兵至其郊，令軍帥曰：無伐樹木，無掘墳墓，無敗五穀，無焚積聚，無捕民虜，無聚六畜，乃發號施令曰：其國之君，逆天地，侮鬼神，決獄不平，殺戮無罪，天之所誅，民之所讎也，兵之來也，以廢不義而授有德也，有敢逆天道，亂民之賊者，身死族滅，以家聽者祿以家，以裡聽者賞以裡，以鄉聽者封以鄉，以縣聽者侯其縣。剋其國不及其民，廢其君，易其政，尊其秀士，顯其賢良，振其孤寡，恤其貧窮，出其囹圄，賞其有功，百姓開戶而內之，漬米而儲之，唯恐其不來也。義兵至於境，不戰而止，不義之兵，至於伏屍流血，相交以前。故為地戰者，不能成其王，為身求者，不能立其功，舉事以為人者，眾助之，以自為者，眾去之，眾之所動，雖弱必強，眾之所去，雖大必亡。

Laozi said: The way of a hegemon or king is to think with strategy and plan with schemes, and to move with righteousness; he does not do it to preserve himself, but to preserve what is perishing. So when he hears that the ruler of an enemy state is brutal to his people, he raises troops to approach his border, rebukes him for unrighteousness and pricks him with his wrong conduct. When troops reach the outskirts, he orders the army commanders: do not cut down trees, do not dig up graves, do not ruin the five grains, do not burn stores, do not capture people as prisoners, do not gather the six domestic animals. Then he issues commands: the ruler of that state defies heaven and earth, insults the spirits, decides lawsuits unfairly and kills the innocent, and is one whom heaven punishes and the people hate. The troops come to abolish the unrighteous and give the throne to one of virtue. Whoever dares defy the Way of heaven and be a thief and rebel against the people will die and have his clan destroyed. Those who submit as a household are given salary as a household; those who submit as a village are rewarded as a village; those who submit as a district are enfeoffed as a district; those who submit as a county are made marquis of the county. When his state is conquered, harm does not extend to the people; he removes its ruler, changes its government, honors its outstanding scholars, shows forth its worthy and good, aids its orphans and widows, relieves its poor, releases those in prison, and rewards the meritorious. The common people open their gates to take him in, wash rice and store it, fearing only that he will not come. When a righteous army reaches the border, they stop without fighting; when an unrighteous army arrives, corpses lie and blood flows, and they advance crossing one another. So one who fights for land cannot become king, and one who seeks for himself cannot establish merit. When one undertakes affairs for others, the people help him; when for himself, the people leave him. What the people move, though weak, will be strong; what the people leave, though large, will be destroyed.

老子曰：上義者，治國家，理境內，行仁義，布德施惠，立正法，塞邪道，群臣親附，百姓和輯，上下一心，群臣同力，諸侯服其威，四方懷其德，脩正廟堂之上，折沖千里之外，發號行令而天下響應，此其上也。地廣民眾，主賢將良，國富兵強，約束信，號令明，兩敵相當，未交兵接刃，而敵人奔亡，此其次也。知土地之宜，習險隘之利，明苛政之變，察行陣之事，白刃合，流矢接，輿死扶傷，流血千里，暴骸滿野，義之下也。兵之勝敗習在於政，政勝其民，下附其上，即兵強，民勝其政，下叛其上，即兵弱。義足以懷天下之民，事業足以當天下之急，選舉足以得賢士之心，謀慮足以決輕重之權，此上義之道也。

Laozi said: The highest in righteousness governs the state and manages the realm, practices benevolence and righteousness, spreads virtue and kindness, establishes proper laws and blocks crooked paths; the ministers are close and attached, the people are harmonious, above and below are of one mind and ministers work together, the feudal lords submit to his awe and the four quarters cherish his virtue; he corrects matters in the temple hall and breaks the enemy's assault from a thousand li away, issues orders and the world responds; this is the highest. With wide land and many people, a worthy ruler and good generals, a rich state and strong army, trusted agreements and clear orders, two enemies being equal, the enemy flees before blades are crossed; this is next. To know the advantages of land, practice the benefits of narrow passes, understand the changes of harsh government, and examine the affairs of formations, so that white blades meet and flying arrows join, carriages are dead and the wounded are helped, blood flows for a thousand li and bleached bones fill the wilds; this is the lowest of righteousness. The victory or defeat of an army depends on government: if the government is stronger than the people and those below cling to those above, the army is strong; if the people are stronger than the government and those below turn on those above, the army is weak. If righteousness is enough to cherish the people of the world, his enterprises are enough to meet the world's urgent needs, his selection of men is enough to win the hearts of worthy scholars, and his planning is enough to decide the balance of weight and lightness, this is the Way of the highest righteousness.

老子曰：國之所以強者必死也，所以必死者義也，義之所以行者威也，是故令之以文，齊之以武，是謂必取，威義並行，是謂必強。白刃交接，矢石若雨，而士爭光者，賞信而罰明也。上視下如子，下事上如父，上視下如弟，下事上如兄，上視下如子，必王四海，下事上如父，必政天下，上視下如弟，即必難為之死，下事上如兄，即必難為之亡，故父子兄弟之寇，不可與之鬥。是故義君內脩其政以積其德，外塞於邪以明其勢，察其勞佚以知飢飽，戰期有日，視死若歸，恩之加也。

Laozi said: A state is strong through those who are certain to die; they are certain to die through righteousness; righteousness is carried out through awe. So one uses civil means to command and martial means to align them, and this is called certain to take; awe and righteousness go together, and this is called certain to be strong. When white blades meet and arrows and stones come like rain, and yet the soldiers compete for glory, it is because rewards are trusted and punishments are clear. If those above look on those below as sons, those below serve those above as fathers; if those above look on those below as younger brothers, those below serve those above as elder brothers. If those above look on those below as sons, they will surely be king of the four seas; if those below serve those above as fathers, they will surely set the world right (the base text has a different character for "set right"); if those above look on those below as younger brothers, they will surely find it hard not to die for them; if those below serve those above as elder brothers, they will surely find it hard not to perish for them. So one cannot fight an enemy who is father, son, or brothers. Therefore a righteous ruler cultivates his government within to accumulate his virtue, blocks the wicked outside to make his strength clear, and examines their toil and ease to know their hunger and fullness. When the day for battle is set, they see death as going home, and this is the effect of kindness.

老子曰：上古真人，呼吸陰陽，而群生莫不仰其德以和順，當此之時，領理隱密，自成純樸，純樸未散，而萬物大優。及世之衰也，至伏羲氏，昧昧懋懋，皆欲離其童蒙之心，而覺悟乎天地之間，其德煩而不一。及至神農、黃帝，核領天下，紀綱四時，和調陰陽，於是萬民莫不竦身而思，戴聽而視，故治而不和。下至夏、殷之世，嗜慾達於物，聰明誘於外，性命失其真。施及周室，澆醇散樸，離道以為偽，險德以為行，智巧萌生，狙學以擬聖，華誣以脅眾，琢飾詩書，以賈名譽，各欲以行其智偽，以容於世，而失大宗之本，故世有喪性命，衰漸所由來久矣。是故至人之學也，欲以反性於無，遊心於虛，世俗之學，擢德攓性，內愁五藏，暴行越知，以譊名聲於世，此至人所不為也。擢德自見也，攓性絕生也，若夫至人定乎死生之意，通乎榮辱之理，舉世譽之而不益勸，舉世非之而不加沮，得至道之要也。

Laozi said: The true people of high antiquity breathed in yin and yang, and all living beings looked up to their virtue and were harmonious. At that time they governed in secrecy, and of themselves became pure and simple; while purity and simplicity had not been scattered, the myriad things were greatly at ease. When the age declined, and it came to Fuxi, they were dim and striving, all wishing to leave the heart of the uninstructed child and awaken to what lay between heaven and earth, and their virtue became complicated and not single. By the time of Shennong and the Yellow Emperor, they examined and led the world, regulated the four seasons, and harmonized yin and yang, and so none of the myriad people did not stand straight and think, lift their ears and look; so there was order but no harmony. Down to the age of Xia and Yin, desires reached out to things, ears and eyes were lured by the outside, and nature and fate lost their truth. Extending to the house of Zhou, the pure was thinned and the simple scattered; people left the Way to make falsehood, put danger and thinness in the place of virtue in their conduct, clever tricks sprouted, they imitated the sages in a sneaky learning, cheated the crowd with flowery deception, polished the Odes and Documents to buy a reputation, each wanting to be accepted in the world by cunning and falsehood, and lost the root of the great ancestor. So there were those in the world who lost their nature and fate, and the decline has come from far back. Therefore the learning of the utmost person aims to return nature to nothingness and let the heart roam in emptiness; the learning of the common world lifts up virtue and pulls at nature, troubles the five organs within, and runs ahead of knowledge in violent conduct, clamoring for fame in the world, which the utmost person does not do. Lifting up virtue is displaying oneself, and pulling at nature is cutting off life. As for the utmost person, he settles the meaning of life and death, penetrates the principle of glory and disgrace, and when the whole world praises him he is not more encouraged, and when the whole world blames him he is not more discouraged; this is gaining the essentials of the utmost Way.

老子曰：古者被髮而無卷領，以王天下，其德生而不殺，與而不奪，天下非其服，同懷其德，當此之時，陰陽和平，萬物蕃息，飛鳥之巢可俯而探也，走獸可係而從也。及其衰也，鳥獸蟲蛇，皆為民害，故鑄鐵鍛刃以禦其難，故民迫其難則求其便，因其患則操其備，各以其智去其所害，就其所利，常故不可循，器械不可因，故先王之法度，有變易者也，故曰：名可名，非常名也。五帝異道而德覆天下，三王殊事而名後世，因時而變者也。譬猶師曠之調五音也，所推移上下無常，尺寸以度，而靡不中者，故通於樂之情者能作，音有本主於中。而知規矩鉤繩之所用者能治人，故先王之制，不宜即廢之，末世之事善即著之。故聖人之制禮樂者，而不制於禮樂，制物者，不制於物，製法者，不制於法，故曰：道可道，非常道也。

Laozi said: In ancient times people wore their hair loose and had no wrapped collars, and ruled the world; their virtue gave life and did not kill, gave and did not take, the world did not submit to them, yet together cherished their virtue. At that time yin and yang were at peace, the myriad things multiplied, birds' nests could be reached by stooping, and wild animals could be tethered and followed. When it declined, birds, beasts, insects and snakes all harmed the people, so they cast iron and forged blades to resist the trouble. The people, pressed by trouble, sought convenience, and, driven by hardship, prepared defenses, each used his wits to remove what harmed him and went toward what benefited him. Old habits cannot be followed and implements cannot be relied on, so the laws of the former kings were subject to change. So it is said: the name that can be named is not the constant name. The Five Emperors had different ways yet their virtue covered the world, and the Three Kings differed in affairs yet their names have remained for later ages, because they changed with the times. It is like Shi Kuang tuning the five notes: what he shifted up and down had no constant, and measured with the inch it never failed to hit. So one who understands the feelings of music can compose; sound has a root that governs within, and one who knows how to use compass, square, hook and line can govern people. So do not abolish the institutions of the former kings hastily; and in the affairs of a late age, make known what is good. So the sage makes rites and music but is not made by rites and music; makes things but is not made by things; makes laws but is not made by laws. So it is said: the Way that can be spoken is not the constant Way.

老子曰：昔者之聖王，仰取象於天，俯取度於地，中取法於人，調陰陽之氣，和四時之節，察陵陸水澤肥墽高下之宜，以立事生財，除飢寒之患，闢疾疢之災，中受人事，以制禮樂，行仁義之道，以治人倫。列金木水火土之性，以立父子之親而成家，聽五音清濁六律相生之數，以立君臣之義而成國，察四時孟仲季之序，以立長幼之節而成官，列地而州之，分國而治之，立大學以教之，此治之綱紀也。得道則舉，失道則廢，夫物未嘗有張而不弛，盛而不敗者也。唯聖人可盛而不敗，聖人初作樂也，以歸神杜淫，反其天心，至其衰也，流而不反，淫而好色，不顧正法，流及後世，至於亡國，其作書也，以領理百事，愚者以不忘，智者以記事，及其衰也，為姦偽以解有罪而殺不辜，其作囿也，以成宗廟之具，簡士卒以戒不虞，及其衰也，馳騁弋獵以奪民時，以罷民力，其上賢也，以平教化，正獄訟，賢者在位，能者在職，澤施於下，萬民懷德，至其衰也，朋黨比周，各推其所與，廢公趣私，外內相舉，姦人在位，賢者隱處。天地之道，極則反，益則損，故聖人治弊而改制，事終而更為，其美在和，其失在權。聖人之道曰：非修禮義，廉恥不立，民無廉恥，不可以治，不知禮義，法不能正，非崇善廢醜，不嚮禮義，無法不可以為治，不知禮義不可以行法，法能殺不孝者，不能使人孝，能刑盜者不能使人廉。聖王在上，明好惡以示人，經非譽以導之，親而進之，賤不肖而退之，刑錯而不用，禮義修而任賢德也。故天下之高，以為三公，一州之高，以為九卿，一國之高，以為二十七大夫，一鄉之高，以為八十一元士。智過萬人者謂之英，千人者謂之俊，百人者謂之傑，十人者謂之豪。明於天地之道，通於人情之理，大足以容眾，惠足以懷遠，智足以知權，人英也。

Laozi said: The sage kings of old looked up to take images from heaven, looked down to take measures from earth, and in the middle took models from people; they harmonized the breath of yin and yang, regulated the rhythm of the four seasons, examined what suited hills, plains, waters and marshes, fertile and barren land, high and low, in order to establish enterprises and produce wealth, remove the trouble of hunger and cold, and avoid the calamity of sickness. In the middle they received human affairs to make rites and music, practice the Way of benevolence and righteousness, and order human relations. They laid out the natures of metal, wood, water, fire and earth to establish the affection of father and son and complete the family; they listened to the clear and turbid of the five notes and the numbers of the six pitch-pipes' mutual generation to establish the righteousness of ruler and minister and complete the state; they examined the order of the first, middle and last months of the four seasons to establish the measure between elder and younger and complete the offices. They divided the land into provinces, divided the states and governed them, and set up a great school to teach them; this is the framework of government. When the Way is attained they rise, when the Way is lost they are abolished. Nothing has ever been stretched without slackening, or flourished without decline. Only the sage can flourish without decline. When the sage first made music, it was to gather the spirits, block excess, and return to the heart of heaven; when it declined, it flowed on and did not return, indulged in excess and sensual pleasure, disregarded proper law, flowed on to later ages, and reached the point of ruining states. He made writing to manage the hundred affairs, so that the foolish would not forget and the wise could record events; when it declined, people made falsehoods to excuse the guilty and kill the innocent. He made parks to complete the equipment for the ancestral temple, to review the soldiers and guard against the unforeseen; when it declined, they galloped and shot to take the people's time and wear out their strength. He promoted the worthy to level teaching and transformation and correct lawsuits, with the worthy in position and the able in office, benefit spreading below and the myriad people cherishing his virtue; when it declined, they formed cliques and favored each other, each pushing his own associates, abandoning the public for the private, inside and outside promoting each other, the wicked in office and the worthy in seclusion. The Way of heaven and earth is that when it reaches an extreme it reverses, and when it increases it diminishes. So the sage cures abuses by changing institutions, and when affairs have run their course changes them; their beauty is in harmony, their fault is in expediency. The Way of the sages says: if ritual and righteousness are not cultivated, integrity and shame are not established; if the people have no integrity or shame, they cannot be governed; if they do not know ritual and righteousness, law cannot correct them. If one does not esteem the good and discard the ugly, they do not turn toward ritual and righteousness; without law there can be no government, and without knowing ritual and righteousness law cannot be enforced. Law can kill the unfilial but cannot make people filial; it can punish thieves but cannot make people honest. When a sage king is above, he shows people his likes and dislikes with clarity, guides them through praise and blame, draws near and advances them, despises the unworthy and removes them, and punishments are set aside and unused; this is cultivating ritual and righteousness and employing the worthy and virtuous. So the highest in the world is made one of the Three Dukes; the highest of a province is made one of the Nine Ministers; the highest of a state is made one of the twenty-seven grand masters; the highest of a district is made one of the eighty-one primary scholars. One whose wisdom surpasses ten thousand people is called ying, one who surpasses a thousand is called jun, one who surpasses a hundred is called jie, and one who surpasses ten is called hao. One who is clear about the Way of heaven and earth, penetrates the principle of human feeling, is great enough to hold the multitude, generous enough to win those afar, and wise enough to know expedients, is a ying among men.

德足以教化，行足以隱義，信足以得眾，明足以照下，人俊也。行可以為儀表，智足以決嫌疑，信可以守約，廉可以使分財，作事可法，出言可道，人傑也。守職不廢，處義不比，見難不苟免，見利不苟得，人豪也。英俊豪傑，各以大小之材處其位，由本流末，以重製輕，上唱下和，四海之內，一心同歸，背貪鄙，嚮仁義，其於化民，若風之靡草。今使不肖臨賢，雖嚴刑不能禁其姦，小不能制大，弱不能使強，天地之性也。故聖人舉賢以立功，不肖之主舉其所與同，觀其所舉，治亂分矣，察其黨與，賢不肖可論也。

One whose virtue is enough to teach and transform, whose conduct is enough to conceal righteousness, whose good faith is enough to win the multitude, and whose clarity is enough to illuminate those below, is a jun among men. One whose conduct can serve as a model, whose wisdom is enough to settle doubts, whose good faith can keep an agreement, whose integrity can be trusted to divide wealth, whose actions can be taken as examples and whose words can be spoken, is a jie among men. One who keeps his post without neglect, stays righteous without forming cliques, does not escape difficulty carelessly, and does not take profit carelessly, is a hao among men. Ying, jun, jie and hao each fill their positions with talent great or small, from the root to the branch, using the heavy to control the light, with those above leading and those below following, so all within the four seas share one heart and return together, turn their backs on greed and meanness and turn toward benevolence and righteousness, and in transforming the people they are like wind making grass bend. Now if the unworthy are made to rule the worthy, even severe punishment cannot stop their wickedness. The small cannot control the large, and the weak cannot command the strong; this is the nature of heaven and earth. So the sage promotes the worthy to establish merit, while an unworthy ruler promotes those like himself. Observe whom he promotes and order and disorder are distinguished; examine his associates and the worthy and unworthy can be judged.

老子曰：為禮者雕琢人性，矯拂其情，目雖欲之禁以度，心雖樂之節以禮，趣翔周旋，屈節卑拜，肉凝而不食，酒徵而不飲，外束其形，內愁其德，鉗陰陽之和而迫性命之情，故終身為哀人。何則？不本其所以欲，而禁其所欲，不原其所以樂，而防其所樂，是猶圈獸而不塞其垣，禁其野心，決江河之流而壅之以手，故曰：開其兌，濟其事，終身不救。夫禮者，遏情閉欲，以義自防，雖情心㖥噎，形性飢渴，以不得已自強，故莫能終其天年。禮者，非能使人不欲也，而能止之，樂者，非能使人勿樂也，而能防之。夫使天下畏刑而不敢盜竊，豈若使無有盜心哉！故知其無所用，雖貪者皆辭之，不知其所用，廉者不能讓之。夫人之所以亡社稷，身死人手，為天下笑者，未嘗非欲也，知冬日之扇，夏日之裘，無用於己，萬物變為塵垢矣！故揚湯止沸，沸乃益甚，知其本者，去火而已。

Laozi said: Those who practice ritual carve at human nature and thwart its feelings: though the eyes desire, they are forbidden by measure; though the heart delights, it is restrained by ritual. Hurrying and wheeling, bending joints and bowing low, meat congealed and not eaten, wine clear and not drunk, outwardly binding their bodies and inwardly grieving their virtue, they clamp the harmony of yin and yang and press on the feelings of nature and fate, and so all their lives are sad people. Why? They do not look to what makes desire, yet forbid what is desired; they do not trace what makes joy, yet guard against what is enjoyed. It is like penning a beast without stopping up the wall, and then forbidding its wild heart; or breaching the flow of rivers and then trying to block it with the hand. So it is said: open the orifices of desire to accomplish those affairs, and all one's life one is beyond cure. Ritual restrains feeling and shuts desire, guarding itself with righteousness, and even if the heart is choked and the body and nature hungry and thirsty, they force themselves because there is no help for it, and so none of them can complete their natural years. Ritual cannot make people not desire, but it can stop them; music cannot make people not enjoy, but it can guard against it. To make the world fear punishment and not dare steal is nothing compared with making them have no thought of stealing! So when they know it has no use, even the greedy refuse it; when they do not know what it is used for, even the honest cannot yield it. What makes people lose the altars of the state, die at the hands of others, and be laughed at by the world, has always been desire. Once they know that a fan in winter and a fur coat in summer are of no use to themselves, the myriad things become dust and dirt. So ladling out hot water to stop its boiling makes the boiling worse; one who knows the root simply removes the fire.

老子曰：循性而行謂之道，得其天性謂之德，性失然後貴仁義，仁義立而道德廢，純樸散而禮樂飾，是非形而百姓眩，珠玉貴而天下爭。夫禮者，所以別尊卑貴賤也，義者，所以和君臣父子兄弟夫婦人道之際也。末世之禮，恭敬而交。為義者，佈施而得，君臣以相非，骨肉以生怨也，故水積則生相食之蟲，土積則生自肉之狩，禮樂飾則生詐偽。末世之為治，不積於養生之具，澆天下之醇，散天下之樸，滑亂萬民，以清為濁，性命飛揚，皆亂以營，貞信熳爛，人失其性，法與義相背，行與利相反，貧富之相傾，人君之與僕虜，不足以論。夫有餘則讓，不足則爭，讓則禮義生，爭則暴亂起，故多欲則事不省，求贍則爭不止，故世治則小人守正，而利不能誘也，世亂則君子為姦，而法不能禁也。

Laozi said: To follow nature and act is called the Way, and to obtain one's heavenly nature is called De. When nature is lost, benevolence and righteousness are valued; when benevolence and righteousness are established, Dao and De are abandoned; when purity and simplicity are scattered, ritual and music are adorned; when right and wrong take shape, the common people are dazzled; when pearls and jade are valued, the world contends. Ritual is used to distinguish the honored and lowly, high and low; righteousness is used to harmonize the human way between ruler and minister, father and son, brothers, husband and wife. The ritual of a late age is courtesy in order to exchange; those who practice righteousness give in order to gain something. Ruler and minister therefore criticize each other, and flesh and blood therefore breed resentment. So when water accumulates, insects that eat each other are born; when earth accumulates, beasts that eat their own flesh are born (the base text has a variant character for "beasts"); and when ritual and music are adorned, deceit and falsehood are born. In the governing of a late age, they do not accumulate the tools for sustaining life, they thin the world's purity and scatter its simplicity, confuse the myriad people, turn clear into turbid, so that nature and fate fly about, all are disturbed and bewildered, loyalty and good faith spoil, and people lose their nature. Law and righteousness go against each other, conduct and profit are opposed, poor and rich overturn each other, and ruler and servant are not worth discussing. If there is surplus they yield, if there is lack they contend; yielding produces ritual and righteousness, contending raises violence and disorder. So with many desires affairs are not simplified, and when seeking sufficiency, strife does not stop. Therefore when the age is well governed petty people keep to what is right and profit cannot lure them; when the age is disordered gentlemen turn wicked and law cannot restrain them.

老子曰：衰世之主，鑽山石，挈金玉，擿礱蜃，消銅鐵，而萬物不滋，刳胎焚郊，覆巢毀卵，鳳凰不翔，麒麟不遊，構木為臺，焚林而畋，竭澤而漁，積壤而丘處，掘地而井飲，濬川而為池，築城而為固，拘獸以為畜，則陰陽繆戾，四時失序，雷霆毀折，雹霜為害，萬物焦夭，處於太半，草木夏枯，三川絕而不流，分山川谿谷，使有壤界，計人眾寡，使有分數，設機械險阻以為備，制服色等異貴賤，老賢不肖行賞罰，則兵革起而忿爭生，虐殺不辜，誅罰無罪，於是興矣。

Laozi said: The ruler of a declining age drills into mountain rock, lifts out gold and jade, scrapes and polishes clam shells, melts copper and iron, and the myriad things do not flourish. He cuts open the womb and burns the outskirts, overturns nests and smashes eggs, so the phoenix does not soar and the unicorn does not roam. He builds towers of wood, burns forests to hunt, drains marshes to fish, heaps up earth to dwell on a hill, digs the ground for wells to drink, dredges rivers to make ponds, builds walls for fortress, pens beasts to raise them, and so yin and yang go awry, the four seasons lose their order, thunder breaks and smashes, hail and frost do harm, the myriad things scorch and die young, most of them suffering, grass and trees wither in summer, and the Three Rivers are cut off and do not flow. He divides mountains, rivers, streams and valleys so that they have boundaries of earth; counts the people's numbers so that they have allotments; sets up devices and dangerous barriers for defense; makes clothes and colors of different rank to mark honor and lowliness; examines the worthy and unworthy to dispense rewards and punishments (the base text has a variant character for "worthy"), and so arms arise and anger and strife are born, and cruel killing of the innocent and punishing of the blameless then began.

老子曰：世之將喪性命，猶陰氣之所起也，主闇昧而不明，道廢而不行，德滅而不揚，舉事戾於天，發號逆四時，春秋縮其和，天地除其德，人君處位而不安，大夫隱遁而不言，群臣推上意而壞常，疏骨肉而自容，邪人諂而陰謀遽載，驕主而像其意，亂人以成其事，是故君臣乖而不親，骨肉疏而不附，田無立苖，路無緩步，金積折廉，壁襲無贏，殼龜無腹，蓍筮日施，天下不合而為一家，諸侯製法各異習俗，悖拔其根而棄其本，鑿五刑，為刻削，爭於錐刀之末，斬刈百姓，盡其太半，舉兵為難，攻城濫殺，覆高危安，大沖車，高重壘，除戰隊，使陣死路，犯嚴敵，百姓一反，名聲苟盛，兼國有地，伏屍數十萬，老弱飢寒而死者不可勝計。自此之後，天下未嘗得安其性命，樂其習俗也。賢聖勃然而起，持以道德，輔以仁義，近者進其智，遠者懷其德，天下混而為一，子孫相代輔佐，黜讒佞之端，息未辯之說，除刻削之法，去煩苛之事，屏流言之跡，塞朋黨之門，消智能，循大常，隳枝體，黜聰明，大通混冥，萬物各復歸其根。夫聖人非能生時，時至而不失也，是以不得中絕。

Laozi said: When an age is about to lose its nature and fate, it is as if the breath of yin were rising. The ruler is dim and unclear, the Way is abandoned and not practiced, virtue is extinguished and not displayed, his undertakings go against heaven, and his orders are contrary to the four seasons; spring and autumn shorten their harmony, and heaven and earth strip away their virtue. The ruler stays in his seat without peace, the grand masters go into hiding and do not speak, the ministers push the ruler's wishes and ruin the constant order, estrange flesh and blood to tolerate themselves, wicked people flatter and secretly scheme with haste, flatter the arrogant ruler and imitate his wishes, and disordered people complete his affairs. Therefore ruler and minister part and are not close, flesh and blood grow distant and do not cling, in the fields no seedlings stand (the base text has a variant character for "seedling"), on the roads no one walks slowly, gold is piled up and honesty is broken, jade is stacked up and there is no profit (the base text has a variant character for "jade"), the divining turtle shells have no belly, and yarrow stalks are cast every day. The world is not united as one, the feudal lords make laws with different customs, in perversity they pull up the roots and abandon the base, open up the five punishments and do carving and cutting, contend at the tip of an awl or knife, cut down the common people and consume the greater part of them, raise troops and make trouble, attack cities and kill without limit, overturn the high and endanger the safe, big battering rams and high double ramparts, remove the battle ranks and make the formation a road to death, and attack a stern enemy. The people all turn, the name is recklessly puffed up, they annex states and hold land, with corpses lying by the hundreds of thousands, and the old and weak who die of hunger and cold cannot be counted. After this the world has never been able to be at peace in its nature or to take pleasure in its customs. A worthy sage rises up forcefully, holds fast with Dao and De, assists with benevolence and righteousness, those near offer their wisdom and those far cherish his virtue, the world is blended into one, descendants succeed each other in assistance, he dismisses the sources of slander and flattery, ends the talk of shallow disputation, removes carving and cutting laws, discards vexatious and harsh affairs, banishes the traces of rumor, blocks the gates of cliques, dissolves intelligence and cleverness, follows the great constant, drops the limbs and body, dismisses sharp hearing and clear sight, and in the great opening and merging into obscurity, the myriad things each return again to their roots. The sage is not able to produce the time, but when the time comes he does not lose it. So he cannot but break the cycle midway.

老子曰：酆水之深十仞而不受塵垢，金石在中，形見於外，非不深且清也，魚鱉蛟龍莫之歸也。石上不生五穀，秀山不遊麋鹿，無所蔭蔽也。故為政以苛為察，以切為明，以刻下為忠，以計多為功，如此者譬猶廣革者也，大敗大裂之道也，其政悶悶，其民淳淳，其政察察，其民缺缺。

Laozi said: The Feng water is ten fathoms deep and does not take dust or dirt, with gold and stones in it, their shapes visible from outside; it is not that it is not deep and clear, yet fish, turtles and dragons do not return to it. Five grains do not grow on rocks, and elk and deer do not roam on bare, lofty mountains, because there is no shelter. So to treat harshness as discernment in government, to treat sharpness as clear-sightedness, to treat oppressing those below as loyalty, and to treat counting a lot as achievement, is like stretching hide, the way to great failure and splitting. When government is generous, simple and blunt, the common people are honest and sincere; when government is harsh, discerning and sharp, the common people are thin and lacking.

老子曰：以政治國，以奇用兵。先為不可勝之政，而後求勝於敵，以未治而攻人之亂，是猶以火應火，以水應水也，同莫足以相治，故以異為奇，奇靜為躁奇，治為亂奇，飽為飢奇，逸為勞奇，正之相應，若水火金木之相伐也，何往而不勝，故德均則眾者勝寡，力敵則智者制愚，智同則有數者禽無數。

Laozi said: Govern the state with the Way of the upright, and fight with troops by the method of surprise. First make a government that cannot be defeated, and then seek victory over the enemy. To attack another's disorder with something not yet in order is like answering fire with fire and water with water; the same cannot control the same, so use the different as the surprise: the calm surprises the hasty, order surprises disorder, being full surprises hunger, ease surprises toil. When the upright answer each other, like water, fire, metal and wood overcoming each other, where could one go and not win? So when virtue is equal, the many beat the few; when strength is equal, the wise overcome the foolish; when wisdom is equal, the one with a method captures the one without.