Chapter 31

夫佳兵者，不祥之器，物或惡之，故有道者不處。君子居則貴左，用兵則貴右。兵者不祥之器，非君子之器，不得已而用之，恬淡為上。勝而不美，而美之者，是樂殺人。夫樂殺人者，則不可以得志於天下矣。吉事尚左，凶事尚右。偏將軍居左，上將軍居右，言以喪禮處之。殺人之眾，以哀悲泣之，戰勝，以喪禮處之。

Sharp weapons are instruments of ill omen; even things in the world loathe them, so one who has the Dao does not rely on them. In peacetime the exemplary person honors the left; in using arms he honors the right. Weapons are instruments of ill omen, not the instruments of the exemplary person; he uses them only when there is no choice, and it is best to treat them with calm detachment. Victory is not a thing of beauty; to think it beautiful is to delight in killing. One who delights in killing cannot achieve his aims in the world. In auspicious affairs the left is honored, and in affairs of misfortune and mourning the right is honored; the deputy general stands on the left and the senior general stands on the right, which means that war is to be treated according to the rites of mourning. When many people have been killed, one should mourn them with grief; even after a victory, one should handle it according to the rites of mourning.

道常無名，樸雖小，天下莫能臣也。侯王若能守之，萬物將自賓。

The Dao is constantly nameless. Though uncarved wood is small, no one in the world can make it subservient. If lords and kings could hold to it, all things would come to submit of themselves.

天地相合，以降甘露，民莫之令而自均。

When the qi of heaven and earth unite, sweet dew falls; no one commands it, yet it spreads evenly of itself.

始制有名，名亦既有，夫亦將知止，知止所以不殆。

Once things began to be made, there were names; once names existed, one should know where to stop; knowing when to stop, one is free of danger.

譬道之在天下，猶川穀之於江海。

By way of analogy, the Dao's presence in the world is like the streams of the valleys flowing at last into the rivers and seas.

知人者智，自知者明。

To understand others is wisdom; to know oneself is enlightenment.

勝人者有力，自勝者強。

To overcome others takes strength; to overcome oneself is true power.

知足者富。

One who knows contentment is rich.

強行者有志。

One who presses on with effort has resolve.

不失其所者久。

One who does not lose his foundation lasts long.

死而不亡者壽。

One who dies yet whose spirit does not perish truly has longevity.

大道氾兮，其可左右。

The great Dao overflows and spreads out, reaching left and right, above and below.

萬物恃之而生而不辭，功成不名有。衣養萬物而不為主，常無欲，可名於小；

All things rely on it to grow and it does not refuse them; when its work is done, it does not claim the name. It nurtures all things without posing as their master, and is forever free of desire, so it may be called "small";

萬物歸焉而不為主，可名為大。

All things return to it, yet it does not claim to be their master, so it may also be called "great."

以其終不自為大，故能成其大。

Precisely because it never regards itself as great, it is able to accomplish its greatness.

執大象，天下往。

Hold fast to the image of the Great Way, and all the world will come to you.

往而不害，安平太。

They come and do not harm one another, and so there is peace, calm and ease.

樂與餌，過客止。道之出口，淡乎其無味，視之不足見，聽之不足聞，用之不足既。

Music and fine food make passersby stop; but when the Way is spoken aloud, it is bland and without flavor. Look at it and it cannot be seen, listen to it and it cannot be heard, yet use it and it is never used up.

將欲歙之，必固張之；將欲弱之，必固強之；將欲廢之，必固興之；將欲奪之，必固與之。是謂微明。

What is to be contracted must first be expanded; what is to be weakened must first be strengthened; what is to be abolished must first be raised up; what is to be taken must first be given. This is called subtle insight.

柔弱勝剛強。魚不可脫於淵，國之利器不可以示人。

The soft and weak overcome the hard and strong. Fish must not leave the deep pool, and the sharp instruments of a state must not be shown to others.

道常無為

The Way is constantly without action,

而無不為。

and yet there is nothing it does not accomplish.

侯王若能守之，萬物將自化。化而欲作，吾將鎮之以無名之樸。

If lords and kings can hold to it, the myriad things will transform of themselves. If desire arises in the midst of transformation, I will calm it with the nameless uncarved block.

無名之樸，夫亦將無欲。

The nameless uncarved block means letting people return to being without desire.

不欲以靜，天下將自定。

Without desire, returning to stillness, the world will settle of itself.

上德不德，是以有德；下德不失德，是以無德。上德無為而無以為，下德為之而有以為。上仁為之而無以為，上義為之而有以為。上禮為之而莫之應，則攘臂而扔之。故失道而後德，失德而後仁，失仁而後義，失義而後禮。夫禮者，忠信之薄，而亂之首。前識者，道之華，而愚之始。是以大丈夫處其厚，不居其薄；處其實，不居其華。故去彼取此。

A person of highest virtue does not presume on having virtue, and so truly has virtue; a person of lower virtue never lets go of virtue anywhere, and so has no virtue. A person of highest virtue acts without action and without intent to act; a person of lower virtue acts and has intent to act. A person of highest humaneness acts but without intent to act; a person of highest righteousness acts and has intent to act. A person of highest ritual propriety acts, but no one responds, and so he rolls up his sleeves and drags people along by force. Hence, when the Way is lost, there is virtue; when virtue is lost, there is humaneness; when humaneness is lost, there is righteousness; when righteousness is lost, there is ritual. Ritual is the thinning of loyalty and trustworthiness, and the beginning of disorder. What is called foresight is only the flower of the Way and the start of folly. Therefore the great person dwells in what is thick and not in what is thin; dwells in what is solid and not in what is showy. So he discards that and chooses this.

昔之得一者，

Those that from of old have attained the One:

天得一以清，地得一以寧，神得一以靈，谷得一以盈，萬物得一以生，侯王得一以為天下貞。其致之，

Heaven attained the One and became clear; earth attained the One and became settled; spirits attained the One and became numinous; valleys attained the One and became full; the myriad things attained the One and grew; lords and kings attained the One and became rulers of the world. Following this through,

天無以清將恐裂，

if heaven could not stay clear, it would split apart;

地無以寧將恐發，神無以靈將恐歇，谷無以盈將恐竭，萬物無以生將恐滅，侯王無以貴高將恐蹶。故貴以賤為本，高以下為基。是以侯王自稱孤﹑寡﹑不穀。此非以賤為本邪？非乎？故致數輿無輿，不欲琭琭如玉，珞珞如石。

if earth could not stay settled, it would give way; if spirits could not stay numinous, they would cease; if valleys could not stay full, they would run dry; if the myriad things could not keep growing, they would perish; if lords and kings could not keep their honor and eminence, they would fall. So the honorable takes the humble as its root, and the high takes the low as its foundation. That is why lords and kings call themselves "the Orphan," "the Lonely One" and "the Unworthy" (humble terms for a ruler). Is this not taking the humble as the root? Is it not? So to seek too much honor is to have no honor; do not wish to glitter like fine jade, but would rather be hard and plain like stone.

反者道之動，

Returning is the movement of the Way;

弱者道之用。

weakness is the function of the Way.

天下萬物生於有，有生於無。

The myriad things under heaven are born from being, and being is born from non-being.

上士聞道，勤而行之；

When a person of the highest capacity hears of the Way, he diligently puts it into practice;

中士聞道，若存若亡；下士聞道，大笑之。不笑不足以為道。故建言有之﹕

when a person of middling capacity hears of the Way, he half believes and half doubts, as if it were there and not there; when a person of the lowest capacity hears of the Way, he laughs loudly at it. If it were not laughed at by such people, it would not be the Way. Therefore the sayings established by the ancients include these:

明道若昧，

The bright Way seems dark;

進道若退，

the advancing Way seems to retreat;

夷道若纇，

the level Way seems rough;

上德若谷，

lofty virtue seems like a low valley;

大白若辱，

the purest white seems soiled;

廣德若不足，

broad virtue seems insufficient;

建德若偷，

firm virtue seems slack;

質真若渝，

plain and true seems muddied and changeable;

大方無隅，

the greatest square has no corners;

大器晚成，

the greatest vessel is the last to be completed;

大音希聲，

the greatest sound is hardly heard;

大象無形，

the greatest image has no form;

道隱無名。夫唯道，善貸且成。

the Way is hidden and has no name. Yet only the Way is good at giving and good at bringing all things to completion.