Chapter 63

為無為，事無事，味無味。

Act by non-action, do things by not stirring up trouble, and savor by finding flavor in the flavorless.

大小多少，報怨以德。

Regard the small as great and the few as many; repay resentment with virtue.

圖難於其易，為大於其細；天下難事必作於易，天下大事必作於細。是以聖人終不為大，故能成其大。夫輕諾必寡信，多易必多難。是以聖人猶難之，

Deal with the difficult while it is still easy, and accomplish the great while it is still small. The difficult things of the world must begin from the easy, and the great things of the world must begin from the small. So the sage never does what he considers great, and so is able to accomplish his greatness. One who promises lightly will seldom keep faith, and one who treats things as too easy will meet with many difficulties. So the sage regards things as difficult,

故終無難矣

and therefore in the end has no difficulties.

其安易持，其未兆易謀。

What is at rest is easy to maintain; what has not yet shown signs is easy to plan for.

其脆易泮，其微易散。

What is brittle is easy to break apart; what is minute is easy to scatter.

為之於未有，

Act before things have happened;

治之於未亂。

set things in order before disorder has arisen.

合抱之木，生於毫末；九層之臺，起於累土；千里之行，始於足下。為者敗之，執者失之。

A tree that takes both arms to embrace grows from a tiny sprout; a tower nine stories high is built from a basket of earth; a journey of a thousand li begins with a single step. One who forces action will fail, and one who clutches will lose.

是以聖人無為故無敗，無執故無失。民之從事，常於幾成而敗之。

Therefore the sage does not act and so does not fail; he does not clutch and so does not lose. In their undertakings, people often fail when they are on the verge of success.

慎終如始，則無敗事。是以聖人慾不欲，不貴難得之貨；

If one remains as careful at the end as at the beginning, there will be no failures. So the sage desires what others do not desire, and does not prize goods that are hard to obtain;

學不學，復眾人之所過。

he learns what others do not learn, and takes the faults of the crowd as a lesson.

以輔萬物之自然，而不敢為。

He does this in order to assist the myriad things in being as they naturally are, and does not dare to force action.

古之善為道者，非以明民，將以愚之。

Those of old who were good at practicing the Way did not use it to make the people clever, but to keep them simple.

民之難治，以其智多。

The people are hard to govern precisely because they have too much cleverness.

故以智治國，國之賊，

So to govern a state with cleverness is a scourge to the state;

不以智治國，國之福。知此兩者亦稽式。常知稽式，是謂玄德。玄德深矣，遠矣，

not to govern a state with cleverness is a blessing to the state. To know these two is to know the rule of governing. To always know this rule is called Mysterious Virtue. Mysterious Virtue is deep and far-reaching,

與物反矣，

and runs contrary to the direction of particular things,

然後乃至大順。

yet by following it one finally arrives at the greatest harmony.

江海所以能為百谷王者，以其善下之，故能為百谷王。是以欲上民，必以言下之。欲先民，必以身後之。是以聖人處上而民不重，處前而民不害。是以天下樂推而不厭，以其不爭，故天下莫能與之爭。

The reason rivers and seas can be kings of the hundred streams and thousand valleys is that they are good at staying low; hence they can be kings of the hundred streams and thousand valleys. Therefore, one who wishes to be above the people must speak humbly to them; one who wishes to lead the people must place himself behind them. So when the sage stands above, the people do not feel burdened, and when he stands in front, the people do not feel harmed. Therefore the whole world gladly supports him and does not tire of him. Precisely because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him.

天下皆謂我道大，似不肖。夫唯大，故似不肖。若肖，久矣其細也夫！

Everyone in the world says my Way is great, so great that it seems like nothing in particular. It is precisely because it is great that it resembles nothing. If it resembled some particular thing, it would long ago have become very small!

我有三寶，持而保之。一曰慈，二曰儉，三曰不敢為天下先。

I have three treasures, which I hold and guard: the first is called compassion, the second is called frugality, and the third is called not daring to be first in the world.

慈故能勇，

Because of compassion, one can be courageous;

儉故能廣，

because of frugality, one can be generous;

不敢為天下先，故能成器長。

because of not daring to be first in the world, one can become the chief of all vessels.

今舍慈且勇，

People today give up compassion and are merely bold,

舍儉且廣，舍後且先，死矣！

give up frugality and only seek breadth, give up holding back and only strive to be first; this is a path to death!

夫慈以戰則勝，

With compassion in battle, one wins;

以守則固。天將救之，以慈衛之。

with compassion in defense, one is secure. When Heaven is to save someone, it protects him with compassion.

善為士者不武，

One who is good as a commander does not show martial prowess;

善戰者不怒，

one who is good at fighting does not get angry easily;

善勝敵者不與，

one who is good at conquering enemies does not meet them head-on;

善用人者為之下，是謂不爭之德，是謂用人之力，

one who is good at employing people humbles himself before them. This is called the virtue of non-contention, this is called making good use of others' strength,

是謂配天古之極。

this is called accord with Heaven's Way and with the highest rule of antiquity.

用兵有言﹕「吾不敢為主而為客，不敢進寸而退尺。」是謂行無行，

There is a saying among those who use arms: "I dare not take the initiative to start a war but would rather stay on the defensive; I dare not advance an inch but would rather retreat a foot." This is called having ranks yet seeming to have no ranks to array,

攘無臂，扔無敵，

wishing to raise an arm yet seeming to have no arm to raise, wishing to face the enemy yet seeming to have no enemy to confront,

執無兵。

wishing to hold weapons yet seeming to have no weapons to hold.

禍莫大於輕敵，輕敵幾喪吾寶。

There is no calamity greater than underestimating the enemy; to underestimate the enemy is almost to lose my three treasures.

故抗兵相加，哀者勝矣。

So when two armies of equal strength meet in battle, the side that holds grief in its heart will win.

吾言甚易知，甚易行。天下莫能知，莫能行。

My words are very easy to understand and very easy to practice; yet no one in the world can understand them, and no one can practice them.

言有宗，事有君。

Words have their principle, and deeds have their basis.

夫唯無知，是以不我知。

It is precisely because people do not understand this that they do not understand me.

知我者希，則我者貴。

The fewer who understand me, the more precious are those who follow me.

是以聖人被褐懷玉。

So the sage wears coarse cloth on his body but carries fine jade in his bosom.