Yuan Dao Xun (Originating in the Way)

夫道者，覆天載地，廓四方，柝八極，高不可際，深不可測，包裹天地，稟授無形。原流泉浡，沖而徐盈，混混滑滑，濁而徐清。故植之而塞於天地，橫之而彌於四海，施之無窮而無所朝夕。舒之幎於六合，卷之不盈於一握。約而能張，幽而能明，弱而能強，柔而能剛。橫四維而含陰陽，紘宇宙而章三光。甚淖而滒，甚纖而微。山以之高，淵以之深，獸以之走，鳥以之飛，日月以之明，星歷以之行，麟以之遊，鳳以之翔。

The Dao (Laozi uses this word for the origin of all things and the way they operate, which itself cannot be named) covers Heaven and bears the Earth, opens out the four quarters and divides the eight extremes; it is so high that it has no top and so deep that it cannot be fathomed. It wraps Heaven and Earth and bestows the formless on all things. It is like a spring that wells up, empty yet gradually filling, flowing and gushing, muddy yet gradually becoming clear. So set upright, it fills Heaven and Earth; laid across, it spreads over the four seas; applied without end, it has no pause from morning to evening. Unfolded, it covers the six directions; rolled up, it does not fill a handful. Bound, it can open out; dark, it can be bright; weak, it can be strong; soft, it can be firm. It spans the four corners and contains yin and yang, it holds the cosmos together and makes the three lights of sun, moon, and stars shine. It is moist and sticky, and also extremely fine and subtle. Mountains are high because of it, abysses are deep because of it, beasts run because of it, birds fly because of it, the sun and moon shine because of it, the stars and calendar move because of it, the qilin roams because of it, and the phoenix soars because of it.

泰古二皇，得道之柄，立於中央，神與化遊，以撫四方。是故能天運地滯，輪轉而無廢，水流而不止，與萬物終始。風興雲蒸，事無不應；雷聲雨降，並應無窮。鬼出電入，龍興鸞集；鈞旋轂轉，周而復匝。已彫已琢，還反於樸。無為為之而合於道，無為言之而通乎德，恬愉無矜而得於和，有萬不同而便於性，神託於秋豪之末，而大宇宙之總。其德優天地而和陰陽，節四時而調五行。呴諭覆育，萬物群生，潤於草木，浸於金石，禽獸碩大，豪毛潤澤，羽翼奮也，角觡生也，獸胎不贕，鳥卵不毈，父無喪子之憂，兄無哭弟之哀，童子不孤，婦人不孀，虹蜺不出，賊星不行，含德之所致也。

The two ancient sovereigns obtained the pivot of the Dao and stood at the center, and their spirits roamed together with the process of creation to pacify the four quarters. So they could make Heaven move and Earth settle, turning like a wheel that never stops and flowing like water that never ceases, ending and beginning together with the ten thousand things. When the wind rises and clouds steam, there is nothing that does not respond; when thunder sounds and rain falls, all answer in unison without end. They appear like spirits and enter like lightning; dragons rise and phoenixes gather; like the potter's wheel turning and the cart hub revolving, round after round. Already carved and already polished, they return to the uncarved block (the raw, unworked wood, a figure for the original state untouched by human carving). Doing things through non-action (not forcing one's will on things but letting them run according to their own nature, which does not mean doing nothing at all) accords with the Dao; speaking through non-action reaches de (the efficacy that the Dao shows in particular things, not virtue in the moral sense). With calm and joy and no self-regard one attains harmony; the ten thousand things differ from one another yet each is suited to its own nature; the spirit lodges in the tip of an autumn hair yet is as great as the whole of the cosmos. His virtue surpasses Heaven and Earth, harmonizes yin and yang, regulates the four seasons, and arranges the five phases. Warmth covers and nurtures, and the myriad things are born together; moisture reaches grasses and trees and soaks into metal and stone; birds and beasts grow large, their fine hair glossy, their wings rise, their antlers and horns grow; animal embryos do not die young and bird eggs do not crack and spoil; fathers have no grief over lost sons, elder brothers have no mourning for younger brothers, children are not orphaned and women are not widowed, rainbows do not appear and ominous stars do not move; all this is brought about by containing virtue.

夫太上之道，生萬物而不有，成化像而弗宰。跂行喙息，蠉飛蝡動，待而後生，莫之知德；待之後死，莫之能怨。得以利者不能譽，用而敗者不能非。收聚畜積而不加富，佈施稟授而不益貧。旋縣而不可究，纖微而不可勤。累之而不高，墮之而不下，益之而不眾，損之而不寡，斲之而不薄，殺之而不殘，鑿之而不深，填之而不淺。忽兮怳兮，不可為象兮；怳兮忽兮，用不屈兮；幽兮冥兮，應無形兮；遂兮洞兮，不虛動兮。與剛柔卷舒兮，與陰陽俛仰兮。昔者馮夷、大丙之御也，乘雲車，入雲蜺，遊微霧，騖怳忽，歷遠彌高以極往，經霜雪而無跡，照日光而無景，扶搖抮抱羊角而上，經紀山川，蹈騰昆侖，排閶闔，淪天門。末世之御，雖有輕車良馬，勁策利鍛，不能與之爭先。是故大丈夫恬然無思，澹然無慮；以天為蓋，以地為輿；四時為馬，陰陽為御；乘雲陵霄，與造化者俱。縱志舒節，以馳大區。可以步而步可以驟而驟。令雨師灑道，使風伯埽塵。電以為鞭策，雷以為車輪。上游於霄雿之野，下出於無垠之門。劉覽偏照，復守以全。經營四隅，還反於樞。故以天為蓋，則無不覆也；以地為輿，則無不載也；四時為馬，則無不使也；陰陽為御，則無不備也。是故疾而不搖，遠而不勞，四支不動，聰明不損，而知八紘九野之形埒者，何也？執道要之柄，而遊於無窮之地。是故天下之事，不可為也，因其自然而推之。萬物之變，不可究也，秉其要歸之趣。

The supreme Dao gives birth to the ten thousand things but does not claim them as its own, and completes their forms but does not rule over them. Those that walk on feet and breathe through mouths, those that fly and those that crawl, wait for it and are then born, and none knows to be grateful; wait for it and then die, and none can resent it. Those who gain benefit cannot praise it, and those who fail by using it cannot blame it. Gathering and storing does not make it richer, and bestowing and giving does not make it poorer. It winds around and hangs far away and cannot be exhausted, and is so fine that it cannot be counted. Heap it up and it is no higher; knock it down and it is no lower; add to it and it is no more; subtract from it and it is no less; cut it and it is no thinner; kill it and it is no more cruel; dig it out and it is no deeper; fill it in and it is no shallower. Vague indeed, it cannot be made into an image; indistinct indeed, its function never runs dry; dim and dark indeed, it responds without form; deeply penetrating indeed, it moves without emptiness. It unrolls and rolls up together with the hard and the soft, and bows and rises together with yin and yang. In the past Feng Yi and Da Bing drove a cart, riding a cloud carriage, entering the clouds and rainbows, roaming in fine mist, galloping in the indistinct, passing through the high and distant and going on to the very end, passing through frost and snow without a trace, standing in sunlight without a shadow, riding the whirlwind and coiling up like a ram's horn wind, managing mountains and rivers, treading across the Kunlun, pushing open the Gate of Heaven, Changhe, and sinking into the Gate of Heaven. The charioteers of later ages, even with light carriages and fine horses, hard whips and sharp goads, could not compete with them for first place. So the great man is calm and without reflection, tranquil and without planning; he takes Heaven as his carriage canopy and Earth as his carriage bed; takes the four seasons as his horses and yin and yang as his drivers; rides the clouds and soars over the cloud heights, keeping company with the one who creates and transforms. He releases his mind and slows the pace to gallop over the vast regions. If he can walk slowly he walks slowly, if he can gallop he gallops. He has the Rain Master sprinkle the road and the Wind Count sweep the dust; takes lightning as his whip and thunder as his wheels; above he roams the lofty, distant, empty wilds, and below he goes out through the gate without bounds. He surveys everything in view and then keeps hold of the whole; he manages the four quarters and returns to the pivot. So taking Heaven as the canopy, there is nothing it does not cover; taking Earth as the carriage bed, there is nothing it does not bear; taking the four seasons as horses, there is nothing they cannot be sent to; taking yin and yang as drivers, there is nothing they do not provide. So he is fast without shaking, far without weariness; his four limbs do not move and his hearing and sight are not harmed, yet he can know the forms and boundaries of the eight corners and nine fields. Why? Because he holds the pivot of the Dao and roams in the land without limit. So the affairs of the world cannot be forced; one must seek them by following what is self-so (what is so of itself, so by its own nature, not 'Nature' as the natural world). The changes of the ten thousand things cannot be exhausted; one must grasp the essential point to which they all return.

夫鏡水之與形接也，不設智故，而方圓曲直弗能逃也。是故響不肆應，而景不一設，叫呼彷彿，默然自得。人生而靜，天之性也。感而後動，性之害也。物至而能神應，知之動也。知與物接，而好憎生焉。憎成形，而知誘於外，不能反己，而天理滅矣。故達於道者，不以人易天，外與物化，而內不失其情。至無而供其求，時聘而要其宿。小大修短，各有其具，萬物之至，騰踴餚亂而不失其數。是以處上而民弗重，居前而眾弗害，天下歸之，姦邪畏之。以其無爭於萬物也，故莫敢與之爭。

A mirror and water meet the shapes of things without setting up any cleverness, yet square and round, crooked and straight cannot escape them. So an echo does not answer in a reckless way, a shadow does not prepare each form in advance, a call is merely like a sound, and the thing is obtained in its own silence. A person is born still, which is the nature given by Heaven. To move after being stirred is the harm done to the nature. To respond with the spirit when outside things arrive is the stirring of knowing. When knowing meets things, likes and dislikes are born. Once dislike takes shape, knowing is lured away by the outside, cannot return to itself, and the heavenly principle is extinguished. So one who has reached the Way does not use human effort to alter Heaven; outwardly he changes together with things, but inwardly he does not lose his own feelings. Empty to the utmost, he can supply what is sought; galloping with the times, he can hold to his destination. Small or large, long or short, each has its allotment; when the ten thousand things arrive, leaping and jumbled, he does not lose his fixed measure. So placed above, the hundred clans do not feel him heavy; walking in front, the crowd is not obstructed; the world turns toward him and the wicked fear him. Because he does not compete with the ten thousand things, no one dares compete with him.

夫臨江而釣，曠日而不能盈羅，雖有鉤箴芒距，微綸芳餌，加之以詹何、娟嬛之數，猶不能與網罟爭得也。射者扞烏號之弓，彎棋衛之箭，重之羿、逢蒙子之巧，以要飛鳥，猶不能與羅者競多。何則？以所持之小也。張天下以為之籠，因江海以為之罟，又何亡魚失鳥之有乎！故矢不若繳，繳不若無形之像。

Going to the river to fish, one cannot fill even a basket in a whole day; even with hooks, needles, barbs, fine lines, and fragrant bait, and adding the skills of Zhan He and Juan Huan, one still cannot compete with a net for what is caught. An archer draws the Wuhao bow, bends the Qiwei arrow, and adds the skill of Yi and Pang Meng's disciple to intercept flying birds, yet still cannot compete in quantity with someone who sets up a net. Why? Because what is held in the hand is too small. Spread out the world as a cage and make the rivers and seas into a net, and where could a fish or bird escape! So an arrow is not as good as a cord attached to a line, and the cord is not as good as taking the image of the formless.

夫釋大道而任小數，無以異於使蟹捕鼠，蟾蠩捕蚤，不足以禁姦塞邪，亂乃逾滋。昔者夏鯀作三仞之城，諸侯背之，海外有狡心。禹知天下之叛也，乃壞城平池，散財物，焚甲兵，施之以德，海外賓伏，四夷納職，合諸侯於塗山，執玉帛者萬國。故機械之心藏於胸中，則純白不粹，神德不全，在身者不知，何遠之所能懷！是故革堅則兵利，城成則沖生，若以湯沃沸，亂乃逾甚。是故鞭噬狗，策蹄馬，而欲教之，雖伊尹、造父弗能化。欲寅之心亡於中，則飢虎可尾，何況狗馬之類乎！故體道者逸而不窮，任數者勞而無功。

To discard the great Way and employ petty skills is no different from sending a crab to catch rats or a toad to catch fleas; it is not enough to prohibit treachery and block wickedness, and disorder will only grow. In the past Gun of Xia built a city wall three ren high, and the lords rebelled against him, and beyond the seas they harbored deceitful hearts. Yu knew the world would rebel, so he tore down the wall and filled the moat, scattered goods, burned armor and weapons, and applied virtue; beyond the seas they submitted, the four barbarians paid tribute, and at Mount Tu he assembled the lords, with ten thousand states coming with jade and silk. So when a heart of cunning is hidden in the chest, pure white is no longer pure, divine virtue is incomplete, and what lies in one's own person is not even known; how far could one then win over others! So when armor is firm, weapons become sharper; when city walls are built, siege carts appear; it is like pouring hot water onto boiling water, and disorder only becomes worse. So to whip a biting dog or goad a kicking horse and then try to train them, even Yi Yin and Zao Fu could not transform them. Once the mind of wanting to harm (the base text has a character here that older editors mostly took as meaning 'harm') is gone from within, even a hungry tiger can be followed, how much more dogs and horses! So one who embodies the Way is at ease and does not run dry; one who employs petty numbers toils and has no merit.

夫峭法刻誅者，非霸王之業也；箠策繁用者，非致遠之術也。離朱之明，察箴末於百步之外，不能見淵中之魚。師曠之聰，合八風之調，而不能聽十里之外。故任一人之能，不足以治三畝之宅也。脩道理之數，因天地之自然，則六合不足均也。是故禹之決瀆也，因水以為師；神農之播穀也，因苗以為教。

Harsh laws and cruel punishments are not the work of a hegemon or king; frequent use of the whip is not the way to go far. Li Zhu's eyes were keen enough to see the tip of a needle at a hundred paces, yet he could not see fish in a deep pool. Shi Kuang's ears were sharp enough to combine the tunes of the eight winds, yet he could not hear beyond ten li. So to rely on a single person's talent is not enough to govern a house of three mu. If one cultivates the constant measures of the Way and follows the self-so of Heaven and Earth, then even the six directions are not enough to level out. So Yu opened and dredged the rivers and took the water itself as his teacher; Shennong sowed the hundred grains and took the seedlings themselves as his teaching material.

夫萍樹根於水，木樹根於土，鳥排虛而飛，獸蹠實而走，蛟龍水居，虎豹山處，天地之性也。兩木相摩而然，金火相守而流，員者常轉，窾者主浮，自然之勢也。是故春風至則甘雨降，生育萬物，羽者嫗伏，毛者孕育，草木榮華，鳥獸卵胎，莫見其為者，而功既成矣。秋風下霜，倒生挫傷，鷹鵰搏鷙，昆蟲蟄藏，草木註根，魚鱉湊淵，莫見其為者，滅而無形。木處榛巢，水居窟穴，禽獸有芄，人民有室，陸處宜牛馬，舟行宜多水，匈奴出穢裘，於越生葛絺，各生所急以備燥溼，各因所處以禦寒暑，並得其宜，物便其所。由此觀之，萬物固以自然，聖人又何事焉！九疑之南，陸事寡而水事眾，於是民人被髮文身，以像鱗蟲，短綣不恊，以便涉遊，短袂攘卷，以便刺舟，因之也。鴈門之北，狄不穀食，賤長貴壯，俗尚氣力，人不弛弓，馬不解勒，便之也。故禹之裸國，解衣而入，衣帶而出，因之也。今夫徙樹者，失其陰陽之性，則莫不枯槁。故橘樹之江北則化而為枳，鴝鵒不過濟，貈渡汶而死，形性不可易，勢居不可移也。是故達於道者，反於清淨；究於物者，終於無為。以恬養性，以漠處神，則入於天門。所謂天者，純粹樸素，質直皓白，未始有與雜糅者也。所謂人者，偶䁟智故，曲巧偽詐，所以俛仰於世人而與俗交者也。故牛岐蹄而戴角，馬被髦而全足者，天也。絡馬之口，穿牛之鼻者，人也。循天者，與道遊者也。隨人者，與俗交者也。

Duckweed roots in water, trees root in earth, birds part the void to fly, beasts tread solid ground to run, flood dragons live in water, tigers and leopards live in mountains; this is the nature of Heaven and Earth. Two pieces of wood rubbed together catch fire, metal and fire together melt and flow, the round often turns, the hollow tends to float; this is the tendency of self-so. So when the spring wind arrives, sweet rain falls and gives birth to the ten thousand things; those with feathers brood, those with fur bear young, grasses and trees flourish, birds and beasts lay eggs and bear embryos, and no one sees the one who does it, yet the work is done. When the autumn wind brings frost, upside-down growing plants are damaged, hawks and eagles strike, insects hibernate, plants pour their nourishment back into roots, fish and turtles head for the deep pools, and no one sees the one who does it, and what is destroyed has no form. Those who dwell in trees use nests of hazel branches, those who dwell in water use burrows, birds and beasts have grass bedding, and people have houses; on land oxen and horses suit, traveling by boat suits places with much water; the Xiongnu produce coarse furs and the Yue produce kudzu fabric, each producing what is urgently needed to guard against dryness and damp, each adapting to where it dwells to resist cold and heat, all getting what suits them, each thing at ease in its place. From this we see that the ten thousand things naturally rely on self-so; why should the sage do anything more! South of Mount Jiuyi, there is little to do on land and much on water, so the people wear their hair loose and tattoo their bodies to imitate scaly creatures, wear short clothes without trousers to wade and swim easily, and roll up their short sleeves to pole boats; this is following the local conditions. North of Yanmen, the Di people do not eat grain, make light of the old and value the strong, their custom honors strength, and people do not slacken their bows nor horses unbridle; this suits the local conditions. So when Yu arrived in the Land of the Naked, he took off his clothes to enter and put on his sash to leave, which is also following. Now one who transplants trees, if he loses their yin and yang nature, will find that none fail to wither. So a tangerine tree planted north of the Yangtze turns into a trifoliate orange, the mynah cannot fly across the Ji River, a badger dies when it crosses the Wen River; forms and natures cannot be altered, and the conditions where they live cannot be shifted. So one who has reached the Way returns to clarity and stillness; one who has exhausted things returns to non-action. By using calm to nurture the nature and tranquil quietude to settle the spirit, one enters the Gate of Heaven. What is called Heaven is pure and plain, straight and white, never mixed with admixtures. What is called the human is the uneven clever skill, crooked cunning and deceit, used to bow and rise before the world and mingle with the vulgar. So an ox with split hooves and horns on its head, a horse with a mane and whole hooves, is Heaven. Halters on a horse's mouth and a ring through an ox's nose are the human. One who follows Heaven roams together with the Dao. One who follows what is human mingles with the vulgar.

夫井魚不可與語大，拘於隘也；夏蟲不可與語寒，篤於時也；曲士不可與語至道，拘於俗，束於教也。故聖人不以人滑天，不以欲亂情，不謀而當，不言而信，不慮而得，不為而成，精通於靈府，與造化者為人。

A fish in a well cannot be told of the vastness, because it is confined by narrowness; a summer insect cannot be told of cold, because it is limited by its season; a scholar of the village cannot be told of the supreme Dao, because he is bound by vulgar custom and tied up by doctrines. So the sage does not use human effort to disturb Heaven, does not use desires to disturb his feelings; without planning he is fitting, without speaking he is trusted, without deliberating he gains, without acting he succeeds; his vital breath reaches the spirit's dwelling and keeps company with the one who creates and transforms.

夫善遊者溺，善騎者墮，各以其所好，反自為禍。是故好事者未嘗不中，爭利者未嘗不窮也。昔共工之力，觸不周之山，使地東南傾。與高辛爭為帝，遂潛於淵，宗族殘滅，繼嗣絕祀。越王翳逃山穴，越人燻而出之，遂不得已。由此觀之，得在時，不在爭；治在道，不在聖。土處下，不爭高，故安而不危；水下流，不爭先，故疾而不遲。昔舜耕於歷山，期年，而田者爭處墝埆，以封壤肥饒相讓；釣於河濱，期年，而漁者爭處湍瀨，以曲隈深潭相予。當此之時，口不設言，手不指麾，執玄德於心，而化馳若神。使舜無其志，雖口辯而戶說之，不能化一人。是故不道之道，莽乎大哉！夫能理三苗，朝羽民，徙裸國，納肅慎；未發號施令而移風易俗者，其唯心行者乎！法度刑罰，何足以致之也？是故聖人內修其本，而不外飾其末，保其精神，偃其智故，漠然無為而無不為也，澹然無治也而無不治也。所謂無為者，不先物為也；所謂無不為者，因物之所為。所謂無治者，不易自然也；所謂無不治者，因物之相然也。

Those who are good at swimming often drown, those who are good at riding often fall, each making disaster for himself because of what he likes. So of those who like to stir up affairs, none is without injury; of those who contend for profit, none is without exhaustion. In the past Gong Gong butted Mount Buzhou with force, making the earth tilt toward the southeast. He contended with Gaoxin to be emperor and sank into the deep pool, his clan was destroyed and his heirs' sacrifices were cut off. King Yi of Yue fled into a mountain cave, and the people of Yue smoked him out with smoke, and so he was made king because there was no alternative. From this we see that gain lies in timing, not in contention; order lies in the Way, not in sageliness. Earth lies below and does not compete to be high, so it is safe and not in peril; water flows down and does not compete to go first, so it is swift and not slow. In the past Shun farmed at Mount Li, and after a full year, the farmers vied to take the barren land and yielded the rich fertile land to others; he fished on the river bank, and after a full year, the fishermen vied to take the rapids and yielded the curved banks and deep pools to others. At that time his mouth set up no speeches and his hands gave no commands, he held mysterious virtue in his heart, and his teaching spread like a spirit. If Shun had not had that aim, then even with a skilled tongue going door to door, he could not have transformed a single person. So that Way which cannot be spoken, how vast and boundless it is! To be able to govern the Three Miao, make the feathered people come to court, move the Land of the Naked, and take in the Sushen, to change customs without yet issuing orders, is probably only possible for one who practices with the heart! How could laws and punishments be enough to bring this about? So the sage cultivates his own root within and does not decorate the branches outside, preserves the spirit and stops cunning, being quiet and doing nothing yet nothing is left undone, being tranquil and governing nothing yet nothing is left ungoverned. What is called non-action is not rushing ahead of things to do; what is called leaving nothing undone is following what things do of themselves. What is called non-governing is not altering what is self-so; what is called leaving nothing ungoverned is following how things suit one another.

萬物有所生，而獨知守其根；百事有所出，而獨知守其門。故窮無窮，極無極，照物而不眩，響應而不乏，此之謂天解。故得道者志弱而事強，心虛而應當。所謂志弱而事強者，柔毳安靜，藏於不敢，行於不能，恬然無慮，動不失時，與萬物回周旋轉，不為先唱，感而應之。是故貴者必以賤為號，而高者必以下為基。託小以包大，在中以制外，行柔而剛，用弱而強，轉化推移，得一之道，而以少正多。所謂其事強者，遭變應卒，排患扞難，力無不勝，敵無不凌，應化揆時，莫能害之。是故欲剛者必以柔守之，欲強者必以弱保之。積於柔則剛，積於弱則強，觀其所積，以知禍福之鄉。強勝不若己者，至於若己者而同；柔勝出於己者，其力不可量。故兵強則滅，木強則折，革固則裂，齒堅於舌而先之敝。是故柔弱者，生之榦也；而堅強者，死之徒也。先唱者，窮之路也；後動者，達之原也。何以知其然也？凡人中壽七十歲，然而趨舍指湊，日以月悔也，以至於死，故蘧伯玉年五十而有四十九年非。何者？先者難為知，而後者易為攻也。先者上高，則後者攀之；先者踰下，則後者蹶之；先者隤陷，則後者以謀；先者敗績，則後者違之。由此觀之，先者，則後者之弓矢質的也。猶錞之與刃，刃犯難而錞無患者，何也？以其託於後位也。此俗世庸民之所公見也，而賢知者弗能避也。所謂後者，非謂其底滯而不發，凝結而不流，貴其周於數而合於時也。

The ten thousand things each have a source from which they are born, but only one who has attained the Way knows to keep to the root; the hundred affairs each have a door they come out of, but only he knows to keep to the door. So he can exhaust the inexhaustible and reach the limitless, illuminating things without dazzlement and responding without running short; this is called Heaven's release. So the one who has attained the Way has a weak will and a strong undertaking, an empty heart and fitting response. What is meant by a weak will and strong undertaking is: soft as down and quiet, hidden in not daring, acting within not being able, calm and without plans, moving without losing the moment, turning and circling together with the ten thousand things, not rushing to lead but responding only when moved. So the honored must use the humble as title, and the lofty must use the low as a base. He lodges in the small to enclose the great, stays in the middle to restrain the outside, acts softly yet can be firm, uses weakness yet can be strong, turns and shifts, obtains this Way of the One, and uses the few to set the many right. What is meant by his undertaking being strong is that when meeting change and responding to the sudden, he removes hardship and calamity; there is no force he cannot overcome and no enemy he cannot rise above; responding to change and weighing the moment, nothing can harm him. So one who wants to be firm must keep it through softness, and one who wants to be strong must preserve it through weakness. Accumulate on softness and it becomes firm; accumulate on weakness and it becomes strong; look at what is accumulated and you can know the direction of fortune and misfortune. The strong can only overcome those not as strong as himself, and when meeting one equal to himself he is leveled; the soft can overcome those who surpass him, and his power cannot be measured. So a strong army will perish, strong wood will break, hard leather will crack, and teeth, harder than the tongue, wear out first. So softness and weakness are the trunk of life, and hardness and strength are of the category of death. To lead first is the road to exhaustion; to move afterward is the source of success. How do we know this? An ordinary person lives to seventy, yet in his choices and conduct he regrets every day by the month right up to death; so Qu Boyu at fifty had forty-nine years of mistakes. Why? What walks in front is hard to foresee, and what follows behind is easy to attack. When the one in front climbs high, the one behind clings to him; when the one in front jumps down, the one behind treads on him; when the one in front collapses, the one behind uses a plan; when the one in front is defeated, the one behind avoids it. From this we see that the one in front is the bow, arrow, and target for the ones behind. It is like a spear's shaft and blade: the blade goes into danger and hardship while the shaft has no calamity, because it lodges at the rear. This is something even vulgar common people can see, yet the worthy and wise cannot avoid. What is called behind does not mean stagnating without issuing or congealing without flowing; what is valuable is to be thorough in method and match the moment.

夫執道理以耦變，先亦制後，後亦制先。是何則？不失其所以制人，人不能制也。時之反側，間不容息，先之則太過，後之則不逮。夫日回而月周，時不與人遊，故聖人不貴尺之璧，而重寸之陰，時難得而易失也。禹之趨時也，履遺而弗取，冠掛而弗顧，非爭其先也，而爭其得時也。是故聖人守清道而抱雌節，因循應變，常後而不先。柔弱以靜，舒安以定，攻大䃺堅，莫能與之爭。

Holding to the principle to match change, the first can restrain the later and the later can restrain the first. Why? If one does not lose that by which one restrains others, others cannot restrain him. In the turning of time, the gap cannot hold even a single breath; to rush ahead is excessive, to lag behind is not to catch up. The sun turns and the moon circles, and time does not roam together with people; so the sage does not value a jade disc a foot across but values an inch of time, for time is hard to get and easy to lose. When Yu hurried for time, he did not pick up a shoe that fell off, and did not turn back when his cap caught on something; it was not to contend to be first but to catch the right time. So the sage keeps the clear Way and embraces the female measure, following and responding to change, always staying behind and not rushing first. With softness and weakness he seeks stillness, with ease and peace he seeks stability, attacking the great and grinding the hard, no one can contend with him.

天下之物，莫柔弱於水，然而大不可極，深不可測，修極於無窮，遠淪於無涯，息耗減益，通於不訾，上天則為雨露，下地則為潤澤，萬物弗得不生，百事不得不成，大包群生而無好憎，澤及蚑蟯而不求報，富贍天下而不既，德施百姓而不費，行而不可得窮極也，微而不可得把握也，擊之無創，刺之不傷，斬之不斷，焚之不然，淖溺流遁，錯繆相紛而不可靡散，利貫金石，強濟天下，動溶無形之域，而翱翔忽區之上，邅回川穀之間，而滔騰大荒之野，有餘不足，與天地取與，授萬物而無所前後，是故無所私而無所公，靡濫振蕩，與天地鴻洞，無所左而無所右，蟠委錯紾，與萬物始終，是謂至德。夫水所以能成其至德於天下者，以其淖溺潤滑也。故老聃之言曰：「天下至柔，馳騁天下之至堅。出於無有，入於無間。吾是以知無為之有益。」夫無形者，物之大祖也；無音者，聲之大宗也。其子為光，其孫為水，皆生於無形乎！夫光可見而不可握，水可循而不可毀，故有像之類，莫尊於水。

Of all things under heaven, none is softer or weaker than water, yet it is so vast it has no end, so deep it cannot be fathomed, so long it is endless, sinking so far it has no shore; it waxes, wanes, increases and decreases, penetrating beyond measure. Rising to heaven it becomes rain and dew, descending to earth it becomes moisture; without it the myriad things cannot live and the hundred affairs cannot be accomplished. It embraces all that lives without liking or disliking, and its grace reaches even the tiniest creatures without asking for return; it enriches and supports the world without being exhausted, its virtue is bestowed on the people without being spent. It travels without end yet cannot be grasped for all its fineness; strike it and it bears no wound, stab it and it is not hurt, cut it and it is not severed, burn it and it does not ignite; it is soft and flows away, tangled and mixed, yet cannot be dispersed. Its sharpness can pierce metal and stone, its strength can aid the world; it moves in the realm without form, soars above the region of the indistinct, lingers among ravines and valleys, and surges over the great wilds; in surplus and in lack it takes and gives together with heaven and earth, bestowing on the myriad things without before or after. So it has neither private nor public, vast and rolling, communicating with heaven and earth; it has neither left nor right, coiling and interlacing, sharing beginning and end with the myriad things. This is called supreme virtue. The reason water can fulfill its supreme virtue in the world is that it is soft and smooth. So Lao Dan's words say: "The softest thing in the world gallops over the hardest thing in the world. It comes out of what has nothing and enters where there is no gap. From this I know the benefit of non-action." The formless is the great ancestor of things; the soundless is the great source of sounds. Its child is light and its grandchild is water; do they not all come from the formless! Light can be seen but not grasped, and water can be stroked along its flow but cannot be destroyed; so among things that have form, none is more honored than water.

出生入死，自無蹠有，自有蹠無，而以衰賤矣。是故清靜者，德之至也；而柔弱者，道之要也；虛無恬愉者，萬物之用也。肅然應感，殷然反本，則淪於無形矣。所謂無形者，一之謂也。所謂一者，無匹合於天下者也。卓然獨立，塊然獨處，上通九天，下貫九野，員不中規，方不中矩，大渾而為一葉，累而無根，懷囊天地，為道關門，穆忞隱閔，純德獨存，佈施而不既，用之而不勤。是故視之不見其形，聽之不聞其聲，循之不得其身，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。是故有生於無，實出於虛，天下為之圈，則名實同居。音之數不過五，而五音之變不可勝聽也。味之和不過五，而五味之化不可勝嘗也。色之數不過五，而五色之變不可勝觀也。故音者，宮立而五音形矣；味者，甘立而五味亭矣；色者，白立而五色成矣；道者，一立而萬物生矣。是故一之理，施四海；一之解，際天地。其全也，純兮若樸；其散也，混兮若濁。濁而徐清，沖而徐盈，澹兮其若深淵，汎兮其若浮云，若無而有，若亡而存。萬物之總，皆閱一孔；百事之根，皆出一門。其動無形，變化若神；其行無跡，常後而先。是故至人之治也，掩其聰明，滅其文章，依道廢智，與民同出於公。約其所守，寡其所求，去其誘慕，除其嗜慾，損其思慮。約其所守則察，寡其所求則得。夫任耳目以聽視者，勞形而不明；以知慮為治者，苦心而無功。是故聖人一度循軌，不變其宜，不易其常，放準修繩，曲因其當。

To come out of life and go into death, to go from nothing toward something and from something toward nothing, is to decline and be debased by this. So clarity and stillness are the utmost of virtue, softness and weakness are the pivot of the Way, and emptiness, quietness, and ease are the use of the myriad things. To respond solemnly to what stirs and return richly to the root is to sink into formlessness. What is called formless is the One. What is called the One has no match in the world. It stands alone, towering, and dwells alone, massive; above it reaches the nine heavens, below it threads the nine fields; it is round yet does not fit the compass and square yet does not fit the set square; it is great, muddy, and one (the received text reads 'one leaf' here), piled up yet without root, embracing and enclosing heaven and earth, serving as the gate of the Way; hushed and hidden, pure virtue exists alone, spreading without being exhausted and used without toil. So when you look at it you cannot see its form, when you listen you cannot hear its sound, when you touch it you cannot reach its body; though formless, form is born from it; though soundless, the five tones sound from it; though flavorless, the five flavors are manifest from it; though colorless, the five colors are completed from it. So being is born of non-being and the solid comes from the empty; the world forms one circle, and name and reality dwell together. The number of tones is no more than five, yet the variations of the five tones cannot be heard to the end. The harmony of tastes is no more than five, yet the variations of the five tastes cannot be tasted to the end. The number of colors is no more than five, yet the variations of the five colors cannot be seen to the end. So of tones, once the gong note is set, the five tones take form; of tastes, once sweetness is set, the five flavors are balanced; of colors, once white is set, the five colors are completed; of the Way, once the One is set, the myriad things are born. Therefore the principle of the One spreads to the four seas, and the unraveling of the One touches heaven and earth. When it is whole it is pure like uncarved wood; when it is dispersed it is muddled like turbid water. Turbid, yet gradually clearing; empty, yet gradually filling; thin like a deep pool, drifting like floating clouds, like nothing yet existing, like lost yet preserved. The meeting place of the myriad things all passes through a single opening; the root of the hundred affairs all comes out of a single door. Its movement has no form and its transformation is like a spirit; its going leaves no trace, always behind yet ahead. So the governance of the perfect person covers up cleverness and extinguishes ornament, relies on the Way and discards wisdom, and with the people goes forth together in the public good. He restrains what he guards, reduces what he seeks, removes allurements, eliminates cravings, and diminishes anxious thought. Restraining what he guards lets him see clearly, and reducing what he seeks lets him attain. One who employs his ears and eyes to hear and see wearies his form and does not become clear; one who governs with wisdom and thought toils in mind and has no achievement. So the sage unifies the standards and follows the tracks, does not change what is fitting or alter the constant Way, setting up the level and trimming the ink line, following in bends what is appropriate.

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，性之累也。人大怒破陰，大喜墜陽；薄氣發瘖，驚怖為狂；憂悲多恚，病乃成積；好憎繁多，禍乃相隨。故心不憂樂，德之至也；通而不變，靜之至也；嗜慾不載，虛之至也；無所好憎，平之至也；不與物散，粹之至也。能此五者，則通於神明。通於神明者，得其內者也。是故以中制外，百事不廢；中能得之，則外能收之。中之得，則五藏寧，思慮平，筋力勁強，耳目聰明，疏達而不悖，堅強而不鞼，無所大過而無所不逮，處小而不逼，處大而不窕，其魂不躁，其神不嬈，湫漻寂寞，為天下梟。

Joy and anger are a deviation of the Way; grief and sorrow are a fault of virtue; liking and disliking are a mistake of the mind; cravings and desires are a burden on nature. When a person is greatly angered he breaks yin, and when greatly pleased he drops yang; if thin qi is stirred he loses his voice, if frightened he goes mad; with much sorrow and anger illness accumulates; with much liking and disliking disaster follows. So that the mind is neither grieving nor happy is the utmost of virtue; to be accomplished without wild change is the utmost of stillness; for cravings not to be loaded in is the utmost of emptiness; to have no liking or disliking is the utmost of evenness; not to be scattered along with things is the utmost of purity. One who can achieve these five penetrates the spirit-light. One who penetrates the spirit-light is one who has gained the inner. So by using the inner to regulate the outer, the hundred affairs are not neglected; when the inner can be gained, the outer can be gathered in. When there is a gain within, the five organs are at peace, thought is level, sinews and strength are robust, ears and eyes are sharp; one is open and not confused, firm and not breaking, without great fault and without anything unreachable, not cramped when in a small place and not hollow when in a large one, the soul not restless and the spirit not disturbed, clear, still, and silent, a leader of the world.

大道坦坦，去身不遠，求之近者，往而復反。迫則能應，感則能動；物穆無窮，變無形像。優遊委縱，如響之與景；登高臨下，無失所秉；履危行險，無忘玄伏。能存之此，其德不虧，萬物紛糅，與之轉化，以聽天下，若背風而馳，是謂至德。至德則樂矣。古之人有居巖穴而神不遺者，末世有勢為萬乘而日憂悲者。由此觀之，聖亡乎治人，而在於得道；樂亡乎富貴，而在於德和。知大己而小天下，則幾於道矣。所謂樂者，豈必處京臺、章華，遊雲夢、沙丘，耳聽九韶、六瑩，口味煎熬芬芳，馳騁夷道，釣射鷫鷞之謂樂乎？吾所謂樂者，人得其得者也。夫得其得者，不以奢為樂，不以廉為悲，與陰俱閉，與陽俱開。故子夏心戰而臞，得道而肥。聖人不以身役物，不以欲滑和，是故其為懽不忻忻，其為悲不惙惙，萬方百變，消搖而無所定，吾獨慷慨，遺物而與道同出。是故有以自得之也，喬木之下，空穴之中，足以適情。無以自得也，雖以天下為家，萬民為臣妾，不足以養生也。能至於無樂者，則無不樂；無不樂，則至極樂矣。

The great Way is broad and flat, not far from oneself; seek it near, and when you go out you will return. When close, it responds; when stirred, it moves; deep and subtle, endless, its changes have no form. Leisurely and unconstrained, it is like an echo following a sound or a shadow following a form; ascending high or looking down, one does not lose what one holds; walking in danger and crossing peril, one does not forget the mysterious hidden. One who can keep this in his heart will not diminish his virtue, and the myriad things, jumbled and mixed, transform together with him; using this to listen to the world is like running with the wind at one's back; this is called supreme virtue. One who has supreme virtue is happy. Among the ancients there were those who dwelt in rock caves with spirits undispersed, and in the last age there are those whose power reaches ten thousand chariots yet who grieve every day. From this we see that sagehood does not lie in governing others but in attaining the Way; joy does not lie in wealth and rank but in harmony of virtue. To know oneself as great and the world as small is to come near the Way. What is called joy: must one live in Jing Terrace or Zhanghua, roam Yunmeng and Shaqiu, hear the Nine Shao and Six Ying with one's ears, taste fried and fragrant delicacies with the mouth, gallop on broad roads and shoot and fish for rare birds, to be called joyful? What I call joy is a person attaining what he should attain. A person who has attained what he should attain does not take extravagance as joy or thrift as sorrow, closes with yin and opens with yang. So Zixia grew thin when struggling within, and grew fat on attaining the Way. The sage does not use his own body to be bound by things and does not use desire to disturb harmony, so his gladness is not elated and his sorrow is not heavy; through ten thousand directions and a hundred changes he roams without being fixed, alone and magnanimous, abandoning things and coming forth with the Way. So whoever has what he can find self-contentment in, beneath tall trees or in an empty cave, is sufficiently at ease. One who has nothing in which to find self-contentment, even if he took the world as his household and the myriad people as servants, would not suffice to nourish his life. One who can reach the state of having no joy has nothing that is not joy; having nothing that is not joy is supreme joy.

夫建鍾鼓，列管絃，席旃茵，傅旄象，耳聽朝歌北鄙靡靡之樂，齊靡曼之色，陳酒行觴，夜以繼日，強弩弋高鳥，走犬逐狡兔，此其為樂也，炎炎赫赫，怵然若有所誘慕。解車休馬，罷酒徹樂，而心忽然若有所喪，悵然若有所亡也。是何則？不以內樂外，而以外樂內，樂作而喜，曲終而悲，悲喜轉而相生，精神亂營，不得須臾平。察其所以，不得其形，而日以傷生，失其得者也。是故內不得於中，稟授於外而以自飾也，不浸於肌膚，不浹於骨髓，不留於心志，不滯於五藏。故從外入者，無主於中，不止。從中出者，無應於外，不行。故聽善言便計，雖愚者知說之；稱至德高行，雖不肖者知慕之。說之者眾而用之者鮮，慕之者多而行之者寡。所以然者，何也？不能反諸性也。夫內不開於中而強學問者，不入於耳而不著於心。此何以異於聾者之歌也？效人為之而無以自樂也，聲出於口則越而散矣。

They set up bells and drums, arrange pipes and strings, spread felt cushions and attach yak-tail and ivory ornaments, with ears hearing the decadent music of the northern towns of Zhaoge, accompanied by soft and charming women, set out wine and pass cups, night after day, shoot high birds with strong crossbows, release hounds to chase cunning hares; such joy, blazing and glaring, startling as though something were tempting and enticing. When they unyoke the carriages and rest the horses, stop the wine and remove the music, the heart suddenly feels as if something were lost, disappointed as if something had been forfeited. Why is this? It is not that they use inner joy to meet the outer; rather they use outer joy to entertain the inner; when the music begins they are glad, when the song ends they grieve, grief and gladness give rise to each other in turn, the spirit is disordered and distraught and cannot be calm even for a moment. Examining why it is so, one does not obtain its form, yet every day it injures life; these are people who have lost what they should have attained. So if they do not have it within, and receive from outside and decorate themselves, it does not soak into the skin, does not penetrate to the bone marrow, does not stay in the will, and does not linger in the five organs. So what comes in from outside, without a master within, cannot stay. What comes out from within, without response outside, cannot proceed. So when one hears good words and plans, even the foolish know to be pleased; when one speaks of supreme virtue and lofty conduct, even the unworthy know to admire. Many are pleased and few adopt; many admire and few practice. Why is this? Because they cannot return to their nature. One who does not open inward to the center but forces himself to study cannot get it into his ears and cannot make it adhere in his heart. How is this different from a deaf man singing? Imitating others and having nothing in which to take his own pleasure, the sound leaves the mouth and then is gone and scattered.

夫心者，五藏之主也，所以制使四支，流行血氣，馳騁於是非之境，而出入於百事之門戶者也。是故不得於心而有經天下之氣，是猶無耳而欲調鐘鼓，無目而欲喜文章也，亦必不勝其任矣。故天下神器，不可為也，為者敗之，執者失之。夫許由小天下而不以己易堯者，志遺於天下也。所以然者，何也？因天下而為天下也。天下之要，不在於彼而在於我，不在於人而在於我身，身得則萬物備矣。徹於心術之論，則嗜慾好憎外矣。是故無所喜而無所怒，無所樂而無所苦，萬物玄同也，無非無是，化育玄燿，生而如死。

The mind is the master of the five organs; it directs the four limbs, circulates blood and qi, gallops in the realm of right and wrong, and goes in and out of the gates of the hundred affairs. So to have the energy to run the world without having it in the mind is like having no ears yet wanting to tune bells and drums, or having no eyes yet wanting to love ornament; one will surely not be equal to the task. So the world is a sacred vessel that cannot be forcibly made; one who makes it ruins it, and one who grasps it loses it. That Xu You made light of the world and would not exchange himself for Yao was because his will had abandoned the world. Why is this? Because he followed the world in order to act for the world. The essential of the world is not there but in me, not in others but in my own self; once the self is attained, the myriad things are complete. When one has penetrated the discussions of the art of the mind, cravings, likes, and dislikes are outside. So there is nothing to be pleased by and nothing to be angry at, nothing to be joyful about and nothing to be bitter about; the myriad things are one in mystery, with no wrong and no right, transforming and shining darkly, alive as though dead.

夫天下者亦吾有也，吾亦天下之有也，天下之與我，豈有間哉！夫有天下者，豈必攝權持勢，操殺生之柄而以行其號令邪？吾所謂有天下者，非謂此也，自得而已。自得，則天下亦得我矣。吾與天下相得，則常相有，己又焉有不得容其間者乎！所謂自得者，全其身者也。全其身，則與道為一矣。故雖遊於江潯海裔，馳要褭，建翠蓋，目觀掉羽、武象之樂，耳聽滔朗奇麗激抮之音，揚鄭、衛之浩樂，結激楚之遺風，射沼濱之高鳥，逐苑囿之走獸，此齊民之所以淫泆流湎，聖人處之，不足以營其精神，亂其氣志，使心怵然失其情性。處窮僻之鄉，側谿谷之間，隱於榛薄之中，環堵之室，茨之以生茅，蓬戶甕牖，揉桑為樞，上漏下溼，潤浸北房，雪霜滖灖，浸潭眾蔣，逍遙於廣澤之中，而仿洋於山峽之旁，此齊民之所為形植黎黑，憂悲而不得志也，聖人處之，不為愁悴怨懟，而不失其所以自樂也。是何也？則內有以通於天機，而不以貴賤貧富勞逸失其志德者也。故夫烏之啞啞，鵲之唶唶，豈嘗為寒暑燥溼變其聲哉！是故夫得道已定，而不待萬物之推移也，非以一時之變化而定吾所以自得也。吾所謂得者，性命之情處其所安也。

The world is also mine and I am also the world's; between the world and me, where is the gap! One who holds the world, must he seize the handle of power, hold the seat of authority, and wield the handle of killing and giving life to issue commands? What I call having the world is not this, but only self-attainment. When I have attained myself, the world has also attained me. When I and the world attain each other, we constantly keep each other, and how could I not find room to stay within it! What is called self-attainment is keeping oneself whole. Keeping oneself whole is being one with the Way. So even if one roams the river's edge and the sea's shore, gallops fine horses, sets up kingfisher canopies, watches the Feather and Wu-Xiang music and dances, listens to the sweeping, lofty, strange, and splendid sounds, raises the grand music of Zheng and Wei, gathers up the lingering wind of Jiechu, shoots high birds on the shores of the marsh and chases running beasts in the parks, these are what common people indulge in and wallow in; the sage, dwelling in them, is not enough to disturb his spirit or disorder his energy, or make his heart startled and lose its nature. Dwelling in a poor and remote village, turning sideways between the ravines, hiding in the thickets, in a hut with walls all around, thatched with raw rushes, door of mugwort and window of a jar, a door-hinge of bent mulberry, leaking above and damp below, soaking the northern room, with snow and frost falling together, soaking the wild rice grasses, roaming at ease in the broad marsh and wandering by the mountain gorge, these are what common people shrink and darken for, grieve over, and fail to achieve their aims; the sage, dwelling in them, does not grieve or resent, and does not lose what he takes his own pleasure in. Why is this? Because within he has what connects to the heavenly spring, and does not use noble or humble, poor or rich, toil or ease to lose his aim and virtue. So the crow caws and the magpie chatters, but when have they changed their voice because of cold, heat, dryness, or damp! So once attaining the Way is settled, one does not wait for the shifting of things, and does not use a moment's change to fix what I take as my self-attainment. What I call attainment is the state of nature and destiny dwelling in the place where it is at ease.

夫性命者，與形俱出其宗，形備而性命成，性命成而好憎生矣。故士有一定之論，女有不易之行，規矩不能方圓，鉤繩不能曲直。天地之永，登丘不可為脩，居卑不可為短。是故得道者，窮而不懾，達而不榮，處高而不機，持盈而不傾，新而不朗，久而不渝，入火不焦，入水不濡。是故不待勢而尊，不待財而富，不待力而強，平虛下流，與化翱翔。若然者，藏金於山，藏珠於淵，不利貨財，不貪勢名。是故不以康為樂，不以慊為悲，不以貴為安，不以賤為危，形神氣志，各居其宜，以隨天地之所為。夫形者，生之舍也；氣者，生之充也；神者，生之制也。一失位，則三者傷矣。是故聖人使人各處其位，守其職，而不得相乾也。故夫形者非其所安也而處之則廢，氣不當其所充而用之則洩，神非其所宜而行之則昧。此三者，不可不慎守也。

Nature, destiny, and form come forth together from that source; when form is complete, nature and destiny are achieved, and when nature and destiny are achieved, liking and disliking arise. So scholars have fixed opinions and women have conduct that cannot be changed; the compass and square cannot make round and square apart from themselves, and the hook and cord cannot make curved and straight otherwise. Heaven and earth are so long-lasting that climbing a hill cannot count as being tall and standing low cannot count as being short. So one who attains the Way is not frightened in poverty, does not take himself as glorious when successful, is not in danger when high, does not tip over when holding fullness, is not showy when new, does not change when old, does not burn in fire, and does not get wet in water. So he does not wait for power to be honored, does not wait for wealth to be rich, does not wait for strength to be strong; level and empty, he dwells in the lower reaches and soars with creation and transformation. A person like this hides gold in the mountains and hides pearls in the depths, does not regard goods and wealth as profitable, and does not covet power or fame. So he does not take ease and health as joy, does not take insufficiency as sorrow, does not take nobility as safe and does not take lowliness as dangerous; form, spirit, qi, and will each dwell where they are suited, following the workings of heaven and earth. Form is the lodging of life, qi (the flowing stuff that makes up and runs through all things) is the fullness of life, and spirit is the master of life. Once one loses its place, all three are injured. So the sage lets each person dwell in his place and keep his duty, and does not let them encroach on each other. So if form is made to stay in a place where it is not at ease, it will waste; if qi is used where it should not be filled, it will leak; if spirit is made to act where it is not suited, it will be dim and dull. These three must be carefully guarded.

夫舉天下萬物，蚑蟯貞蟲，蝡動蚑作，皆知其所喜憎利害者，何也？以其性之在焉而不離也，忽去之，則骨肉無倫矣。今人之所以眭然能視，營然能聽，形體能抗，而百節可屈伸，察能分白黑、視醜美，而知能別同異、明是非者，何也？氣為之充，而神為之使也。何以知其然也？凡人之志各有所在而神有所繫者，其行也，足蹪趎埳、頭抵植木而不自知也，招之而不能見也，呼之而不能聞也。耳目非去之也，然而不能應者，何也？神失其守也。故在於小則忘於大，在於中則忘於外，在於上則忘於下，在於左則忘於右。無所不充，則無所不在。是故貴虛者以豪末為宅也。

Take all things under heaven, tiny insects and shelled creatures, wriggling and crawling; all know what they like and dislike, what benefits and harms them. Why? Because their nature is there and has not departed; once suddenly removed, flesh and bone lose their order. Why is it that people today can open their eyes and see, hear keenly, move their bodies and lift, bend and stretch the hundred joints, observe and distinguish black from white, see beauty from ugliness, know how to tell sameness from difference and distinguish right from wrong? It is because qi fills them and spirit employs them. How do we know this is so? When people's aims each lie somewhere and the spirit is tied to something, as they walk, they step into a pit or bump their head on a wooden pillar without knowing; when called to they do not see, when shouted at they do not hear. Their ears and eyes have not left, yet they cannot respond; why? Because the spirit has lost what it guards. So in the small they forget the great, within they forget without, above they forget below, on the left they forget the right. There is nothing that is not filled, so there is nothing that is not present. So one who values emptiness takes the tip of a hair as his house.

今夫狂者之不能避水火之難而越溝瀆之險者，豈無形神氣志哉？然而用之異也。失其所守之位，而離其外內之舍，是故舉錯不能當，動靜不能中，終身運枯形於連嶁列埒之門，而蹪蹈於汙壑阱陷之中，雖生俱與人鈞，然而不免為人戮笑者，何也？形神相失也。故以神為主者，形從而利；以形為制者，神從而害。貪饕多欲之人，漠歐於勢利，誘慕於名位，冀以過人之智植於高世，則神日以耗而彌遠，久淫而不還，形閉中距，則神無由入矣。是以天下時有盲妄自失之患。此膏燭之類也，火逾然而消逾亟。夫精神氣志者，靜而日充者以壯，躁而日耗者以老。是故聖人將養其神，和弱其氣，平夷其形，而與道沈浮俛仰，恬然則縱之，迫則用之。其縱之也若委衣，其用之也若發機。如是，則萬物之化無不遇，而百事之變無不應。

Now a madman cannot avoid the disasters of water and fire or cross the dangers of ditches and channels; does he not have form, spirit, qi, and will? Yet the way in which he uses them is different. He loses the place he guards and leaves the dwellings of outside and inside, so his actions cannot be fitting and his movement and stillness cannot hit the measure; all his life he moves a withered body along continuous high ground and in the doorways of lined embankments and falls into foul ditches and pitfalls; though alive he is by nature equal to others, he does not escape being mocked and laughed at; why? Because form and spirit have lost each other. So those who take spirit as the master find form following with benefit; those who restrain by form find spirit following with harm. The greedy and desire-ridden are driven in a daze by power and profit, tempted and drawn by fame and rank, hoping to use extraordinary wit to stand above the world; their spirit is consumed day by day and goes farther and farther away, indulging long and not returning; the form is closed and the inside refuses, and the spirit has no way to enter. Thus the world constantly has the misfortune of reckless action and losing oneself. This is like oil and candles: the more the flame burns, the faster they are consumed. As for spirit, essence, qi, and will, those that are still and fill up day by day are vigorous, and those that are restless and are consumed day by day grow old. So the sage nourishes his spirit, harmonizes and softens his qi, levels his form, and rises and falls with the Way; when at ease he lets go, and when pressed he uses them. Letting go of it is as natural as taking off clothes, and using it is as swift as pulling a crossbow trigger. In this way, there is no change of the myriad things he cannot meet and no shift of the hundred affairs he cannot answer.