Fascicle One

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."