Volume Nine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

文子問治國之本。

Wenzi asked about the root of governing a state.

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

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

文子問曰：何行而民親其上？

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

文子問：仁義禮何以為薄於道德也？

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

文子問曰：法安所生？

Wenzi asked: Where does law come from?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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