Heaven and Earth

天地雖大，其化均也；萬物雖多，其治一也；人卒雖眾，其主君也。君，原於德而成於天。故曰：玄古之君天下，無為也，天德而已矣。以道觀言，而天下之君正；以道觀分，而君臣之義明；以道觀能，而天下之官治；以道汎觀，而萬物之應備。故通於天地者，德也；行於萬物者，道也；上治人者，事也；能有所藝者，技也。技兼於事，事兼於義，義兼於德，德兼於道，道兼於天。故曰：古之畜天下者，無慾而天下足，無為而萬物化，淵靜而百姓定。《記》曰：「通於一而萬事畢，無心得而鬼神服。」

Though Heaven and Earth are great, their transformation is even; though the myriad things are many, their ordering is one; though the people are numerous, their master is the ruler. The ruler originates in virtue and is completed in Heaven. So it is said: the rule of the ancient mysterious ages was non-action, only the virtue of Heaven. Looking at words by the Way, the ruler of the world is right; looking at divisions by the Way, the righteousness of ruler and minister is clear; looking at ability by the Way, the officials of the world are well governed; looking universally by the Way, the response of the myriad things is complete. So what penetrates Heaven and Earth is virtue; what moves through the myriad things is the Way; what governs people above is affairs; what is able to be specialized is skill. Skill merges into affairs, affairs merge into righteousness, righteousness merges into virtue, virtue merges into the Way, and the Way merges into Heaven. So it is said: those in ancient times who nurtured the world, without desire the world was sufficient, without action the myriad things transformed, with deep stillness the hundred families were settled. The Record says: "Penetrate the One and the myriad affairs are complete; attain without the mind and the ghosts and spirits submit."

夫子曰：「夫道，覆載萬物者也，洋洋乎大哉！君子不可以不刳心焉。無為為之之謂天，無為言之之謂德，愛人利物之謂仁，不同同之之謂大，行不崖異之謂寬，有萬不同之謂富。故執德之謂紀，德成之謂立，循於道之謂備，不以物挫志之謂完。君子明於此十者，則韜乎其事心之大也，沛乎其為萬物逝也。若然者，藏金於山，藏珠於淵；不利貨財，不近貴富；不樂壽，不哀夭；不榮通，不醜窮；不拘一世之利以為己私分，不以王天下為己處顯。顯則明。萬物一府，死生同狀。」

The Master said: "The Way covers and supports the myriad things, how vast and great! The gentleman must not fail to empty out his heart. To act without action is called Heaven; to speak without action is called virtue; to love people and benefit things is called benevolence; to see the different as the same is called greatness; to act without making oneself different or setting up cliffs is called broadness; to hold ten thousand different things is called wealth. So holding to virtue is called the thread, completed virtue is called standing, following the Way is called completeness, and not letting things injure one's aim is called wholeness. If a gentleman understands these ten, he will contain the greatness of the matter-heart and become one to whom the myriad things overflowingly turn. Such a person hides his gold in the mountains and his pearls in the abyss; does not plan the profit of goods and wealth, does not approach the honored and rich; does not take long life as joy or early death as grief; does not take success as glory or hardship as shame; does not claim the profit of a whole age as his own share, does not regard being king of the world as being in a conspicuous position. What is conspicuous is clear. The myriad things are one storehouse, and death and life have the same form."

夫子曰：「夫道，淵乎其居也，漻乎其清也。金石不得無以鳴，故金石有聲，不考不鳴。萬物孰能定之？夫王德之人，素逝而恥通於事，立之本原而知通於神，故其德廣。其心之出，有物採之。故形非道不生，生非德不明。存形窮生，立德明道，非王德者邪？蕩蕩乎，忽然出，勃然動，而萬物從之乎！此謂王德之人。視乎冥冥，聽乎無聲。冥冥之中，獨見曉焉；無聲之中，獨聞和焉。故深之又深，而能物焉；神之又神，而能精焉。故其與萬物接也，至無而供其求，時騁而要其宿。大小、長短、脩遠。」

The Master said: "The Way dwells in depth and settles in clarity. Metal and stone cannot sound without it, so metal and stone have sound but do not ring unless struck. Who can fix a standard for the myriad things? One who has kingly virtue goes forward in simplicity and is ashamed to be penetrating in affairs; he stands on the root and his knowledge penetrates the spirit, so his virtue is broad. Whenever his heart goes out, there are things to pick it up. So form without the Way is not born, and life without virtue is not bright. To preserve form, exhaust life, establish virtue and illuminate the Way, is this not one who has kingly virtue? How vast, he suddenly comes out and stirs mightily, and the myriad things follow him! This is called one who has kingly virtue. He sees in the dim and hears in the soundless. In the dim he alone sees the dawn; in the soundless he alone hears harmony. So he is deep and deeper still, and can complete things; he is divine and more divine, and can bring essence to completion. So when he deals with the myriad things, he is utter nothing yet supplies what they seek, always galloping yet binding their destination, whether large or small, long or short, near or far."

黃帝遊乎赤水之北，登乎崐崘之丘而南望，還歸，遺其玄珠。使知索之而不得，使離朱索之而不得，使吃詬索之而不得也，乃使象罔。象罔得之。黃帝曰：「異哉，象罔乃可以得之乎！」

The Yellow Emperor was wandering north of the Red River, and climbed the hill of Kunlun and looked south. On his return he lost his dark pearl. He sent Knowledge to look for it, but he did not find it; he sent Li Zhu to look for it, but he did not find it; he sent Chi Gou to look for it, but he did not find it; then he sent Xiang Wang, Shapeless. Xiang Wang found it. The Yellow Emperor said: "How strange! Could it really be that Xiang Wang was able to find it!"

堯之師曰許由，許由之師曰齧缺，齧缺之師曰王倪，王倪之師曰被衣。堯問於許由曰：「齧缺可以配天乎？吾藉王倪以要之。」許由曰：「殆哉圾乎天下！齧缺之為人也，聰明叡知，給數以敏，其性過人，而又乃以人受天。彼審乎禁過，而不知過之所由生。與之配天乎？彼且乘人而無天，方且本身而異形，方且尊知而火馳，方且為緒使，方且為物絯，方且四顧而物應，方且應眾宜，方且與物化而未始有恆，夫何足以配天乎？雖然，有族有祖，可以為眾父，而不可以為眾父父。治，亂之率也，北面之禍也，南面之賊也。」

Yao's teacher was called Xu You, Xu You's teacher was called Nie Que, Nie Que's teacher was called Wang Ni, and Wang Ni's teacher was called Bei Yi. Yao asked Xu You: "Can Nie Que be a match for Heaven? I will rely on Wang Ni to invite him." Xu You said: "Dangerous! The world is going to be overturned! Nie Que as a man is clever, wise and keen, quick and swift; his nature surpasses others, and yet he takes the human to receive Heaven. He examines how to prevent faults but does not know where faults come from. Make him a match for Heaven? He will ride on the human and have no Heaven; he will take himself as the root and make a show of strange forms; he will esteem knowledge and race like fire; he will be driven by clues and beginnings; he will be hobbled by things; he will look in all four directions and respond to whatever comes; he will respond to the many suitabilities; he will transform with things and yet have no constancy; how could he be enough to match Heaven? Even so, where there is a clan there is an ancestor, and he can be a father of the many, but he cannot be the father of the fathers of the many. Order is the forerunner of disorder, the calamity of the northward-facing subject and the thief of the southward-facing ruler."

堯觀乎華，華封人曰：「嘻，聖人！請祝聖人，使聖人壽！」堯曰：「辭。」「使聖人富！」堯曰：「辭。」「使聖人多男子！」堯曰：「辭。」封人曰：「壽、富、多男子，人之所欲也。汝獨不欲，何邪？」堯曰：「多男子則多懼，富則多事，壽則多辱。是三者，非所以養德也，故辭。」封人曰：「始也我以汝為聖人邪，今然君子也。天生萬民，必授之職。多男子而授之職，則何懼之有！富而使人分之，則何事之有！夫聖人，鶉居而鷇食，鳥行而無彰；天下有道，則與物皆昌；天下無道，則脩德就閒；千歲厭世，去而上僊；乘彼白云，至於帝鄉；三患莫至，身常無殃，則何辱之有！」封人去之。堯隨之，曰：「請問。」封人曰：「退已！」

Yao was inspecting Hua, and the border warden of Hua said: "Ah, sage! Let me wish the sage a long life!" Yao said: "No, thank you." "May the sage be rich!" Yao said: "No, thank you." "May the sage have many sons!" Yao said: "No, thank you." The warden said: "Long life, wealth and many sons are what people want. You alone do not want them; why?" Yao said: "Many sons bring many fears, wealth brings many troubles, and long life brings many disgraces. These three are not what nourish virtue, so I decline." The warden said: "At first I took you for a sage, but now you are only a gentleman. Heaven gives birth to the ten thousand people and surely gives each a task. If you have many sons and give each a task, what is there to fear! If you are rich and let others share it, what trouble is there! The sage dwells like a quail and eats like a fledgling, moves like a bird and leaves no trace; when the world has the Way, he flourishes together with things; when the world has no Way, he cultivates virtue and takes his leisure; after a thousand years, weary of the world, he leaves it and ascends as an immortal, riding those white clouds, and reaches the realm of the Lord; the three troubles do not reach him, his person is always without calamity; what disgrace could there be!" The warden left. Yao followed him, saying: "I beg to ask." The warden said: "Go back!"

堯治天下，伯成子高立為諸侯。堯授舜，舜授禹，伯成子高辭為諸侯而耕。禹往見之，則耕在野。禹趨就下風，立而問焉，曰：「昔堯治天下，吾子立為諸侯。堯授舜，舜授予，而吾子辭為諸侯而耕，敢問其故何也？」子高曰：「昔堯治天下，不賞而民勸，不罰而民畏。今子賞罰而民且不仁，德自此衰，刑自此立，後世之亂自此始矣。夫子闔行邪？無落吾事！」俋俋乎耕而不顧。

When Yao governed the world, Boch'eng Zigao was established as a feudal lord. Yao passed it to Shun, Shun passed it to Yu, and Boch'eng Zigao resigned as a feudal lord and went to farm. Yu went to see him, and he was plowing in the fields. Yu hurried to stand downwind of him and asked: "In the past when Yao governed the world, you, sir, were established as a feudal lord. Yao passed it to Shun, and Shun passed it to me, but you resigned as a feudal lord and went to farm; may I ask the reason?" Zigao said: "In the past when Yao governed the world, he did not reward, yet the people were diligent of themselves; he did not punish, yet the people were reverent of themselves. Now you reward and punish, and the people will become unbenevolent; virtue will decline from here, punishments will be established from here, and the disorder of later ages begins from here. Why do you not go, sir? Do not delay my work!" He went on plowing busily and did not even look.

泰初有無，無有無名。一之所起，有一而未形。物得以生，謂之德；未形者有分，且然無間，謂之命；留動而生物，物成生理，謂之形；形體保神，各有儀則，謂之性。性脩反德，德至同於初，同乃虛，虛乃大。合喙鳴；喙鳴合，與天地為合。其合緡緡，若愚若昏，是謂玄德，同乎大順。

In the Great Beginning there was nonbeing; there was no being and there was no name. Where the One arises, there is One yet no form. Things obtain it and are born, and this is called virtue; what is not yet formed has divisions, yet is already so with no gap, and this is called destiny; resting and moving produce things, and when things are completed and have the principle of life, this is called form; when the form body preserves the spirit, each with its own pattern, this is called nature. When nature is cultivated and returns to virtue, and virtue is complete, it is the same as the Beginning. When it is the same, it is empty, and when empty it is great. It joins with the song of the beak; when the singing of beaks is joined together, it is united with Heaven and Earth. That union is seamless, like the foolish, like the dim; this is called dark virtue, the same as great accord.

夫子問於老聃曰：「有人治道若相放，可不可，然不然。辯者有言曰：『離堅白，若縣㝢。』若是則可謂聖人乎？」老聃曰：「是胥易技係，勞形怵心者也。執留之狗成思，猨狙之便自山林來。丘，予告若而所不能聞與而所不能言：凡有首有趾無心無耳者眾，有形者與無形無狀而皆存者盡無。其動，止也；其死，生也；其廢，起也。此又非其所以也。有治在人，忘乎物，忘乎天，其名為忘己。忘己之人，是之謂入於天。」

Confucius asked Lao Dan: "There are people who govern the Way as if imitating something, treating what is not permissible as permissible and what is not so as so. The debaters have a saying: 'Separating hard and white is like something hung up in the universe.' Can such a one be called a sage?" Lao Dan said: "This is a man bound by servitude and by skills, who toils his body and startles his heart. The dog that can catch the civet is summoned and leashed, and the monkey is caught from the mountain forest because of its agility. Qiu, I will tell you what you cannot hear and cannot say: there are many with head and feet who have no heart and no ears, and among those with form and those with neither form nor shape, who all exist, there are none left at all. Its movement is stillness; its death is life; its collapse is rising. And these are not the reasons why things are so. If there is governing in a man, he forgets things, forgets Heaven, and his name is forgetting himself. One who forgets himself is called one who enters Heaven."

蔣閭葂見季徹，曰：「魯君謂葂也曰：『請受教。』辭不獲命。既已告矣，未知中否，請嘗薦之。吾謂魯君曰：『必服恭儉，拔出公忠之屬而無阿私，民孰敢不輯？』」季徹局局然笑曰：「若夫子之言，於帝王之德，猶螳蜋之怒臂以當車軼，則必不勝任矣！且若是，則其自為處危，其觀臺多物，將往投跡者眾。」蔣閭葂覤覤然驚曰：「葂也汒若於夫子之所言矣！雖然，願先生之言其風也。」季徹曰：「大聖之治天下也，搖蕩民心，使之成教易俗，舉滅其賊心，而皆進其獨志，若性之自為，而民不知其所由然。若然者，豈兄堯、舜之教民，溟涬然弟之哉？欲同乎德而心居矣！」

Jiang Lüman saw Ji Che and said: "The ruler of Lu said to Man: 'Please receive instruction.' I declined and was not allowed. I have already told him, but I do not know whether it was right; let me try to state it. I said to the ruler of Lu: 'You must practice reverence and frugality, pick out the upright and loyal without partiality, and who among the people would dare not be harmonious?'" Ji Che gave a mocking laugh and said: "Words like yours, sir, in relation to the virtue of an emperor, are like a mantis angrily raising its arms to block a cart's wheel track; it surely cannot manage! Moreover, in this way he would put himself in a dangerous place, and in the observation tower with many things, many would come to throw their traces there." Jiang Lüman looked startled and said: "Man is bewildered by what you say, sir! Even so, I wish you would tell me its beginnings." Ji Che said: "When the great sage governs the world, he stirs the people's hearts, makes them accomplish transformation, changes their customs, wipes out all hearts of harm, and brings them all into a solitary resolve, as if it were acting of their own nature, and the people do not know why it is so. In this case, how could they still treat the teaching of Yao and Shun as an elder brother and themselves, in the dim vastness, as younger brothers? They would simply be of one virtue and settled at heart!"

子貢南遊於楚，反於晉，過漢陰，見一丈人方將為圃畦，鑿隧而入井，抱甕而出灌，搰搰然用力甚多而見功寡。子貢曰：「有械於此，一日浸百畦，用力甚寡而見功多，夫子不欲乎？」為圃者仰而視之，曰：「奈何？」曰：「鑿木為機，後重前輕，挈水若抽，數如泆湯，其名為槔。」為圃者忿然作色而笑曰：「吾聞之吾師，有機械者必有機事，有機事者必有機心。機心存於胷中則純白不備，純白不備則神生不定。神生不定者，道之所不載也。吾非不知，羞而不為也。」子貢瞞然慙，俯而不對。有間，為圃者曰：「子奚為者邪？」曰：「孔丘之徒也。」為圃者曰：「子非夫博學以擬聖，於於以蓋眾，獨弦哀歌以賣名聲於天下者乎？汝方將忘汝神氣，墮汝形骸，而庶幾乎！而身之不能治，而何暇治天下乎？子往矣，無乏吾事！」

Zigong traveled south to Chu, and returning to Jin, passed through Hanyin, where he saw an old man about to tend his vegetable plots, who dug a tunnel into a well, came out holding a jar, and watered the plots, working hard and with much effort yet seeing little result. Zigong said: "Here is a device that can soak a hundred plots in a day, with little effort and much result; would you not like it?" The gardener looked up at him and said: "How does it work?" He said: "Hollow out a piece of wood to make a machine, heavy at the back and light at the front, so that you draw up water as if pulling it, fast as boiling water overflowing; its name is the well-sweep." The gardener flushed with anger, changed color and laughed, saying: "I heard from my teacher that where there are machines there must be machine business, and where there is machine business there must be a machine heart. When a machine heart is present in the chest, pure whiteness is not complete; when pure whiteness is not complete, the spirit is unsettled. What the unsettled spirit is, the Way does not support. It is not that I do not know of it; I am ashamed to use it." Zigong blushed with shame, lowered his head and did not answer. After a while, the gardener said: "What are you?" He said: "A disciple of Kong Qiu." The gardener said: "Are you not the one who relies on broad learning to compare yourself with the sage, who rises loftily to cover the multitude, who plays the zither alone and sings sad songs to sell your reputation to the world? You should forget your spirit and qi and wreck your bodily frame, and then you would be nearly there! You cannot even govern your own body; how would you have leisure to govern the world? Go away, do not delay my work!"

子貢卑陬失色，頊頊然不自得，行三十里而後愈。其弟子曰：「向之人何為者邪？夫子何故見之變容失色，終日不自反邪？」曰：「始吾以為天下一人耳，不知復有夫人也。吾聞之夫子，事求可、功求成、用力少、見功多者，聖人之道。今徒不然，執道者德全，德全者形全，形全者神全。神全者，聖人之道也。託生與民並行，而不知其所之，汒乎淳備哉！功利機巧，必忘夫人之心。若夫人者，非其志不之，非其心不為，雖以天下譽之，得其所謂，謷然不顧；以天下非之，失其所謂，儻然不受，天下之非譽無益損焉，是謂全德之人哉！我之謂風波之民。」反於魯，以告孔子。孔子曰：「彼假脩渾沌氏之術者也。識其一，不知其二；治其內，而不治其外。夫明白入素，無為復樸，體性抱神，以遊世俗之間者，汝將固驚邪？且渾沌氏之術，予與汝何足以識之哉！」

Zigong was embarrassed and pale, dazed and unable to compose himself, and only after he had gone thirty li did he recover. His disciples said: "Who was that man just now? Why, Master, did you change countenance and turn pale when you saw him, and could not recover yourself all day?" He said: "At first I thought there was only one such man in the world, not knowing there were people like this. I heard from the Master that in affairs one seeks what is workable, in achievement one seeks completion, using little effort and seeing great results, and that this is the way of the sage. Now it is not so. One who holds to the Way is complete in virtue, one complete in virtue is complete in form, and one complete in form is complete in spirit. One complete in spirit is the way of the sage. Entrusting his life to the world and walking with the people, not knowing where he is going, vast and pure and ready! Profit, achievement and cunning will surely be forgotten by such a man. Such a man does not leave because of his will, nor act because of his heart; even if the world praises him and he gains what is called gain, he is aloof and pays no attention; if the world condemns him and he loses what is called loss, he is calm and does not accept it. The world's blame and praise add nothing and take nothing from him; this is what is called a man of complete virtue! I can only be called a man of wind and waves." Returning to Lu, he told Confucius. Confucius said: "He is one who borrows the art of Hundun's clan to cultivate himself. He knows the one and does not know the two; he governs his inside and does not govern his outside. One who is clear and enters into plainness, does nothing and returns to simplicity, embodies his nature and embraces his spirit, and so wanders among the vulgar world; would you indeed be startled? Moreover, how are you and I enough to know the art of Hundun's clan!"

諄芒將東之大壑，適遇苑風於東海之濱。苑風曰：「子將奚之？」曰：「將之大壑。」曰：「奚為焉？」曰：「夫大壑之為物也，注焉而不滿，酌焉而不竭，吾將遊焉。」苑風曰：「夫子無意於橫目之民乎？願聞聖治。」諄芒曰：「聖治乎？官施而不失其宜，拔舉而不失其能，畢見其情事而行其所為，行言自為而天下化；手撓頤指，四方之民莫不俱至，此之謂聖治。」「願聞德人。」曰：「德人者，居無思，行無慮，不藏是非美惡；四海之內，共利之之為悅，共給之之為安；怊乎若嬰兒之失其母也，儻乎若行而失其道也；財用有餘而不知其所自來，飲食取足而不知其所從，此謂德人之容。」「願聞神人。」曰：「上神乘光，與形滅亡，是謂照曠。致命盡情，天地樂而萬事銷亡，萬物復情，此之謂混冥。」

Chunmang was about to go east to the Great Gorge, and happened to meet Yuan Feng on the shore of the Eastern Sea. Yuan Feng said: "Where are you going?" He said: "I am going to the Great Gorge." He said: "What for?" He said: "That Great Gorge as a thing is such that if you pour into it it is never full, and if you scoop from it it is never drained; I am going to wander there." Yuan Feng said: "Do you, sir, have no thought for the people with their horizontal eyes? I wish to hear about sage government." Chunmang said: "Sage government? To set up offices and issue orders without losing what is fitting, to promote people without losing their abilities, to see fully the true state of affairs and do what should be done, so that action and speech are of themselves such and the world is transformed; with a wave of the hand and a point of the chin, the people of the four quarters all come together; this is called sage government." "I wish to hear about the man of virtue." He said: "The man of virtue, at rest has no thoughts, in action has no calculation, and does not store up right and wrong, good and bad; within the four seas, he is pleased that all share in benefit and at ease that all share in provision; he is forlorn like an infant who has lost its mother, bewildered like a traveler who has lost his road; his goods and uses are in surplus and he does not know where they come from, his food and drink are sufficient and he does not know where they come from; this is called the appearance of the man of virtue." "I wish to hear about the spirit man." He said: "The highest spirit rides on light and perishes together with form; this is called illumination and vastness. When one has exhausted destiny and fulfilled feeling, Heaven and Earth are joyful and the ten thousand affairs vanish, and the ten thousand things return to their true state; this is called merging in the obscure."

門無鬼與赤張滿稽觀於武王之師。赤張滿稽曰：「不及有虞氏乎！故離此患也。」門無鬼曰：「天下均治，而有虞氏治之邪？其亂而後治之與？」赤張滿稽曰：「天下均治之為願，而何計以有虞氏為？有虞氏之藥瘍也，禿而施髢，病而求醫。孝子操藥，以脩慈父，其色燋然，聖人羞之。至德之世，不尚賢，不使能，上如標枝，民如野鹿，端正而不知以為義，相愛而不知以為仁，實而不知以為忠，當而不知以為信，蠢動而相使，不以為賜，是故行而無跡，事而無傳。」

Men Wugui and Chizhang Manji were watching King Wu's army. Chizhang Manji said: "He does not equal the Lord of Youyu! That is why he has met this trouble." Men Wugui said: "Was the world already evenly governed when the Lord of Youyu came to govern it? Or was it in disorder and then he governed it?" Chizhang Manji said: "That the world be evenly governed is what is wished for, so why bother to reckon the Lord of Youyu? The Lord of Youyu applied medicine to a sore head: one puts on a wig only after one is bald, and seeks a doctor only after one is ill. A filial son who takes medicine to treat his kindly father looks scorched with anxiety, and the sage is ashamed of this. In the age of perfect virtue, they did not exalt the worthy, nor employ the able; those above were like the topmost branches of a tree, and the people were like wild deer, upright without knowing it was righteousness, loving one another without knowing it was benevolence, true without knowing it was loyalty, fitting without knowing it was good faith; they stirred and served one another and did not regard it as a favor, and so they acted without leaving traces, and did things without leaving accounts."

孝子不諛其親，忠臣不諂其君，臣子之盛也。親之所言而然，所行而善，則世俗謂之不肖子；君之所言而然，所行而善，則世俗謂之不肖臣，而未知此其必然邪？世俗之所謂然而然之，所謂善而善之，則不謂之導諛之人也。然則俗故嚴於親而尊於君邪？謂己導諛則勃然作色，謂己眾人則怫然作色，而終身導諛也，終身眾人也，合譬飾辭聚眾也，是終始本末不相坐。垂衣裳，設采色，動容貌，以媚一世，而不自謂導諛；與夫人之為徒，通是非，而不自謂眾人，愚之至也。知其愚者，非大愚也；知其惑者，非大惑也。大惑者，終身不解；大愚者，終身不靈。三人行而一人惑，所適者猶可致也，惑者少也；二人惑則勞而不至，惑者勝也。而今也以天下惑，予雖有祈嚮，不可得也，不亦悲乎！大聲不入於里耳，《折楊》《皇華》則嗑然而笑，是故高言不止於眾人之心，至言不出，俗言勝也。以二缶鍾惑，而所適不得矣。而今也以天下惑，予雖有祈嚮，其庸可得邪！知其不可得也而強之，又一惑也，故莫若釋之而不推。不推，誰其比憂？厲之人夜半生其子，遽取火而視之，汲汲然唯恐其似己也。

A filial son does not flatter his parent, and a loyal minister does not fawn on his ruler; this is the height of a subject and a son. If one regards everything a parent says as right and everything he does as good, then the world calls him an unworthy son; if one regards everything a ruler says as right and everything he does as good, then the world calls him an unworthy minister. Yet do they still not know whether this is truly so? What the world calls right, they follow as right, and what it calls good, they follow as good, and yet they are not called flatterers. Then is the vulgar world truly sterner than a parent and more honorable than a ruler? Tell someone he is a flatterer and he flushes with anger; tell him he is one of the crowd and he flares up, yet all his life he is a flatterer and all his life he is one of the crowd, putting together metaphors and polishing words to gather a crowd, and so beginning and end, root and tip, do not match. He lets down his robes, arranges colors, alters his appearance to please one age, yet does not call himself a flatterer; he joins with those people, linking up right and wrong, yet does not call himself one of the crowd; this is the extreme of foolishness. One who knows himself foolish is not greatly foolish; one who knows himself deluded is not greatly deluded. The greatly deluded do not get free of it all their lives; the greatly foolish are never enlightened. When three people travel and one is deluded, the place they are going to can still be reached, because the deluded are few; when two are deluded they are worn out and cannot arrive, because the deluded have the upper hand. Now when the whole world is deluded, even if I have somewhere I long to go, I cannot get there; is that not sad! A great sound does not enter the ears of the village lanes, but when they hear 'Breaking the Willow' and 'Brilliant Flowers' they burst out laughing; therefore lofty words do not stay in the hearts of the crowd, the utmost words do not come out, and vulgar words win. To confuse the bell with two earthenware jars is to fail to reach where one wanted to go. Now when the whole world is deluded, even if I long to go somewhere, how could I reach it! To know it cannot be reached and yet force the effort is a further delusion, so it is better to put it down and not pursue it. If one does not pursue it, who will sit down and grieve together? A hideous man gave birth to a child in the middle of the night, hurriedly fetched a fire to look, anxiously afraid that the child resembled himself.

百年之木，破為犧樽，青黃而文之，其斷在溝中。比犧樽於溝中之斷，則美惡有間矣，其於失性一也。蹠與曾、史，行義有間矣，然其失性均也。且夫失性有五：一曰五色亂目，使目不明；二曰五聲亂耳，使耳不聰；三曰五臭薰鼻，困惾中顙；四曰五味濁口，使口厲爽；五曰趣舍滑心，使性飛揚。此五者，皆生之害也，而楊、墨乃始離跂，自以為得，非吾所謂得也。夫得者困，可以為得乎？則鳩鴞之在於籠也，亦可以為得矣。且夫趣舍聲色以柴其內，皮弁、鷸冠、搢笏、紳脩以約其外，內支盈於柴柵，外重纆繳，睆睆然在纆繳之中而自以為得，則是罪人交臂歷指而虎豹在於囊檻，亦可以為得矣！

A tree a hundred years old is split open and made into a sacrificial wine vessel, painted in blue and yellow with patterns, while the cut-off part lies in the ditch. Compare the sacrificial vessel with the cut-off wood in the ditch: in beauty and ugliness they differ, but in having lost their nature they are the same. Zhi the robber and Zeng Shen and Shi Yu differ in their practice of righteousness, yet they are equal in having lost their nature. Moreover, there are five ways of losing one's nature: first, the five colors confuse the eyes and make the eyes unclear; second, the five sounds confuse the ears and make the ears dull; third, the five smells assail the nose, clogging and blocking it up to the forehead; fourth, the five flavors muddy the mouth and make the mouth injured; fifth, pursuits and rejections stir up the mind and make the nature fly up. These five are all harms to life, yet Yang Zhu and Mo Di only then began to stand on tiptoe, thinking they had gained something, which is not what I call gain. If they gained it and were trapped by it, could that be called gain? Then a turtledove and an owl in a cage could also be called gaining. Moreover, with pursuits, rejections, sounds and colors stuffed inside like firewood, and with skin caps, snipe-feather caps, tablets stuck in the belt and long sashes binding the outside, the inside packed full with kindling and the outside layered with cords, one stares out of the cords and thinks oneself gaining; then a criminal with hands bound behind and fingers squeezed, or tigers and leopards in cages and pens, could also be called gaining!

天道運而無所積，故萬物成；帝道運而無所積，故天下歸；聖道運而無所積，故海內服。明於天，通於聖，六通四辟於帝王之德者，其自為也，昧然無不靜者矣！聖人之靜也，非曰靜也善，故靜也。萬物無足以鐃心者，故靜也。水靜則明燭鬚眉，平中準，大匠取法焉。水靜猶明，而況精神！聖人之心靜乎！天地之鑑也，萬物之鏡也。夫虛靜恬淡寂漠無為者，天地之平而道德之至。故帝王聖人休焉。休則虛，虛則實，實則倫矣。虛則靜，靜則動，動則得矣。靜則無為，無為也則任事者責矣。無為則俞俞，俞俞者憂患不能處，年壽長矣。夫虛靜恬淡寂漠無為者，萬物之本也。明此以南鄉，堯之為君也；明此以北面，舜之為臣也。以此處上，帝王天子之德也；以此處下，玄聖素王之道也。以此退居而閒遊江海，山林之士服；以此進為而撫世，則功大名顯而天下一也。靜而聖，動而王，無為也而尊，樸素而天下莫能與之爭美。夫明白於天地之德者，此之謂大本大宗，與天和者也。所以均調天下，與人和者也。與人和者，謂之人樂；與天和者，謂之天樂。

The Way of Heaven moves without any accumulation or stagnation, and so the ten thousand things are completed; the way of the emperor moves without any accumulation or stagnation, and so the world turns to him; the way of the sage moves without any accumulation or stagnation, and so all within the seas trust and submit. One who is clear about Heaven, understands the sage, has the six directions open and the four sides reaching toward the virtue of an emperor or king, acts of himself, and in the dimness there is nothing that is not still! The stillness of the sage is not that he considers stillness to be good and therefore is still. The ten thousand things have nothing enough to disturb his heart, and therefore he is still. When water is still it can clearly reflect the beard and eyebrows, and its flatness conforms to the level, which the great carpenter takes as his standard. When water is still it is clear; how much more the spirit! The sage's heart is still! It is the mirror of Heaven and Earth, the looking-glass of the ten thousand things. That emptiness, stillness, tranquility, plainness, silence and non-action are the level of Heaven and Earth and the utmost of the Way and its virtue. So emperors, kings and sages rest here. When they rest, they are empty; when empty, they are full; when full, they have order. When empty, they are still; when still, they move; when moving, they obtain. When still, they do nothing; when they do nothing, those who bear responsibility fulfill their duties. When one does nothing, one is at ease and contented, and one who is at ease and contented cannot have worries and troubles lodge in him, and his years are long. That emptiness, stillness, tranquility, plainness, silence and non-action are the root of the ten thousand things. One who understands this and faces south is Yao as ruler; one who understands this and faces north is Shun as minister. Using this in the high position is the virtue of emperors, kings and sons of Heaven; using this in the low position is the way of the dark sage and uncrowned king. Using this and withdrawing to wander at leisure by rivers and seas, the gentlemen of mountains and forests submit; using this and advancing to comfort the world, achievement is great, fame is manifest and the world is united. Still, he is a sage; moving, he is a king; doing nothing, he is honored; plain and simple, no one in the world can compete with him in beauty. One who understands the virtue of Heaven and Earth, this is called the great root and the great source, in harmony with Heaven. Using it to level the world, it is in harmony with people. Being in harmony with people is called human joy; being in harmony with Heaven is called heavenly joy.

莊子曰：「吾師乎，吾師乎！𩐈萬物而不為戾，澤及萬世而不為仁，長於上古而不為壽，覆載天地、刻彫眾形而不為巧，此之謂天樂。故曰：知天樂者，其生也天行，其死也物化。靜而與陰同德，動而與陽同波。故知天樂者，無天怨，無人非，無物累，無鬼責。故曰：其動也天，其靜也地，一心定而王天下；其鬼不祟，其魂不疲，一心定而萬物服。言以虛靜推於天地，通於萬物，此之謂天樂。天樂者，聖人之心，以畜天下也。」

Zhuangzi said: "My teacher, oh my teacher! He harmonizes the ten thousand things and is not called harsh (the base text writes a variant character here, read as the same as "to order"), his grace reaches ten thousand generations and is not called benevolent, he is older than high antiquity and is not called long-lived, he covers Heaven and bears Earth and carves and shapes the many forms and is not called skillful; this is called heavenly joy. Therefore it is said: One who knows heavenly joy, his life is the movement of Heaven, and his death is the transformation of things. In stillness he shares the virtue of yin, in movement he shares the waves of yang. Therefore one who knows heavenly joy has no resentment from Heaven, no blame from people, no burden from things, and no reproach from spirits. Therefore it is said: His movement is Heaven, his stillness is Earth, and when one mind is settled he is king over the world; his spirits do not make mischief, his soul is not weary, and when one mind is settled the ten thousand things submit. This speaks of pushing emptiness and stillness to Heaven and Earth and communicating them to the ten thousand things; this is called heavenly joy. Heavenly joy is the sage's heart, with which he nurtures the world."

夫帝王之德，以天地為宗，以道德為主，以無為為常。無為也，則用天下而有餘；有為也，則為天下用而不足。故古之人貴夫無為也。上無為也，下亦無為也，是下與上同德。下與上同德則不臣。下有為也，上亦有為也，是上與下同道。上與下同道則不主。上必無為而用天下，下必有為為天下用。此不易之道也。故古之王天下者，知雖落天地，不自慮也；辯雖彫萬物，不自說也；能雖窮海內，不自為也。天不產而萬物化，地不長而萬物育，帝王無為而天下功。故曰：莫神於天，莫富於地，莫大於帝王。故曰：帝王之德配天地。此乘天地，馳萬物，而用人群之道也。

The virtue of emperors and kings takes Heaven and Earth as its source, the Way and virtue as its master, and non-action as its constancy. With non-action, one uses the world and has more than enough; with action, one is used by the world and is not enough. So the ancients valued non-action. When those above do nothing and those below do nothing, then those below share the same virtue as those above. When those below share the same virtue as those above, they are no longer subjects. When those below act and those above act, then those above share the same way as those below. When those above share the same way as those below, they are no longer rulers. Those above must do nothing and use the world; those below must act and be used by the world. This is an unchangeable Way. So the ancients who were kings of the world, though their knowledge could encompass Heaven and Earth, did not plan by themselves; though their eloquence could ornament the ten thousand things, they did not speak by themselves; though their ability could exhaust all within the seas, they did not act by themselves. Heaven does not produce, yet the ten thousand things are transformed; Earth does not nurture, yet the ten thousand things grow; emperors and kings do nothing, yet the world is accomplished. So it is said: nothing is more divine than Heaven, nothing richer than Earth, nothing greater than emperors and kings. So it is said: the virtue of emperors and kings matches Heaven and Earth. This is the Way of riding Heaven and Earth, driving the ten thousand things, and using the multitude of people.

本在於上，末在於下；要在於主，詳在於臣。三軍五兵之運，德在末也；賞罰利害，五刑之闢，教之末也；禮法度數，形名比詳，治之末也；鐘鼓之音，羽旄之容，樂之末也；哭泣衰絰，隆殺之服，哀之末也。此五末者，須精神之運，心術之動，然後從之者也。

The root lies with those above, the tip with those below; the essentials lie with the ruler, the details with the ministers. The use of the three armies and five weapons is a matter of virtue's tip; rewards, punishments, benefits and harms, and the laws of the five punishments, are the tip of teaching; ritual, law, institutions and numbers, and the detailed matching of forms and names, are the tip of governing; the sounds of bells and drums and the appearance of feathers and yak tails are the tip of music; weeping, hemp mourning garments and graded mourning dress are the tip of grief. These five tips must wait for the movement of the spirit and the working of the art of the heart, and only then follow.

末學者，古人有之，而非所以先也。君先而臣從，父先而子從，兄先而弟從，長先而少從，男先而女從，夫先而婦從。夫尊卑先後，天地之行也，故聖人取象焉。天尊，地卑，神明之位也；春夏先，秋冬後，四時之序也。萬物化作，萌區有狀；盛衰之殺，變化之流也。夫天地至神，而有尊卑先後之序，而況人道乎！宗廟尚親，朝廷尚尊，鄉黨尚齒，行事尚賢，大道之序也。語道而非其序者，非其道也；語道而非其道者，安取道！

The study of the tip existed among the ancients, but it was not to be put first. The ruler goes first and the minister follows, the father goes first and the son follows, the elder brother goes first and the younger follows, the senior goes first and the junior follows, the man goes first and the woman follows, the husband goes first and the wife follows. Honored and lowly, first and last, are the movement of Heaven and Earth, and so the sage takes his model from them. Heaven is honored and Earth is lowly, which is the position of the spirits and the bright; spring and summer come first and autumn and winter later, which is the order of the four seasons. The ten thousand things change and rise, sprouts are distinguished and have shapes; the gradations of flourishing and decline are the flow of change. Heaven and Earth, supremely divine, still have the order of honored and lowly, first and last; how much more the way of humans! In the ancestral temple one honors kin, at court one honors rank, in the village one honors age, and in conducting affairs one honors worth; this is the order of the great Way. One who discusses the Way and denies its order is not discussing the Way; one who discusses the Way and denies that Way, where would he take the Way from!

是故古之明大道者，先明天而道德次之，道德已明而仁義次之，仁義已明而分守次之，分守已明而形名次之，形名已明而因任次之，因任已明而原省次之，原省已明而是非次之，是非已明而賞罰次之。賞罰已明而愚知處宜，貴賤履位；仁賢不肖襲情，必分其能，必由其名。以此事上，以此畜下，以此治物，以此修身，知謀不用，必歸其天。此之謂大平，治之至也。

So the ancients who understood the great Way first made clear Heaven, and the Way and its virtue came next; when the Way and its virtue were already clear, benevolence and righteousness came next; when benevolence and righteousness were already clear, duties and posts came next; when duties and posts were already clear, forms and names came next; when forms and names were already clear, employing people according to their talents came next; when employing people according to their talents was already clear, forgiveness and scrutiny came next; when forgiveness and scrutiny were already clear, right and wrong came next; when right and wrong were already clear, rewards and punishments came next. When rewards and punishments were already clear, the foolish and the wise each found their proper place, the noble and lowly each occupied their position; the benevolent, the worthy and the unworthy each followed their true circumstances, and one necessarily distinguished their abilities and went by their names. With this one served those above, with this one nurtured those below, with this one governed things, with this one cultivated oneself, and without using wit and schemes, everything returned to Heaven. This is called great peace, the utmost of government.

故書曰：「有形有名。」形名者，古人有之，而非所以先也。古之語大道者，五變而形名可舉，九變而賞罰可言也。驟而語形名，不知其本也；驟而語賞罰，不知其始也。倒道而言，迕道而說者，人之所治也，安能治人！驟而語形名賞罰，此有知治之具，非知治之道。可用於天下，不足以用天下，此之謂辯士，一曲之人也。禮法數度，形名比詳，古人有之。此下之所以事上，非上之所以畜下也。

So the book says: "There is form and there is name." Forms and names existed among the ancients, but they were not to be put first. When the ancients discussed the great Way, with five changes forms and names could be raised, and with nine changes rewards and punishments could be spoken of. To discuss forms and names abruptly is not to know their root; to discuss rewards and punishments abruptly is not to know their beginning. One who talks about the Way upside down and talks about the Way contrary to itself is one who is governed by others; how could he govern others! To talk abruptly about forms, names, rewards and punishments is to know the tools of government but not the way of government. It may be used for the world but is not enough to use the world; such a person is called a debater, a man of one corner. Ritual, law, numbers and institutions, and the detailed matching of forms and names, existed among the ancients. These are what those below use to serve those above, not what those above use to nurture those below.

昔者舜問於堯曰：「天王之用心何如？」

In the past Shun asked Yao: "How does the Son of Heaven use his mind?"

堯曰：「吾不敖無告，不廢窮民，苦死者，嘉孺子而哀婦人，此吾所以用心已。」

Yao said: "I do not look down on those who have no one to tell their troubles to, I do not abandon the destitute, I grieve for the dead, I commend children and pity women; this is how I use my mind."

舜曰：「美則美矣，而未大也。」

Shun said: "It is beautiful, but it is not yet great."

堯曰：「然則何如？」

Yao said: "Then what should it be?"

舜曰：「天德而出寧，日月照而四時行，若晝夜之有經，雲行而雨施矣！」

Shun said: "The virtue of Heaven appears and is at peace; the sun and moon shine and the four seasons proceed, like day and night with their constancy, like clouds moving and rain falling!"

堯曰：「膠膠擾擾乎！子，天之合也；我，人之合也。」

Yao said: "How muddled and busy! You are one who matches Heaven; I am one who matches people."

夫天地者，古之所大也，而黃帝堯舜之所共美也。故古之王天下者，奚為哉？天地而已矣。

Heaven and Earth were what the ancients regarded as great, and what the Yellow Emperor, Yao and Shun all praised. So what did the ancients who were kings of the world do? Heaven and Earth, that is all.

孔子西藏書於周室，子路謀曰：「由聞周之徵藏史有老聃者，免而歸居，夫子欲藏書，則試往因焉。」

Confucius wanted to store his books in the Zhou royal house in the west, and Zilu planned for him: "You has heard that the Zhou keeper of the archives has a man named Lao Dan, who has been dismissed from office and lives at home; if you wish to store your books, why not try relying on him."

孔子曰：「善。」

Confucius said: "Good."

往見老聃，而老聃不許，於是繙十二經以說。

He went to see Lao Dan, but Lao Dan did not agree, so he unrolled the twelve classics to explain them.

老聃中其說，曰：「大謾，願聞其要。」

Lao Dan interrupted his explanation, saying: "It is too sprawling; I would like to hear the essentials."

孔子曰：「要在仁義。」

Confucius said: "The essentials lie in benevolence and righteousness."

老聃曰：「請問：仁義，人之性邪？」

Lao Dan said: "May I ask: are benevolence and righteousness the nature of man?"

孔子曰：「然，君子不仁則不成，不義則不生。仁義，真人之性也，又將奚為矣？」

Confucius said: "Yes; if a gentleman is not benevolent, he cannot be complete, and if he is not righteous, he cannot live. Benevolence and righteousness are the nature of the true man; what else would there be to do?"

老聃曰：「請問：何謂仁義？」

Lao Dan said: "May I ask: what are benevolence and righteousness?"

孔子曰：「中心物愷，兼愛無私，此仁義之情也。」

Confucius said: "In the heart to be in joyful harmony with things, to love all alike without selfishness; this is the real state of benevolence and righteousness."

老聃曰：「意，幾乎後言！夫兼愛，不亦迂乎！無私焉，乃私也。夫子若欲使天下無失其牧乎？則天地固有常矣，日月固有明矣，星辰固有列矣，禽獸固有群矣，樹木固有立矣。夫子亦放德而行，遁道而趨，已至矣！又何偈偈乎揭仁義，若擊鼓而求亡子焉？意，夫子亂人之性也。」

Lao Dan said: "Ah, the latter words are dangerous! To love all alike, is that not roundabout and remote! To be without selfishness is itself selfishness. If you, sir, wish the world not to lose its shepherding, then Heaven and Earth have their constancy, the sun and moon have their brightness, the stars have their rows, the birds and beasts have their flocks, and the trees have their standing. You too should proceed according to virtue and move along the Way, and you have arrived! Why must you urgently raise benevolence and righteousness high, like beating a drum in search of a lost child? Ah, you, sir, are disturbing man's nature."

士成綺見老子而問曰：「吾聞夫子聖人也，吾固不辭遠道而來願見，百舍重趼而不敢息。今吾觀子，非聖人也，鼠壤有餘蔬，而棄妹之者，不仁也！生熟不盡於前，而積斂無崖。」

Shi Chengqi saw Laozi and asked: "I heard that you, sir, are a sage; I did not mind the distance and came gladly to see you, walking a hundred stages with calluses piled on my feet and not daring to stop. Now that I look at you, you are not a sage. By the rat's hole there are leftover vegetables, yet you cast aside your younger sister; this is unbenevolent! Raw and cooked food is piled before you and cannot be finished, yet you hoard without limit."

老子漠然不應。

Laozi was indifferent and did not respond.

士成綺明日復見，曰：「昔者吾有剌於子，今吾心正卻矣，何故也？」

The next day Shi Chengqi came to see him again and said: "Yesterday I mocked you; now my heart is subsiding; what is the reason?"

老子曰：「夫巧知神聖之人，吾自以為脫焉。昔者子呼我牛也而謂之牛，呼我馬也而謂之馬。苟有其實，人與之名而弗受，再受其殃。吾服也恆服，吾非以服有服。」

Laozi said: "As for that cleverness, knowledge, divinity and sagehood, I think I have already got free of them. Yesterday you called me an ox, and I was called an ox; you called me a horse, and I was called a horse. If there is a reality and others give the name and I do not accept it, I suffer a second calamity. My accepting is constant accepting; it is not that I accept because I want to accept."

士成綺鴈行避影，履行遂進而問：「修身若何。」

Shi Chengqi moved sideways like a wild goose avoiding his shadow, advanced step by step and asked: "How should one cultivate oneself?"

老子曰：「而容崖然，而目沖然，而顙頯然，而口闞然，而狀義然，似繫馬而止也。動而持，發也機，察而審，知巧而覩於泰，凡以為不信。邊竟有人焉，其名為竊。」

Laozi said: "Your appearance is cliff-like, your eyes are glaring, your forehead is broad, your mouth is gaping, your bearing is stern, like a tethered horse forced to stand still. When you move you are stiff, when you set off it is like the trigger of a crossbow, when you examine you are minute, and in knowing and cunning you show arrogance; all this I consider untrustworthy. On the border there is a kind of man whose name is Thief."

夫子曰：「夫道，於大不終，於小不遺，故萬物備。廣廣乎其無不容也，淵乎其不可測也。形德仁義，神之末也，非至人孰能定之！夫至人有世，不亦大乎！而不足以為之累。天下奮棅而不與之偕，審乎無假而不與利遷，極物之真，能守其本，故外天地，遺萬物，而神未嘗有所困也。通乎道，合乎德，通仁義，賓禮樂，至人之心有所定矣。」

The Master said: "The Way, in the great, has no end, and in the small, leaves nothing out, and so the ten thousand things are all prepared in it. Vast, there is nothing it cannot contain; deep, it cannot be fathomed. Form, virtue, benevolence and righteousness are the tip of the spirit; if not the perfect man, who can set its measure! The perfect man holding the human world, is that not great! Yet it is not enough to become a burden to him. The world rises up to seize power, and he does not join them; he examines what has no borrowing and does not shift for profit, exhausts the truth of things and can hold fast to their root, and so he sets Heaven and Earth aside and leaves the ten thousand things behind, and his spirit is never troubled. He penetrates the Way, accords with virtue, takes benevolence and righteousness as a through-road and ritual and music as guests; the perfect man's heart is settled."

世之所貴道者，書也。書不過語，語有貴也。語之所貴者，意也，意有所隨。意之所隨者，不可以言傳也，而世因貴言傳書。世雖貴之，我猶不足貴也，為其貴非其貴也。故視而可見者，形與色也；聽而可聞者，名與聲也。悲夫，世人以形色名聲為足以得彼之情！夫形色名聲果不足以得彼之情，則知者不言，言者不知，而世豈識之哉！

What the people of the world value in the Way is books. Books are nothing but words, and words have something that is valued. What words value is meaning, and meaning has something it follows. What meaning follows cannot be passed on in words, yet the world, because of this, values words and circulates books. Although the world values them, I still do not think they are worth valuing, because what they value is not what should be valued. So what can be seen by looking is form and color; what can be heard by listening is name and sound. How sad that people of the world think form, color, name and sound are enough to obtain the real state! If form, color, name and sound are truly not enough to obtain the real state, then those who know do not speak, and those who speak do not know, and how would the world know it!

桓公讀書於堂上，輪扁斲輪於堂下，釋椎鑿而上，問桓公曰：「敢問：公之所讀者何言邪？」

Duke Huan was reading in the hall, while Wheelwright Bian was chiseling a wheel below the hall. He put down his hammer and chisel, went up into the hall and asked Duke Huan: "May I ask what words your lordship is reading?"

公曰：「聖人之言也。」

Duke Huan said: "The words of the sages."

曰：「聖人在乎？」

He said: "Are the sages still alive?"

公曰：「已死矣。」

Duke Huan said: "They are already dead."

曰：「然則君之所讀者，古人之糟粕已夫！」

He said: "Then what you are reading, my lord, is only the dregs of the ancients!"

桓公曰：「寡人讀書，輪人安得議乎？有說則可，無說則死。」

Duke Huan said: "I am reading a book; how can a wheelwright comment? If you have an explanation, well and good; if you have none, you die."

輪扁曰：「臣也以臣之事觀之。斲輪，徐則甘而不固，疾則苦而不入，不徐不疾，得之於手而應於心，口不能言，有數存焉於其間。臣不能以喻臣之子，臣之子亦不能受之於臣，是以行年七十而老斲輪。古之人與其不可傳也死矣，然則君之所讀者，古人之糟魄已夫！」

Wheelwright Bian said: "I look at it through my own work. In chiseling a wheel, if I go slowly it comes out sweet and slack and not firm; if I go quickly it is rough and does not go in; neither slow nor quick, I get it in my hand and it responds in my heart, and the mouth cannot say it; there is a knack in it. I cannot instruct my son in it, and my son cannot receive it from me, so at seventy I am still chiseling wheels in my old age. The ancients died with what they could not pass on, so what you read, my lord, is only the dregs of the ancients!"