Tao Te Ching

The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao;
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

Nameless, it is the origin of heaven and earth;
Named, it is the mother of all things.

Therefore, constantly abiding in namelessness, one observes its subtlety;
Constantly abiding in name, one observes its manifestations.

These two emerge from the same source yet bear different names;
Together they are called the Mystery.

Mystery upon mystery—the gateway to all wonders.

When everyone in the world recognizes beauty as beauty, ugliness arises;
When everyone recognizes goodness as goodness, evil appears.

Thus being and nonbeing give rise to each other;
Difficulty and ease complete each other;
Long and short define each other;
High and low incline toward each other;
Tone and voice harmonize with each other;
Front and back follow one another.

Therefore the sage manages affairs through nonaction,
Teaches without words;
Lets all things arise without interference,
Gives life without claiming ownership,
Acts without expectation,
Accomplishes without taking credit.

And because he does not claim credit,
His achievement never fades.

Do not exalt the worthy, and the people will not contend;
Do not prize rare goods, and the people will not steal;
Do not display objects of desire, and the people's hearts will not be disturbed.

Therefore, in governing, the sage:
Empties their minds,
Fills their bellies,
Weakens their ambitions,
Strengthens their bones.

He constantly keeps the people without cunning, without craving,
And ensures that the clever dare not interfere.

Practice nonaction, and nothing will be left ungoverned.

The Dao is empty—yet in use, it is never filled.
How profound! It seems the ancestor of all things.

It blunts sharpness,
Untangles knots,
Softens radiance,
Unites with the dust.

How limpid! It seems to exist, yet cannot be grasped.
I do not know whose child it is—
It appears before the very concept of deity.

Heaven and earth are not humane;
They treat all things as straw dogs.
The sage is not humane;
He treats the people as straw dogs.

Is not the space between heaven and earth like a bellows?
Empty yet inexhaustible,
Moving, it yields ever more.

Too many words lead to exhaustion;
It is better to hold fast to the center.

The valley spirit never dies—
This is called the Mysterious Feminine.
The gateway of the Mysterious Feminine
Is called the root of heaven and earth.

Subtle, continuous, as if barely there,
Yet in use, it is never spent.

Heaven is enduring, earth is lasting.
Why can heaven and earth endure and last?
Because they do not exist for themselves—
Therefore they can live forever.

Thus the sage places himself behind, yet comes to the front;
Sets himself aside, yet is preserved.

Is it not precisely because he is selfless
That he can fulfill himself?

The highest goodness is like water.
Water benefits all things without contention,
Settling in places that people disdain—
Thus it comes close to the Dao.

In dwelling, be good at choosing the ground;
In mind, be good at cultivating depth;
In giving, be good at practicing benevolence;
In speech, be good at keeping faith;
In governance, be good at maintaining order;
In affairs, be good at employing ability;
In action, be good at timing.

It is precisely because one does not contend
That there is no blame.

To hold and fill to the brim—
Better to stop in time.
To hammer and sharpen to a point—
Cannot be maintained for long.

When gold and jade fill your hall,
No one can guard them.
Wealth and status combined with arrogance—
You invite your own downfall.

When your work is done, withdraw:
This is the way of heaven.

Can you embrace the soul and the body as one,
Never letting them part?
Can you concentrate your vital energy to achieve softness,
Like an infant?
Can you cleanse your profound vision,
Leaving no flaw?

In loving the people and governing the state,
Can you practice nonaction?
In the opening and closing of heaven's gate,
Can you play the feminine role?
In understanding all directions clearly,
Can you remain without cunning?

To give life, to nourish—
To give life without claiming ownership,
To act without expectation,
To guide without dominating:
This is called Mysterious Virtue.

Thirty spokes share one hub;
It is precisely where there is nothing—that the usefulness of the cart lies.
Clay is shaped into a vessel;
It is precisely where there is nothing—that the usefulness of the vessel lies.
Doors and windows are cut to make a room;
It is precisely where there is nothing—that the usefulness of the room lies.

Thus what exists provides advantage,
But what does not exist provides utility.

The five colors blind the eye;
The five tones deafen the ear;
The five flavors dull the palate;
Racing and hunting madden the heart;
Rare goods hinder one's conduct.

Therefore the sage attends to the belly, not the eye—
Thus he discards the one and takes the other.

Favor and disgrace seem equally alarming;
Great trouble seems as weighty as the body.

What is meant by "favor and disgrace seem equally alarming"?
Favor, when received, is humbling;
To gain it is alarming, to lose it is alarming—
This is what is meant by "favor and disgrace seem equally alarming."

What is meant by "great trouble seems as weighty as the body"?
The reason I have great trouble is that I have a body.
If I had no body, what trouble could I have?

Therefore, one who values the world as his own body may be entrusted with the world;
One who loves the world as his own body may be given charge of the world.

Looked for but not seen—called the Invisible.
Listened for but not heard—called the Inaudible.
Reached for but not grasped—called the Intangible.

These three cannot be fully interrogated,
Therefore they merge into one.

Above, it is not bright;
Below, it is not dark.
Endless, boundless, it cannot be named,
Returning to the state of no-thing.

This is called the form of the formless,
The image of the imageless—
This is called the Vague and Elusive.

Facing it, you see no beginning;
Following it, you see no end.

Hold fast to the ancient Dao
To manage what exists today.
To know the primordial beginning—
This is called the thread of the Dao.

The ancient masters of the Dao
Were subtle, mysterious, profound, and penetrating,
Too deep to be comprehended.

Precisely because they cannot be comprehended,
I can only describe them by approximation:

Cautious, as if crossing a stream in winter;
Alert, as if fearing neighbors on all sides;
Solemn, as if receiving guests;
Yielding, as if ice about to melt;
Honest, as if uncarved wood;
Open, as if a valley;
Blending, as if muddy water.

Who can, through stillness, gradually clarify the muddy?
Who can, through movement, gradually bring life to the still?

Those who preserve this Dao do not seek fullness;
Precisely because they do not seek fullness,
They can remain worn and never need renewal.

Attain utmost emptiness;
Maintain profound stillness.
As all things flourish together,
I observe their return.

All things, in their profusion,
Each returns to its root.
Returning to the root is called stillness;
Stillness is called returning to one's destiny;
Returning to one's destiny is called constancy;
Knowing constancy is called enlightenment.

Not knowing constancy leads to reckless action and misfortune.
Knowing constancy leads to openness;
Openness leads to impartiality;
Impartiality leads to kingship;
Kingship leads to heaven;
Heaven leads to the Dao;
The Dao leads to endurance;
To the end of one's days, one will be free from danger.

The highest ruler—the people merely know he exists.
Next—they love and praise him.
Next—they fear him.
Next—they despise him.

When trust is insufficient,
There is distrust.

How reserved he is, valuing his words!
When the work is accomplished, the task fulfilled,
The people all say, "We did it ourselves."

When the great Dao is abandoned,
Benevolence and righteousness appear.
When wisdom and knowledge arise,
Great hypocrisy follows.
When the six relationships are disharmonious,
Filial piety and parental affection are praised.
When the state falls into chaos,
Loyal ministers emerge.

Reject sageliness, discard wisdom,
And the people will benefit a hundredfold.
Reject benevolence, discard righteousness,
And the people will return to filial piety and affection.
Reject cleverness, discard profit,
And thieves and bandits will disappear.

These three measures, as written doctrine, are insufficient;
Therefore, let there be something to hold onto:
Manifest simplicity, embrace the uncarved,
Reduce selfishness, lessen desires,
Reject learning, and be free from anxiety.

How much difference is there between "yes" and "flattery"?
Between "good" and "evil"?
What people fear—cannot but be feared.

How vast and unending!
The crowd is joyful,
As if attending a great feast,
As if ascending a terrace in spring.

I alone am still, giving no sign,
Like an infant who has not yet learned to smile;
Weary, as if with nowhere to return.

The crowd has more than enough,
While I alone seem to have lost something.
What a foolish heart is mine! How muddled!

Ordinary people are bright and clear;
I alone am dim and obscure.
Ordinary people are sharp and discriminating;
I alone am dull and confused.

Calm, as if the ocean;
Drifting, as if without end.
The crowd all have their purposes;
I alone am stubborn and unsophisticated.

I alone am different from others,
Valuing the nourishment of the Mother.

The manifestation of great virtue
Follows the Dao alone.

The Dao as a thing—
Vague, elusive.
Elusive, vague—yet within it are images.
Vague, elusive—yet within it are things.
Dim, dark—yet within it is essence.
This essence is utterly real;
Within it is truth.

From ancient times to the present,
Its name has never been lost,
By which I may observe the beginning of all things.
How do I know the nature of these beginnings?
By this.

To yield is to be preserved whole;
To be bent is to become straight;
To be hollow is to be filled;
To be worn out is to be renewed;
To have little is to gain;
To have much is to be confused.

Therefore the sage embraces unity
And becomes a model for the world.
Not showing himself, he shines forth;
Not asserting himself, he is distinguished;
Not boasting, he has merit;
Not being proud, he endures.

It is precisely because he does not contend
That no one in the world can contend with him.
The ancient saying, "To yield is to be preserved whole"—
Could these be empty words?
Truly, wholeness returns to him.

Few words are natural.
Thus a whirlwind does not last all morning;
A downpour does not last all day.
Who causes these? Heaven and earth.
If heaven and earth cannot make them last,
How much less can humans?

Therefore, those who devote themselves to the Dao
Are one with the Dao;
Those who devote themselves to virtue
Are one with virtue;
Those who devote themselves to loss
Are one with loss.

To those who are one with the Dao,
The Dao gladly gives itself;
To those who are one with virtue,
Virtue gladly gives itself;
To those who are one with loss,
Loss gladly gives itself.

When trust is insufficient,
There is distrust.

One who stands on tiptoe does not stand firm;
One who strides too far cannot walk long.
One who shows himself does not shine;
One who asserts himself is not distinguished;
One who boasts has no merit;
One who is proud does not endure.

In terms of the Dao, these are called
"Leftover food, useless excrescences."
Things may detest them;
Therefore, one who has the Dao does not abide in them.

There is something formed in chaos,
Born before heaven and earth.
Silent, void,
Standing alone, unchanging,
Moving in a circle, never weary—
It may be regarded as the Mother of all under heaven.

I do not know its name;
I style it "the Dao."
Forced to give it a name, I call it "the Great."
Great means ever-flowing;
Ever-flowing means far-reaching;
Far-reaching means returning.

Thus the Dao is great, heaven is great,
Earth is great, and the king is also great.
Within the realm there are four greats,
And the king is one of them.

Humans follow earth;
Earth follows heaven;
Heaven follows the Dao;
The Dao follows what is natural.

Heaviness is the root of lightness;
Stillness is the master of restlessness.

Therefore the sage, traveling all day,
Does not leave his baggage wagon.
Though there may be splendid sights,
He remains aloof and unmoved.

How can the lord of ten thousand chariots
Make light of himself before the world?
To be light is to lose one's root;
To be restless is to lose one's mastery.

One skilled in traveling leaves no track or trace;
One skilled in speech leaves no flaw or blame;
One skilled in counting needs no tally or token;
One skilled in closing needs no lock or bolt, yet none can open;
One skilled in tying needs no rope or cord, yet none can untie.

Therefore the sage is always skilled at saving people,
And so abandons no one;
Always skilled at saving things,
And so wastes nothing.
This is called following the light.

Thus the good person is the teacher of the not-good;
The not-good person is the resource for the good.
Not valuing one's teacher, not cherishing one's resource—
Though wise, one would be greatly deluded.
This is called the essential mystery.

Knowing the masculine,
Yet keeping to the feminine,
Becoming a ravine for the world.
Being a ravine for the world,
One's constant virtue does not depart,
Returning to the state of an infant.

Knowing the white,
Yet keeping to the black,
Becoming a model for the world.
Being a model for the world,
One's constant virtue does not err,
Returning to the limitless.

Knowing glory,
Yet keeping to disgrace,
Becoming a valley for the world.
Being a valley for the world,
One's constant virtue is complete,
Returning to the uncarved.

When the uncarved is dispersed, it becomes vessels;
The sage, employing them, becomes a leader.
Thus a great carving does not cut.

Should one wish to take the world and act upon it,
I see that they will not succeed.
The world is a sacred vessel—
It cannot be acted upon, cannot be controlled.
Those who act upon it damage it;
Those who control it lose it.

Thus things may go forward or follow,
May breathe gently or blow hard,
May be strong or weak,
May be upheld or overthrown.

Therefore the sage avoids extremes,
Avoids extravagance,
Avoids excess.

One who assists a ruler with the Dao
Does not use military force to dominate the world—
Such matters tend to rebound.
Where armies have camped,
Thorns and brambles grow.
After great wars,
There are always years of famine.

One skilled in using force achieves results and stops;
He does not dare to use force to dominate.
Achieve results but do not boast;
Achieve results but do not brag;
Achieve results but do not be arrogant;
Achieve results only because it is necessary;
Achieve results but do not dominate.

Things that reach their peak then decline—
This is called contrary to the Dao.
What is contrary to the Dao soon perishes.

Fine weapons are instruments of ill omen;
Things may detest them;
Therefore, one who has the Dao does not abide with them.

In peacetime, the gentleman honors the left;
In war, he honors the right.
Weapons are instruments of ill omen,
Not the instruments of the gentleman;
Only when unavoidable does he use them,
Valuing restraint above all.

Victory is not something to celebrate;
To celebrate victory is to delight in killing.
One who delights in killing
Cannot succeed in the world.

In auspicious affairs, the left is honored;
In inauspicious affairs, the right is honored.
The lieutenant general stands on the left;
The commanding general stands on the right—
Meaning that war is conducted according to funeral rites.

When many have been killed,
Mourn them with grief and sorrow;
Even in victory, observe funeral rites.

The Dao is eternally nameless.
Though the uncarved is small,
No one in the world can make it serve.
If rulers and kings could preserve it,
All things would spontaneously submit.

When heaven and earth unite,
They send down sweet dew;
Without anyone ordering it,
The people find it equally distributed.

When ordering begins, names arise.
Once names exist,
One should also know when to stop.
Knowing when to stop, one can avoid danger.

The Dao's presence in the world
Is like mountain streams flowing into rivers and seas.

Knowing others is wisdom;
Knowing oneself is enlightenment.
Overcoming others is strength;
Overcoming oneself is power.
Contentment is wealth;
Perseverance is will.
Not losing one's place is endurance;
To die yet not perish is longevity.

Great is the overflow of the Dao—
It may flow left or right.
All things depend on it for life, yet it does not refuse them;
Its work accomplished, it does not claim credit.
It clothes and nourishes all things yet does not act as master—
Always without desire, it may be called small.
All things return to it, yet it does not act as master—
It may be called great.

Precisely because it never makes itself great,
It can achieve greatness.

Hold fast to the great image,
And all under heaven will come.
Coming and not harming one another,
There is peace, tranquility, and ease.

Music and delicacies
Can stop a passerby.
But when the Dao issues from the mouth,
How bland—without flavor!
Looked at, it is not enough to see;
Listened to, it is not enough to hear;
Yet in use, it is inexhaustible.

What is to be shrunk—
Must first be expanded.
What is to be weakened—
Must first be strengthened.
What is to be overthrown—
Must first be raised up.
What is to be taken—
Must first be given.
This is called subtle illumination.

The soft and weak overcome the hard and strong.
Fish should not leave the depths;
The sharp instruments of the state
Should not be shown to the people.

The Dao is eternally nonacting,
Yet nothing is left undone.
If rulers and kings could preserve it,
All things would transform spontaneously.
If, in transformation, desire arises,
I will quiet it with the nameless uncarved.
The nameless uncarved—
One will also be without desire.
Without desire, there is stillness;
All under heaven will rectify themselves.

Those of highest virtue do not strive for virtue—
Therefore they possess virtue.
Those of lowest virtue never lose sight of virtue—
Therefore they lack virtue.

Those of highest virtue act without intention;
Those of lowest virtue act with intention.
Those of highest benevolence act without intention;
Those of highest righteousness act with intention.
Those of highest propriety act, and when no one responds,
They roll up their sleeves and compel compliance.

Thus when the Dao is lost, virtue appears;
When virtue is lost, benevolence appears;
When benevolence is lost, righteousness appears;
When righteousness is lost, propriety appears.

Now propriety is the thin veneer of loyalty and trust,
And the beginning of disorder.
Foreknowledge is but the flowering of the Dao,
And the beginning of folly.

Therefore the great person abides in the thick, not the thin;
In the fruit, not the flower.
Thus he discards the one and takes the other.

Those of old who attained unity:
Heaven attained unity and became clear;
Earth attained unity and became tranquil;
Spirit attained unity and became numinous;
Valleys attained unity and became full;
All things attained unity and came to life;
Rulers and kings attained unity and became rectifiers of the world.

Pushing this to its conclusion:
If heaven lacked clarity, it would fear splitting;
If earth lacked tranquility, it would fear upheaval;
If spirit lacked numinosity, it would fear cessation;
If valleys lacked fullness, they would fear exhaustion;
If all things lacked life, they would fear extinction;
If rulers and kings lacked rectitude, they would fear downfall.

Thus nobility has humility as its root;
Height has lowness as its foundation.
Therefore rulers and kings call themselves "the orphaned," "the widowed," "the unworthy."
Is this not taking lowliness as the root? Is it not so?

Thus counting many carriages yields no carriage.
Do not desire to clink like jade;
Let yourself resound like stone.

Reversion is the movement of the Dao;
Weakness is the function of the Dao.
All things under heaven are born from being;
Being is born from nonbeing.

When the highest type of person hears of the Dao,
He practices it diligently.
When the middle type hears of the Dao,
He seems to remember, then forget.
When the lowest type hears of the Dao,
He laughs aloud.
If he did not laugh, it would not be worthy of being called the Dao.

Thus there is a saying:
The bright Dao seems dim;
The advancing Dao seems retreating;
The smooth Dao seems rough;
The highest virtue seems like a valley;
The purest white seems sullied;
The amplest virtue seems insufficient;
The firmest virtue seems lax;
The truest substance seems changeable;
The great square has no corners;
The great vessel is long in finishing;
The great sound is hardly heard;
The great image has no form;
The Dao is hidden and nameless.

Yet it is the Dao alone
That skillfully lends and brings to completion.

The Dao gives birth to One;
One gives birth to Two;
Two gives birth to Three;
Three gives birth to all things.
All things carry yin on their backs and embrace yang in front;
The blending of these vital forces creates harmony.

What people detest—
Being orphaned, widowed, unworthy—
Yet kings and princes use these as titles.

Thus things may be diminished yet benefit,
Or benefited yet diminished.
What others teach, I also teach:
"The violent and strong do not die a natural death."
This I take as the foundation of instruction.

The softest thing in the world
Gallops over the hardest.
Nonbeing enters where there is no opening;
Thus I know the benefit of nonaction.

The teaching without words,
The benefit of nonaction—
Few in the world can attain them.

Fame or life—which is dearer?
Life or goods—which is more valuable?
Gain or loss—which is more harmful?

Extreme love necessarily entails great cost;
Amassing much necessarily entails heavy loss.
Thus, knowing contentment brings no disgrace;
Knowing when to stop brings no danger;
One can endure long.

Great perfection seems flawed,
Yet its use is never impaired.
Great fullness seems empty,
Yet its use is never exhausted.
Great straightness seems crooked;
Great skill seems clumsy;
Great eloquence seems tongue-tied.

Stillness overcomes restlessness;
Cold overcomes heat.
Clarity and stillness are the rectifiers of the world.

When the world has the Dao,
Racing horses are returned to fertilize the fields.
When the world lacks the Dao,
War horses breed on the borders.

No disaster is greater than not knowing contentment;
No fault is greater than the desire for acquisition.
Thus the contentment of knowing contentment
Is eternal contentment.

Without going out the door,
One can know the world.
Without looking out the window,
One can see the way of heaven.
The farther one goes,
The less one knows.

Therefore the sage knows without traveling,
Understands without seeing,
Accomplishes without acting.

In the pursuit of learning, one gains daily;
In the pursuit of the Dao, one loses daily.
Losing and losing again,
One arrives at nonaction.
Through nonaction, nothing is left undone.

To take possession of the world,
Always remain without affairs.
Once one has affairs,
One is not fit to take possession of the world.

The sage has no fixed mind;
He takes the mind of the people as his mind.

To the good, I am good;
To the not-good, I am also good—
Thus virtue is good.
To the faithful, I am faithful;
To the unfaithful, I am also faithful—
Thus virtue is faithful.

The sage, in the world,
Draws all minds together in harmony.
The people all focus their ears and eyes;
The sage treats them all as children.

Coming forth into life, entering into death.
Of those who belong to the category of life, three in ten;
Of those who belong to the category of death, three in ten;
Of those whose lives move toward the realm of death, also three in ten.

Why is this?
Because they seek life too vigorously.

I have heard that one skilled in preserving life,
Traveling on land, does not encounter rhinoceros or tiger;
Entering battle, does not don armor or bear weapons.
The rhinoceros has nowhere to thrust its horn;
The tiger has nowhere to place its claw;
Weapons have nowhere to pierce.

Why is this?
Because he has no place of death within him.

The Dao gives them life;
Virtue nourishes them;
Matter gives them form;
Circumstances bring them to completion.

Therefore all things honor the Dao and value virtue.
The honor of the Dao, the value of virtue—
No one commands it; it is always so naturally.

Thus the Dao gives them life;
Virtue nourishes them;
It grows them, nurtures them,
Matures them, ripens them,
Cares for them, shelters them.
It gives life without claiming ownership,
Acts without expectation,
Guides without dominating—
This is called Mysterious Virtue.

All under heaven has a beginning;
Regard it as the mother of all under heaven.
Having found the mother,
One thereby knows the children.
Having known the children,
One returns to guard the mother—
To the end of one's days, free from danger.

Block the openings,
Close the gates—
To the end of one's life, without toil.
Open the openings,
Increase your affairs—
To the end of one's life, beyond saving.

To perceive the subtle is called clarity;
To preserve the soft is called strength.
Use the light,
Return to clarity,
Leaving no calamity to oneself—
This is called practicing the constant.

If I were to have even a little knowledge,
Walking on the great Dao,
I would fear only going astray.

The great Dao is very level,
Yet people love the bypaths.
The court is very tidy,
The fields are very overgrown,
The granaries are very empty;
Yet they wear ornate silks,
Carry sharp swords,
Sate themselves with food and drink,
Have wealth and goods to spare—
This is called robbery and bragging.
This is not the Dao!

What is well established cannot be uprooted;
What is well embraced cannot slip away;
Through it, descendants offer sacrifices without cease.

Cultivate it in the person—
One's virtue becomes genuine.
Cultivate it in the family—
One's virtue becomes abundant.
Cultivate it in the village—
One's virtue becomes enduring.
Cultivate it in the state—
One's virtue becomes flourishing.
Cultivate it in the world—
One's virtue becomes universal.

Thus, through the person, observe the person;
Through the family, observe the family;
Through the village, observe the village;
Through the state, observe the state;
Through the world, observe the world.
How do I know the world is so?
By this.

One rich in virtue
Is like an infant.
Poisonous insects do not sting;
Fierce beasts do not seize;
Birds of prey do not strike.
Bones are soft, sinews tender, yet the grip is firm.
Not yet knowing the union of male and female,
Yet the essence stirs—
The height of vital essence.
Crying all day without becoming hoarse—
The height of harmony.

To know harmony is called constancy;
To know constancy is called enlightenment;
To seek to increase life is called ominous;
To let the mind drive the vital force is called forceful.
Things that reach their peak then decline—
This is called contrary to the Dao.
What is contrary to the Dao soon perishes.

One who knows does not speak;
One who speaks does not know.

Block the openings,
Close the gates,
Blunt the sharpness,
Untangle the knots,
Soften the radiance,
Unite with the dust—
This is called Mysterious Sameness.

Thus one cannot be drawn near,
Cannot be pushed away;
Cannot be benefited,
Cannot be harmed;
Cannot be honored,
Cannot be disgraced.
Therefore one is honored by all under heaven.

Govern the state with correctness;
Employ the military with surprise;
Take possession of the world through noninterference.
How do I know this is so? By this:

The more taboos and prohibitions in the world,
The poorer the people become.
The more sharp weapons among the people,
The more troubled the state becomes.
The more skill and cleverness among people,
The more strange and perverse things arise.
The more laws and decrees are promulgated,
The more thieves and bandits appear.

Therefore the sage says:
I practice nonaction, and the people transform themselves;
I love stillness, and the people rectify themselves;
I engage in no affairs, and the people enrich themselves;
I have no desires, and the people return to simplicity.

When government is dull and taciturn,
The people are honest and content.
When government is sharp and scrutinizing,
The people are crafty and discontented.

Misfortune—good fortune leans upon it;
Good fortune—misfortune hides within it.
Who knows where it ends?
There is no fixed norm.
Correctness again becomes strangeness;
Goodness again becomes evil.
The people's confusion—
Its days are indeed long.

Therefore the sage is square but does not cut,
Has corners but does not wound,
Is straight but does not impose,
Shines but does not dazzle.

In governing people and serving heaven,
Nothing is better than frugality.

It is precisely through frugality
That one is prepared early;
Being prepared early is called accumulating virtue abundantly;
Accumulating virtue abundantly, nothing cannot be overcome;
When nothing cannot be overcome,
No one knows one's limits;
When no one knows one's limits,
One can possess a state;
Possessing the mother of the state,
One can endure long.

This is called deep roots and firm foundation,
The way of long life and enduring vision.

Governing a large state
Is like cooking a small fish.

When the world is governed by the Dao,
Even ghosts lose their spiritual power.
Not that ghosts lose their spiritual power—
Their spirits do not harm people.
Not that their spirits do not harm people—
The sage also does not harm people.
When these two do not harm each other,
Virtue flows together and returns to them.

A large state is like the low-lying downstream,
The confluence of all under heaven,
The feminine of all under heaven.
The feminine always overcomes the masculine through stillness,
Because she is still and takes the lower position.

Thus a large state, by placing itself below a small state,
Wins the small state.
A small state, by placing itself below a large state,
Wins the large state.
Thus sometimes by placing below one wins,
Sometimes by placing below one is won.

A large state only wishes to unite and nourish others;
A small state only wishes to enter and serve others.
If both obtain what they desire,
It is fitting for the larger to take the lower position.

The Dao is the treasure of all things,
The treasure of the good,
The safeguard of the not-good.

Fine words can win honor;
Noble conduct can gain respect.
Why abandon those who are not good?

Thus, in establishing the Son of Heaven,
In appointing the three dukes,
Though one might present a jade disc followed by a team of four horses,
It is better to sit and advance this Dao.

Why was this Dao valued by the ancients?
Was it not said:
"Seek and you shall find;
Have faults and you shall be forgiven"?
Therefore it is valued by all under heaven.

Practice nonaction as action;
Engage in affairs as non-affairs;
Savor flavor as flavorless.

Whether great or small, many or few,
Repay resentment with virtue.
Address difficulties while they are still easy;
Accomplish great things while they are still small.
All difficult matters in the world
Must begin with what is easy;
All great matters in the world
Must begin with what is small.

Therefore the sage never attempts the great,
And thus can accomplish greatness.

One who makes promises lightly
Will have little trustworthiness;
One who regards things as easy
Will encounter many difficulties.
Therefore the sage treats things as difficult,
And thus ultimately encounters no difficulties.

What is at rest is easy to hold;
What has not yet shown signs is easy to plan for;
What is brittle is easy to break;
What is minute is easy to scatter.
Act before things arise;
Govern before disorder appears.

A tree whose girth fills one's arms
Grows from a tiny sprout.
A tower nine stories high
Begins with a heap of earth.
A journey of a thousand leagues
Begins beneath one's feet.

Those who act will fail;
Those who grasp will lose.
Therefore the sage, by not acting, does not fail;
By not grasping, does not lose.

In people's affairs,
They often fail just when success is near.
Be as careful at the end as at the beginning,
And there will be no failed undertakings.

Therefore the sage desires the undesired,
Does not value rare goods;
Learns what others do not learn,
Returns people from the errors they have passed.
Thus he assists the natural course of all things,
And does not dare to act.

The ancients who were skilled in the Dao
Did not use it to make the people clever,
But to keep them simple.

The difficulty in governing the people
Stems from their cleverness.
Thus to govern the state with cleverness
Is to rob the state;
Not to govern the state with cleverness
Is to bless the state.

To know these two is also a model.
To always know the model
Is called Mysterious Virtue.
Mysterious Virtue is deep, far-reaching,
Moving contrary to things—
Then it attains great harmony.

The reason rivers and seas can be kings of the hundred valleys
Is that they are skilled at staying below them—
Therefore they can be kings of the hundred valleys.

Thus the sage, wishing to be above the people,
Must in his speech place himself below them.
Wishing to precede the people,
Must in his person place himself behind them.

Thus the sage, though above, does not burden the people;
Though before, does not harm the people.
Therefore all under heaven gladly support him without tiring.
It is precisely because he does not contend
That no one in the world can contend with him.

All the world says my Dao is great,
Yet seems unlike anything.
Precisely because it is great,
It seems unlike anything.
If it were like anything,
Long ago it would have become small indeed!

I have three treasures,
Which I hold and keep:
The first is compassion;
The second is frugality;
The third is not daring to be first in the world.

Through compassion, one can be brave;
Through frugality, one can be generous;
By not daring to be first in the world,
One can become the leader of vessels.

Now, if one abandons compassion for bravery,
Abandons frugality for generosity,
Abandons following for leading—
It is death!

Compassion—in battle, it brings victory;
In defense, it brings security.
When heaven would save someone,
It protects them with compassion.

One skilled in being a warrior is not warlike;
One skilled in battle does not give way to anger;
One skilled in defeating the enemy does not engage;
One skilled in employing people places himself below them.

This is called the virtue of non-contention;
This is called the power of employing people;
This is called matching heaven—
The ultimate principle of antiquity.

There is a saying about employing the military:
"I dare not be the host, but rather the guest;
I dare not advance an inch, but rather retreat a foot."

This is called:
Marching without formation,
Rolling up sleeves without arms,
Confronting without enemies,
Wielding weapons without weapons.

No disaster is greater than underestimating the enemy;
Underestimating the enemy nearly costs me my treasures.

Thus when opposing armies are matched,
The one with sorrow prevails.

My words are very easy to understand,
Very easy to practice.
Yet all under heaven cannot understand them,
Cannot practice them.

Words have an ancestor;
Affairs have a lord.
It is precisely because of ignorance
That they do not know me.

Those who know me are few;
Those who follow me are honored.
Therefore the sage wears coarse cloth,
Yet carries jade within his breast.

To know yet to think one does not know—this is highest.
Not to know yet to think one knows—this is sickness.

Precisely because one recognizes sickness as sickness,
One is not sick.
The sage is not sick;
Because he recognizes sickness as sickness,
Therefore he is not sick.

When the people do not fear authority,
Then great fear arrives.

Do not constrict their dwellings;
Do not weary their livelihoods.
Precisely because one does not weary them,
They do not grow weary.

Therefore the sage knows himself but does not show himself;
Loves himself but does not exalt himself.
Thus he discards the one and takes the other.

Bravery in daring leads to death;
Bravery in not daring leads to life.
These two—
One brings benefit, one brings harm.
What heaven detests—
Who knows the reason?

Therefore even the sage regards it as difficult.
The way of heaven:
Does not contend, yet is skilled at victory;
Does not speak, yet is skilled at response;
Does not summon, yet things come of themselves;
Is leisurely, yet is skilled at planning.
The net of heaven is vast, vast;
Its mesh is coarse, yet nothing escapes.

If the people do not fear death,
How can they be intimidated by death?
If one could make the people always fear death,
And seize those who do evil,
I could arrest and execute them—
Who would dare?

There is always a master of execution who executes.
To substitute for the master of execution in executing
Is called substituting for the master carpenter in cutting.
One who substitutes for the master carpenter in cutting—
Rarely avoids injuring his own hands.

The reason the people starve
Is that those above consume too much in taxes—
Therefore they starve.
The reason the people are difficult to govern
Is that those above engage in action—
Therefore they are difficult to govern.
The reason the people take death lightly
Is that those above seek life too vigorously—
Therefore they take death lightly.

It is precisely those who do not make life their concern
Who are superior to those who value life.

In life, humans are soft and supple;
In death, they are stiff and hard.
All things, plants and trees:
In life, they are tender and pliant;
In death, they are withered and dry.

Thus the stiff and hard are companions of death;
The soft and supple are companions of life.

Therefore an army that is strong will not prevail;
A tree that is strong will be cut.
The strong and great take the lower position;
The soft and weak take the upper position.

Is not the way of heaven like drawing a bow?
What is high is pressed down;
What is low is raised up.
What has excess is reduced;
What is deficient is supplemented.

The way of heaven reduces the excess
And supplements the deficient.
The way of humans is not so:
It reduces the deficient
To offer to those who have excess.

Who can take what is in excess
And offer it to all under heaven?
Only one who has the Dao.

Therefore the sage acts but does not claim,
Accomplishes but does not dwell,
Does not wish to display worthiness.

Nothing in the world is softer and weaker than water,
Yet for attacking the hard and strong,
Nothing can surpass it—
Because nothing can take its place.

That the weak overcomes the strong,
The soft overcomes the hard—
All in the world know this,
Yet none can practice it.

Therefore the sage says:
One who accepts the disgrace of the state
Is called the master of the altars of soil and grain.
One who accepts the misfortunes of the state
Is called the king of all under heaven.

Straightforward words seem paradoxical.

When a great resentment is reconciled,
There is sure to be some resentment remaining.
How can this be considered good?

Therefore the sage holds the left-hand tally,
Yet does not demand payment from others.
One with virtue attends to the tally;
One without virtue attends to the exactions.

The way of heaven shows no favoritism;
It is always with the good.

Let the state be small, the people few.
Though there be tools for ten or a hundred,
Let them not be used.
Let the people regard death seriously
And not migrate far.

Though there be boats and carriages,
None will ride in them.
Though there be armor and weapons,
None will display them.
Let the people return to using knotted cords.

Let them find their food sweet,
Their clothes beautiful,
Their dwellings comfortable,
Their customs joyful.

Though neighboring states are within sight,
Though the sounds of dogs and chickens can be heard,
Let the people grow old and die
Without visiting one another.

True words are not fine;
Fine words are not true.
One who is good does not argue;
One who argues is not good.
One who knows is not learned in many things;
One learned in many things does not know.

The sage does not hoard;
The more he gives to others, the more he has himself;
The more he bestows on others, the richer he becomes.

The way of heaven benefits and does not harm;
The way of the sage acts and does not contend.