| 1 | What makes a great state is its being (like) a low-lying, down- flowing (stream);-- |
| 2 | it becomes the centre to which tend (all the small states) under heaven. |
| 3 | (To illustrate from) the case of all females:-- |
| 4 | the female always overcomes the male by her stillness. |
| 5 | Stillness may be considered (a sort of) abasement. |
| 6 | Thus it is that a great state, by condescending to small states, gains them for itself; |
| 7 | and that small states, by abasing themselves to a great state, win it over to them. |
| 8 | In the one case the abasement leads to gaining adherents, in the other case to procuring favour. |
| 9 | The great state only wishes to unite men together and nourish them; |
| 10 | a small state only wishes to be received by, and to serve, the other. |
| 11 | Each gets what it desires, but the great state must learn to abase itself. |
| 1 | Tao has of all things the most honoured place. |
| 2 | No treasures give good men so rich a grace; |
| 3 | Bad men it guards, and doth their ill efface. |
| 4 | (Its) admirable words can purchase honour; |
| 5 | (its) admirable deeds can raise their performer above others. |
| 6 | Even men who are not good are not abandoned by it. |
| 7 | Therefore when the sovereign occupies his place as the Son of Heaven, |
| 8 | and he has appointed his three ducal ministers, |
| 9 | though (a prince) were to send in a round symbol-of-rank large enough to fill both the hands, |
| 10 | and that as the precursor of the team of horses (in the court-yard), |
| 11 | such an offering would not be equal to (a lesson of) this Tao, which one might present on his knees. |
| 12 | Why was it that the ancients prized this Tao so much? |
| 13 | Was it not because it could be got by seeking for it, and the guilty could escape (from the stain of their guilt) by it? |
| 14 | This is the reason why all under heaven consider it the most valuable thing. |
| 1 | (It is the way of the Tao) to act without (thinking of) acting; |
| 2 | to conduct affairs without (feeling the) trouble of them; |
| 3 | to taste without discerning any flavour; |
| 4 | to consider what is small as great, and a few as many; |
| 5 | and to recompense injury with kindness. |
| 6 | (The master of it) anticipates things that are difficult while they are easy, and does things that would become great while they are small. |
| 7 | All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a previous state in which they were easy, |
| 8 | and all great things from one in which they were small. |
| 9 | Therefore the sage, while he never does what is great, is able on that account to accomplish the greatest things. |
| 10 | He who lightly promises is sure to keep but little faith; |
| 11 | he who is continually thinking things easy is sure to find them difficult. |
| 12 | Therefore the sage sees difficulty even in what seems easy, and so never has any difficulties. |
| 1 | That which is at rest is easily kept hold of; before a thing has given indications of its presence, it is easy to take measures against it; |
| 2 | that which is brittle is easily broken; |
| 3 | that which is very small is easily dispersed. |
| 4 | Action should be taken before a thing has made its appearance; order should be secured before disorder has begun. |
| 5 | The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; |
| 6 | The tower of nine storeys rose from a (small) heap of earth; |
| 7 | the journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step. |
| 8 | He who acts (with an ulterior purpose) does harm; |
| 9 | he who takes hold of a thing (in the same way) loses his hold. |
| 10 | The sage does not act (so), and therefore does no harm; |
| 11 | he does not lay hold (so), and therefore does not lose his bold. |
| 12 | (But) people in their conduct of affairs are constantly ruining them when they are on the eve of success. |
| 13 | If they were careful at the end, as (they should be) at the beginning, they would not so ruin them. |
| 14 | Therefore the sage desires what (other men) do not desire, and does not prize things difficult to get; |
| 15 | he learns what (other men) do not learn, and turns back to what the multitude of men have passed by. |
| 16 | Thus he helps the natural development of all things, and does not dare to act (with an ulterior purpose of his own). |
| 1 | The ancients who showed their skill in practising the Tao did so, not to enlighten the people, but rather to make them simple and ignorant. |
| 2 | The difficulty in governing the people arises from their having much knowledge. |
| 3 | He who (tries to) govern a state by his wisdom is a scourge to it; while he who does not (try to) do so is a blessing. |
| 4 | He who (tries to) govern a state by his wisdom is a scourge to it; while he who does not (try to) do so is a blessing. |
| 5 | He who knows these two things finds in them also his model and rule. |
| 6 | Ability to know this model and rule constitutes what we call the mysterious excellence (of a governor). |
| 7 | Deep and far-reaching is such mysterious excellence, showing indeed its possessor as opposite to others, but leading them to a great conformity to him. |
| 1 | That whereby the rivers and seas are able to receive the homage and tribute of all the valley streams, is their skill in being lower than they;-- |
| 2 | it is thus that they are the kings of them all. |
| 3 | So it is that the sage (ruler), wishing to be above men, puts himself by his words below them, |
| 4 | and, wishing to be before them, places his person behind them. |
| 5 | In this way though he has his place above them, men do not feel his weight, |
| 6 | nor though he has his place before them, do they feel it an injury to them. |
| 7 | Therefore all in the world delight to exalt him and do not weary of him. |
| 8 | Because he does not strive, no one finds it possible to strive with him. |
| 1 | All the world says that, while my Tao is great, it yet appears to be inferior (to other systems of teaching). |
| 2 | Now it is just its greatness that makes it seem to be inferior. |
| 3 | If it were like any other (system), for long would its smallness have been known! |
| 4 | But I have three precious things which I prize and hold fast. |
| 5 | The first is gentleness; the second is economy; and the third is shrinking from taking precedence of others. |
| 6 | With that gentleness I can be bold; |
| 7 | with that economy I can be liberal; |
| 8 | shrinking from taking precedence of others, I can become a vessel of the highest honour. |
| 9 | Now-a-days they give up gentleness and are all for being bold; |
| 10 | economy, and are all for being liberal; |
| 11 | the hindmost place, and seek only to be foremost;--(of all which the end is) death. |
| 12 | Gentleness is sure to be victorious even in battle, and firmly to maintain its ground. |
| 13 | Heaven will save its possessor, by his (very) gentleness protecting him. |
| 1 | He who in (Tao's) wars has skill Assumes no martial port; |
| 2 | He who fights with most good will To rage makes no resort. |
| 3 | He who vanquishes yet still Keeps from his foes apart; |
| 4 | He whose hests men most fulfil Yet humbly plies his art. |
| 5 | Thus we say, 'He ne'er contends, And therein is his might.' |
| 6 | Thus we say, 'Men's wills he bends, That they with him unite.' |
| 7 | Thus we say, 'Like Heaven's his ends, No sage of old more bright.' |
| 1 | A master of the art of war has said, 'I do not dare to be the host (to commence the war); |
| 2 | I prefer to be the guest (to act on the defensive). |
| 3 | I do not dare to advance an inch; I prefer to retire a foot.' |
| 4 | This is called marshalling the ranks where there are no ranks; |
| 5 | baring the arms (to fight) where there are no arms to bare; |
| 6 | grasping the weapon where there is no weapon to grasp; |
| 7 | advancing against the enemy where there is no enemy. |
| 8 | There is no calamity greater than lightly engaging in war. |
| 9 | To do that is near losing (the gentleness) which is so precious. |
| 10 | Thus it is that when opposing weapons are (actually) crossed, he who deplores (the situation) conquers. |
| 1 | My words are very easy to know, and very easy to practise; |
| 2 | but there is no one in the world who is able to know and able to practice them. |
| 3 | There is an originating and all-comprehending (principle) in my words, and an authoritative law for the things (which I enforce). |
| 4 | It is because they do not know these, that men do not know me. |
| 5 | They who know me are few, and I am on that account (the more) to be prized. |
| 6 | It is thus that the sage wears (a poor garb of) hair cloth, while he carries his (signet of) jade in his bosom. |
| 1 | When the people do not fear what they ought to fear, that which is their great dread will come on them. |
| 2 | Let them not thoughtlessly indulge themselves in their ordinary life; |
| 3 | let them not act as if weary of what that life depends on. |
| 4 | It is by avoiding such indulgence that such weariness does not arise. |
| 5 | Therefore the sage knows (these things) of himself, but does not parade (his knowledge); |
| 6 | loves, but does not (appear to set a) value on, himself. |
| 7 | And thus he puts the latter alternative away and makes choice of the former. |
| 1 | He whose boldness appears in his daring (to do wrong, in defiance of the laws) is put to death; |
| 2 | he whose boldness appears in his not daring (to do so) lives on. |
| 3 | Of these two cases the one appears to be advantageous, and the other to be injurious. |
| 4 | But when Heaven's anger smites a man, Who the cause shall truly scan? |
| 5 | On this account the sage feels a difficulty (as to what to do in the former case). |
| 6 | It is the way of Heaven not to strive, and yet it skillfully overcomes; not to speak, |
| 7 | and yet it is skilful in (obtaining a reply; does not call, |
| 8 | and yet men come to it of themselves. |
| 9 | Its demonstrations are quiet, |
| 10 | and yet its plans are skilful and effective. |
| 11 | The meshes of the net of Heaven are large; far apart, but letting nothing escape. |
| 1 | The people do not fear death; to what purpose is it to (try to) frighten them with death? |
| 2 | If the people were always in awe of death, and I could always seize those who do wrong, and put them to death, who would dare to do wrong? |
| 3 | There is always One who presides over the infliction death. |
| 4 | He who would inflict death in the room of him who so presides over it may be described as hewing wood instead of a great carpenter. |
| 5 | Seldom is it that he who undertakes the hewing, instead of the great carpenter, does not cut his own hands! |
| 1 | Man at his birth is supple and weak; at his death, firm and strong. |
| 2 | (So it is with) all things. |
| 3 | Trees and plants, in their early growth, are soft and brittle; at their death, dry and withered. |
| 4 | Thus it is that firmness and strength are the concomitants of death; softness and weakness, the concomitants of life. |
| 5 | Hence he who (relies on) the strength of his forces does not conquer; and a tree which is strong will fill the out-stretched arms, (and thereby invites the feller.) |
| 6 | Therefore the place of what is firm and strong is below, and that of what is soft and weak is above. |
| 1 | May not the Way (or Tao) of Heaven be compared to the (method of) bending a bow? |
| 2 | The (part of the bow) which was high is brought low, and what was low is raised up. |
| 3 | (So Heaven) diminishes where there is superabundance, and supplements where there is deficiency. |
| 4 | It is the Way of Heaven to diminish superabundance, and to supplement deficiency. |
| 5 | It is not so with the way of man. |
| 6 | He takes away from those who have not enough to add to his own superabundance. |
| 7 | Who can take his own superabundance and therewith serve all under heaven? |
| 8 | Only he who is in possession of the Tao! |
| 9 | Therefore the (ruling) sage acts without claiming the results as his; |
| 10 | he achieves his merit and does not rest (arrogantly) in it:-- |
| 11 | he does not wish to display his superiority. |
| 1 | There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, |
| 2 | and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence of it;-- |
| 3 | for there is nothing (so effectual) for which it can be changed. |
| 4 | Every one in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the strong, |
| 5 | but no one is able to carry it out in practice. |
| 6 | Therefore a sage has said, 'He who accepts his state's reproach, Is hailed therefore its altars' lord; |
| 7 | To him who bears men's direful woes They all the name of King accord.' |
| 8 | Words that are strictly true seem to be paradoxical. |
| 1 | When a reconciliation is effected (between two parties) after a great animosity, there is sure to be a grudge remaining (in the mind of the one who was wrong). |
| 2 | And how can this be beneficial (to the other)? |
| 3 | Therefore (to guard against this), the sage keeps the left-hand portion of the record of the engagement, and does not insist on the (speedy) fulfilment of it by the other party. |
| 4 | (So), he who has the attributes (of the Tao) regards (only) the conditions of the engagement, |
| 5 | while he who has not those attributes regards only the conditions favourable to himself. |
| 6 | In the Way of Heaven, there is no partiality of love; it is always on the side of the good man. |
| 1 | In a little state with a small population, I would so order it, that, though there were individuals with the abilities of ten or a hundred men, there should be no employment of them; |
| 2 | I would make the people, while looking on death as a grievous thing, yet not remove elsewhere (to avoid it). |
| 3 | Though they had boats and carriages, they should have no occasion to ride in them; |
| 4 | though they had buff coats and sharp weapons, they should have no occasion to don or use them. |
| 5 | I would make the people return to the use of knotted cords (instead of the written characters). |
| 6 | They should think their (coarse) food sweet; |
| 7 | their (plain) clothes beautiful; |
| 8 | their (poor) dwellings places of rest; |
| 9 | and their common (simple) ways sources of enjoyment. |
| 10 | There should be a neighbouring state within sight, |
| 11 | and the voices of the fowls and dogs should be heard all the way from it to us, |
| 12 | but I would make the people to old age, even to death, not have any intercourse with it. |
| 1 | Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere. |
| 2 | Those who are skilled (in the Tao) do not dispute (about it); |
| 3 | The disputatious are not skilled in it. |
| 4 | Those who know (the Tao) are not extensively learned; |
| 5 | the extensively learned do not know it. |
| 6 | The sage does not accumulate (for himself). |
| 7 | The more that he expends for others, the more does he possess of his own; |
| 8 | the more that he gives to others, the more does he have himself. |
| 9 | With all the sharpness of the Way of Heaven, it injures not; |
| 10 | With all the doing in the way of the sage he does not strive. |
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Chapter - 3