Chapter 3
Original Text
不尚賢，使民不爭；不貴難得之貨，使民不為盜；不見可欲，使心不亂。
是以聖人之治：虛其心，實其腹；弱其志，強其骨。
常使民無知無欲，使夫知者不敢為也。
為無為，則無不治。
Translation
Do not exalt the “worthy,” and the people will not compete.
Do not prize goods that are hard to obtain, and the people will not steal.
Do not parade what can be coveted, and people’s hearts will not be disturbed.
Therefore, in governing, the Sage: empties their hearts and fills their bellies; weakens their ambition and strengthens their bones.
He constantly leads the people to be without crafty knowledge and without excess desire, so that those who do “know” do not dare to scheme.
By acting through non-action, nothing is left ungoverned.
Word Notes
- 贤: “the worthy,” capable/talented people
- 争: contend, vie
- 货: goods, valuables
- 盗: steal; thief
- 欲: desire, appetite
- 虚: empty (of scheming)
- 实: fill/solidify (basic sustenance)
- 弱: soften (ambition)
- 强: strengthen (backbone)
Chapter Explanation
Do not hold up “able” people as special models to chase; this quiets competition for status. Do not make rare commodities precious; this removes incentives to steal. Do not flaunt objects of desire; this keeps minds from turmoil.
Hence the Sage’s governance: empty (reduce) people’s scheming minds, but fill their bellies (ensure basic livelihood); soften their will to contend, but make their bodies and backbone strong. Keep the populace free from cunning and excess craving so that even the clever dare not play tricks. Govern by non-forcing action, and order arises everywhere.
Discourse
The generative order of the Great Dao is “one gives birth to two; two gives birth to three.” “One” refers to Heavenly Dao; “two,” to the interplay of yin and yang; “three,” to the Human Dao—the center where the first two conjoin. Thus Chapter 1 reveals Heaven’s Dao; Chapter 2, the mutual arising of opposites; this chapter unfolds the Human Dao of “inner sage, outer king.” Outer rule must be rooted in inner virtue; only one who can govern the self can govern the world. Hence, governing begins with self-cultivation: empty the heart, fill the belly; soften ambition, strengthen the bones—then things govern themselves without coercion.
If the heart isn’t emptied, private desires multiply. If the belly isn’t filled, hunger grows (Mencius: “to be without this is starvation”). If the will isn’t softened, it becomes rash; if the bones aren’t strengthened, one grows weak. “Emptying the heart” means letting it embrace vast emptiness; “filling the belly” points to nourishing the vital flood of qi; “softening the will” is yielding and modest; “strengthening the bones” is standing upright to bear responsibility. The text further links these four to the powers of the Changes: Qian (Heaven) and Kun (Earth) as “empty/fill,” Li (Fire) as “soften the will,” and Kan (Water) as “strengthen the bones.” Practiced deeply, this makes petty cleverness bow its head, and governance becomes effortless.