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。
Word Notes
- 賢: the capable and worthy.
- 爭: to vie, contend.
- 貨: goods, valuables.
- 盜: thief, theft.
- 欲: appetite, desire.
- 虛: to make empty.
- 實: to make full.
- 弱: to soften, render pliant.
- 強: to make firm, strong.
Chapter Explanation
Do not exalt “the worthy,” and the people will not scramble (for reputation). Do not prize rare goods, and the people will not take to theft. Do not flaunt what can be lusted after, and hearts will not be thrown into turmoil.
Therefore, when a sage governs, he empties their hearts and fills their bellies; weakens their ambitions and strengthens their bones. He constantly causes the people to be without contrivance and without excessive craving; thereby even those with cleverness do not dare to act (deceitfully). He acts through non-action, and nothing remains ungoverned.
Translation
The generative order of the Great Dao is: One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth to Three; “One” is the Heavenly Dao; “Two” are the mutually opposed yin and yang; “Three” is the Human Dao, formed by the union of “one” and “two,” the very midpoint of Dao. Hence Chapter 1 expounds Heaven’s Dao; Chapter 2 expounds correlative opposition and cyclical alternation; and this chapter expounds the Human Dao—inner sageliness and outer kingliness. Outer kingliness must be rooted in inner sageliness; only with Heaven’s Virtue can one possess the royal Way; only by self-government can one govern the world.
Thus the sage’s governance begins in self-cultivation: emptying the heart and filling the belly; softening ambition and strengthening the bones. If the heart is not empty, private desires multiply. If the belly is not full, hunger grows—what Mencius called “want.” “Emptying the heart” removes extravagance; “filling the belly” restores simplicity. If the will is not softened, agitation arises; if the bones are not strengthened, one turns weak. An empty heart contains the Great Void and nothing else; a full belly contains Heaven and Earth and holds all within. A weakened will bows to others—humble is the gentleman; strengthened bones allow one to shoulder the cosmos—standing tall between Heaven and Earth.
“Emptying the heart” is the culmination of Mencius’s “not letting the heart be moved.” Once empty, where can it be moved from? “Filling the belly” is the fruit of nourishing the vast, flowing “flood-like qi” that can fill up Heaven and Earth. (“Belly” here connotes capacious containment; it is not about stuffing oneself with wine and meat.) “Softening the will” aligns with “holding fast to one’s will”; “strengthening the bones” with “spreading from the back”—when the heart is empty, the will naturally softens; and when the belly is full, strength naturally fills the frame. In terms of the Book of Changes: Qian (Heaven) is the clear, empty qi of Heaven; Kun (Earth) is the broad, thick image of Earth—hence “empty” and “full.” Though Qian is empty, its three solid lines make it supremely substantial—what is substantial should be emptied, hence “empty the heart.” Though Kun is thick, its six broken lines render it supremely empty—what is empty should be filled, hence “fill the belly.” Li occupies the pre-celestial Qian position and acts on its behalf—but Li (Fire) is restless; hence “soften the will.” Kan occupies the pre-celestial Kun position and acts on its behalf—but Kan (Water) is pliant; hence “strengthen the bones.” The subtle wonder of this cannot be known without lived practice. If one realizes it and attains position to enact the Way, then by rectifying the root and clearing the source, the clever plotters will naturally bow their heads and not dare to tumult the realm; governing the world is then as easy as turning one’s hand.
But later rulers, lacking the sage’s true Dao-Virtue, grasped only a few scraps: today “select the worthy,” tomorrow “concentrate wealth.” Commentators often gloss “rare goods” as exotic treasures—that is not wrong—but money is also “hard to get,” and even more prized, forming factions and mutual back-praising. People buy reputation with money; high and low scramble for profit; then robbing and burglary follow. Alas—at such a point, how could one not return to the root?
Discourse
This chapter lays out the Human Dao—inner sageliness giving rise to outer kingliness—and shows how the sage’s “non-action” governance proceeds from self-cultivation.
“Empty the heart” so that the mind holds only the Great Void; “fill the belly” so that the flood-like qi fills and contains; “soften the will” so that agitation ceases; “strengthen the bones” so that the person stands upright and bears responsibility. In Mencius’s language: “not letting the heart be moved,” and “nourishing the vast, flooding qi.” In the Changes: Qian (Heaven) and Kun (Earth), Kan (Water) and Li (Fire) work together: emptying the heart aligns with Qian’s clear emptiness; filling the belly with Kun’s capaciousness; softening the will with Li’s restlessness kept in check; strengthening the bones with Kan’s pliant firmness.
If this inner work is realized, then in office one simply rectifies the root and clears the source; those quick-witted fellows naturally fall into line and dare not practice crafty deceptions; and governing the world becomes easy. But later rulers seized only fragments: exalting “the worthy” one day and piling up wealth the next. “Rare goods” is not only pearls and jade; money itself is “rare,” and cherishing it most breeds faction and mutual promotion—even buying reputation with cash, top and bottom scrambling for profit, until burglary follows. Alas—when affairs have reached this pass, how can one not return to the root?