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。
TranslationWord 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 compete.
scramble (for reputation). Do not prize goodsrare that are hard to obtain,goods, and the people will not steal.
take to theft. Do not paradeflaunt what can be coveted,lusted after, and people’s hearts will not be disturbed.thrown into turmoil.
Therefore, inwhen governing,a thesage Sage:governs, he empties their hearts and fills their bellies; weakens their ambitionambitions and strengthens their bones.
He constantly leadscauses the people to be without crafty knowledgecontrivance and without excessexcessive desire,craving; sothereby thateven those whowith do “know”cleverness do not dare to scheme.
act By(deceitfully). actingHe acts through non-action, and nothing is leftremains 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.
DiscourseTranslation
The generative order of the Great Dao isis: “oneOne gives birth to two;Two; twoTwo gives birth to three.”Three; “One” refersis tothe Heavenly Dao; “two,”Two” toare the interplaymutually ofopposed yin and yang; “three,”Three” tois the Human Dao—theDao, centerformed whereby the firstunion twoof conjoin.“one” Thusand “two,” the very midpoint of Dao. Hence Chapter 1 revealsexpounds Heaven’s Dao; Chapter 2,2 theexpounds mutualcorrelative arisingopposition ofand opposites;cyclical alternation; and this chapter unfoldsexpounds the Human Dao of “Dao—inner sage,sageliness and outer king.”kingliness. Outer rulekingliness must be rooted in inner virtue;sageliness; only onewith whoHeaven’s Virtue can governone possess the selfroyal Way; only by self-government can one govern the world.
Thus governingthe sage’s governance begins within self-cultivation: emptyemptying the heart,heart filland filling the belly; softensoftening ambition,ambition strengthenand strengthening the bones—thenbones. things govern themselves without coercion.
If the heart isn’tis emptied,not empty, private desires multiply. If the belly isn’tis filled,not full, hunger growsgrows—what (Mencius:Mencius called “to be without this is starvation”). If the will isn’t softened, it becomes rash; if the bones aren’t strengthened, one grows weak.want.” “Emptying the heart” meansremoves letting it embrace vast emptiness;extravagance; “filling the belly” pointsrestores 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 vitalvast, flood of qi;flowing “softeningflood-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” isaligns yieldingwith and“holding modest;fast to one’s will”; “strengthening the bones” with “spreading from the back”—when the heart is standingempty, uprightthe 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 bearenact responsibility.the TheWay, textthen furtherby linksrectifying thesethe fourroot 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 powersroot?
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), asKan “empty/fill,”(Water) and Li (Fire) aswork “softentogether: emptying the will,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 Kancherishing (Water)it asmost “strengthenbreeds 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 bones.” Practiced deeply, this makes petty cleverness bow its head, and governance becomes effortless.root?