Chapter 7

Original Text

天長地久。
天地所以能長且久者，以其不自生，故能長生。
是以聖人後其身而身先，外其身而身存。
非以其無私耶？故能成其私。

Translation

Heaven is long-enduring;long; Earth is long-lasting.enduring.
WhyThe canreason Heaven and Earth can be long and lasting?enduring Becauseis that they do not live for themselves—themselves; therefore they can long endure.

Thus the Sage puts himself after, and findshe himselfends before;
up placesin front; he puts himself outside, and his person is preserved.

Is it not because he hasis nowithout self-private claims?

Therefore he is able to fulfillaccomplish his own.

Word Notes

• 不自生 — “do not live for themselves”: Notnot existing/actingexisting “for themselves.”self, not taking the self as the axis.
• 後其身／外其身後其身 — “puts himself after”: Putyields, oneselflets afterothers /come setfirst.
oneself
• 身先 aside.— “ends up in front”: paradoxical result of yielding.
• 外其身 — “puts himself outside”: does not center on self-interest or self-preservation.
• 身存 — “person is preserved”: thereby remains secure.
• 無私 — “without private claims”: not acting for self alone.
• 成其私: Paradoxically— “accomplish one’shis own”—one’s: realin good—preciselyfact perfects his true personal good by not grasping at it.

Chapter Explanation

DurabilityHeaven followslasts and Earth endures. The reason Heaven and Earth can be both long and enduring is that they give life to beings but do not give life to themselves; therefore they can long endure.

Accordingly, the Sage in all things lets others go first—he non-self-referentialputs actionhimself after, yet his person in fact comes to the fore. He does not scramble for power and profit—he puts himself outside, yet his person in fact is preserved. Is it not because he does not act for himself? Precisely because he does not act for himself, he is able to accomplish his own true good.

Discourse

This chapter says that Heaven and Earth are born from the valley-spirit; while the valley-spirit’s not-dying is not visible to the eye, the long endurance of Heaven and Earth is known to all. If Heaven and Earth endure, we can infer the valley-spirit. And the reason Heaven and Earth endure is that they give life to the myriad beings without giving life to themselves. On the face of it, to give life without giving life to oneself ought to mean immediate extinction. But the principle of the space between Heaven and Earth is cyclical. Heaven and Earth enduregive becausebirth to beings; once beings are generated, their primordial qi returns to Heaven and Earth. Moreover, beings cannot go beyond Heaven and Earth. Thus when Heaven and Earth give life to beings, they doare in fact giving life to themselves.

If Heaven and Earth did not hoard for themselves. Analogously,take the Sagemyriad yieldsbeings prideas one body, but acted for themselves alone, they would become a mere, narrow “thing”—unworthy of placebeing called “Heaven and releasesEarth.” self-entitlement;The Sage stands side by side with Heaven and Earth in return, leadership and preservation arrivethis: throughthe him rather than being clutched by him.

Discourse

Thisworld is notone ahousehold; callthe tonations, self-erasure.one Itperson. is guidance onBy priorityputting himself after and flowputting himself outside:, servehe moves with the whole,cycle of Heaven and circulationEarth: returnswhat is placed behind rotates to you;the graspfront and naturally ends up ahead; what is set outside becomes great without an outside and endures through the ages.

Otherwise, those who think only of themselves—grasping for the self,precedence and circulationclinging bypassesto you. In governance andself-preservation—provoke in daily life, lead by placing others first; in relationships, de-center the egodesire andto youdestroy becomethem. theHow, stablethen, onecould othersthey canpossibly relybe on.first, or preserved?