Chapter 8

Original Text

上善若水。水善利萬物而不爭。
處眾人之所惡，故幾於道。
居善地，心善淵，與善仁，言善信，政善治，事善能，動善時。
夫唯不爭，故無尤。

Translation

The highest goodgoodness is like water.
Water benefitsis good at benefiting the ten thousandmyriad beings and does not contend.

It lodgesdwells where people disdain to dwell;be; therefore it is close to Dao.

In dwelling—be good at choosing the place;
in heart—be good at depth;
in giving—be good at benevolence;
in speech—be good at trust;
in governance—be good at order;
in work—affairs—be good at capability;
in movement—be good at timing.

Only because it does not contend is it without reproach.blame.

Word Notes

• 幾於道與 — “to give”: “Nearto bestow, to Dao”—approximatesgrant its character.(施與).
• 尤 — “blame/fault”: Fault,a blame.
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• Theor seven “good ats” map water’s traits to human domains: place, heart, giving, speech, polity, tasks, timing.transgression.

Chapter Explanation

Water’sThe virtues—benefithighest withoutform rivalry,of humility,goodness adaptability—are a template. Laozi then applies “beingis like water”water. toWater sevenis arenasgood ofat life.benefiting Theall through-linebeings, yet it does not contend with others. It settles in the most lowly places that people dislike; therefore it is rightnear placementto Dao.

A person of highest goodness is, in dwelling, good at finding the proper place—like water that comes to rest in hollows without choosing the ground. In heart, good at depth—like water that is hollow and rightclear. measureIn giving:, findgood at benevolence—like water that moistens and nourishes living things. In speech, good at trust—like water that never loses its tendency to flow downward. In governance, good at order—like water that washes filth away and levels the low, appropriate spot; be deep, reliable, orderly, competent,high and timely.the Non-contentionlow. keepsIn faultswork, good at bay.capability—like water that moves through every task. In action, good at timing—like water that is lively and responsive.

Having all these excellences, it still does not contend. Precisely because it does not contend, it is without blame.

Discourse

LiveAlas! andThe governworld “water-wise”:is choosein decay; the lowwhole ground,globe relieveis ratherat thanwar. inflame,Who can count the multitudes slain, or the leagues burned? Trace the illness to its source and time your moves. Do not mistake non-contention for passivity; it is nothing but the calamity of strengthcompetition—the withoutcalamity abrasivenessof contending for power and rights. DoneBy well,contending for rights, people in fact forfeit their rights—how baffling!

If all nations honored Laozi’s teaching—yielding and not contending—they would naturally be amicable and at ease; cheerful and flourishing. How, then, would there have been such a disaster as the world has never seen?

Granted, when Laozi teaches people not to contend, he is not telling them to be pedantic and useless, dependent and weak, sitting still while “natural selection” eliminates them. He merely forbids struggling for power and profit, in order to extinguish the wars of ten thousand generations. At the same time he teaches people to be good at benefiting beings, good at place, good at depth, good at benevolence, good at trust, good at order, good at capability, and good at timing—to possess exceptional virtue and exceptional ability.

This is not to contend over outward posture, but to strive for inner content; not to contend over appearance and position, but to contend in spirit. Make non-contention your contention; seek without seeking, and it disarmsis oppositionnaturally obtained. This learning has a hundred benefits and leavesnot noa handlesingle harm. It is precisely the right prescription for blame,today’s muchdisease. asWhy waterdo wearsthe downpeoples stoneof withoutall nations not give it a quarrel.try?