Chapter 9

Original Text

持而盈之，不如其已；不如其已。
揣而銳之，不可長保。不可常保。
金玉滿堂，莫之能守；莫之能守。
富貴而驕，自遺其咎。
功成名遂身退，天之道。

Translation

To hold and fill it—better to stop in time.stop.
To whetprobe itand tosharpen sharpness—itit—you cannot bekeep keptit so for long.
Gold and jade piled tofilling the rafters—hall—no one can guard them.
RichesRich and rankhonored, withyet arrogance—youhaughty—one bringbrings misfortuneone’s onown yourself.blame.
WhenAchievement workcompleted, is complete and famename accomplished, withdraw theyour person—this is Heaven’sthe Way.Dao of Heaven.

Word Notes

• 已持 — “to hold”: Toto keep/maintain.

• 盈 — “to fill/be full”: to reach fullness, saturation.

• 已 — “to stop”: to cease, stop.bring to a halt.

• 揣 — “to probe”: To grind/whet; here, to pushgauge, towardmanipulate, keenestintensify.

  sharpness.

• 莫之能守銳 — “sharp”: keen, acute, aggressive edge.

• 常保 — “Nonekeep for long”: maintain in a lasting way.

• 莫之能守 — “no one can keep/guard it.”it”: cannot be securely kept.

• 身退驕 — “haughty”: Withdrawarrogant, one’sself-exalting.

  person;

• 咎 — “blame”: misfortune, calamity.

• 功成名遂身退 — “achievement completed, name accomplished, withdraw”: do not occupy the credit; step back.back after success.

• 天之道 — “the Dao of Heaven”: Heaven’s pattern/Way—cyclicalnatural balance,way.

  avoiding extremes.

Chapter Explanation

AllWhat thingsone followholds cycles:and pushes to fullness is better stopped before it is full; what isone filledprobes spills,and whathones to sharpness cannot be kept so for long.

When gold and jade fill one’s halls, they cannot be guarded for long. When a person becomes rich and honored and then grows haughty, he brings calamity upon himself. Therefore, when achievement is sharpenedcomplete dulls.and Hoarded wealth attracts loss; wealth plus pride invites ruin. The safeguardreputation is timelyestablished, restraint:one finishshould withdraw and not dwell in the task,merit—this letaccords with the meritDao stand,of and step back. That return to modesty aligns with Heaven’s Way.Heaven.

Discourse

This chapter teaches that, in the affairs of Heaven and Earth, whatever reaches fullness must necessarily wane, and whatever grows too sharp must necessarily snap. People fail to grasp this and only know to scramble for power and profit, to chase wealth and rank—unaware that wealth and rank not only cannot be kept long, but also become the very thing everyone covets, the place where resentments gather. If, on top of this, one leans on wealth and rank to act arrogantly, one all the more calls misfortune down upon oneself.

Hence, when your work is anaccomplished ethicand your name recognized, withdraw. Have, yet do not own; do not swell with self-satisfaction. Let merit stand without occupying it; let every trace of de-escalationedginess. Inbe projects,gone. careers,Only thus do you accord with the natural Dao of Heaven, and publiconly life,thus stopcan shortwhat ofyou thehave redline;attained polish enough to serve, not to slice. In success, cool the spotlight and exit cleanly. The merit lasts longer when you don’t cling to it.endure.