Chapter 24

Original Text

跂者不立。跨者不行。自見者不明。自是者不彰。自伐者無功。自矜者不長。其在道曰餘食贅行。物或惡之。故有道者不處。

Translation

Stand on tiptoe — you cannot hold your ground. Stride too wide — you cannot walk. Display yourself — you will not be luminous. Insist you are right — you will not be distinguished. Boast of your deeds — you will have no merit. Flaunt your strengths — you will not endure.

In terms of Dao, these are called leftover food and excess baggage. Even creatures find them loathsome. Therefore one who has Dao does not dwell in them.

Word Notes

• 跂 — "stand on tiptoe": To raise oneself on the toes.
• 跨 — "stride too wide": To lift the legs in an exaggerated step.
• 贅 — "excess": Superfluous, redundant.

Chapter Explanation

One who stands on tiptoe hoping to appear tall cannot hold his ground. One who strides too wide hoping to go far cannot walk. One who displays himself cannot be truly luminous. One who insists he is right cannot be truly distinguished. One who boasts of his deeds will have no merit. One who flaunts his strengths will not endure. Spoken in terms of Dao, these are called craving too much food and craving too great a journey — eating to excess and traveling to exhaustion. Even creatures find such behavior repugnant. Therefore one who has Dao does not do these things.

Discourse

This chapter continues to develop the meaning of non-contention from the two preceding chapters. It further warns emphatically against the great harm of reaching too high and rushing too fast — that even creatures would reject such behavior. If a person insists on contending recklessly, he falls below even the level of creatures.

Yet Laozi's principle of non-contention is not the doctrine of spineless, shameless resignation. This has already been distinguished and clarified multiple times in earlier chapters. There is no need to say more here.