Chapter 29

Original Text

將欲取天下而為之，吾見其不得已。天下神器，不可為也。為者敗之，執者失之。故物或行或隨，或噓或吸，或強或羸，或載或隳。是以聖人去甚，去奢，去泰。

Alternate editions read: 或挫 for 或載.

Translation

Whoever would seize all under Heaven and actimpose upon it — I foresee he shall not succeed. All under Heaven is a sacred implement:vessel: it cannot be actedimposed upon. Whoever actsimposes upon it shall ruin it; whoever graspsclings to it shall lose it. ThusAmong amongall beings, some lead and some follow; some breathe warmthwarm and some blowbreathe cold;cool; some are strong and some are frail; some bearrise up and some collapse.fall away. Therefore the Sage removessets aside the excessive, removessets aside the extravagant, removessets aside the extreme.

Word Notes

• 噓 — "to breathe warmth"warm": toTo blow softly and warmly; gentle exhalation that warms.
• 吹 — "to blow cold"cool": toTo blow sharply, producing cold.
• 羸 — "frail, weak": debilitated,Debilitated, emaciated.
• 隳 — "to collapse,fall to fall"away": toTo crumble, to topple.
• 奢 — "extravagant": wastefulWasteful luxury.
• 泰 — "extreme, excessive": goingGoing beyond what is fitting; overdoing.

Chapter Explanation

Whoever desires to seize all under Heaven and rule it by his own autocratic authority — I foresee that he shall not succeed. For all under Heaven is a most honored and weighty implement — a sacred implement.vessel. It cannot be ruled by one person's autocratic authority. Whoever tries to rule by autocratic authority will be defeated. Whoever clings to power and rules by despotism will lose it. For among the myriad beings, some go ahead and some follow behind; some exhalebreathe warmthwarm and some blowbreathe cold;cool; some are strong and some are weak; some can bear up and some collapsefall away — none of this is fixed or uniform. How can one person's autocratic rule possibly work? Therefore the Sage does not force things but follows the natural course of all beings. He merely removessets aside what is excessive, removessets aside what is extravagant, and removessets aside what is extreme.

Discourse

The supreme authority over all under Heaven is the most honored and precious implementvessel belonging to all the people. How can it be privately possessed by a single person? To snatch even a trifling possession from one person — that person will not willingly yield it. To snatch the precious implementvessel of all the people under Heaven — how can the people accept it? Therefore Laozi restrains human greed, saying that the sacred implementvessel of all under Heaven cannot be privately possessed by one person. Whoever seizes it by force will certainly be defeated. For the sacred implementvessel exists to preserve order and peace, to ensure the welfare of the people. If it is appropriated for one person's private use, evil isharm inevitably spreadspreads among the multitude, bringing disaster to all. Even without selfish or self-serving motives, one person's wisdom and deliberation are limited, while the affairs and principles under Heaven are inexhaustible. The geography of all under Heaven differs — some regions are cold,warm, some warm,cool, some rich, some lean. Human temperaments differ — some strong, some weak,frail, some clever, some simple. Customs differ — some civilized, some undeveloped. How can one person's autocratic rule possibly work? Therefore the Sage who holds all under Heaven as a public trust selects the worthy and elevates the capable, instructing them to use this implementvessel to govern. He himself need not toil personally. He merely ensures that they do not overexert their strength, leaving room forto maneuver, keeping things easy to turn about — so that strength is not exhausted and things do not break down.