Chapter 61

Original Text

大國者下流。天下之交。天下之牝。牝常以靜勝牡。以靜為下。故大國以下小國。則取小國。小國而下大國。則取大國。故或下以取。或下而取。大國不過欲兼畜人。小國不過欲事人。夫兩者各得其所欲。故大者宜為下。

Translation

A great state is the downstream flow, the meeting place of all under Heaven, the female of all under Heaven. The female constantly overcomes the male through stillness; through stillness she takes the lower position. Therefore, when a great state lowers itself before a small state, it wins the small state. When a small state lowers itself before a great state, it wins the great state. Therefore, one lowers itself and thereby wins; the other lowers itself and thereby wins. A great state desires nothing more than to shelter and nurture others together; a small state desires nothing more than to serve others. When both obtain what they desire, the greater should take the lower position.

Word Notes

• 兼 — "together": To unite, to combine. Here: to shelter jointly.

Chapter Explanation

A great state is like the downstream flow of water — the place where all the hundred streams converge. It is the meeting place of all under Heaven, like the female of all under Heaven. The female constantly overcomes the male's movement through stillness; through stillness she practices the way of placing herself below others. Therefore, when a great state can humbly lower itself and dwell beneath the small states, it wins the hearts of the small states. When a small state humbly lowers itself and dwells beneath the great state, it wins the heart of the great state. So either one lowers itself and thereby wins others' willing submission, or it lowers itself and thereby wins others' gracious treatment. A great state desires nothing more than to shelter and nurture others together. A small state desires nothing more than to serve others. In this way, great state and small state each obtain what they desire. Therefore the great state should take the initiative in lowering itself. If even the great state takes the lower position, then the small state need not even be mentioned.

Discourse

This chapter discusses the foreign policy by which states should coexist — using De to win others' allegiance rather than military force, overcoming through yielding rather than through strength. The great state, as the one toward which small states naturally gravitate, should take the lead in lowering itself humbly and treating the small states with generous accommodation, so as to preserve the peace of the world.

For great states habitually rely on power to bully others and on military force to swallow them up. They do not realize that when they act this way, the small states — far from daring to submit — will inevitably fear the extinction of their nations and their peoples. They will band together, many small states uniting, and fight the great state to the death. The great state, having something to rely upon, will inevitably grow arrogant. Once arrogant, its qi becomes bloated and dissipated. Once bloated and dissipated, it will inevitably be defeated in the end.

The small states, driven by fear, will inevitably return to the root when pushed to extremity. They will be able to endure humiliation and place themselves below others. Moreover, the many small states will share sympathy for their common plight, and feelings of mutual care will arise. They will be of one heart and one De. Their qi will be tragic and heroic. With tragic and heroic qi, they will inevitably triumph in the end.

But after their triumph, they will walk the same old path as the great state before them. Their cruelty toward the defeated will be even more severe. The defeated, now suffering under this cruelty, will inevitably rouse themselves to greatness and seek revenge. And so wars follow upon wars, with never a single day of peace.

Therefore one must take non-contention as one's contention and yielding as one's strength, humbly placing oneself below, in order to extinguish the calamity of war. Consider how the downstream flow of water dwells in the lowest place, contending with nothing — yet all the waters come to converge upon it. Is this not proof that through humility one becomes the destination toward which all gravitate?

The wars and slaughter of today's world have reached their utmost extreme. Why not try this marvelous remedy? If a state that possesses De and vision and acts with keen eyes and quick hands were to try this method first — a great state would need three years, a middling state seven years, a small state ten years — there would certainly be great results. If it proved utterly ineffective, then not only may they burn the printing blocks and set fire to the books of this Dao De Jing — I myself would willingly accept the blame for deceiving the people and misleading the state.