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原文 和大怨必有餘怨。安可以為善。是以聖人執左契。而不責於人。故有德司契。無德司徹。天道無親。常與善人。 字解 左契是騎縫書契。分為左右兩紙。左契為存根。執左契的等著來對證。不去求人的。徹是收賦稅的法仔。計較多少而取於人的。 章解 調和了大仇怨。外面上雖然調和。內容必然扔有餘怨。這樣如何可以算善呢。因此聖人拿著左契。等著人來求合。卻不去求著與人合。所以有德的。就像拿著書契。人自然來求合。無德的就像管著收稅。去求人人不樂意。且說人與我相合。其中有道。天與才能人歸。但天道無所偏愛。常歸向善人。 演說 這一章。是遵王道。...

原文 小國寡民。使有什伯之器而不用。使民重死而不遠徙。雖有舟車無所乘之。雖有甲兵。無所陳之。使民復結繩而用之。甘其食。美其服。安其居。樂其俗。鄰國相望。雞犬之音相聞。民至老死不相往來。 字解 徙是遷移。 章解 使天下的國。皆成了小國。減少他的民。教他有十樣百樣的器。並不妄用。教這民知道珍重死。不往遠處遷徙。就是有船有車也無所乘載。就是有軍衣兵器。也無所陳列。教這民再恢復上古結繩記事的用法。甘馨了人的飲食。善美了人的衣服。平安人的居住。和樂了人的風俗。鄰國彼此相望見了。人民至老死。彼此不相往來。 演說 小子注到這一章...

原文 信言不美。美言不信。善言不辯。辯言不善。知者不博。博者不知。聖人不積。既以為人己愈有。既以與人己愈多。天之道利而不害。聖人之道為而不爭。 字解 博是寬博。 章解 信實的話不精美。精美的話不信實。良善的話不用辯。辨別的話不良善。有知識的不求博學。求博學的未必然有知識。因此聖人凡事不求積於一身。雖不求積於一身。卻既然凡事皆為人。自己越發的有。既然凡事皆推讓給人。自己越發的多。天的道是利於萬物。而不害於萬物。聖人的道是認宇宙內事為性分事。擔任一切。卻不合人爭。 演說 孔夫子說。言必不信。行不必果。佛說法也多用權教。...

道可道，非常道。名可名，非常名。無名天地之始，有名萬物之母。故常無慾以觀其妙，常有欲以觀其徼。此兩者同出而異名，同謂之玄。玄之又玄，眾妙之門。 Translation Dao that can be spoken is not the enduring Dao. A name that can be named is not the enduring name. The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth; the named is the mother of th...

天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已。皆知善為之善，斯不善已。故有無相生，難易相成，長短相形，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨。是以聖人處無為之事，行不言之教。萬物作焉而不辭，生而不有，為而不恃。功成而弗居。夫惟弗居，是以不去。 Alternate editions read: 不居. Translation When all under Heaven know beauty as beauty, ugliness has already arisen. When all know goodness as goodness, wh...

不尚賢，使民不爭。不貴難得之貨，使民不為盜。不見可欲，使心不亂。是以聖人之治：虛其心，實其腹，弱其志，強其骨。常使民無知無慾，使夫知者不敢為也。為無為，則無不治。 Translation Do not exalt the worthy, and the people will not contend. Do not prize goods hard to obtain, and the people will not steal. Do not display what stirs desire, and the ...

道衝而用之，或不盈。淵兮似萬物之宗。挫其銳，解其紛，和其光，同其塵。湛兮似若存。吾不知誰之子，象帝之先。 Translation Dao, in its harmony, is put to use, yet perhaps it never fills. Fathomless — it seems the ancestor of all things. It blunts the sharp, unravels the tangled, tempers its light, mingles with the du...

天地不仁，以萬物為芻狗。聖人不仁，以百姓為芻狗。天地之間，其猶橐籥乎。虛而不屈，動而愈出。多言數窮，不如守中。 Translation Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat the myriad beings as straw dogs. The Sage is not benevolent; he treats the hundred families as straw dogs. The space between Heaven and Earth — ...

穀神不死，是謂玄牝。玄牝之門，是為天地根。綿綿若存，用之不勤。 Translation The Valley Spirit never dies — this is called the Mysterious Female. The gate of the Mysterious Female is the root of Heaven and Earth. Continuous and subtle, as though barely there, drawn upon, it is never spent. Wo...

天長地久。天地所以能長且久者，以其不自生，故能長生。是以聖人後其身而身先，外其身而身存。非以其無私耶，故能成其私。 Translation Heaven endures, Earth abides. The reason Heaven and Earth can endure and abide is that they do not live for themselves — therefore they can live forever. Thus the Sage places himself last, y...

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 good is like water. Water excels at benefiting the myriad beings yet does not contend. It settles where others disdain to dwell — thus it draws near to the Dao. In dwelling...

持而盈之，不如其已。揣而銳之，不可常保。金玉滿堂，莫之能守。富貴而驕，自遺其咎。功成名遂身退，天之道。 Alternate editions read: 功遂身退. Translation Hold it and fill it to the brim — better to have stopped in time. Temper and sharpen it to a keen edge — it cannot long be preserved. Gold and jade may fill the hall...

載營魄抱一，能無離乎？ 專氣至柔，能嬰兒乎？ 滌除玄覽，能無疵乎？ 愛民治國，能無為乎？ 天門開闔，能無雌乎？ 明白四達，能無知乎？ 生之畜之，生而不有， 為而不恃，長而不宰， 是謂之玄德。 Translation Carry the soul, embrace the One — can you keep them from parting? Concentrate the breath to utmost softness — can you be as an infant? Cleanse the myste...

三十輻共一轂，當其無，有車之用。 埏埴以為器，當其無，有器之用。 鑿戶牖以為室，當其無，有室之用。 故有之以為利，無之以為用。 Translation Thirty spokes converge upon a single hub — in the hollow center, the wheel finds its turning. Shape clay to form a vessel — in the emptiness within, the vessel finds its holding. Cut d...

五色令人目盲，五音令人耳聾， 五味令人口爽，馳騁畋獵令人心發狂， 難得之貨令人行妨。 是以聖人為腹不為目， 故去彼取此。 Translation The five colors blind the eye. The five tones deafen the ear. The five flavors dull the palate. Racing and hunting madden the heart. Rare goods lead one astray. Therefore the Sage nourish...

寵辱若驚，貴大患若身。 何為寵辱若驚？ 寵為下，得之若驚，失之若驚， 是為寵辱若驚。 何為貴大患若身？ 吾所以有大患者，吾有身； 及吾無身，吾有何患？ 故貴以身為天下者，可以寄天下； 愛以身為天下者，可以託天下。 Translation Favor and disgrace alike arrive as shocks. Hold great calamity as dearly as you hold your very self. What is meant by "favor and disgrace ali...

視之不見名曰夷，聽之不聞名曰希， 搏之不得名曰微。 此三者不可致詰，故混而為一。 其上不皦，其下不昧。 繩繩兮不可名，復歸於無物。 是為無狀之狀，無象之象， 是謂恍惚。 迎之不見其首，隨之不見其後。 執古之道，以御今之有。 能知古始，是謂道紀。 Translation Look for it and it cannot be seen — call it the invisible. Listen for it and it cannot be heard — call it the inaudible. Reac...

古之善為士者，微妙玄通，深不可識。 夫唯不可識，故強為之容： 豫若冬涉川，猶若畏四鄰， 儼若客，渙若冰將釋， 敦兮其若樸，曠兮其若谷， 渾兮其若濁。 孰能濁以靜之徐清？ 孰能安以久動之徐生？ 保此道者不欲盈。 夫唯不盈，故能敝，不新成。 Alternate editions read: 豫焉若冬涉川. Translation The skilled practitioners of old — subtle and wondrous, mysteriously penetrating, deep beyond al...