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天下有始，以為天下母。既得其母，以知其子。既知其子，復守其母，歿身不殆。塞其兌，閉其門，終身不勤。開其兌，濟其事，終身不救。見小曰明，守柔曰強。用其光，復歸其明，無遺身殃，是謂襲常。 Translation All under Heaven has a beginning — take it as the mother of all under Heaven. Having found the mother, know thereby the children. Having known the children,...

使我介然有知，行於大道，惟施是畏。大道甚夷，而民好徑。朝甚除，田甚蕪，倉甚虛。服文采，帶利劍，厭飲食，資貨有餘，是謂盜竽。非道哉！ Translation Were I to have the least scrap of knowledge, I would walk upon the great road — my only dread: ostentation. The great road is perfectly level, yet the people prefer the byways. The c...

善建者不拔，善抱者不脫，子孫祭祀不輟。修之於身，其德乃真；修之於家，其德乃餘；修之於鄉，其德乃長；修之於邦，其德乃豐；修之於天下，其德乃普。故以身觀身，以家觀家，以鄉觀鄉，以邦觀邦，以天下觀天下。吾何以知天下之然哉？以此。 Translation What is skillfully established cannot be uprooted; what is skillfully held cannot slip away. Through this, descendants offer the rites w...

含德之厚，比於赤子。毒蟲不螫，猛獸不據，攫鳥不搏。骨弱筋柔而握固。未知牝牡之合而血夋作，精之至也。終日號而不嘎，和之至也。和和曰常，知常曰明。益生曰祥，心使氣曰強。物壯則老，是謂不道，不道早矣。 Translation One who holds De in abundance is like a newborn infant. Venomous insects do not sting it, fierce beasts do not seize it, birds of prey do not strike i...

知者不言，言者不知。塞其兌，閉其門，挫其銳，解其紛，和其光，同其塵，是謂玄同。故不可得而親，不可得而疏，不可得而利，不可得而害，不可得而貴，不可得而賤。故為天下貴。 Translation Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know. Block the openings, shut the gates, blunt the sharp, loose the tangled, soften the light, merge with the du...

以正治國，以奇用兵，以無事取天下。吾何以知天下之然哉？天下多忌諱，而民彌貧；人多利器，國家滋昏；人多技巧，奇物滋起；法令滋彰，盜賊多有。故聖人云：我無為而民自化，我好靜而民自正，我無事而民自富，我無慾而民自樸。 Translation Govern the state with uprightness, deploy the army with surprise, win all under Heaven through noninterference. How do I know this is so? By t...

其政悶悶，其民醇醇；其政察察，其民缺缺。禍兮福所倚，福兮禍所伏。孰知其極？其正無耶？正復為奇，善復為妖。人之迷也，其日固久矣。是以聖人方而不割，廉而不劌，直而不肆，光而不耀。 Translation When governance is broad and unhurried, the people grow pure and generous. When governance is sharp and prying, the people grow mean and wanting. Misfortune — f...

治人事天，莫如嗇。夫惟嗇，是謂早服。早服謂之積重德。積重德，則無不克。無不克，則莫知其極。莫知其極，可以有國。有國之母，可以長久。是謂深根固柢，長生久視之道。 Translation For governing people and serving Heaven, nothing surpasses drawing inward. Only through drawing inward can one submit early. Submitting early — this is called accumulat...

治大國若亨小鮮。以道蒞天下。其鬼不神。非其鬼不神。其神不傷人。非其神不傷人。聖人亦不傷人。夫兩不相傷。故德交歸焉。 Translation Governing a great state is like cooking a small fish. When one presides over all under Heaven through Dao, the ghosts do not work their wonders. It is not that the ghosts cannot work wonders...

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 confluence of all under Heaven, the female of all under Heaven. The female overcomes the male through stilln...

道者萬物之奧。善人之寶。不善人之所保。美言可以市。尊行可以加人。人之不善。何棄之有。故立天子。置三公。雖有拱璧以先駟馬。不如坐進此道。古之所以貴此道者何。不曰求以得。有罪以免耶。故為天下貴。 Translation Dao is the sanctuary of the myriad beings — treasure of the good, refuge of those who are not good. Beautiful words may buy favor in the marketplace; ho...

為無為。事無事。味無味。大小多少。抱怨以德。圖難於其易。為大於其細。天下難事。必作於易。天下大事。必作於細。是以聖人終不為其大。故能成其大。夫輕諾必寡信。多易必多難。是以聖人猶難之。故終無難。 Translation Act through nonaction. Attend to affairs through non-interference. Taste the tasteless. Regard the great as small, the many as few. Repay enmity with D...

其安易持。其為兆易謀。其脆易判。其微易散。為之於未有。治之於未亂。合抱之木。生於毫末。九層之臺。起於累土。千里之行。始於足下。為者敗之。執者失之。是以聖人無為故無敗。無執故無失。民之從事。常於幾成而敗之。慎終如始。則無敗事。是以聖人慾不欲。不貴難得之貨。學不學。復眾人之所過。以輔萬物之自然。而不敢為。 Translation What is settled is easy to hold. What shows no sign yet is easy to plan for. What is brittle is ...

古之善為道者。非以明民。將以愚之。民之難治。以其智多。故以智治國。國之賊。不以智治國國之福。知此兩者。亦楷式能知楷式。是為玄德。玄德深矣遠矣。與物反矣。乃至於大順。 Translation Those in ancient times who were skilled in practicing the Dao did not use it to sharpen the people's minds, but to return them to simplicity. The people are difficul...

江海所以能為百谷王者。以其善下之。故能為百谷王。是以聖人慾上人。以其言下之。欲先人。以其身後之。是以處上而人不重。處前而人不害。是以天下樂推而不厭。以其不爭。故天下莫能與之爭。 Translation The rivers and the sea reign over a hundred valleys by their gift of lying low. Therefore they reign over a hundred valleys. So when the Sage would rise above ...

天下皆謂我道大似不肖。夫惟大。故似不肖。若肖。久矣其細也。夫我有三寶。寶而持之。一曰慈。二曰儉。三曰不敢為天下先。夫慈故能勇。儉故能廣。不敢為天下先。故能成器長。今舍其慈且勇。舍其儉且廣。舍其後而先。死矣。夫慈以戰則勝。以守則固。天將救之。以慈衛之。 Translation All under Heaven say my Dao is great, yet seems to resemble nothing. It is precisely because it is great that it resembles...

善為士者不武。善戰者不怒。善勝敵者不爭。善用人者為之下。是為不爭之德。是為用人之力。是謂配天。古之極。 Translation The good warrior takes no pride in force. The good fighter stirs no anger. The good victor does not contend with the enemy. The good commander places himself beneath his men. This is called the De...

用兵有言。吾不敢為主而為客。不敢進寸而推尺。是謂行無行。攘無臂。仍無敵執無兵。禍莫大於輕敵。輕敵幾喪吾寶。故抗兵相加。哀者勝矣。 Translation In the use of troops, there is a saying: "I dare not be the host but be the guest. I dare not advance an inch, yet yield a foot." This is called: marching where there is no march, rai...