And fills their bellies.
Weakens their ambition,
And strengthens their bones.
He constantly causes the people to be without knowledge and without desires.
If he can bring it about that those with knowledge simply do not dare to act,
Then there is nothing that will not be in order.
[CHAPTER 4]
The Way is empty;
Yet when you use it, you never need fill it again.
Like an abyss! It seems to be the ancestor of the ten thousand things.
It files down sharp edges;
Unties the tangles;
Softens the glare;
And settles the dust.
Submerged! It seems perhaps to exist.
We don’t know whose child it is;
It seems to have even preceded the Lord.
[CHAPTER 5]
Heaven and Earth are not humane;
They regard the ten thousand things as straw dogs.
The Sage is not humane;
He regards the common people as straw dogs.
The space between Heaven and Earth—is it not like a bellows?
It is empty and yet not depleted;
Move it and more always comes out.
Much learning means frequent exhaustion.
That’s not so good as holding on to the mean.
[CHAPTER 6]
The valley spirit never dies;
We call it the mysterious female.
The gates of the mysterious female—
These we call the roots of Heaven and Earth.
Subtle yet everlasting! It seems to exist.
In being used, it is not exhausted.
[CHAPTER 7]
Heaven endures; Earth lasts a long time.
The reason why Heaven and Earth can endure and last a long time—
Is that they do not live for themselves.
Therefore they can long endure.
Therefore the Sage:
Puts himself in the background yet finds himself in the foreground;
Puts self-concern out of his mind, yet finds that his self-concern is preserved.
Is it not because he has no self-interest,
That he is therefore able to realize his self-interest?
[CHAPTER 8]
The highest good is like water;
Water is good at benefiting the ten thousand things and yet it does not compete with them.
It dwells in places the masses of people detest,
Therefore it is close to the Way.
In dwelling, the good thing is the land;
In the mind, the good thing is depth;
In giving, the good thing is being like Heaven;
In speaking, the good thing is sincerity;
In governing, the good thing is order;
In affairs, the good thing is ability;
In activity, the good thing is timeliness.
It is only because it does not compete, that therefore it is without fault.
[CHAPTER 9]
To hold it upright and fill it,
Is not so good as stopping in time.
When you pound it out and give it a point,
It won’t be preserved very long.
When gold and jade fill your rooms,
You’ll never be able to protect them.
Arrogance and pride with wealth and rank,
On their own bring on disaster.
When the deed is accomplished you retire;
Such is Heaven’s Way!
[CHAPTER 10]
In nourishing the soul and embracing the One—can you do it without letting them leave?
In concentrating your breath and making it soft—can you make it like that of a child?
In cultivating and cleaning your profound mirror—can you do it so that it has no blemish?
In loving the people and giving life to the state—can you do it without using knowledge?
In opening and closing the gates of Heaven—can you play the part of the female?
In understanding all within the four reaches—can you do it without using knowledge?
Give birth to them and nourish them.
Give birth to them but don’t try to own them;
Help them to grow but don’t rule them.
This is called Profound Virtue.
[CHAPTER 11]
Thirty spokes unite in one hub;
It is precisely where there is nothing, that we find the usefulness of the wheel.
We fire clay and make vessels;
It is precisely where there’s no substance, that we find the usefulness of clay pots.
We chisel out doors and windows;
It is precisely in these empty spaces, that we find the usefulness of the room.
Therefore, we regard having something as beneficial;
But having nothing as useful.
[CHAPTER 12]
The five colors cause one’s eyes to go blind.
Racing horses and hunting cause one’s mind to go mad.
Goods that are hard to obtain pose an obstacle to one’s travels.
The five flavors confuse one’s palate.
The five tones cause one’s ears to go deaf.
Therefore, in the government of the Sage:
He’s for the belly and not for the eyes.
Thus he rejects that and takes this.
[CHAPTER 13]
“Regard favor and disgrace with alarm.”
“Respect great distress as you do your own person.”
What do I mean when I say “Regard favor and disgrace with alarm”?
Favor is inferior.
If you get it—be alarmed!
If you lose it—be alarmed!
This is what I mean when I say “Regard favor and disgrace with alarm.”
What do I mean when I say “Respect great distress as you do your own person”?
The reason why I have great distress Is that I have a body.
If I had no body, what distress would I have?
Therefore, to one who values acting for himself over acting on behalf of the world,
You can entrust the world.
And to one who in being parsimonious regards his person as equal to the world,
You can turn over the world.
[CHAPTER 14]
We look at it but do not see it;
We name this “the minute.”
We listen to it but do not hear it;
We name this “the rarefied.”
We touch it but do not hold it;
We name this “the level and smooth.”
These three cannot be examined to the limit.
Thus they merge together as one.
“One”—there is nothing more encompassing above it,
And nothing smaller below it.
Boundless, formless! It cannot be named,
And returns to the state of no-thing.
This is called the formless form,
The substanceless image.
This is called the subtle and indistinct.
Follow it and you won’t see its back;
Greet it and you won’t see its head.
Hold on to the Way of the present—
To manage the things of the present,
And to know the ancient beginning.
This is called the beginning of the thread of the Way.
[CHAPTER 15]
The one who was skilled at practicing the Way in antiquity,
Was subtle and profound, mysterious and penetratingly wise.
His depth cannot be known.
It is only because he cannot be known
That therefore were I forced to describe him I’d say:
Hesitant was he! Like someone crossing a river in winter.
Undecided was he! As though in fear of his neighbors on all four sides.
Solemn and polite was he! Like a guest.
Scattered and dispersed was he! Like ice as it melts.
Genuine, unformed was he!
Like uncarved wood.
Merged, undifferentiated was he! Like muddy water.
Broad and expansive was he! Like a valley.
If you take muddy water and still it, it gradually becomes clear.
If you bring something to rest in order to move it, it gradually comes alive.
The one who preserves this Way does not desire to be full;
Therefore he can wear out with no need to be renewed.
[CHAPTER 16]
Take emptiness to the limit;
Maintain tranquility in the center.
The ten thousand things—side-by-side they arise;
And by this I see their return.
Things come forth in great numbers;
Each one returns to its root.
This is called tranquility.
“Tranquility”—This means to return to your fate.
To return to your fate is to be constant;
To know the constant is to be wise.
Not to know the constant is to be reckless and wild;
If you’re reckless and wild, your actions will lead to misfortune.
To know the constant is to be all-embracing;
To be all-embracing is to be impartial;
To be impartial is to be kingly;
To be kingly is to be like Heaven;
To be like Heaven is to be one with the Tao;
If you’re one with the Tao, to the end of your days you’ll suffer no harm.
[CHAPTER 17]
Chapters 17, 18, and 19 should be read together as a unit.
With the highest kind of rulers, those below simply know they exist.
With those one step down—they love and praise them.
With those one further step down—they fear them.
And with those at the bottom—they ridicule and insult them.
When trust is insufficient, there will be no trust in return.
Hesitant, undecided! Like this is his respect for speaking.
He completes his tasks and finishes his affairs,
Yet the common people say, “These things all happened by nature.”
[CHAPTER 18]
Chapters 17, 18, and 19 should be read together as a unit.
Therefore, when the Great Way is rejected, it is then that we have the virtues of humanity and righteousness;
When knowledge and wisdom appear, it is then that there is great hypocrisy;
When the six relations are not in harmony, it is then that we have filial piety and compassion;
And when the country is in chaos and confusion, it is then that there are virtuous officials.
[CHAPTER 19]
Chapters 17, 18, and 19 should be read together as a unit.
Eliminate sageliness, throw away knowledge,
And the people will benefit a hundredfold.
Eliminate humanity, throw away righteousness,
And the people will return to filial piety and compassion.
Eliminate craftiness, throw away profit,
Then we will have no robbers and thieves.
These three sayings—
Regarded as a text are not yet complete.
Thus, we must see to it that they have the following appended:
Manifest plainness and embrace the genuine;
Lessen self-interest and make few your desires;
Eliminate learning and have no undue concern.
[CHAPTER 20]
Agreement and angry rejection;
How great is the difference between them?
Beautiful and ugly;
What’s it like—the difference between them?
The one who is feared by others,
Must also because of this fear other men.
Wild, unrestrained! It will never come to an end!
The multitudes are peaceful and happy;
Like climbing a terrace in springtime to feast at the t’ai-lao sacrifice.
But I’m tranquil and quiet—not yet having given any sign.
Like a child who has not yet smiled.
Tired and exhausted—as though I have no place to return.
The multitudes all have a surplus.
I alone seem to be lacking.
Mine is the mind of a fool—ignorant and stupid!
The common people see things clearly;
I alone am in the dark.
The common people discriminate and make fine distinctions;
I alone am muddled and confused.
Formless am I! Like the ocean;
Shapeless am I! As though I have nothing in which I can rest.
The masses all have their reasons for acting;
I alone am stupid and obstinate like a rustic.
But my desires alone differ from those of others—
For I value drawing sustenance from the Mother.
[CHAPTER 21]
The character of great virtue follows alone from the Way.
As for the nature of the Way—it’s shapeless and formless.
Formless! Shapeless! Inside there are images.
Shapeless! Formless! Inside there are things.
Hidden! Obscure! Inside there are essences.
These essences are very real;
Inside them is the proof.
From the present back to the past,
Its name has never gone away.
It is by this that we comply with the father of the multitude of things.
How do I know that the father of the multitude is so?
By this.
[CHAPTER 24]
One who boasts is not established;
One who shows himself off does not become prominent;
One who puts himself on display does not brightly shine;
One who brags about himself gets no credit;
One who praises himself does not long endure.
In the Way, such things are called:
“Surplus food and redundant action.”
And with things—there are those who hate them.
Therefore, the one with the Way in them does not dwell.
[CHAPTER 22]
Bent over, you’ll be preserved whole;
When twisted, you’ll be upright;
When hollowed out, you’ll be full;
When worn out, you’ll be renewed;
When you have little, you’ll attain much;
With much, you’ll be confused.
Therefore the Sage holds on to the One and in this way becomes the shepherd of the world.
He does not show himself off; therefore he becomes prominent.
He does not put himself on display; therefore he brightly shines.
He does not brag about himself; therefore he receives credit.
He does not praise his own deeds; therefore he can long endure.
It is only because he does not compete that, therefore, no one is able to compete with him.
The so-called “Bent over you’ll be preserved whole” of the ancients
Was an expression that was really close to it!
Truly “wholeness” will belong to him.
[CHAPTER 23]
To rarely speak—such is the way of Nature.
Fierce winds don’t last the whole morning;
Torrential rains don’t last the whole day.
Who makes these things?
If even Heaven and Earth can’t make these last long—
How much the more is this true for man?!
Therefore, one who devotes himself to the Way is one with the Way;
One who devotes himself to Virtue is one with that Virtue;
And one who devotes himself to losing is one with that loss.
To the one who is one with Virtue, the Way also gives Virtue;
While for the one who is one with his loss, the Way also disregards him.
[CHAPTER 25]
There was something formed out of chaos,
That was born before Heaven and Earth.
Quiet and still! Pure and deep!
It stands on it
s own and doesn’t change.
It can be regarded as the mother of Heaven and Earth.
I do not yet know its name:
I “style” it “the Way.”
Were I forced to give it a name, I would call it “the Great.”
“Great” means “to depart”;
“To depart” means “to be far away”;
And “to be far away” means “to return.”
The Way is great;
Heaven is great;
Earth is great;
And the king is also great.
In the country there are four greats, and the king occupies one place among them.
Man models himself on the Earth;
The Earth models itself on Heaven;
Heaven models itself on the Way;
And the Way models itself on that which is so on its own.
[CHAPTER 26]
The heavy is the root of the light;
Tranquility is the lord of agitation.
Therefore the gentleman, in traveling all day, does not get far away from his luggage carts.
When he’s safely inside a walled-in protected hostel and resting at ease—only then does he transcend all concern.
How can the king of ten thousand chariots treat his own person more lightly than the whole land?!
If you regard things too lightly, then you lose the basic;
If you’re agitated, you lose the “lord.”
Lao-Tzu- Te-Tao Ching Page 6
