Dao De Jing

1
A Dao can be a Dao, yet not the forever Dao; a name can be a name, yet not the forever name. Nameless, it generates the cosmos; of the ten thousand things with a name it is the mother. Therefore, without ever wishing to grasp its unfathomable mystery, always have the desire to fathom it to its furthest extent. These two share the same source, yet bear different names; a unity called the deepest, darker than dark gateway to countless wonders.

2
All under heaven know beauty to be beautiful, this is why ugly exists; all know goodness to be good, this is why evil exists. Hence, with and without create each other; difficulty and ease accomplish each other; long and short define each other; high and low support each other; tone and voice harmonize each other; before and after follow each other. Thus, a wise teacher works without doing, teaches without words. The ten thousand things arise and take their course; bringing forth, but not possessing. Acting not for themselves, they accomplish results and then let go.
Indeed, it’s only by letting go that gains are not lost.

3
Not worshipping the chiefest keeps your people from quarreling; not valuing rare goods keeps your people from stealing; not showing what’s desirable keeps your people’s minds at rest. Let the wise king govern by emptying the people’s hearts and filling their bellies; by softening their ambitions and strengthening their bones. Always keeping the citizens simple and content, the clever do not dare to mislead them.
Working without doing, none are left without governance.

4
The Dao is like a field that is used yet never exhausted. So profound! As the ancestor to all ten thousand beings, it smoothes the edges, untangles the knots, softens the glare, and reunites with the dust. So faint! As if it isn’t even there.
I don’t know whose child it is; an image from long before the gods.

5
Nature is not kind to the ten thousand beings, regarding them as straw dogs. A wise king does not meddle with the hundred families, regarding them as straw dogs too. The vastness of the cosmos, isn’t it like a bellows? When empty it is not exhausted, in motion, it produces ever more.
Too much talking wears you thin, not as good as balance within.

6
The spirit of the valley lives on. They say she is the mystical female; they say her mysterious gateway gives birth to heaven and earth.
A soft and gentle existence, always working but never tired.

7
Heaven is endless, earth endures. Heaven and earth are endless and enduring, because they do not live themselves; that’s how they can live forever. Therefore, the wise put themselves behind, to find themselves ahead; put themselves last, to find themselves preserved.
Is it not without selfishness, that most is accomplished for oneself?

8
The best of goodness is like water. Water benefits all ten thousand things without any ambition; settling in places most people avoid. Clearly, it’s almost like Dao. It’s good to live on solid ground, with profound goodness at heart, kindness to others, good and sincere words, fair governance, competence at work, and movement at the right moment.
Only without ambition, could there be no blame.

9
Filling your bowl to the brim is not as good as stopping already. Hammering and sharpening do not go on forever. Fill your house with gold and jade, and no one can protect it; boasting of wealth and rank invites misfortune.
Once success has been achieved, make way: such is the Dao of heaven.

10
Can you carry your soul and care for your body, embrace oneness and not be divided? Can you breathe Qì like a newborn and be tender? Can you wash away obscure beliefs and be pure? Can you govern the country with love for the people and not be imposing? Can you open and close heaven’s gate and find the feminine within? Can you know the four directions and not mislead the people? Be life’s nourishment, not life’s owner; work but not for yourself.
Leading with restraint is known as De; the most profound of virtues.

11
Thirty spokes a wheel’s hub join, yet the gap makes it a cart. Clay is kneaded and molded, yet where it is not makes it a vessel. Doors and windows are carved out, yet space makes it a room.
Thus, benefit comes from what is there, utility comes from what is left out.

12
The five colors can blind people’s eyes; the five tones can deafen people’s ears; the five flavors can numb people’s taste. Wild rides and hunting parties may drive people crazy; precious rarities may drive people to evil.
Therefore the old master turns to the belly, not to the eyes, discards one to choose the other.

13
Favor or insult can both be startling; the body harbors great distress. What is meant by: “Favor or insult both startle”? A favor makes you the lesser; receiving it feels startling, losing it startles too. That is meant by favor or insult startle. What is meant by: “The body harbors great distress”? My great suffering is bound up with my body; if I had no body, what trouble could I have?
Therefore, care for the world as if it were your body, so that all under heaven can trust in you; love the world like you love yourself, so that all under heaven can rely on you.

14
Look at what cannot be seen, it’s said to be formless; listen to what cannot be heard, it’s said to be quiet; touch on what cannot be grasped, it’s said to be elusive. These three cannot be fully known, therefore they fold into one. Up above it has no brightness, down below it has no darkness; the unmeasurable line, impossible to name, going back to nothingness. The so-called form of formlessness, image of nothingness, state of misty elusiveness. Meeting it you see no head, following it you see no tail.
Let the ancient way of the Dao govern today; if one could know the oldest beginning: it’s named the order of the Dao.

15
The ancient masters of wisdom studied a silent, wondrous mystery; so profound that it cannot be known; since it cannot be known, it needs to be imagined. So careful, as if crossing a river in winter; so silent, as if wary of the 4 neighbors; so majestic, as if embracing all; so clear, as ice starting to melt; so pure, like an uncarved log; so vast, like the boundless valley; so rich, like muddy waters. Can stillness slowly clear the muddiness? Can gentle persistence slowly revive the flow?
Those who care for the Dao, do not seek to fill their bowl; only when it isn’t filled, can it hold new fullness.

16
Aim for utmost emptiness, remain quietly earnest. As the ten thousand things grow and flourish, I watch their cycles closely; each and every thing returns to its root. Going back to the root is said to be stillness, restoring life it is named. Restoring life, they say, is everlasting; knowing eternity is said to be enlightened; not knowing the eternal leads to reckless action and disaster. To know the eternal is to be open-minded; to be open-minded is to be impartial; to be impartial is to be royal; being royal is close to heaven; to be close to heaven is to follow the Dao.
To follow the Dao is to endure even when the body is gone.

17
True leadership is wise enough to be barely noticed by the people. The next best are loved and praised, next comes fear, then contempt. Where trustworthiness is lacking, that’s where mistrust will appear; so they are mindful of the worth of their words.
When their work is succesfully completed, the 100 families say: “It simply happened!”

18
When the great Dao is forgotten, charity and rectitude remain.
When cleverness and cunning take root, deception and falsehood remain.
When the six family ties unravel, filial piety and affection remain.
When the country is in turmoil, flawed and loyal ministers remain.

19
Cut off reason, give up cleverness, and the people will be a hundred times better off. Cut off charity, give up rectitude, and love and affection will return among the people. Cut off scheming, give up profits, and thieves and robbers will disappear. But, recording these three is not sufficient.
Therefore, let there be something to hold on to: look for simplicity, embrace the purity of uncarved wood, be less selfish and lessen your desires.

20
Abandon learning, remain without worries. Nitpicking on the difference of two words, how is good distinguished from evil? What people fear will still be frightening. The emptiness, it’s so infinitely vast! Multitudes of people bustle with joy, as if at a sacrifice festival, or climbing terraces in spring. No one sees an omen, yet I fear what is to come. Like a newborn, not even a child. So lost, as if I had no home to return to. Others sip from overflowing cups; I hold an empty bowl. Oh, the fool that I am! In the hustle and bustle, people are at their best; I walk in haze. Nothing escapes their eyes; I turn inward. So quiet, like the calmest sea; so restless, like winds without end. All the people have their business; I stubbornly refuse.
I am alone, apart from the people, treasuring the mother’s nurture.

21
De, the greatest of virtues, arises only by way of following the Dao. The Dao’s presence is simply elusive, purely ethereal. Faint and formless, appearance exists within; misty and elusive, reality exists within; quiet and dark, essence exists within. The essence of utmost reality; truth exists within it. To this day, its ancient name has not been forgotten; giving the multitudes their virtue. How do I learn about these multiple virtues?
In this way.

22
Yield and be whole; bend and be straight; empty and be full; wear out and be new; have less and be more; overflow and be confounded. This is why the wise embrace unity as the way for all under heaven. By not displaying themselves, they shine; by not asserting themselves, they are seen; by not boasting, they are recognized; by not taking pride, they endure. Indeed, because they don’t compete, no one under heaven can rival them.
The saying of the ancients, ‘yield to be whole’ is no empty phrase; it is truly how wholeness is restored.

23
Rarely do words simply exist. A turbulent wind takes only a morning; a downpour doesn’t last all day. What caused this weather? Heaven and earth. Even the universe cannot last forever; how could man endure? Thus, those working with the Dao, for the Dao, become the Dao; those of De become virtue; those with a loss become lost.
Without enough trust, nothing can be trusted.

24
A tiptoe doesn’t stand firm; a striver doesn’t walk the walk; a show off doesn’t shine; a know-it-all isn’t recognized; a boaster isn’t applauded; an egotist won’t last. To those aligned with the Dao, these are all wasteful ways, like leftover food, the things some may despise.
Whoever has the Dao can do without them.

25
There’s a wholeness beyond being, even before the universe was born. Such serenity, such emptiness! Standing on its own, immutable, going round and round yet never exhausted; acting for all under heaven as the mother. Not knowing its name, I use the word Dao; if you must, call it the Great. Great speaks of its flow; flow says going far; going far means turning around. Hence, great is the Dao, great is heaven, great is earth, and great is also the king. Within the realm of the grand four, one belongs to the king.
For man is shaped by earth, earth comes from heaven, heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao is simply there.

26
Weight bears lightness, calm rules the restless. A wise king traveling through the land doesn’t lose sight of his baggage. Even when he receives the most splendid honors, he sits quietly, unmoved. How can a ruler of ten thousand chariots take himself lightly?
If his kingdom were weightless it would lose its ground, if it were restless it would lose its king.

27
Walking the right way leaves no footprint; speaking the right words leaves no blame; counting the right numbers needs no tallies. The right door needs no lock to shut; the right knot has no rope to unravel. Thus, the wise keep caring for others, leaving no one behind; they always look after things, leaving nothing without care. Light travels light, so they carry it on. A good person teaches a lesser one, while the lesser person provides for him. Those who don’t value their lessons, don’t value their supplies.
Though learned, they remain twisted and confused; far removed from the essence of wonder.

28
Recognize the male, preserve the female, and be a heavenly mountain stream for all. To be a river for all under heaven is to be guided by De, virtuous for all time, all the way back to where it sprang forth. Know the light, embrace the dark, and be a heavenly model for all. To be a model for all under heaven is to be carried by De’s unfailing virtue; back to where there is no end. Observe the honors, accept the insults, and be a heavenly valley for all. To be a valley for all under heaven is to be filled with De, overflowing with virtue; unworked fabric.
Therefore the wise, cut from the right cloth, do not need haute-couture to be a great leader.

29
Whoever seeks control over all under heaven, it’s clear to me he cannot succeed. The world is divinity’s instrument, not made to be commanded. Those who try will fail and lose it all. Things may lead or follow, either breath in or breath out, are strong or weak, either bend or break.
This is why the wise choose the middle ground and stay well away from excess and extravagance.

30
The Dao does not provide a leader with an army to control his people or his realm, as it would turn against him. Wherever troops set up camp, thorny bushes and spiny shrubs take root. Great military campaigns only yield bad harvests. Competence bears fruit; the truly skilled would not dare to use force for their own gain. The fruits of their labour do not turn them boastful or arrogant, they do not brag of their harvest. Only when a tree must must be felled do they pick up an axe.
Even the biggest grow old; this is the Dao at work, all ends but the Dao.

31
However pretty a weapon of war might be, it is no instrument of fortune, it is a source of evil. Naturally, the Dao has no part in its making or use. Gentlemen dwell in peace, holding the left side sacred, while honoring the right side in conflict. Weapons don’t yield happiness, a gentleman uses no such tools. When he must use them, he does so quietly, in the best possible way. Victory is nothing to marvel at, to see beauty therein is to rejoice in the killing of people; those who celebrate death will not under heaven be able to fulfill their ambitions. Auspicious matters honor the left side, unfortunate events honor the right side. The lieutenant general is positioned on the left, while the general in command is positioned on the right, as though they were at a funeral ceremony.
Indeed, the loss of so many lives is a cause for mourning, for sadness and tears; victory in battle should be treated like a funeral.

32
The Dao, forever indefinable, is barely there, like a virgin field; yet no one under heaven could control it. If kings and nobles accepted their master, the ten thousand things would naturally develop. Any desire that comes from that, is fulfilled by this nameless field.
Indeed, life without wishing lasts the longest.

33
Knowledge of others is silver, knowing yourself is gold. Victory over others is strong, overcoming yourself even mightier. Those satisfied with what they have are truly rich. Those who persevere are truly worthy. Those who don’t lose their roots endure.
Long live the immortals!

34
Left or right, the great Dao flows in every direction. The ten thousand things rely upon it, they do not turn it down. It completes every task, but claims no reward; cloths and nourishes the world, but takes no dominion. Not wishing for anything, it has little to say; yet everything returns upon it. To refrain from leadership is what it means to be great.
Regarding oneself as little is how greatness is achieved.

35
Embrace the grand vision, where everything under heaven comes together. A harmless gathering, profoundly at peace and rest. Good food and music make a passerby linger; the Dao offers no such temptation, neither color nor flavor. There is not enough for eyes to see. Not enough for ears to hear.
More than enough for all to live.

36
What wants to contract is already stretched; what wants to weaken is already strong; what wants to be wasted is already abundant; what wants to be taken is already given. That’s what twilight means. The hardness of a rock yields to the softness of water. Fish are not caught from deep sea.
A nation’s tools are sharpest when not displayed to the people.

37
To make sure nothing is left undone, the Dao does not do a thing. If kings and nobles practiced this, all ten thousand things would naturally evolve. When changes prompt a desire to interfere, the simplicity of the uncarved block, not yet shaped or named, provides for those wishes.
Nothing left to desire, all under heaven finds its own haven.

38
The highest De is not just virtue, it is true De; common virtue loses no De, since it really has no De. Supreme sympathy does nothing for its own sake; supreme righteousness acts for itself. Supreme rituals serve no end at all; let’s roll up our sleeves and toss them out. When the Dao is lost, we’re left with De; when De is lost, we’re left with sympathy; when sympathy is lost, we’re left with righteousness; when righteousness is lost, we’re left with ritual. These rituals are a poor surrogate for trust and faith, merely masking confusion. In the garden of the Dao, preconceptions and presumptions blossom, merely masking foolishness. The truly great occupy themselves with real matters, not fantasies. They are rooted in reality, not fleeting like blossoms.
Thus they are the tree, not merely its fruit.

39
Earliest times’ one and only source: One gave heaven clarity; one gave earth stability; one gave spirit divinity. Oneness filled the valley; oneness brought the ten thousand things to life; oneness made nobles and kings serve all under heaven. All these were thus attained. Without clarity, heaven becomes dreadful chaos; without stability, earth a dreadful eruption; without divinity, spirit a dreadful vanishing; without fullness, the valley a dreadful desert. Without birth, all ten thousand things fear extinction; without superb dignity, nobles and kings fear their downfall. Thus, the esteemed base themselves on humility; the higher a tree, the deeper its roots. Nobles and kings are right to call themselves an orphan, a widower, or worthless. Aren’t they? Isn’t their work rooted in humbleness? Accept being unimportant.
Wish for neither the polish of jade nor the roughness of rock.

40
To move ahead, the Dao returns; to be of use, the Dao yields.
All things under heaven are born from being; being is born from without.

41
An eminent scholar, upon hearing of the Dao, diligently pursues it; a common scholar who hears of the Dao may practice it once, lose it twice. But when a not-so-bright scholar learns of the Dao, he laughs out loud. The Dao would fall short if it weren’t ridiculed. That’s why the clarity of the Dao has always been described as darkness; the advancement of the Dao as going back; the safety of the Dao as rough and rugged; the highest virtue of De as the valley. As the purest white is an insult; as the broadest De is not enough; as the firmest De is a thief; as the truest nature is change. A big square has no corners; great talent takes time to grow; a sweet sound is not yet music; a beautiful image not yet reality.
The Dao, hidden and nameless, is a good lender indeed; only the Dao brings completion.

42
The Dao begets one, one begets two, two begets three, three begets ten thousand things. All ten thousand things carry yin on their back and yang in their arms; balanced by the flow of Qì . What the people hate is to be alone, widowed, or worthless. Yet these are the titles kings and nobles decorate themselves with. Showing that sometimes less is more, and sometimes more is less. As the saying goes: live by the sword, die by the sword; it’s what the people are taught and it’s my lesson too.
I will take it as a father for my teachings.

43
Under heaven’s ultimate softness runs galloping over the worlds ultimate hardness. Where there is no space, nothing still enters. This is how I know the benefit of doing nothing.
Teaching without words, benefit from not-doing: few under heaven understand it.

44
What is dearer, a name or who you are? What is worth more, riches or your body? What causes more harm, loss or gain? Which is to say that excessive greed gets very costly; accumulation of wealth becomes a loss. To avoid disgrace, know how far to go; to avoid a downfall, know when to stop.
This is how to stay ahead.

45
Great success may look like failure, it still is not in vain; great abundance may look like void, it’s still not running out. What seems to be crooked might well be integrity, what looks clumsy might well be great skill; what sounds puzzling might well be the strongest argument. Cold is overcome by movement; heat yields to calmness.
May purity and calm set all under heaven right.

46
In a world with the Dao, horses carry manure back to the fields; in a world without the Dao, horses are bred for distant battlefields. No misery greater than not knowing measure; no sin more terrible than greed.
Those who know that enough is enough will always have enough.

47
Know all under heaven without leaving home, see the Dao of heaven without looking through the window. The farther one goes, the less one knows. Therefore the journey of the wise is measured by insight gained, not distance traveled; by what’s named, not what’s seen.
By achievement, not effort.

48
The pursuit of knowledge gives more every day; the pursuit of Dao takes more every day. More and more it takes till there’s nothing left to pursue. Working without doing, nothing is left undone; to earn the world, no labor is required.
When material matters rule, nothing under heaven is gained.

49
Instead of having a fixed mind of their own, the enlightened emphatize with the other. I am kind to people who are kind, but also to those who are not; spreading De as the virtue of kindness. I am honest to people who are honest, but also to those who are not; spreading De as the virtue of honesty. The enlightened sits quietly in harmony with all under heaven, simply serving the world.
Common people, all the 100 families, open their ears and eyes; the wise consider them their children.

50
When it comes to life or death, three out of ten choose life, three out of ten choose death. The people whose lives just move toward untimely graves are also three out of ten. For what reason? Because they live their lives to the fullest. As is often said, those who succesfully preserve their lives do not cross paths with a tiger or wild buffalo; nor do they go into battle with no shields or weapons. The buffalo’s horns have nowhere to strike, the tiger’s claws have nothing to shred, the enemy’s sword has no gap to pierce through. For what reason?
Because they don’t run to their graves.

51
They are the Dao’s children; fostered by De, formed by matter, finalized by their environment. As a result, none of the ten thousand things disrespect the Dao or disregard De. The honor of the Dao or the value of De are not commanded, but always come naturally. So it is that De sustains what Dao generates; in order to raise, to nourish, to shelter, to heal, to support, and protect. To nurture without claiming property, guide without claiming credit, lead without claiming dominion.
Profound virtue, by the name of De.

52
The world has a beginning too, the mother of all under heaven. To know her children, comprehend the mother; once her children are known, the mother is looked after, so that no harm comes to her. Remain in silence, close your gates, and life is a gift that keeps giving. Remain alert, open to worldly affairs, and life offers no respite. Having an eye for the trivial means insight; holding on to gentleness means strength. Use her light, return to her brilliance, so that no harm comes to you.
This is how durability is put into practice.

53
The tiniest bit of reason sets me on the path of the great Dao. There’s only one worry: even if the great Dao is extremely smooth, the public favors a goat path. While the court is very well attended, the rice fields are overgrown with weeds and the granaries are completely empty. Dressed in fine, colorful silk they carry a well-crafted sword. There’s more food and drinks than they can stomach; more property and money than they can spend. Down the wrong track, so to speak.
Certainly not the Dao!

54
What’s firmly built does not uproot; what’s firmly grasped does not slip away; the ancestors continue to be honored by their children and grandchildren. Build it within, and De is genuine virtue; build it in the family, and De is abundant, build it in the village, andn De is durable; build it in the land, and De is fruitful; build it under heaven, and De is universal. Know yourself by looking within; know your family by looking at the family; know your village by looking at the village, know your nation by looking at the nation; know your world by looking at the world. Think global, act local. But how can I trust my eyes?
In this way.

55
Deeply filled with De, one is like a newborn child. Insects and scorpions don’t sting; poisonous snakes don’t bite; savage beasts don’t pounce; birds of prey don’t strike. A baby’s bones are weak and tendons soft, yet its grip is firm. Unaware of the unity of man and woman that brought it forth, essentially complete; crying all day without losing voice, essentially in harmony. Knowing harmony speaks of eternity; knowing eternity speaks of light; caring for life speaks of fortune; breathing out Qì speaks of power. After things reach their summit and start to decline, Dao is slowly lost.
No Dao left, the end is near.

56
Those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know. They block the senses and shut their gates; blunt their sharpness, untangle their disputes and soften their brilliance. The most profound union they say, is being one with earth’s dust. Surely, this can not be won with closeness, nor with distance; can not be won for benefit, nor for harm; can not be won for honor, nor for disgrace.
Surely, under heaven’s most precious work.

57
Ruling a nation takes fairness; commanding troops takes ingenuity; winning the world takes inaction. But how can we be certain? Because of this: Under heaven’s many taboos and restrictions only deepen poverty among the citizens; the citizen’s many sharp tools only cause chaos in the nations’s homes; the people’s abilities and cunning only make things weirder; more laws and decrees only result in more thieves and bandits. As the wise will say: I sit on my hands, and the people transform themselves; I cherish my calm, and the people correct themselves; I commit to laissez-fair, and the people prosper.
I renounce all ambition, and the people are simply themselves.

58
When a government seems lacking, people are simple and sincere. When a government interferes with everything, people resort to cunning and deceit. Such misery! Happiness leans on it. Such happiness! Misery lies beneath it. Who knows where it will end? There is no fairness. What was right becomes wrong; what was good becomes evil; the people keep spinning around in confusion.
That’s why the wise lead without the sword; speak truth without hurting; act straight without overdoing; radiate without blinding

59
When it comes to governing people in accordance with heaven, nothing is better than moderation. Restraint is said to be a first step toward virtue; the first step indeed toward strongly building De. Strongly built De can not be beaten; unbeatable, one knows no limit. Knowing no limit, one owns the kingdom; as the kingdom’s mother, forever and ever. This is what is meant by deep roots and firm foundations.
The Dao of a long life and thorough understanding.

60
Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish. By means of the Dao, mean spirits lose their power. Not that they are powerless, but they don’t harm any one. Not because they’re harmless, but a wise ruler would not harm the people.
If neither harms the other, then virtue is shared and De is multiplied.

61
Our great land is like a lower valley, where under heaven’s streams flow into one. As the world’s female side, she always wins over the male side with her peacefulness. Peace serves the lower land; therefore she humbles herself before a smaller nation, in order to win it over. Naturally, a small nation humbles itself before a greater nation, in order to win it over. As both may benefit from their mutual respect. Great nations only carry water to serve the people and their cattle; small nations only carry water to serve other lands.
In order for both the greater and the smaller nation, to get what they earn, the greater one must earn the smaller one.

62
Dao is the elusive essence that animates all ten thousand things. It acts as a jewel for the well meaning, and a safehouse for the malicious. Sweet talk works in the market place; good deeds work for the people. Those with bad behavior, should we really abandon them? Even when an emperor is seated as the son of heaven, together with his three nobles, and their four horse chariots pass through the jaden gate, it’s still not as good as sitting with the Dao. For what reason did the old masters value the Dao so much? Didn’t they say that by means of seeking the Dao, all wrongs will be cleared?
No wonder the Dao is considered to be under heaven’s treasure.

63
Do without doing, manage without managing, taste without tasting. Big or small, many or few, kill the unkind with the kindness of De. Prepare for bad times during good times; fatten your pig while it’s still lean. The troubling matters of the world are simple at their core, as under heaven’s greatest problems must have started small. Wise leaders know that in the end, there’s no need to go big to achieve great results. They know that empty promises will damage their trust. What seems to be easy, may still proof to be hard.
To govern more easy, look further ahead.

64
What’s already stable is easy to uphold; before any omen appears, it’s easy to prepare. What is brittle is easily broken; what is tiny is easily lost. Handle what’s not yet there; settle what’s not yet in chaos. A tree too large to embrace grows from the tiniest sprout; building a nine-story terrace begins with a pile of dirt; a journey of a thousand miles starts under your feet. Push it and it gets destroyed; seize it and it slips away. One would be wise not to push too hard and destroy it; not to grab too tightly and lose it. Most people fail when they are on the verge of success. Had they been as as careful as when they first started, they could have succeeded. Wise is the one who wants no wishes, prizes no rare items, learns no news. Who picks up what most people missed; helps all ten thousand things run their natural courses.
And would not dare to interfere.

65
The old masters of the Dao did not aim to educate their people, but rather let them live a simple life. The citizens are smart and unruly, so governing a country with cunning will cause it to fail. Blessed is the nation that’s governed without such cleverness. Let these two examples serve as a lasting standard for what’s called the mysterious virtue of De. De is so profound; going such a distance; everything returns to it.
Only then will great harmony reign.

66
Rivers and seas reign like kings over the 100 valleys; their majesty comes from their ability at staying down below. Thus, for a wise king to rise above his people, humility in speech is paramount; to stand before his citizens, he must put himself behind them. The wise king reigns supreme, without being a burden to his people; leads from the front, without doing harm to his citizens. In that way, no one under heaven gets tired of cheering on his leadership.
Who doesn’t compete, faces no competition.

67
All under heaven praise my Dao. It may not seem like much, but only because modesty is the hallmark of greatness. If it weren’t so humble, it would indeed have been forgotten long ago! Talking about treasures, there’s three that I hold dearly. The first says loving compassion; the second says frugal economy; and the third says don’t fight nature to finish first. Compassion gives courage; economy gives plentitude; not finishing first gives the ability for growth. Nowadays, compassion is abandoned and courage is lost; economy is abandoned and plenty is lost; humility is abandoned and life is lost.
When at war, compassion might help to win the battle and strengthen your defenses.
When at the mercy of heaven, compassion might save you.

68
The best soldiers are no war hero; the best fighters show no anger; the best tactics do not engage the enemy; the best commander puts himself below his troops. Non-competition, they say, is the power of De; they say that unity is strength.
It’s how you arrive at the height of the ancients in heaven, they say.

69
There is a saying in the military about the use of force: “I am just a guest, I dare not act the master. Rather than inching closer, I pull back a foot.” This is called moving without movement; fighting without fists; maneuvering without the enemy; defending without force. No bigger failure than underestimating the enemy; thinking lightly of war makes me forget my treasures.
When two armies are evenly matched, the more compassionate wins.

70
My words are very clear and easy to live by. Yet no one under heaven understands them or knows how to put them into practice. These words, rooted in the past, govern my affairs. They are not about knowledge, perhaps that is why I am considered unknowledgeable. True understanding is a rare and precious commodity.
That’s why the wise wear simple clothes, and carry their costly jade in their hearts.

71
True knowledge is knowing that you do not know. Not being aware of your ignorance is like an illness; the diagnosis of this illness is also the cure.
By being aware of their ignorance, the wise are cured from this disease.

72
When citizens lose respect for those in power, even worse are bound to come. No need to destroy their homes; no need to disrespect their livelihoods. Only when respected, will they respect you. For this reason, a wise king knows what he can do, without displaying it; he loves his work, without feeling superior.
Thus he chooses what counts and disregards hubris.

73
Reckless courage leads to death, courage with caution leads to survival. Between the two, sometimes one brings harm, sometimes the other. Why heaven blesses here and curses there, no one knows, not even the wisest teacher. Heaven’s Dao is not to contend, but to skillfully deliver; not to speak, but to skillfully respond; not to demand, but to let things happen; not to rush but to skilfully prepare.
Heaven’s net spans the universe; its meshes are wide, yet nothing slips through.

74
The people are not intimidated by death, so why threaten them with it? Suppose someone, out of fear of death, were to act strangely, so that this person could be caught and put to death; wouldn’t that have stopped him from doing the crime in the first place? The death penalty is officially carried out regularly. Doing the executioner’s job for him is like chopping wood and then calling it great artistry.
Of those who confuse craftmanship with woodcutting, few avoid hurting their hands.

75
The citizens are starving, because the rulers eat all their grain; collected from them as taxes, leaving them hungry. Then people become unruly, so the state tightens control, which turns them even more rebellious. As death already stares them in the face, they are not afraid.
With no life to lose, these commoners know what makes life worthwile.

76
No matter how soft and flexible at birth, at death we’re hard and stiff. The ten thousand animals, the grass and trees, all are soft and smooth at birth; at death they’re dry as firewood. Which shows that hard and stiff follow in the footsteps of death; but soft and pliant promise life. A sword that doesn’t flex will break; a tree that doesn’t bend will fall.
The hard and rigid go down, where the soft and yielding stand.

77
How is heaven’s Dao like stretching a bow? As the high end is pulled down, the low end is lifted. Those with more than they need receive less, those in need receive more. The Dao of heaven is to level out surplus and make up for shortage. The Dao of humanity is quite the opposite: it takes from the poor and gives to the rich. Those who are capable of sharing their wealth with the world, receive the Dao in return.
For it is wise to act, but not for reward; wise to achieve, but not for credits; wise to do good, but not for being seen.

78
Nothing under heaven is as soft and yielding as water. Yet in the struggle against the hard and strong, it is invincible, as it flows with ease. The delicate overcomes the rigid, the gentle overcomes the brutal. It is preached by all, but practiced by none. Thus, to be a worthy master of the sacred shrines of earth and grain, a wise ruler takes responsibility for the nation’s disgrace. To be a worthy master of the world, he takes responsibility for the nation’s misfortune.
Honest words may seem the opposite.

79
When peace returns after a bitter quarrel, not all resentment is instantly solved. Where can harmony be found? Wisdom says to honor the right side of the agreement, rather than blaming the other. De’s virtue says to manage a contract, a lack of De says to enforce it.
For the Dao of heaven there is no good or bad; yet it always favors people doing good.

80
A small country with few inhabitants that wants to live in peace, needs to be well armed. It must be careful with the lives of her citizens, and hope they don’t move too far. There’s not much room for ships and carriages to be useful, or for weapons and armor to be displayed. Instead, the art of tying knots to record events is still in use. But the food is delicious, dresses are beautiful, homes are welcoming, and life is joyful.
So even if a neighboring country is so close that the crowing of a rooster and the barking of a dog can be heard, most people are content to die of old age without ever going there.

81
True words aren’t nice, nice words aren’t true; the kind don’t make an argument, arguing isn’t kind; the learned don’t always know, knowing isn’t learned. Wisdom says, keep nothing to yourself. Because the more you give, the more you have.
Heaven’s Dao is blessings, not harm; wisdom’s Dao is work, not competition.