《道德经》汉英对照_(Waley_译本)

2021年2月28日发(作者：dadi)

《道德经》汉英对照

（

Waley

译本）

老子

著

Arthur Waley

英译

注：英文翻译不能完全表达古文愿意，敬请读者斟酌

一章

道， 可道，非恒道。名，可名，非恒名。无名，天地之始；有名，万物之母。故常无欲，以

观 其妙；常有欲，以观其徼。此两者同出而异名，同谓之玄。玄之又玄，众妙之门。

The Way that can be told of is not an Unvarying Way;

The names that can be named are not unvarying names.

It was from the Nameless that Heaven and Earth sprang;

The named is but the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures, each after its kind.

Truly, ―Only he that rids himself forever of desire can see the Secret Essences‖;

He that has never rid himself of desire can see only the Outcomes.

These two things issued from the same mould, but nevertheless are different in name.

This ―same mould‖ we can but call the Mystery,

Or rather the ―Darker than any Mystery‖,

The Doorway whence issued all Secret Essences.

----- -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------

二章

天下皆知美之为美，斯恶已；皆知善之为善，斯不善矣。有无 相生，难易相成，长短相形，

高下相盈，

音声相和，

< p>
前后相随，

恒也。

是以圣人处无为之事，

行不言之教，

万物作而弗始，

生而弗有，为而弗 恃，功成而弗居。夫唯弗居，是以不去。

It is because every one under Heaven recognizes beauty as beauty,

That the idea of ugliness exists.

And equally if every one recognized virtue as virtue,

this would merely create fresh conceptions of wickedness.

For truly, Being and Not-being grow out of one another;

Difficult and easy complete one another.

Long and short test one another;

High and low determine one another.

Pitch and mode give harmony to one another.

Front and back give sequence to one another.

Therefore the Sage relies on actionless activity,

Carries on wordless teaching,

1

But the myriad creatures are worked upon by him;

He does not disown them.

He rears them, but does not lay claim to them,

Controls them, but does not lean upon them,

Achieves his aim, but does not call attention to what he does;

And for the very reason that he does not call attention to what he does

He is not ejected from fruition of what he has done.

--------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------

三章

不尚贤，使民不争；不贵难得之货，使民不为盗；不见可欲， 使民心不乱。是以圣人之治，

虚其心，实其腹；弱其志，强其骨。常使民无知无欲。使夫 知不敢弗为而已，则无不治。

If we stop looking for ―persons of superior morality‖ (hsien) to put in power,

There will be no more jealousies among the people.

If we cease to set store by products that are hard to get,

There will be no more thieves.

If the people never see such things as excite desire,

Their hearts will remain placid and undisturbed.

Therefore the Sage rules

By emptying their hearts

And filling their hearts?

Weakening their intelligence

And toughening their sinews

Ever striving to make the people knowledgeless and desireless.

Indeed he sees to it that if there be any who have knowledge,

They dare not interfere.

Yet through his actionless activity all things are duly regulated.

--------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------

四章

道冲 ，而用之或不盈。渊兮，似万物之宗。挫其锐，解其纷，和其光，同其尘。湛兮，似或

存 。吾不知谁之子，象帝之先。

The Way is like an empty vessel

That yet may be drawn from

Without ever needing to be filled.

It is bottomless; the very progenitor of all things in the world.

In it all sharpness is blunted,

All tangles untied,

2

All glare tempered,

All dust soothed.

It is like a deep pool that never dries.

Was it too the child of something else?

We cannot tell.

But as a substanceless image it existed before the Ancestor.

< p>
-------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------

五章

天地 不仁，以万物为刍狗；圣人不仁，以百姓为刍狗。天地之间，其犹橐龠乎？虚而不屈，

动 而愈出。多闻数穷，不如守中。

Heaven and Earth are ruthless;

To them the Ten Thousand things are but as straw dogs.

The Sage too is ruthless;

To him the people are but as straw dogs.

Yet Heaven and Earth and all that lies between

Is like a bellows

In that it is empty, but gives a supply that never fails.

Work it, and more comes out.

Whereas the force of words is soon spent.

Far better is it to keep what is in the heart.

------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------

六章

谷神 不死，是谓玄牝。玄牝之门，是谓天地根。绵绵若存，用之不勤。

The Valley Spirit never dies.

It is named the Mysterious Female.

And the doorway of the Mysterious Female

Is the base from which Heaven and Earth sprang.

It is there within us all the while;

Draw upon it as you will, it never runs dry.

--------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------

七章

天长地久。天地所以能长且久者，以其不自生，故能长生。是 以圣人后其身而身先，外其身

而身存。不以其无私邪？故能成其私。

3

Heaven is eternal, the Earth everlasting.

How come they to be so?

It is because they do not foster their own lives;

That is why they live so long.

Therefore the Sage

Puts himself in the background; but is always to the fore.

Remains outside; but is always there.

Is it not just because he does not strive for any personal end

That all his personal ends are fulfilled?

---- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------

八章

上善 若水。水善利万物而不争，居众人之所恶，故几于道。居善地，心善渊，与善仁，言善

信 ，政善治，事善能，动善时。夫唯不争，故无尤。

The highest good is like that of water.

The goodness of is that it benefits the ten thousand creatures;

Yet itself does not scramble,

But is content with the places that all men disdain.

It is this makes water so near to the Way.

And if men think the ground the best place for building a house upon,

If among thoughts they value those that are profound,

If in friendship they value gentleness,

In words, truth; in government, good order;

In deeds, effectiveness; in actions, timeliness -

In each case it is because they prefer what does not lead to strife,

And therefore does not go amiss.

--------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------

九章

持而盈之，不如其已。揣而锐之，不可长保。金玉满堂，莫之 能守。富贵而骄，自遗其咎。

功遂身退，天下之道。

Stretch a bow to the very full,

And you will wish you had stopped in time;

Temper a sword- edge to its very sharpest,

And you will find it soon grows dull.

When bronze and jade fill your hall.

4

It can no longer be guarded.

Wealth and place breed insolence.

That brings ruin in its train.

When your work is done, then withdraw!

Such is Heaven's Way.

--------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------

十章

载营魄抱一，能无离乎？专气致柔，

能如婴儿乎？修除玄览，

能无疵乎？爱民治国，能无智

乎？天门 开阖，能为雌乎？明白四达，能无知乎？生之、畜之，生而不有，长而不宰。是为

玄德。

Can you keep the unquiet physical-soul from straying,

Hold fast to the Unity, and never quit it?

Can you, when concentrating your breath,

Make it soft like that of a little child?

Can you wipe and cleanse your vision of the Mystery till all is without blur?

Can you love the people and rule the land,

Yet remain unknown?

Can you in opening and shutting the heavenly gates play always the female part?

Can your mind penetrate every corner of the land,

But you yourself never interfere?

Rear them, then, feed them,

Rear them, but do not lay claim to them.

Control them, but never lean upon them;

Be chief among them, but do not manage them.

This is called the Mysterious Power.

< br>----------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------

十一章

三 十辐共一毂，当其无，有车之用。埏埴以为器，当其无，有器之用。凿户牖以为室，当其

无，有室之用。故有之以为利，无之以为用。

We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel;

But it is on the space where there is nothing

That the usefulness of the wheel depends.

We turn clay to make a vessel;

But it is on the space where there is nothing

That the usefulness of the vessel depends.

We pierce doors and windows to make a house;

5

And it is on these spaces where there is nothing

That the usefulness of the house depends.

Therefore just as we take advantage of what is,

We should recognize the usefulness of what is not.

--------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------

十二章

五色令人目盲；五音令人耳聋；五味令人口爽；驰骋畋猎，令 人心发狂；难得之货，令人行

妨。是以圣人为腹不为目，故去彼取此。

< br>

The fives colours confuse the eye,

The fives sounds dull the ear,

The five tastes spoil the palate.

Excess of hunting and chasing

Makes minds go mad.

Products that are hard to get

Impede their owner's movements.

Therefore the Sage

Considers the belly not the eye.

Truly, ―he rejects that but takes this‖.

< br>----------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------

十三章

宠 辱若惊，贵大患若身。何谓宠辱若惊？宠为下，得之若惊，失之若惊，是谓宠辱若惊。何

谓贵大患若身？吾所以有大患者，为吾有身，

及吾无身，

吾有何 患？故贵以身为天下，

若可

寄天下；爱以身为天下，若可托天下 。

Favour and disgrace goad as it were to madness;

High rank hurts keenly as our bodies hurt.‖

What does it mean to say that favour and disgrace goad as it were to madness?

It means that when a rule's subjects get it they turn distraught,

When they lose it they turn distraught.

That is what is meant to by saying favour and disgrace goad as it were to madness.

What does it mean to say that high rank hurts keenly as our bodies hurt?

The only reason that we suffer hurt is that we have bodies;

If we had no bodies, how could we suffer?

Therefore we may accept the saying:

“

He who in dealing with the empire regards his high rank

6

As through it were his body is the best person to be entrusted with rules;

He who in dealing with the empire loves his subjects as one should love one's body

Is the best person to whom one commit the empire.‖

--------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------

十四章

视之不见，名曰微；听之不闻，名曰希；搏之不得，名曰夷。 此三者，不可致诘，故混而为

一。

其上不皎，

< br>其下不昧，

绳绳兮不可名，

复归于物。

< br>是谓无状之状，

无物之象，

是谓惚恍。

< br>迎之不见其首，随之不见其后。执古之道，以御今之有。能知古始，是谓道纪。

Because the eye gazes but can catch no glimpse of it,

It is called elusive.

Because the ear listens but cannot hear it,

It is called the rarefied.

Because the hand feels for it but cannot find it,

It is called the infinitesimal.

These three, because they cannot be further scrutinized,

Blend into one,

Its rising brings no light;

Its sinking, no darkness.

Endless the series of things without name

On the way back to where there is nothing.

They are called shapeless shapes;

Forms without form;

Are called vague semblance.

Go towards them, and you can see no front;

Go after them, and you see no rear.

Yet by seizing on the Way that was

You can ride the things that are now.

For to know what once there was, in the Beginning,

This is called the essence of the Way.

--------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------

十五章

古 之善为道者，微妙玄通，深不可识。夫唯不可识，故强为之容：豫兮，若冬涉川；犹兮，

若畏四邻；俨兮，其若客；涣兮，其若凌释；敦兮，其若朴；旷兮，其若谷；混兮，其若浊。

孰能浊以止？静之徐清。孰能安以久？动之徐生。保此道者，不欲盈。夫唯不盈，故能蔽而

< br>新成。

7

Of old those that were the best officers of Court

Had inner natures subtle, abstruse, mysterious, penetrating,

Too deep to be understood.

And because such men could not be understood

I can but tell of them as they appeared to the world:

Circumspect they seemed, like one who in winter crosses a stream,

Watchful, as one who must meet danger on every side.

Ceremonious, as one who pays a visit;

Yet yielding, as ice when it begins to melt.

Blank, as a piece of uncarved wood;

Yet receptive as a hollow in the hills.

Murky, as a troubled stream

—–

(Tranquil, as the vast reaches of the sea,

Drifting as the wind with no stop.)

Which of you an assume such murkiness,

To become in the end still and clear?

Which of you can make yourself insert,

To become in the end full of life and stir?

Those who possess this Tao do not try to fill themselves to the brim,

And because they do not try to fill themselves to the brim,

They are like a garment that endures all wear and need never be renewed.

--------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---

十六章

< br>致虚极，守静笃。万物并作，吾以观复。夫物芸芸，各复归其根。归根曰静，静曰复命。复

命曰常，知常曰明。不知常，妄作，凶。知常容，容乃公，公乃王，王乃天，天乃道，道乃

久，殁身不殆。

Push far enough towards the V

oid,

Hold fast enough to Quietness,

And of the ten thousand things none but can be worked on by you.

I have beheld them, whither they go back.

See, all things howsoever they flourish

Return to the root from which they grew.

This return to the root is called Quietness;

Quietness is called submission to Fate;

What has submitted to Fate has become part of the always so.

To know the always-so is to be Illumined;

Not to know it, means to go blindly to disaster.

He who knows the always-so has room in him for everything;

He who has room in him for everything is without prejudice.

To be without prejudice is to be kingly;

8

To be kingly is to be of heaven;

To be of heaven is to be in Tao.

Tao is forever and he that possess it,

Though his body ceases, is not destroyed.

--------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------

十七章

太 上，不知有之；其次，亲而誉之；其次，畏之；其次，侮之。信不足焉，有不信焉。悠兮，

其贵言。功成事遂，百姓皆谓：

「我自然」

。

Of the highest the people merely know that such a one exists;

The next they draw near to and praise.

The next they shrink from, intimidated; but revile.

Truly, ―It is by not believing people that you turn them into liars‖.

But from the Sage it is so hard at any price to get a single word

That when his task is accomplished, his work done,

Throughout the country every one says: ―It happened of its own accord‖.

--------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------

十八章

大 道废，有仁义；智慧出，有大伪；六亲不和，有孝慈；国家昏乱，有忠臣。

It was when the Great Way declined

That human kindness and morality arose;

It was when intelligence and knowledge appeared

That the Great Artifice began.

It was when the six near ones were no longer at peace

That th

ere was talk of ―dutiful sons‖;

Nor till fatherland was dark with strife

Did we hear of ―loyal slaves‖.

--------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------

十九章

绝 圣弃智，民利百倍；绝仁弃义，民复孝慈；绝巧弃利，盗贼无有。此三者以为文，不足。

故令有所属：见素抱朴，少思寡欲，绝学无忧。

Banish wisdom, discard knowledge,

And the people will be benefited a hundredfold.

9

Banish human kindness, discard morality,

And the people will be dutiful and compassionate.

Banish skill, discard profit,

And thieves and robbers will disappear.

If when these three things are done they find life too plain and unadorned,

Then let them have accessories;

Give them Simplicity to look at, the Uncarved Black to hold,

Give them selflessness and fewness of desires.

Banish learning, and there will be no more grieving.

--------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------

二十章

唯 之与阿，相去几何？美之与恶，相去若何？人之所畏，不可不畏。荒兮，其未央哉！众人

熙熙，如享太牢，如春登台。我独泊兮，其未兆；沌沌兮，如婴儿之未孩；儡儡兮，若无所

归。

众人皆有馀，

而我独若遗。

我愚 人之心也哉，

沌沌兮！

俗人昭昭，

我独 昏昏。

俗人察察，

我独闷闷。淡兮，其若海，望兮，若无止。众 人皆有以，而我独顽似鄙。我独异于人，而贵

食母。

Between wei and o

What after all is the difference?

Can it be compared to the difference between good and bad?

The saying ―what others avoid I too must avoid‖

How false and superficial it is?

All men, indeed, are wreathed in smiles,

As though feasting after the Great Sacrifice,

As though going up to the Spring Carnival.

I alone am inert, like a child that has not yet given sign;

Like an infant that has not yet smiled.

I droop and drift, as though I belonged nowhere.

All men have enough and to spare;

I alone seem to have lost everything.

Mine is indeed the mind of a very idiot,

So dull am I.

The world is full of people that shine;

I alone am dark.

They look lively and self-assured;

I alone depressed.

(I seem unsettled as the ocean;

Blown adrift, never brought to a stop.)

All men can be put to some use;

I alone am intractable and boorish.

But wherein I most am different from men

10

Is that I prize no sustenance that comes not from the Mother's breast.

--------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---

二十一章

孔德之容，惟道是从。道之为物，惟恍惟惚。惚兮恍兮，其中有象；恍兮惚兮，其中有物；

窈兮冥兮，其中有精；其精甚真，其中有信。自今及古，其名不去，以阅众甫。吾何以知众

< p>
甫之状哉？以此。

Such the scope of the All-pervading Power.

That it alone can act through the Way.

For the Way is a thing impalpable, incommensurable.

Incommensurable, impalpable.

Yet latent in it are forms;

Impalpable, incommensurable

Yet within it are entities.

Shadowy it is and dim;

Yet within it there is a force,

Is none the less efficacious.

From the times of old till now

Its charge has not departed

But cheers onward the many warriors.

How do I know that the many warriors are so?

Through this.

--------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---

二十二章

「曲则全，枉则直，洼则盈，敝则新，少则得，多则惑。

」是以圣人抱一为天下 式。不自见，

故明；不自是，故彰；不自伐，故有功；不自矜，故长。夫唯不争，故天下 莫能与之争。古

之所谓「曲则全」者，岂虚言哉！诚全而归之。

“

To remain whole, be twisted!‖

To become straight, let yourself be bent.

To become full, be hollow.

Be tattered, that you may be renewed.

Those that have little, may get more,

Those that have much, are but perplexed.

Therefore the Sage

Clasps the Primal Unity,

Testing by it everything under heaven.

He does not show himself; therefore he seen everywhere.

11

He does not define himself, therefore he is distinct.

He does not boast of what he will do, therefore he succeeds.

He is not proud of his work, and therefore it endures.

He does not contend,

And for that very reason no one under heaven can contend with him.

So then we see that the ancient saying ―To

remain whole, be twisted!‖ was no idle word;

For true wholeness can only be achieved by return.

---- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------

二十三章

希言自然。故飘风不终朝，骤雨不终日。孰为此者？天地。天地尚不能久，而况于人乎？故

从事于道者，同于道；德者，同于德；失者，同于失。同于道者，道亦乐得之；同于德者，

德亦乐得之；同于失者，失亦乐得之。信不足焉，有不信焉。

To be always talks is against nature.

For the same reason a hurricane never lasts a whole morning,

Nor a rainstorm all day.

Who is it that makes the wind and rain?

It is Heaven-and Earth.

And if even Heaven-and Earth cannot blow or pour for long,

How much less in his utterance should man?

Truly, if one uses the Way as one's instrument,

The results will be like the Way;

If one uses the ―power‖ as instrument,

The results will be like the ―power‖.

If one uses what is t

he reverse of the ―power‖,

The results will be the reverse of the ―power‖.

For to those who have conformed themselves to the Way,

The Way readily lends its power.

To those who have conformed themselves to the power,

The power readily, lends more power.

While to those who conform themselves to inefficacy,

Inefficacy readily lends its ineffectiveness.

“

It is by not believing in people that you turn them into liars.‖

--------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------

12

二十四章

企者不立；跨者不行；自见者不明；自是者不彰；自伐者无功；自矜者不长。其在道也， 曰

馀食赘形，物或恶之，故有道者不居。

'He who stands on tip-toe, does not stand firm;

He who takes the longest strides, does not walk the fastest.‖

He who does his own looking sees little,

He who defines himself is not therefore distinct.

He who boasts of what he will do succeeds in nothing;

He who is proud of his work, achieves nothing that endures.

Of these, from the standpoint of the Way, it is said:

“

Pass round superfluous dishes to those that have already had enough,

And no creature b

ut will reject them in disgust.‖

That is why he that possesses Tao does not linger.

--- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------

二十五章

有物混成，先天地生。寂兮寥兮，独立而不改，周行而不殆，可以为天地母。吾不知其名，

字之曰道，强为之名曰大。大曰逝，逝曰远，远曰反。故道大，天大，地大，人亦大。域中

有四大，而人居其一焉。人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。

There was something formless yet complete,

That existed before heaven and earth;

Without sound, without substance,

Dependent on nothing, unchanging,

All pervading, unfailing.

One may think of it as the mother of all things under heaven.

Its true name we do not know;

Were I forced to say to what class of things it belongs

I should call it Great (ta)

Now ta also means passing on,

And passing on means going Far Away,

And going far away means returning.

Thus just as Tao has ―this greatness‖ and as earth has it and as heaven has it,

So may the ruler also have it.

Thus ―within the realm there are four portions of greatness‖,

And one belongs to the king.

The ways of men are conditioned by those of earth.

The ways of earth, by those of heaven.

The ways of heaven by those of Tao, and the ways of Tao by the Self-so.

13

--------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---

二十六章

重为轻根，静为躁君。是以君子终日行不离辎重。虽有荣观，燕处超然。奈何万乘之主，而

以身轻天下？轻则失根，躁则失君。

As the heavy must be the foundation of the light,

So quietness is lord and master of activity.

Truly, ―A man of consequence though he travels all day

Will not let himself be separated from his baggage-wagon,

However magnificent the view, he sits quiet and dispassionate‖.

How much less, then, must be the lord of ten thousand chariots

Allow himself to be lighter than these he rules!

If he is light, the foundation is lost;

If he is active, the lord and master is lost.

--------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---

二十七章

善行，无辙迹；善言，无瑕谪；善数，不用筹策；善闭，无关楗而不可开；善结，无绳约而

不可解。是以圣人常善救人，故无弃人；常善救物，故无弃物。是谓神明。故善人者，不善

< p>
人之师；不善人者，善人之资。不贵其师，不爱其资，虽智大迷。是谓要妙。

Perfect activity leaves no track behind it;

Perfect speech is like a jade-worker whose tool leaves no mark.

The perfect reckoner needs no counting- slips;

The perfect door has neither bolt nor bar,

Yet cannot be opened.

The perfect knot needs neither rope nor twine,

Yet cannot be united.

Therefore the Sage

Is all the time in the most perfect way helping men,

He certainly does not turn his back on men;

Is all the time in the most perfect way helping creatures,

He certainly does not turn his back on creatures.

This is called resorting to the Light.

Truly, ―the perfect man is the teacher of the imperfect;

But the imperfect is the stock-in-tra

de of the perfect man‖.

He who does not respect his teacher,

He who does not take care of his stock-in-trade,

Much learning through he may possess, is far astray.

This is the essential secret.

14

--------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------

二十八章

知其雄，守其雌，为天下溪。为天下溪，常德不离。常德不离 ，复归于婴儿。知其荣，守其

辱，为天下谷。为天下谷，常德乃足。常德乃足，复归于朴 。知其白，守其黑，为天下式。

为天下式，常德不忒。常德不忒，复归于无极。朴散则为 器，圣人用之，则为官长。故大制

无割。

“

He who knows the males, yet cleaves to what is female

Because like a ravine, receiving all things under heaven,‖

And being such a ravine

He knows all the time a power that he never calls upon in vain.

This is returning to the state of infancy.

He who knows the white, (yet cleaves to the black

Becomes the standard by which all things are tested;

And being such a standard

He has all the time a power that never errs,

He returns to the Limitless.

He who knows glory,) yet cleaves to ignominy

Become like a valley that receives into it all things under heaven,

And being such a valley

He has all the time a power that suffices;

He returns to the state of the Uncarved Block.

Now when a block is sawed up it is made into implements;

But when the Sage uses it, it becomes Chief of all Ministers.

Truly, ―The greatest carver does the least cutting‖.

--------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------

二十九章

将欲取天下而为之，吾见其不得已。天下神器，不可为也。为者败之，执者失之。物，或行

或随，或嘘或吹，或强或羸，或挫或隳。是以圣人去甚，去奢，去泰。

Those that would gain what is under heaven by tampering with it -

I have seen that they do not succeed.

For that which is under heaven is like a holy vessel, dangerous to tamper with.

Those that tamper with it, harm it.

Those that grab at it, lose it.

For among the creatures of the world some go in front, some follow;

Some blow hot when others would be blowing cold.

Some are feeling vigorous just when others are worn out.

15

Therefo

re the Sage ―discards the absolute, the all

-

inclusive, the extreme‖.

< p>
-------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------

三十章

以 道佐人主者，不以兵强天下，其事好还：师之所居，荆棘生焉。大军之后，必有凶年。善

有果而已，

不以取强。

果而勿矜，

果而 勿伐，

果而勿骄，

果而不得已，

果而勿 强。

物壮则老，

是谓不道，不道早已。

He who by Tao purposes to help a ruler of men

Will oppose all conquest by force of arms;

For such things are wont to rebound.

Where armies are, thorn and brambles grow.

The raising of a great host

Is followed by a year of dearth.

Therefore a good general effects his purpose and then stops; he does not take further advantage of

his victory.

Fulfils his purpose and does not glory in what he has done;

Fulfils his purpose and does not boast of what he has done;

Fulfils his purpose, but takes no pride in what he has done;

Fulfils his purpose, but only as a step that could not be avoided.

Fulfils his purpose, but without violence;

For what has a time of vigour also has a time of decay.

This is against Tao,

And what is against Tao will soon perish.

--------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---

三十一章

夫兵者，不祥之器。物或恶之，故有道者不居。君子居则贵左，用兵则贵右，故兵者非君子

之器。

不祥之器，

不得已而用之，

< br>恬淡为上。

胜而不美，

而美之者，

是乐杀人。

夫乐杀人者，

则不可得志于天下矣。吉事尚左，凶 事尚右。偏将军居左，上将军居右，言以丧礼处之。杀

人之众，以悲哀泣之，战胜以丧礼 处之。

Fine weapons are none the less ill-omened things.

(People despise them, therefore,

Those in possession of the Tao do not depend on them.)

That is why, among people of good birth,

In peace the left-hand side is the place of honour,

But in war this is reversed and the right-hand side is the place of honour.

(Weapons are ill-omened things, which the superior man should not depend on.

When he has no choice but to use them,

16

The best attitude is to retain tranquil and peaceful.)

The Quietist, even when he conquers, does not regard weapons as lovely things.

For to think them lovely means to delight in them,

And to delight in them means to delight in the slaughter of men.

And he who delights in the slaughter of men

Will never get what he looks for out of those that dwell under heaven.

(Thus in happy events,

The left-hand side is the place of honour, in grief and mourning,

The right-hand is the place of honour.

The lieutenant general stands on the left,

While the supreme general stands on the right,

Which is arranged on the rites of mourning.)

A host that has slain men is received with grief and mourning;

He that has conquered in battle is received with rites of mourning.

--------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------

三十二章

道常无名。朴虽小，天下莫能臣。侯王若能守之，万物将自宾 。天地相合，以降甘露，民莫

之令而自均。始制有名，名亦既有，夫亦将知止。知止可以 不殆。譬道之在天下，犹川谷之

于江海。

Tao is eternal, but has no fame (name);

The Uncarved Block, though seemingly of small account,

Is greater than anything that is under heaven.

If kings and barons would but possess themselves of it,

The ten thousand creatures would flock to do them homage;

Heaven-and- earth would conspire

To send Sweet Dew,

Without law or compulsion, men would dwell in harmony.

Once the block is carved, there will be names,

And so soon as there are names,

Know that it is time to stop.

Only by knowing when it is time to stop can danger be avoided.

To Tao all under heaven will come

As streams and torrents flow into a great river or sea.

--------------------------------------------- -----------------------------------

三十三章

知人者智，自知者明；胜人者有力，自胜者强。知足者富。强行者有志。不失其所者久。死

而不亡者寿。

17

To understand others is to have knowledge;

To understand oneself is to be illumined.

To conquer others needs strength;

To conquer oneself is harder still.

To be content with what one has is to be rich.

He that works through violence may get his way;

But only what stays in its place

Can endure.

When one dies one is not lost, there is no other longevity.

---- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------

三十四章

大道泛兮，

其可左右。

万物恃之而生而不辞，

< br>功成而不名有。

衣养万物而不为主，

可名于小；

万物归焉而不为主，可名为大。以其终不自为大，故能成其大。

Great Tao is like a boat that drifts;

It can go this way; it can go that.

The ten thousand creatures owe their existence to it and it does not disown them;

Yet having produced them, it does not take possession of them.

Makes no claim to be master over them,

(And asks for nothing from them.)

Therefore it may be called the Lowly.

The ten thousand creatures obey it,

Though they know not that they have a master;

Therefore it is called the Great.

So too the Sage just because he never at any time makes a show of greatness

In fact achieves greatness.

--------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------

三十五章

执大象，天下往。往而不害，安平泰。乐与饵，过客止。道之 出口，淡乎其无味，视之不足

见，听之不足闻，用之不足既。

He who holding the Great From goes about his work in the empire

Can go about his, yet do no harm.

All is peace, quietness and security.

Sound of music, smell of good dishes

Will make the passing stranger pause.

How difference the words that Tao gives forth!

18

So thin, so flavourless!

If one looks for Tao, there is nothing solid to see;

If one listens for it, there is nothing loud enough to hear.

Yet if one uses it, it is inexhaustible.

< /p>

---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------

三十六章

将欲歙之，必故张之；将欲弱之，必故强之；将欲废之，必故兴之；将欲取之，必故与之。

是谓微明。柔弱胜刚强。鱼不可脱于渊，国之利器不可以示人。

What is in the end to be shrunk

Must first be stretched.

Whatever is to be weakened

Must begin by being made strong.

What is to be overthrown

Must begin by being set up.

He who would be a taker

Must begin as a giver.

This is called ―dimming‖ one's light.

It is thus that the soft overcomes the hard

And the weak, the strong.

“

It is best to leave the fish down in his pool;

Best to leave the State's sharpest weapons wherenone can see th

em.‖

--------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---

三十七章

道恒无名，侯王若能守之，万物将自化。化而欲作，吾将镇之以无名之朴。无名之朴，夫亦

将不欲。不欲以静，天地将自正。

Tao never does;

Yet through it all things are done.

If the barons and kings would but possess themselves of it,

The ten thousand creatures would at once be transformed.

And if having been transformed they should desire to act,

We must restrain them by the blankness of the Unnamed.

The blankness of the Unnamed

Brings dispassion;

To be dispassionate is to be still.

And so, of itself, the whole empire will be at rest.

19

- -------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------

三十八章

上德不德，是以有德；下德不失德，是以无德。上德无为而无以为；下德无为而有以为。上

仁为之而无以为；上义为之而有以为。上礼为之而莫之应，则攘臂而扔之。故失道而后德，

失德而后仁，失仁而后义，失义而后礼。夫礼者，忠信之薄，而乱之首。前识者，道之华，

< br>而愚之始。是以大丈夫居其厚，不居其薄；居其实，不居其华。故去彼取此。

The man of highest ―power‖ does not reveal himself as a possessor of ―power‖;

Therefore he kee

ps his ―power‖.

The man of inferior ―power‖ cannot rid it of the appearance of ―power‖;

Therefore he is in truth without ―power‖.

The man of highest ―power‖ neither acts nor is there any who so regards him;

The man of inferior ―power‖ both acts and is so r

egarded.

The man of highest humanity, though he acts, is not regarded;

Whereas a man of even the highest morality both acts and is so regarded;

While even he who is best versed in ritual not merely acts,

But if people fail to respond

Then he will pull up his sleeves and advance upon them.

That is why it is said:

“

After Tao was lost, then came the 'power';

After the 'power' was lost, then came human kindness.‖

After human kindness was lost, then came morality,

After morality was lost, then came ritual.

Now ritual is the mere husk of loyalty and promise-keeping

And is indeed the first step towards brawling.‖

Foreknowledge may be the ―flower of doctrine‖,

But it is the beginning of folly.

Therefore the full-grown man takes his stand upon the solid substance

And not upon the mere husk,

Upon the fruit and not upon the flower.

Truly, ―he reject that and takes this‖.

--------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---

三十九章

昔之得一者：天得一以清；地得一以宁；神得一以灵；谷得一以盈；侯得一以为天下正。其

致之。天无以清，将恐裂；地无以宁，将恐废；神无以灵，将恐歇；谷无以盈，将恐竭；侯

< p>
王无以贵高，将恐蹶。故贵以贱为本，高以下为基。是以侯王自谓「孤」

、

「寡」

、

「不谷」

。

此非以贱为本耶？非乎？故致数誉无誉。是故不欲禄禄如玉。珞珞如石。

As for the things that from of old have understood the Whole

—

20

The sky through such understanding remains limpid,

Earth remains steady,

The spirits keep their holiness,

The abyss is replenished,

The ten thousand creatures bear their kind,

Barons and princes direct their people.

It is the Whole that causes it.

Were it not so limpid, the sky would soon get torn,

Were is not for steadiness, the earth would soon tip over,

Were it not for their holiness, the spirit would soon wither away.

Were it not for this replenishment, the abyss would soon go dry,

Were it not that ten thousand creatures can bear their kind,

They would soon become extinct.

Were the barons and princes no longer directors of their people

And for that reason honoured and exalted, they would soon be overthrown.

Truly ― the humble is the stem upon which the mighty grows,

The low is the foundation upon which the high is laid.‖

That is why barons and princes

refer to themselves as ―The Orphan‖,

“

The Needy‖, ―The Ill

-provided.

Is this not indeed a case of might rooting itself upon humility?

True indeed are the sayings:

“

Enumerate the parts of a carriage,

And you still have not explained what a carriage is,‖

And They did not want themselves to tinkle like jade-bells,

While others resounded like stone chimes‖.

--------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------

四十章

反者道之动；弱者道之用。天下万物生于有，有生于无。

In Tao the only motion is returning;

The only useful quality, weakness.

For though all creatures under heaven are the products of Being,

Being itself is the product of Not- being.

-------- -------------------------------------------------- ----------------------

四十一章

上士闻道，勤而行之；中士闻道，若存若亡；下士闻道，大笑 之。不笑不足以为道。故建言

有之：

「明道若昧，进道若退，夷 道若类，上德若谷，大白若辱，广德若不足，建德若偷；

质真若渝，大方无隅，大器晚成 ，大音希声；大象无形。

」道隐无名，夫唯道，善始且善成。

21