51. Nurture

五十一章

The Way bears all things;
Harmony nurtures them;
Nature shapes them;
Use completes them.
Each follows the Way and honours harmony,
Not by law,
But by being.
The Way bears, nurtures, shapes, completes,
Shelters, comforts, and makes a home for them.
Bearing without possessing,
Nurturing without taming,
Shaping without forcing,
This is harmony.

道はこれを生じ、德はこれを畜ひ、物はこれを形し、勢はこれを成すなり。是を以て、萬物は道を尊び、德を貴ばざるはなきなり。道の尊き、德の貴きは、それこれを爵することなくして、而も常に自から然るなり。故に、道はこれを生じ、德はこれを畜ひ、これを長じ、これを育し、これを成し、これを熟し、これを養ひ、これを覆ふなり。生ずるも有せず。為すも恃まず。長ずるも宰せず。これを玄德と謂ふ。

52. Clarity

五十二章

The origin of the world is its mother;
Understand the mother, and you understand the child;
Embrace the child, and you embrace the mother,
Who will not perish when you die.
Reserve your judgments and words
And you maintain your influence;
Speak your mind and take positions
And nothing can save you.
As observing detail is clarity,
So maintaining flexibility is strength;
Use the light but shed no light,
So that you do yourself no harm,
But embrace clarity.

天下に始ありて、以て天下の母たり。旣にその母を得て、以てその子を知り、復してその母を守らば、身を沒するも殆からざるなり。その兌を塞ぎ、その門を閉づれば、身を終るとも勤れず。その兌を開き、その事を濟さば、身を終るとも救はれざるなり。小を見るを明と曰ひ、柔を守るを强と曰ふ。その光を用ふるも、その明に復歸すれば、身に殃を遺󠄃すことなし。これを襲常と謂ふなり。

53. Difficult Paths

五十三章

With but a small understanding
One may follow the Way like a main road,
Fearing only to leave it;
Following a main road is easy,
Yet people delight in difficult paths.
When palaces are kept up
Fields are left to weeds
And granaries empty;
Wearing fine clothes,
Bearing sharp swords,
Glutting with food and drink,
Hoarding wealth and possessions —
These are the ways of theft,
And far from the Way.

我をして介然として知どることありて、大道󠄃を行はしめんとするも、ただ施なるをこれ畏る。大道󠄃は甚だ夷かなるも、而も民は徑を好むなり。朝󠄃は甚だ除し、田は甚だ蕪れ、倉は甚だ虛し。文󠄃綵を服し、利劍を帶び、飮食󠄃に厭き、財貨󠄃は余り有り。これを盜竽と謂ふ。非道󠄃なるかな。

54. Cultivate Harmony

五十四章

Cultivate harmony within yourself, and harmony becomes real;
Cultivate harmony within your family, and harmony becomes fertile;
Cultivate harmony within your community, and harmony becomes abundant;
Cultivate harmony within your culture, and harmony becomes enduring;
Cultivate harmony within the world, and harmony becomes ubiquitous.
Live with a person to understand that person;
Live with a family to understand that family;
Live with a community to understand that community;
Live with a culture to understand that culture;
Live with the world to understand the world.
How can I live with the world?
By accepting.

善く建󠄄つるものは抜けず、善く抱󠄃くものは脫せず。子孫は以て祭祀して輟まず。これを身に修むれば、その德は乃ち眞󠄃。これを家に修むれば、その德は餘あり。これを鄕に修むれば、その德は乃ち長し。これを國に修むれば、その德は乃ち豐かなり。これを天下に修むれば、その德は乃ち普し。故に、身を以ては身を觀、家を以ては家を觀、鄕を以ては鄕を觀、國を以って國を觀、天下を以ては天下を觀る。吾何を以て天下の然ることを知るや。これを以てなり。

55. Soft Bones

五十五章

Who is filled with harmony is like a newborn.
Wasps and snakes will not bite him;
Hawks and tigers will not claw him.
His bones are soft yet his grasp is sure,
For his flesh is supple;
His mind is innocent yet his body is virile,
For his vigour is plentiful;
His song is long-lasting yet his voice is sweet,
For his grace is perfect.
But knowing harmony creates abstraction,
And following abstraction creates ritual.
Exceeding nature creates calamity,
And controlling nature creates violence.

含德の厚きは、赤子に比す。毒蟲も螫さず、猛獸も據らず、攫鳥も搏たず。骨は弱󠄃く筋は柔らかにして、而も握ることは固し。いまだ牝牡の合ふことを知らざるも、而も䘒の作るは、精の至りなり。終日號べども、而も嗌の嗄れざるは、和の至りなり。和を知るを常と曰ひ、常を知るを明と曰ひ、生を益すを祥と曰ひ、心の氣を使ふを强と曰ふ。物は壯なれば則ち老ゆ。これを不道と謂ふ。不道なれば早く已なり。

56. Impartiality

五十六章

Who understands does not preach;
Who preaches does not understand.
Reserve your judgments and words;
Smooth differences and forgive disagreements;
Dull your wit and simplify your purpose;
Accept the world.
Then,
Friendship and enmity,
Profit and loss,
Honour and disgrace,
Will not affect you;
The world will accept you.

知る者は言はず、言ふ者は知らざるなり。その兌を塞ぎ、その門を閉ぢ、その銳を挫き、その紛を解き、その光を和げ、その塵に同じくす。これを玄同と謂ふ。故に、得て親むべからず。また得て疎んずべからず。得て利すべからず。また得て害すべからず。得て貴くすべからず。また得て賤くすべからず。故に、天下の貴となるなり。

57. Conquer with Inaction

五十七章

Do not control the people with laws,
Nor violence nor espionage,
But conquer them with inaction.
For:
The more morals and taboos there are,
The more cruelty afflicts people;
The more guns and knives there are,
The more factions divide people;
The more arts and skills there are,
The more change obsoletes people;
The more laws and taxes there are,
The more theft corrupts people.
Yet take no action, and the people nurture eachother;
Make no laws, and the people deal fairly with eachother;
Own no interest, and the people cooperate with eachother;
Express no desire, and the people harmonize with eachother.

正を以ては國を治め、奇を以ては兵を用ふ。無事を以ては天下を取るなり。吾は何を以てその然るを知るや。これを以てなり。天下に忌諱を多くすれば、而も民はいよいよ貧し。民に利器を多くすれば、國家はますます昏し。人に技巧を多くすれば、奇物はますます起る。法令ますます彰かにならば、盜賊はあること多し。故に、聖人は云ふ、「我は無爲なるも、而も民は自から化す。我は靜を好むも、而も民は自から正しし。我は無事なるも、而も民は自ら富む。我は無欲なるも、而も民自ら朴なり。」と。

58. No End

五十八章

When government is lazy and informal
The people are kind and honest;
When government is efficient and severe
The people are discontented and deceitful.
Good fortune follows upon disaster;
Disaster lurks within good fortune;
Who can say how things will end?
Perhaps there is no end.
Honesty is ever deceived;
Kindness is ever seduced;
Men have been like this for a long time.
So the sage is firm but not cutting,
Pointed but not piercing,
Straight but not rigid,
Bright but not blinding.

その政悶悶なれば、その民は醇醇たらん。その政察察たれば、その民は缺缺たらん。禍󠄃は福󠄃の倚る所󠄃にして、福󠄃は禍󠄃いの伏する所󠄃なり。孰かその極を知らんや。それ止ることなきなり。正は復すれば奇となり、善は復すれば妖となる。人の迷ふや、その日固に久し。是を以て、聖人は方なれど割かず、廉󠄃なれども劌らず、直なれども肆ならず、光あれども耀かざるなり。

59. Restraint

五十九章

Manage a great nation as you would cook a delicate fish.
To govern men in accord with nature
It is best to be restrained;
Restraint makes agreement easy to attain,
And easy agreement builds harmonious relationships;
With sufficient harmony no resistance will arise;
When no resistance arises, then you possess the heart of the nation,
And when you possess the nation’s heart, your influence will long endure:
Deeply rooted and firmly established.
This is the method of far sight and long life.

人を治め天に事ふるには、嗇にしくはなし。それただ嗇なる、これを早復と謂ふ。早復は、これを重積德と謂ふ。重積德なれば、則ち剋せざることなし。剋せざることなければ、則ちその極を知ることなし。その極を知ることなければ、以て國を有つべし。國を有つの母は、以て長久なるべし。これを深根固蒂󠄁、長生久視󠄃之道と謂ふなり。

60. Demons

六十章

When you use the Way to conquer the world,
Your demons will lose their power to harm.
It is not that they lose their power as such,
But that they will not harm others;
Because they will not harm others,
You will not harm others:
When neither you nor your demons can do harm,
You will be at peace with them.

大國を治むるは、小鮮を烹るがごとし。道を以て天下に莅めば、その鬼も神󠄃ならず。その鬼の神󠄃ならざるのみにはあらず、その神󠄃も人を傷らず。その神󠄃も人を傷らざるのみにはあらず、聖󠄃人もまた人を傷らざるなり。それ兩ながら相傷らず。故に德は交歸するなり。

61. Submission

六十一章

A nation is like a hierarchy, a marketplace, and a maiden.
A maiden wins her husband by submitting to his advances;
Submission is a means of union.
So when a large country submits to a small country
It will adopt the small country;
When a small country submits to a large country
It will be adopted by the large country;
The one submits and adopts;
The other submits and is adopted.
It is in the interest of a large country to unite and gain service,
And in the interest of a small country to unite and gain patronage;
If both would serve their interests,
Both must submit.

大國は下流にして、天下の交なり。天下の牝なり。牝は常に靜を以て牡に勝󠄃つ。靜を以て下ることをなすなり。故に、大國以て小國に下れば、則ち小國を取り、小國は以て大國に下れば、則ち大國を取らる。故に、或は下りて以て取り、或は下りて而も取らる。大國は人を兼󠄄ね畜はんと欲するに過ぎず。小國は入りて人に事へんと欲するに過ぎず。それ兩者は、おのおのその欲する所󠄃を得るなり。故に、大なるものは宜しく下ることをなすべし。

62. Sin

六十二章

The Way is the fate of men,
The treasure of the saint,
And the refuge of the sinner.
Fine words are often borrowed,
And great deeds are often appropriated;
Therefore, when a man falls, do not abandon him,
And when a man gains power, do not honour him;
Only remain impartial and show him the Way.
Why should someone appreciate the Way?
The ancients said, “By it, those who seek may easily find,
And those who regret may easily absolve”
So it is the most precious gift.

道は萬物の奧、善人の寶、不善人の保つ所󠄃なり。美言は以て市るべく、尊行は以て人に加ふべし。人の不善なる、何の棄つることかこれあらん。故に、天子を立て、三公を置くなり。拱璧の以て駟馬に先だつことありと雖も、坐がらにしてこの道を進むには如かず。古のこの道を貴ぶ所󠄃以のものは何ぞや。求むれば以て得、罪あるも以て免󠄄ると曰はずや。故に、天下の貴となるなり。

63. Difficulty

六十三章

Practice no-action;
Attend to do-nothing;
Taste the flavorless,
Magnify the small,
Multiply the few,
Return love for hate.
Deal with the difficult while it is yet easy;
Deal with the great while it is yet small;
The difficult develops naturally from the easy,
And the great from the small;
So the sage, by dealing with the small,
Achieves the great.
Who finds it easy to promise finds it hard to be trusted;
Who takes things lightly finds things difficult;
The sage recognizes difficulty, and so has none.

無爲を爲し、無事を事とし、無味を味ひ、小を大とし、少を多とし、怨に報ゆるに徳を以てす。難󠄄をその易に圖り、大をその細になす。天下の難󠄄事は必ず易より作り、天下の大事は、必ず細より作る。是を以て、聖人は終に大をなさず。故に、能くその大をなすなり。それ輕諾は必ず寡信にして、多易は必ず多難󠄄なり。是を以て、聖人すら猶ほこれを難󠄄しとす。故に、終に難󠄄きことなきなり。

64

六十四章

64a. Care at the Beginning

What lies still is easy to grasp;
What lies far off is easy to anticipate;
What is brittle is easy to shatter;
What is small is easy to disperse.
Yet a tree broader than a man can embrace is born of a tiny shoot;
A dam greater than a river can overflow starts with a clod of earth;
A journey of a thousand miles begins at the spot under one’s feet.
Therefore deal with things before they happen;
Create order before there is confusion.

64b. Care at the End

He who acts, spoils;
He who grasps, loses.
People often fail on the verge of success;
Take care at the end as at the beginning,
So that you may avoid failure.
The sage desires no-desire,
Values no-value,
Learns no-learning,
And returns to the places that people have forgotten;
He would help all people to become natural,
But then he would not be natural.

その安きは持し易く、その未だ兆さざるは謀り易く、その脆きは破り易く、その微なるは散じ易し。これを未だ有らざるになし、これを未だ亂れざるに治む。合抱の木も、毫末より生じ、九層󠄃の臺も、累土より起り、千里の行も、足下より始まるなり。爲す者はこれを敗り、執る者はこれを失ふ。聖人は爲すことなし。故に敗るることなし。執ることなし。故に、失ふこと無し。民の事に從ふや、常にほとんど成らんとするに於て、これを敗る。終を愼しむこと始の如くなれば、則ち敗るることなきなり。是を以て、聖人は欲せざるを欲して、得難きの貨を貴ばず。學ばざるを學びて、衆人の過ぐる所に復にし、以て萬物の自然を輔けて、敢て爲さざるなり。

65. Subtlety

六十五章

The ancients did not seek to rule people with knowledge,
But to help them become natural.
It is difficult for knowledgeable people to become natural;
So to use law to control a nation weakens the nation,
But to use nature to control a nation strengthens the nation.
Understanding these two paths is understanding subtlety;
Subtlety runs deep, ranges wide,
Resolves confusion and preserves peace.

古の善く道を爲むる者は、以て民を明かにするにはあらず。將に以てこれを愚にせんとするなり。民の治め難きは、その智の多きを以てなり。智を以て國を治むるは、國の賊なり。智を以て國を治めざるは、國の福󠄃なり。この兩者を知るは、また楷式なり。常に楷式を知るは、これを玄德と謂ふ。玄德は深し遠し。物とは反せり。乃ち大順に至るなり。

66. Lead by Following

六十六章

The river carves out the valley by flowing beneath it.
Thereby the river is the master of the valley.
In order to master people
One must speak as their servant;
In order to lead people
One must follow them.
So when the sage rises above the people,
They do not feel oppressed;
And when the sage stands before the people,
They do not feel hindered.
So the popularity of the sage does not fail,
He does not contend, and no one contends against him.

江海󠄃のよく百谷の王たる所󠄃以のものは、そのよくこれに下るを以てなり。故に、よく百谷の王となるなり。是を以て、聖人は民に上たらんと欲せば、必ず言を以てこれに下り、民に先だたんと欲せば、必ず身を以てこれに後るるなり。是を以て聖人は、聖人は上に處るも、而も民は重しとせず、前に處るも、而も民は害とせざるなり。是を以て、天下は推すことを樂しみて、而も厭はず。その爭はざるを以ての故に、天下はよくこれと爭うことなきなり。

67. Unimportance

六十七章

All the world says,
“I am important;
I am separate from all the world.
I am important because I am separate,
Were I the same, I could never be important.”
Yet here are three treasures
That I cherish and commend to you:
The first is compassion,
By which one finds courage.
The second is restraint,
By which one finds strength.
And the third is unimportance,
By which one finds influence.
Those who are fearless, but without compassion,
Powerful, but without restraint,
Or influential, yet important,
Cannot endure.

天下はみな我を大なれども不肖󠄃に似たりと謂ふも、それただ大なるが故に、不肖󠄃に似たるなり。もし肖󠄃ならば、久しきかなその細なること。我に三寶あり。寶としてこれを持す。一に曰く〔ママ〕慈。二に曰く、儉。三に曰く、敢て天下の先とならざること。慈なるが故に、よく勇なり。儉なるが故に、よく廣し。敢て天下の先とならざるが故に、よく成器󠄃の長たり。今は慈を捨󠄃ててまさに勇ならんとし、儉を捨󠄃ててまさに廣からんとし、後たることを捨󠄃ててまさに先たらんとす。死なるかな。それ慈は以て戰へば則ち勝ち、以て守れば則ち固し。天はまさにこれを救ひ、慈を以てこれを衞らんとす。

68. Compassion

六十八章

Compassion is the finest weapon and best defence.
If you would establish harmony,
Compassion must surround you like a fortress.
Therefore,
A good soldier does not inspire fear;
A good fighter does not display aggression;
A good conqueror does not engage in battle;
A good leader does not exercise authority.
This is the value of unimportance;
This is how to win the cooperation of others;
This to how to build the same harmony that is in nature.

善く士たる者󠄃は、武からず。善く戰ふ者󠄃は、怒らず。善く敵に勝󠄃つ者󠄃は、爭はず。善く人を用ふる者󠄃は、下となる。是を爭はざるの徳と謂ふ、是を人を用ふるの力と謂ふ、是を天に配すと謂ふ。古の極なり。

69. Ambush

六十九章

There is a saying among soldiers:
It is easier to lose a yard than take an inch.
In this manner one may deploy troops without marshalling them,
Bring weapons to bear without exposing them,
Engage the foe without invading them,
And exhaust their strength without fighting them.
There is no worse disaster than misunderstanding your enemy;
To do so endangers all of my treasures;
So when two well matched forces oppose eachother,
The general who maintains compassion will win.

兵を用ふるに言へることあり。吾は敢て主とならずして、而も客となり、敢て寸を進めずして、而も尺を退くと。是を行くに行なく、攘ぐるに臂なく、扔くに敵なく、執るに兵なしと謂ふ。禍は敵を輕んずるより大なるはなし。敵を輕んずるは、吾が寶を喪ふに幾し。故に、兵を抗げて相加ふるに、哀む者は勝つなり。

70. Individuality

七十章

My words are easy to understand
And my actions are easy to perform
Yet no other can understand or perform them.
My words have meaning; my actions have reason;
Yet these cannot be known and I cannot be known.
We are each unique, and therefore valuable;
Though the sage wears coarse clothes, his heart is jade.

吾が言ふことは、甚だ知りやすく、甚だ行ひやすきに、天下よく知ることなく、よく行ふことなし。言には宗あり。事には君あり。それただ無知なり。是を以て、我を知らざるなり。我を知るもの希なれば、則ち我は貴し。是を以て、聖人は褐󠄃を被るも玉を懷くなり。

71. Limitation

七十一章

Who recognizes his limitations is healthy;
Who ignores his limitations is sick.
The sage recognizes this sickness as a limitation.
And so becomes immune.

知りて知らずとするは上にして、知らずして知るとするは病なり。それただ病を病とす。是を以て、病ならず。聖人の病ならざるは、その病を病とするを以てなり。是を以て、病ならず。

72. Revolution

七十二章

When people have nothing more to lose,
Then revolution will result.
Do not take away their lands,
And do not destroy their livelihoods;
If your burden is not heavy then they will not shirk it.
The sage maintains himself but exacts no tribute,
Values himself but requires no honours;
He ignores abstraction and accepts substance.

民威を畏れざれば、大威は至らん。その居るところを狹しとすることなかれ。その生とするところを厭ふことなかれ。それただ厭はず。是を以て、厭はざるなり。是を以て、聖人は自から知れるも、自からを見はさず。自から愛するも、自からを貴しとせざるなり。故に、彼を去りて此を取る。

73. Fate

七十三章

Who is brave and bold will perish;
Who is brave and subtle will benefit.
The subtle profit where the bold perish
For fate does not honour daring.
And even the sage dares not tempt fate.
Fate does not attack, yet all things are conquered by it;
It does not ask, yet all things answer to it;
It does not call, yet all things meet it;
It does not plan, yet all things are determined by it.
Fate’s net is vast and its mesh is coarse,
Yet none escape it.

敢に勇なれば則ち殺。不敢に勇なれば則ち活。この兩者は、或は利にして、或は害なり。天の惡む所󠄃、孰かその故を知らんや。是を以て、聖人も猶󠄄ほこれを難しとするがごとし。天の道は、爭はずざるも、而も善く勝ち、言はざるも、而も善く應じ、召かざるも、而も自ら來り、繟然たるも、而も善く謀るなり。天網は恢恢なれば、疎なるも而も失はざるなり。

74. Execution

七十四章

If people were not afraid of death,
Then what would be the use of an executioner?
If people were only afraid of death,
And you executed everyone who did not obey,
No one would dare to disobey you.
Then what would be the use of an executioner?
People fear death because death is an instrument of fate.
When people are killed by execution rather than by fate,
This is like carving wood in the place of a carpenter.
Those who carve wood in place of a carpenter
Often injure their hands.

民死を畏れざれば、奈何してか、死を以てこれを懼さんや。若し民をして常に死を畏れしめ、而して奇をなす者を、吾執つて殺すことを得ば、孰か敢てせんや。常に殺を司るものありて殺す。それ殺を司どるものに代つて殺すことを、これを大匠に代つて斲ると謂ふなり。それ大匠に代つて斲るものは、手を傷らざることあること希し。

75. Rebellion

七十五章

When rulers take grain so that they may feast,
Their people become hungry;
When rulers take action to serve their own interests,
Their people become rebellious;
When rulers take lives so that their own lives are maintained,
Their people no longer fear death.
When people act without regard for their own lives
They overcome those who value only their own lives.

民の饑ゆるは、その上の稅を食むことの多きを以て、是を以て饑ゆるなり。民の治め難きは、その上の爲すことあるを以て、是を以て治め難きなり。民の死を輕んずるは、その生を求むることの厚きを以て、是を以て死を輕んずなり。それ惟生を以て爲すこと無きものは、これ生を貴ぶより賢れり。

76. Flexibility

七十六章

A newborn is soft and tender,
A crone, hard and stiff.
Plants and animals, in life, are supple and succulent;
In death, withered and dry.
So softness and tenderness are attributes of life,
And hardness and stiffness, attributes of death.
Just as a sapless tree will split and decay
So an inflexible force will meet defeat;
The hard and mighty lie beneath the ground
While the tender and weak dance on the breeze above.

人の生まるるや柔弱󠄃にして、その死するや堅强なり。萬物草木の生ずるや柔脆にして、その死するや枯槁す。故に、堅强なるものは、死の徒にして、柔弱󠄃なるものは、生の徒なり。是を以て、兵强ければ則ち勝たず。木强ければ則ち共せらる。强大は下に處り、柔弱󠄃は上に處るなり。

77. Need

七十七章

Is the action of nature not unlike drawing a bow?
What is higher is pulled down, and what is lower is raised up;
What is taller is shortened, and what is thinner is broadened;
Nature’s motion decreases those who have more than they need
And increases those who need more than they have.
It is not so with Man.
Man decreases those who need more than they have
And increases those who have more than they need.
To give away what you do not need is to follow the Way.
So the sage gives without expectation,
Accomplishes without claiming credit,
And has no desire for ostentation.

天の道は、それ猶󠄄ほ弓を張るが如きか。高きものはこれを抑へ、下きものはこれを擧げて、餘りあるものはこれを損じ、足らざるものはこれを補ふなり。天の道は、餘りあるを損じて、而も足ざるを補ふも、人の道は、則ち然らず。足らざるを損じて、以て餘りあるに奉ずるなり。孰か能く餘りありて、以て天下に奉ぜんや。ただ有道者なり。是を以て、聖人は爲すも恃まず。功成るも處らず。そは賢を見すこと欲せざるなり。

78. Yielding

七十八章

Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water,
Yet nothing can better overcome the hard and strong,
For they can neither control nor do away with it.
The soft overcomes the hard,
The yielding overcomes the strong;
Every person knows this,
But no one can practice it.
Who attends to the people would control the land and grain;
Who attends to the state would control the whole world;
Truth is easily hidden by rhetoric.

天下の柔弱󠄃は、水に過ぐるはなし。而して堅强を攻むるものにして、これに能く勝ることなきは、その以てこれに易ふることなきを以てなり。弱󠄃の强に勝ち、柔の剛に勝つことは、天下に知らざる（もの）なきも、能く行ふ（もの）なし。故に、聖人は云へり、國の垢を受くる、これを社󠄃稷の主と謂ひ、國の不祥󠄃を受くる、これを天下の王と謂ふと。正言は反するがごとし。

79. Reconciliation

七十九章

When conflict is reconciled, some hard feelings remain;
This is dangerous.
The sage accepts less than is due
And does not blame or punish;
For harmony seeks agreement
Where justice seeks payment.
The ancients said: “nature is impartial;
Therefore it serves those who serve all.”

大怨を和するも、必ず餘怨あり。安んぞ以て善となすべけんや。是を以て、聖人は左契を執つて、而も人を責めず。有德は契を司どり、〔ママ〕無德は徹を司どる。天道には親なし。常に善人に與す。

80. Utopia

八十章

Let your community be small, with only a few people;
Keep tools in abundance, but do not depend upon them;Appreciate your life and be content with your home;
Sail boats and ride horses, but don’t go too far;
Keep weapons and armour, but do not employ them;
Let everyone read and write,
Eat well and make beautiful things.
Live peacefully and delight in your own society;
Dwell within cock-crow of your neighbours,
But maintain your independence from them.

小國にして寡民。什伯の器󠄃あるも、而も用ひざらしめ、民をして死を重んじて、而も遠く徙らず、舟轝有りと雖も、これに乘る所なく、甲兵ありと雖も、これを陳する所なからしめ、民をして復繩を結びて、これを用ひ、その食を甘しとし、その服を美なりとし、その居に安しとし、その俗を樂しみとし、鄰國相望み、雞狗の聲相聞こゆるも、民は老死に至るまで相往來せざらしめん。

81. The Sage

八十一章

Honest people use no rhetoric;
Rhetoric is not honesty.
Enlightened people are not cultured;
Culture is not enlightenment.
Content people are not rich;
Riches are not contentment.
So the sage does not serve himself;
The more he does for others, the more he is satisfied;
The more he gives, the more he receives.
Nature flourishes at the expense of no one;
So the sage benefits all men and contends with none.

信言は美ならず。美言は信ならず。善者󠄃は辯ならず。辯者󠄃は善ならず。知者󠄃は博󠄄からず。博󠄄き者󠄃は知らず。聖人は積まず。旣く以て人のためにして、己はいよいよ有す。旣く以て人に與へて、己はいよいよ多し。天の道は、利して害せず。聖人の道は、爲して爭はざるなり。