{ "name": "laozi", "lang": "eng", "title": "Laozi", "description": "An abridg­ment of the Dao­de­jing", "sample-verse": "2:3", "books": [ { "sections": [ { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "1:1", "original": "道，可道也，非恆道也。", "translation": "The Way that can be put in­to words is not the con­stant Way." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "2:1", "original": "天下皆知美之爲美，斯惡已；", "translation": "As soon as eve­ry­one in the world knows beau­ty as beau­ty, there is al­ready ug­li­ness." }, { "ref": "2:2", "original": "皆知善之爲善，斯不善矣。", "translation": "As soon as eve­ry­one knows good as good, there is bad." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "2:3", "original": "有無之相生也，", "translation": "Be­ing and non­be­ing pro­duce each oth­er;" }, { "ref": "2:4", "original": "難易之相成也，", "translation": "dif­fi­cult and easy com­plete each oth­er;" }, { "ref": "2:5", "original": "長短之相形也，", "translation": "long and short shape each oth­er;" }, { "ref": "2:6", "original": "高下之相盈也，", "translation": "high and low fill each oth­er;" }, { "ref": "2:7", "original": "音聲之相和也，", "translation": "note and voice har­mo­nize with each oth­er;" }, { "ref": "2:8", "original": "先后之相隨，", "translation": "front and back fol­low each oth­er:" }, { "ref": "2:9", "original": "恆也。", "translation": "these are con­stant." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "2:10", "original": "是以聖人居無爲之事，", "translation": "There­fore, the sage dwells in the work of nonforced ac­tion," }, { "ref": "2:11", "original": "行不言之教，", "translation": "and practices word­less teach­ing." }, { "ref": "2:12", "original": "萬物作而弗始也，", "translation": "All things a­rise, but he does­nʼt start them;" }, { "ref": "2:13", "original": "爲而弗恃也，", "translation": "he acts on their be­half, but does­nʼt make them de­pend­ent;" }, { "ref": "2:14", "original": "成功而弗居也。", "translation": "he succeeds, but does­nʼt dwell on it." }, { "ref": "2:15", "original": "夫唯弗居，是以弗去。", "translation": "Itʼs on­ly be­cause he does­nʼt dwell on it, that it does­nʼt leave." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "3:1", "original": "不上賢，使民不爭；", "translation": "By not el­e­vat­ing the wor­thy, you keep the peo­ple from con­ten­tion." }, { "ref": "3:2", "original": "不貴難得之貨，使民不爲盜；", "translation": "By not valuing rare treasures, you keep the peo­ple from steal­ing." }, { "ref": "3:3", "original": "不見可欲，使民不亂。", "translation": "By not displaying what is de­sir­a­ble, you keep the peo­ple from con­fu­sion." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "3:4", "original": "是以聖人之治也，虛其心，實其腹；弱其志，強其骨。", "translation": "There­fore, the sage governs by clear­ing the peopleʼs minds, but fill­ing their bellies; weakening their am­bi­tions, but strength­en­ing their bones." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "3:5", "original": "恆使民無知無欲也。", "translation": "He con­stant­ly keeps the peo­ple with­out cun­ning and with­out desires" }, { "ref": "3:6", "original": "使夫知不敢弗爲而已。", "translation": "so that the in­tel­lec­tu­als wonʼt dare to med­dle." }, { "ref": "3:7", "original": "爲無爲則無不治矣。", "translation": "Act with­out forc­ing, then eve­ry­thing is governed prop­er­ly." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "7:5", "original": "聖人退其身而身先，", "translation": "The sage puts him­self in the back­ground yet finds him­self in the fore­ground;" }, { "ref": "7:6", "original": "外其身而身存。", "translation": "puts him­self out of mind yet finds him­self cared for." }, { "ref": "7:7", "original": "不以其無私與？", "translation": "Is­nʼt it be­cause heʼs self­less that" }, { "ref": "7:8", "original": "故能成其私。", "translation": "heʼs able to achieve his self-interest?" } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "8:1", "original": "上善似水。", "translation": "The highest good is like wa­ter." }, { "ref": "8:2", "original": "水善利萬物", "translation": "Waterʼs good­ness is that it benefits all things," }, { "ref": "8:3", "original": "而又爭居衆人之所惡，", "translation": "yet it strives to dwell in the places that the crowd hates," }, { "ref": "8:4", "original": "故幾於道矣。", "translation": "there­fore it co­mes close to the Way." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "8:6", "original": "居善地，", "translation": "In a dwell­ing, its good­ness is lo­ca­tion;" }, { "ref": "8:7", "original": "心善淵，", "translation": "in a mind, depth;" }, { "ref": "8:8", "original": "予善天，", "translation": "in giv­ing, be­ing like Heav­en;" }, { "ref": "8:9", "original": "言善信，", "translation": "in speak­ing, sin­cer­i­ty;" }, { "ref": "8:10", "original": "政善治，", "translation": "in gov­ern­ment, or­der;" }, { "ref": "8:11", "original": "事善能，", "translation": "in han­dling af­fairs, abil­i­ty;" }, { "ref": "8:12", "original": "動善時。", "translation": "in ac­tion, time­li­ness." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "8:13", "original": "夫唯不爭，故無尤。", "translation": "Be­cause there is no con­ten­tion, there is no blame." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "9:1", "original": "持而盈之，不若其已。", "translation": "If you hold and over­fill a cup, itʼs not as good as stop­ping short." }, { "ref": "9:2", "original": "揣而銳之，不可長保也。", "translation": "If you ham­mer and over­sharp­en a blade, you canʼt main­tain it for long." }, { "ref": "9:3", "original": "金玉盈室，莫之能守也。", "translation": "If gold and jade fill your rooms, no one is able to pro­tect it." }, { "ref": "9:4", "original": "貴富而驕，自遺咎也。", "translation": "If sta­tus and wealth lead to ar­ro­gance, you bring dis­as­ter up­on your­self." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "9:5", "original": "功遂身退，天之道也。", "translation": "When the work is done, with­draw; this is the Way of Heav­en." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "11:1", "original": "卅輻同一轂，", "translation": "Thir­ty spokes come to­geth­er at one hub," }, { "ref": "11:2", "original": "當其無，有車之用也。", "translation": "but itʼs the emp­ti­ness in­side the hub that makes it use­ful to the cart." }, { "ref": "11:3", "original": "埏埴而爲器，", "translation": "We form clay in­to a pot," }, { "ref": "11:4", "original": "當其無，有埴器之用也。", "translation": "but itʼs the emp­ti­ness in­side that makes the clay pot use­ful." }, { "ref": "11:5", "original": "鑿戶牖而爲室，", "translation": "We chis­el out doors and windows to make a room," }, { "ref": "11:6", "original": "當其無，有室之用也。", "translation": "but itʼs the emp­ti­ness in­side that makes the room use­ful." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "11:7", "original": "故有之以爲利，", "translation": "There­fore, what is pres­ent brings ben­e­fit," }, { "ref": "11:8", "original": "無之以爲用。", "translation": "but what is ab­sent makes it use­ful." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "15:1", "original": "古之善爲道者，", "translation": "In an­tiq­ui­ty, those who were good at the Way" }, { "ref": "15:2", "original": "微妙玄通，深不可識。", "translation": "were sub­tle, won­der­ful, mys­te­ri­ous, pen­e­trat­ing, and too deep to know." }, { "ref": "15:3", "original": "夫唯不可識，故強爲之容：", "translation": "Be­cause they canʼt be known, weʼre forced to de­scribe their ap­pear­ance:" }, { "ref": "15:4", "original": "曰與呵，其若冬涉水；", "translation": "Hes­i­tant, as if cross­ing a riv­er in win­ter." }, { "ref": "15:5", "original": "猶呵，其若畏四鄰；", "translation": "A­lert, as if fearing the neighbors on all sides." }, { "ref": "15:6", "original": "儼呵，其若客；", "translation": "Sol­emn, like a visiting guest." }, { "ref": "15:7", "original": "渙呵，其若凌釋；", "translation": "Yield­ing, like ice about to melt." }, { "ref": "15:8", "original": "敦呵，其若樸；", "translation": "Gen­u­ine, like un­carved wood." }, { "ref": "15:9", "original": "湷呵，其若濁；", "translation": "O­paque, like mud­dy wa­ter." }, { "ref": "15:10", "original": "曠呵，其若谷；", "translation": "Vast, like a val­ley." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "15:11", "original": "濁而靜之徐清。", "translation": "If mud­dy wa­ter is still, it grad­u­al­ly be­comes clear." }, { "ref": "15:12", "original": "安以動之徐生。", "translation": "If some­thing at rest is moved, it grad­u­al­ly co­mes to life." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "17:1", "original": "太上，下知有之；", "translation": "With the very best rulers, those be­low on­ly know that the rulers ex­ist," }, { "ref": "17:2", "original": "其次，親譽之；", "translation": "the next best are the rulers they love and praise," }, { "ref": "17:3", "original": "其次，畏之；", "translation": "next are the rulers they fear," }, { "ref": "17:4", "original": "其下，侮之。", "translation": "and the worst are the rulers they de­spise." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "17:7", "original": "成功遂事，而百姓皆謂：「我自然」。", "translation": "When the task is ac­com­plished and the work is done, all the com­mon peo­ple say, “We did it our­selves.”" } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "18:1", "original": "故大道廢案，有仁義；", "translation": "Itʼs when the great Way is aban­doned that be­nev­o­lence and right­eous­ness ap­pear." }, { "ref": "18:2", "original": "知慧出案，有大偽；", "translation": "Itʼs when learn­ing and clev­er­ness e­merge that the great hy­poc­ri­sy ap­pears." }, { "ref": "18:3", "original": "六親不和案，有孝慈；", "translation": "Itʼs when fam­i­ly re­la­tion­ships are not har­mo­ni­ous that fil­ial pi­e­ty and pa­ren­tal com­pas­sion ap­pear." }, { "ref": "18:4", "original": "邦家昏亂案，有貞臣。", "translation": "Itʼs when the coun­try is con­fused and cha­ot­ic that up­right officials ap­pear." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "19:5", "original": "見素抱樸，少私而寡欲。", "translation": "Dem­on­strate plain­ness, em­brace sim­plic­i­ty, have lit­tle self­ish­ness and few desires." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "22:1", "original": "曲則全，", "translation": "Bent over then pre­served whole;" }, { "ref": "22:2", "original": "枉則正，", "translation": "crook­ed then straight;" }, { "ref": "22:3", "original": "洼則盈，", "translation": "hol­low then filled;" }, { "ref": "22:4", "original": "敝則新，", "translation": "worn out then renewed;" }, { "ref": "22:5", "original": "少則得，", "translation": "hav­ing lit­tle then sat­is­fied;" }, { "ref": "22:6", "original": "多則惑。", "translation": "hav­ing much then con­fused." }, { "ref": "22:7", "original": "是以聖人執一以爲天下牧。", "translation": "There­fore, the sage holds to the one and be­comes shep­herd to the world." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "22:8", "original": "不自視，故章；", "translation": "He does­nʼt pro­mote him­self, so heʼs ac­knowl­edged." }, { "ref": "22:9", "original": "不自見，故明；", "translation": "He does­nʼt dis­play him­self, so he shines bright­ly." }, { "ref": "22:10", "original": "不自伐，故有功；", "translation": "He does­nʼt brag about him­self, so he has mer­it." }, { "ref": "22:11", "original": "弗矜，故能長。", "translation": "Heʼs not boast­ful, so he can en­dure." }, { "ref": "22:12", "original": "夫唯不爭，故莫能與之爭。", "translation": "Itʼs on­ly be­cause he does­nʼt con­tend that no one can con­tend with him." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "23:1", "original": "希言自然。", "translation": "Itʼs nat­u­ral to speak rare­ly." }, { "ref": "23:2", "original": "飄風不終朝，", "translation": "A vi­o­lent wind does­nʼt last all morn­ing." }, { "ref": "23:3", "original": "暴雨不終日。", "translation": "A tor­ren­tial rain does­nʼt last all day." }, { "ref": "23:5", "original": "天地而弗能久，又況於人乎？", "translation": "If heav­en and earth canʼt sus­tain it for long, how much less can man?" } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "24:1", "original": "吹者不立；", "translation": "He who blows hard canʼt stand." }, { "ref": "24:2", "original": "自視者不章；", "translation": "He who promotes him­self is­nʼt ac­knowl­edged." }, { "ref": "24:3", "original": "自見者不明；", "translation": "He who displays him­self does­nʼt shine bright­ly." }, { "ref": "24:5", "original": "自伐者無功；", "translation": "He who brags about him­self has no mer­it." }, { "ref": "24:6", "original": "自矜者不長。", "translation": "He who boasts about him­self wonʼt en­dure." }, { "ref": "24:8", "original": "物或惡之，故者欲者弗居。", "translation": "These are so de­spised that e­ven those who want things donʼt abide them." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "27:1", "original": "善行者，無轍迹；", "translation": "A skill­ful trav­el­er leaves no ruts or tracks." }, { "ref": "27:2", "original": "善言者，無瑕謫；", "translation": "A skill­ful speak­er makes no slips or gaffes." }, { "ref": "27:3", "original": "善數者，不用籌策。", "translation": "A skill­ful count­er needs no tallies or papers." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "27:6", "original": "聖人恆善救人；而無棄人；", "translation": "The sage is al­ways skill­ful at sav­ing peo­ple, and nev­er aban­dons any­one;" }, { "ref": "27:7", "original": "物無棄財。", "translation": "with things, he nev­er aban­dons val­u­a­ble prop­er­ty." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "27:9", "original": "善人，善人之師；", "translation": "Skill­ful peo­ple are the teachers of skill­ful peo­ple;" }, { "ref": "27:10", "original": "不善人，善人之資也。", "translation": "un­skilled peo­ple are the raw ma­te­ri­als of skill­ful peo­ple." }, { "ref": "27:11", "original": "不貴其師，不愛其資，雖知乎大迷。", "translation": "He who does­nʼt val­ue his teach­er and cher­ish his raw ma­te­ri­als is great­ly con­fused, no mat­ter how clev­er he is." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "29:1", "original": "將欲取天下而爲之，", "translation": "Those who want to take the world and rule it," }, { "ref": "29:2", "original": "吾見其弗得已。", "translation": "I see that they wonʼt suc­ceed." }, { "ref": "29:3", "original": "夫天下神器也，", "translation": "The world is a sa­cred ves­sel," }, { "ref": "29:4", "original": "非可爲者也。", "translation": "and it canʼt be ruled." }, { "ref": "29:5", "original": "爲者敗之，", "translation": "Those who rule it ru­in it." }, { "ref": "29:6", "original": "執者失之。", "translation": "Those who hold it lose it." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "29:7", "original": "物，或行或隨，", "translation": "Itʼs the na­ture of things that some lead and some fol­low," }, { "ref": "29:8", "original": "或熱或吹，", "translation": "some blow hot and some blow cold," }, { "ref": "29:9", "original": "或强或羸；", "translation": "some are strong and some are weak," }, { "ref": "29:10", "original": "或培或墮。", "translation": "some cul­ti­vate and some de­te­ri­o­rate." }, { "ref": "29:11", "original": "是以聖人去甚，去泰，去奢。", "translation": "There­fore the sage avoids extremes, ar­ro­gance, and ex­trav­a­gance." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "30:1", "original": "以道佐人主，不以兵強於天下，", "translation": "Those with the Way who as­sist the rul­er donʼt use the force of arms to con­quer the world;" }, { "ref": "30:2", "original": "其事好還。", "translation": "such methods would on­ly back­fire." }, { "ref": "30:3", "original": "師之所居，楚棘生之。", "translation": "Wher­ev­er armies camp, brambles and thorns will grow." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "30:5", "original": "善者果而已矣，", "translation": "A skill­ful lead­er achieves results then stops," }, { "ref": "30:6", "original": "用以取強焉。", "translation": "and does­nʼt use the oc­ca­sion to sieze pow­er." }, { "ref": "30:7", "original": "果而用驕，", "translation": "He achieves results with­out ar­ro­gance." }, { "ref": "30:8", "original": "果而勿矜，", "translation": "He achieves results with­out prais­ing his deeds." }, { "ref": "30:9", "original": "果而勿伐，", "translation": "He achieves results with­out boasting." }, { "ref": "30:10", "original": "果而勿得已。", "translation": "He achieves results on­ly as a last re­sort." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "31:1", "original": "夫兵者，不祥之器也。", "translation": "The mil­i­tary is an om­i­nous in­stru­ment." }, { "ref": "31:2", "original": "物或惡之，故有欲者弗居。", "translation": "Itʼs so de­spised that e­ven those who want things donʼt abide it." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "31:5", "original": "兵者，不祥之器也，", "translation": "The mil­i­tary is an om­i­nous in­stru­ment," }, { "ref": "31:6", "original": "不得已而用之，", "translation": "so on­ly use it as a last re­sort;" }, { "ref": "31:7", "original": "恬淡爲上。", "translation": "with calm de­tach­ment is best." }, { "ref": "31:8", "original": "勿美也，", "translation": "Donʼt glo­ri­fy it;" }, { "ref": "31:9", "original": "若美之，是樂殺人也。", "translation": "to glo­ri­fy it would be to de­light in kill­ing peo­ple." }, { "ref": "31:10", "original": "夫樂殺人，不可以得志於天下矣。", "translation": "He who delights in kill­ing peo­ple canʼt achieve his am­bi­tions in the world." }, { "ref": "31:16", "original": "殺人衆，", "translation": "When many peo­ple have been killed," }, { "ref": "31:17", "original": "以悲哀泣之，", "translation": "weep for them with sor­row." }, { "ref": "31:18", "original": "戰勝以喪禮處之。", "translation": "When the war has been won, treat it like a fu­ner­al cer­e­mo­ny." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "33:1", "original": "知人者知也，", "translation": "He who knows others is in­tel­li­gent;" }, { "ref": "33:2", "original": "自知者明也；", "translation": "he who knows him­self is en­light­ened." }, { "ref": "33:3", "original": "勝人者有力也，", "translation": "He who overcomes others is force­ful;" }, { "ref": "33:4", "original": "自勝者强也。", "translation": "he who overcomes him­self is pow­er­ful." }, { "ref": "33:5", "original": "知足者富也。", "translation": "He who knows con­tent­ment is rich." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "34:1", "original": "道汎呵，", "translation": "The Way floats and drifts;" }, { "ref": "34:2", "original": "其可左右也。", "translation": "it can go left or right." }, { "ref": "34:4", "original": "成功遂事而弗名有也，", "translation": "When the task is ac­com­plished and the work is done, it claims no cred­it." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "34:5", "original": "萬物歸焉", "translation": "All things turn to it" }, { "ref": "34:6", "original": "而弗爲主，", "translation": "and yet it does­nʼt act as their mas­ter," }, { "ref": "34:8", "original": "可名於小。", "translation": "so it can be called a small thing." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "34:9", "original": "萬物歸焉", "translation": "All things turn to it" }, { "ref": "34:10", "original": "而弗爲主，", "translation": "and yet it does­nʼt act as their mas­ter," }, { "ref": "34:11", "original": "可名於大。", "translation": "so it can be called a great thing." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "34:12", "original": "是以聖人之能成大也，", "translation": "Thatʼs why the sage is able to ac­com­plish great things:" }, { "ref": "34:13", "original": "以其不爲大也，故能成大。", "translation": "he does­nʼt try to do great things, there­fore he ac­com­plishes great things." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "35:3", "original": "天下往而不害，安平泰。", "translation": "Com­ing to you, the world suffers no harm, but finds safe­ty and peace." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "35:4", "original": "樂與餌，過客止。", "translation": "Pass­ing travelers will stop for mu­sic and food." }, { "ref": "35:5", "original": "故道之出言也，", "translation": "But if the Way were de­scribed," }, { "ref": "35:6", "original": "日淡呵其無味也，", "translation": "it would seem in­sip­id and with­out fla­vor." }, { "ref": "35:7", "original": "視之不足見也，", "translation": "When you look at it, itʼs not suf­fi­cient to be seen;" }, { "ref": "35:8", "original": "聽之不足聞也，", "translation": "when you lis­ten to it, itʼs not suf­fi­cient to be heard;" }, { "ref": "35:9", "original": "用之不可既也。", "translation": "yet when you use it, it canʼt be exhausted." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "36:1", "original": "將欲歙之，", "translation": "If you want to shrink some­thing," }, { "ref": "36:2", "original": "必固張之；", "translation": "it must first be ex­pand­ed;" }, { "ref": "36:3", "original": "將欲弱之，", "translation": "if you want to weak­en some­thing," }, { "ref": "36:4", "original": "必固強之；", "translation": "it must first be strength­ened;" }, { "ref": "36:5", "original": "將欲去之，", "translation": "if you want to leave some­thing," }, { "ref": "36:6", "original": "必固興之；", "translation": "it must first be joined;" }, { "ref": "36:7", "original": "將欲奪之，", "translation": "if you want to take some­thing a­way," }, { "ref": "36:8", "original": "必固予之。", "translation": "it must first be giv­en." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "38:1", "original": "上德不德，", "translation": "A man of su­pe­ri­or vir­tue does­nʼt cling to vir­tue," }, { "ref": "38:2", "original": "是以有德，", "translation": "there­fore he has true vir­tue." }, { "ref": "38:5", "original": "上德無爲", "translation": "A man of su­pe­ri­or vir­tue acts with­out force," }, { "ref": "38:6", "original": "而無以爲也；", "translation": "and with­out an a­gen­da." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "38:16", "original": "失道而后德，", "translation": "Af­ter los­ing the Way there is vir­tue;" }, { "ref": "38:17", "original": "失德而后仁，", "translation": "af­ter los­ing vir­tue there is be­nev­o­lence;" }, { "ref": "38:18", "original": "失仁而后義，", "translation": "af­ter los­ing be­nev­o­lence there is right­eous­ness;" }, { "ref": "38:19", "original": "失義而后禮。", "translation": "af­ter los­ing right­eous­ness there is pro­pri­e­ty." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "38:20", "original": "夫禮者，忠信之薄也，", "translation": "As for pro­pri­e­ty, itʼs a thin ve­neer of loy­al­ty and sin­cer­i­ty," }, { "ref": "38:21", "original": "而亂之首也。", "translation": "and the be­gin­ning of dis­or­der." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "38:24", "original": "是以大丈夫居其厚，", "translation": "There­fore, a tru­ly great man dwells in the thick sub­stance," }, { "ref": "38:25", "original": "而不居其薄；", "translation": "not in the thin ve­neer;" }, { "ref": "38:26", "original": "居其實，而不居其華。", "translation": "in the fruit, not in the flow­er." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "43:1", "original": "天下之至柔，", "translation": "The softest, most pli­a­ble thing in the world" }, { "ref": "43:2", "original": "馳騁天下之至堅。", "translation": "runs rough­shod over the hardest, most sol­id thing in the world." }, { "ref": "43:3", "original": "無有入於無間。", "translation": "That which has no sub­stance enters in­to that which has no openings." }, { "ref": "43:4", "original": "吾是以知無爲之有益也。", "translation": "Thatʼs how I know the benefits of nonforced ac­tion." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "43:5", "original": "不言之教，", "translation": "Teachings that use no words," }, { "ref": "43:6", "original": "無爲之益，", "translation": "and the benefits of nonforced ac­tion:" }, { "ref": "43:7", "original": "天下希能及之矣。", "translation": "few in the world can un­der­stand them." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "44:4", "original": "甚愛必大費，", "translation": "Ex­ces­sive at­tach­ment co­mes at great cost," }, { "ref": "44:5", "original": "多藏必厚亡。", "translation": "and great ac­cu­mu­la­tion leads to heavy loss." }, { "ref": "44:6", "original": "故知足不辱，", "translation": "There­fore, know­ing con­tent­ment avoids dis­grace," }, { "ref": "44:7", "original": "知止不殆，", "translation": "and know­ing when to stop avoids dan­ger;" }, { "ref": "44:8", "original": "可以長久。", "translation": "thus you can en­dure for a long time." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "46:1", "original": "天下有道，", "translation": "When the world has the Way," }, { "ref": "46:2", "original": "卻走馬以糞。", "translation": "fi­ne hors­es are rel­e­gat­ed to fer­ti­liz­ing the fields." }, { "ref": "46:3", "original": "天下無道，", "translation": "When the world lacks the Way," }, { "ref": "46:4", "original": "戎馬生于郊。", "translation": "warhorses are bred just out­side the city walls." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "46:5", "original": "罪莫大於可欲，", "translation": "There is no greater crime than de­sire;" }, { "ref": "46:6", "original": "禍莫大於不知足；", "translation": "no greater dis­as­ter than be­ing dis­con­tent;" }, { "ref": "46:7", "original": "咎莫大於欲得。", "translation": "no greater fault than want­ing more." }, { "ref": "46:8", "original": "故知足之足，恆足矣。", "translation": "There­fore, the sat­is­fac­tion that co­mes from be­ing con­tent is last­ing sat­is­fac­tion." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "47:1", "original": "不出於戶，以知天下；", "translation": "You donʼt have to go out the door to know the world." }, { "ref": "47:2", "original": "不窺於牖，以知天道。", "translation": "You donʼt have to peek out the win­dow to know the Way of Heav­en." }, { "ref": "47:3", "original": "其出也彌遠者，其知彌尟。", "translation": "The far­ther you go, the less you know." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "47:4", "original": "是以聖人不行而知，", "translation": "There­fore the sage does­nʼt trav­el but knows;" }, { "ref": "47:5", "original": "不見而名，", "translation": "does­nʼt look, but discerns;" }, { "ref": "47:6", "original": "不爲而成。", "translation": "and does­nʼt do, but succeeds." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "48:1", "original": "爲學者日益，", "translation": "He who pursues learn­ing gains some­thing each day." }, { "ref": "48:2", "original": "聞道者日損。", "translation": "He who hears the Way loses some­thing each day." }, { "ref": "48:3", "original": "損之又損，以至於無爲。", "translation": "He loses, and loses again, un­til he acts with­out force." }, { "ref": "48:4", "original": "無爲而無不爲也。", "translation": "He acts with­out force and yet noth­ing is left un­done." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "48:5", "original": "將欲取天下也恆無事。", "translation": "If you want to rule the world, con­stant­ly a­void in­ter­fer­ing with it." }, { "ref": "48:6", "original": "及其有事也，又不足以取天下也。", "translation": "If you in­ter­fere, youʼre un­fit to rule the world." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "49:1", "original": "聖人恆無心，", "translation": "The sage con­stant­ly has no mind of his own." }, { "ref": "49:2", "original": "以百姓之心爲心。", "translation": "He takes the mind of the peo­ple as his mind." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "49:3", "original": "善者善之，", "translation": "Heʼs good to good peo­ple" }, { "ref": "49:4", "original": "不善者亦善之，", "translation": "and al­so good to bad peo­ple," }, { "ref": "49:5", "original": "德善也。", "translation": "thus he gains in good­ness." }, { "ref": "49:6", "original": "信者信之，", "translation": "He trusts trust­wor­thy peo­ple" }, { "ref": "49:7", "original": "不信者亦信之，", "translation": "and al­so trusts un­trust­wor­thy peo­ple," }, { "ref": "49:8", "original": "德信也。", "translation": "thus he gains in trust." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "53:1", "original": "使我介有知也，", "translation": "If I had the least bit of knowl­edge," }, { "ref": "53:2", "original": "行於大道，", "translation": "I would walk on the great Way" }, { "ref": "53:3", "original": "唯施是畏。", "translation": "and my on­ly fear would be straying from it." }, { "ref": "53:4", "original": "大道甚夷，", "translation": "The great Way is very much lev­el," }, { "ref": "53:5", "original": "民甚好徑。", "translation": "but peo­ple very much pre­fer moun­tain trails." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "53:6", "original": "朝甚除，", "translation": "The court is full of splen­dor," }, { "ref": "53:7", "original": "田甚蕪，", "translation": "but the fields are full of weeds," }, { "ref": "53:8", "original": "倉甚虛，", "translation": "and the granaries are full of noth­ing;" }, { "ref": "53:9", "original": "服文綵，", "translation": "their clothes are em­broi­dered and col­or­ful," }, { "ref": "53:10", "original": "帶利劍，", "translation": "their belts have sharp swords," }, { "ref": "53:11", "original": "厭食", "translation": "theyʼre stuffed with food," }, { "ref": "53:12", "original": "而資，財有餘，", "translation": "and have mon­ey and pos­ses­sions in ex­cess:" }, { "ref": "53:13", "original": "是謂盜夸，", "translation": "this is called rob­bery," }, { "ref": "53:14", "original": "盜夸，非道也哉！", "translation": "and rob­bery is cer­tain­ly not the Way." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "56:1", "original": "知之者弗言，", "translation": "Those who know it, donʼt talk about it;" }, { "ref": "56:2", "original": "言之者弗知。", "translation": "those who talk about it, donʼt know it." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "57:1", "original": "以正治邦，", "translation": "Gov­ern the state with jus­tice," }, { "ref": "57:2", "original": "以奇用兵，", "translation": "de­ploy the mil­i­tary with sur­prise," }, { "ref": "57:3", "original": "以無事取天下。", "translation": "and take the world with­out in­ter­fer­ence." }, { "ref": "57:4", "original": "吾何以知其然也哉？以此：", "translation": "How do I know this? From the fol­low­ing:" } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "57:5", "original": "夫天下多忌諱，", "translation": "The world has many pro­hi­bi­tions and taboos," }, { "ref": "57:6", "original": "而民彌貧；", "translation": "and yet the peo­ple are full of pov­er­ty." }, { "ref": "57:7", "original": "民多利器，", "translation": "The peo­ple have many ben­e­fi­cial tools," }, { "ref": "57:8", "original": "而邦家滋昏；", "translation": "and yet the state and fam­i­ly are in­creas­ing­ly faint." }, { "ref": "57:9", "original": "人多知慧，", "translation": "Peo­ple have many clev­er tricks," }, { "ref": "57:10", "original": "而奇物滋起；", "translation": "and yet strange things in­creas­ing­ly hap­pen." }, { "ref": "57:11", "original": "法物滋章，", "translation": "The laws are in­creas­ing­ly pub­li­cized," }, { "ref": "57:12", "original": "而盜賊多有。", "translation": "and yet there are many thieves and robbers." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "57:13", "original": "是以聖人之言曰：", "translation": "There­fore, in the words of the sage:" }, { "ref": "57:14", "original": "「我無爲，而民自化；", "translation": "“I act with­out force, and the peo­ple trans­form them­selves." }, { "ref": "57:15", "original": "我好靜，而民自正；", "translation": "I en­joy qui­et, and the peo­ple cor­rect them­selves." }, { "ref": "57:16", "original": "我無事，而民自富；", "translation": "I donʼt intefere, and the peo­ple pros­per them­selves." }, { "ref": "57:17", "original": "我無欲，而民自樸。」", "translation": "I have no desires, and the peo­ple sim­pli­fy them­selves.”" } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "58:5", "original": "禍福之所倚，", "translation": "Good for­tune perch­es on mis­for­tune;" }, { "ref": "58:6", "original": "福禍之所伏。", "translation": "mis­for­tune lurks be­neath good for­tune." }, { "ref": "58:7", "original": "孰知其極？", "translation": "Who knows where it will end?" } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "58:8", "original": "其無正也。", "translation": "Noth­ing is ob­vi­ous." }, { "ref": "58:9", "original": "正復爲奇，", "translation": "Ob­vi­ous again be­comes sur­pris­ing;" }, { "ref": "58:10", "original": "善復爲妖。", "translation": "good again be­comes mon­strous." }, { "ref": "58:11", "original": "民之迷，其日固久矣！", "translation": "The peo­ple have been con­fused for a long time." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "59:1", "original": "治人，事天，", "translation": "In governing the peo­ple and serv­ing Heav­en," }, { "ref": "59:2", "original": "莫若嗇。", "translation": "there is noth­ing like fru­gal­i­ty." }, { "ref": "59:3", "original": "夫唯嗇，是以早服。", "translation": "On­ly with fru­gal­i­ty can you sub­mit ear­ly." }, { "ref": "59:4", "original": "早服，是謂重積德。", "translation": "Sub­mit­ting ear­ly is called re­peat­ed­ly ac­cu­mu­lat­ing vir­tue." }, { "ref": "59:5", "original": "重積德則無不克。", "translation": "If you re­peat­ed­ly ac­cu­mu­late vir­tue, then there is noth­ing you canʼt over­come." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "62:2", "original": "道者，善人之葆也，", "translation": "The Way is the treas­ure of a good man," }, { "ref": "62:3", "original": "不善人之所保也。", "translation": "and the shel­ter of a bad man." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "62:6", "original": "人之不善也，何棄之有？", "translation": "E­ven if a man is bad, how can you aban­don him?" } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "62:7", "original": "立天子，", "translation": "At the emperorʼs cor­o­na­tion," }, { "ref": "62:9", "original": "雖有拱之璧以先四馬，", "translation": "of­fer­ing jade discs brought in by a team of hors­es" }, { "ref": "62:10", "original": "不若坐而進此道。", "translation": "is not as good as sit­ting still and of­fer­ing this Way." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "62:11", "original": "古之所以貴此道者何也？", "translation": "Why was this Way so val­u­a­ble to the an­cients?" }, { "ref": "62:12", "original": "不謂求以得，", "translation": "Is­nʼt it said, “Those who seek, with this will ob­tain," }, { "ref": "62:13", "original": "有罪以免與？", "translation": "and those who have guilt, with this will es­cape”?" }, { "ref": "62:14", "original": "故爲天下貴。", "translation": "There­fore itʼs the most val­u­a­ble thing in the world." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "63:1", "original": "爲無爲，", "translation": "Act with­out forc­ing," }, { "ref": "63:2", "original": "事無事，", "translation": "serve with­out in­ter­fer­ing," }, { "ref": "63:3", "original": "味無味。", "translation": "sa­vor the fla­vor­less," }, { "ref": "63:4", "original": "大小多少，", "translation": "con­sid­er the small as great and the few as many," }, { "ref": "63:5", "original": "報怨以德。", "translation": "re­spond to re­sent­ment with vir­tue." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "63:6", "original": "圖難乎其易也；", "translation": "Plan for some­thing dif­fi­cult while itʼs still easy." }, { "ref": "63:7", "original": "爲大乎其細也。", "translation": "Deal with some­thing great while itʼs still small." }, { "ref": "63:8", "original": "天下之難作於易；", "translation": "The dif­fi­cult things of the world start off easy." }, { "ref": "63:9", "original": "天下之大作於細。", "translation": "The great things of the world start off small." }, { "ref": "63:10", "original": "是以聖人終不爲大，", "translation": "There­fore, the sage nev­er does great things," }, { "ref": "63:11", "original": "故能成其大。", "translation": "and thus he is able to ac­com­plish great things." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "63:12", "original": "夫輕諾必寡信，", "translation": "He who makes promises light­ly is sure to have lit­tle trust," }, { "ref": "63:13", "original": "多易必多難。", "translation": "and he who treats many things as easy is sure to have many difficul­ties." }, { "ref": "63:14", "original": "是以聖人猷難之，", "translation": "There­fore, the sage treats things as dif­fi­cult," }, { "ref": "63:15", "original": "故終於無難。", "translation": "and thus, in the end, noth­ing is dif­fi­cult." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "64:1", "original": "其安也易持也；", "translation": "Itʼs easy to hold whatʼs at rest." }, { "ref": "64:2", "original": "其未兆也易謀也；", "translation": "Itʼs easy to plan for what has­nʼt be­gun." }, { "ref": "64:3", "original": "其脆也易泮也；", "translation": "Itʼs easy to break what is brit­tle." }, { "ref": "64:4", "original": "其微也易散也。", "translation": "Itʼs easy to scat­ter what is ti­ny." }, { "ref": "64:5", "original": "爲之乎其未有，", "translation": "Deal with it be­fore it happens;" }, { "ref": "64:6", "original": "治之乎其未亂也。", "translation": "man­age it be­fore itʼs cha­ot­ic." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "64:7", "original": "合抱之木，作於毫末；", "translation": "A tree thatʼs thick e­nough to em­brace rises from a ti­ny shoot." }, { "ref": "64:8", "original": "九層之台，作於纍土；", "translation": "A ter­race thatʼs nine stories tall rises from a heap of earth." }, { "ref": "64:9", "original": "百仞之高，始于足下。", "translation": "A wall thatʼs three hun­dred yards high begins at the ground be­neath your feet." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "64:10", "original": "爲之者敗之；", "translation": "Those who rule it ru­in it." }, { "ref": "64:11", "original": "執者失之。", "translation": "Those who hold it lose it." }, { "ref": "64:12", "original": "是以，聖人無爲也，故無敗也；", "translation": "There­fore, the sage rules noth­ing and thus ruins noth­ing." }, { "ref": "64:13", "original": "無執也，故無失也。", "translation": "He holds on to noth­ing and thus loses noth­ing." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "64:14", "original": "民之從事也，恆於其成而敗之。", "translation": "Peo­ple u­su­al­ly fail in their endeavors on the verge of suc­cess." }, { "ref": "64:15", "original": "故曰慎終若始，", "translation": "There­fore we say, “If youʼre as care­ful at the end as you are at the be­gin­ning," }, { "ref": "64:16", "original": "則無敗事矣。", "translation": "youʼll have no fail­ure.”" } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "64:17", "original": "聖人欲不欲，", "translation": "The sage desires not to de­sire," }, { "ref": "64:18", "original": "而不貴難得之貨，", "translation": "and does­nʼt val­ue goods that are hard to ob­tain;" }, { "ref": "64:19", "original": "學不學，", "translation": "he learns not to study," }, { "ref": "64:20", "original": "而復衆人之所過。", "translation": "and returns to what the mul­ti­tude has passed over." }, { "ref": "64:21", "original": "能輔萬物之自然", "translation": "He could help all things to be nat­u­ral," }, { "ref": "64:22", "original": "而弗敢爲。", "translation": "but dares not do it." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "66:1", "original": "江海之所以能爲百谷王者，", "translation": "The rivers and lakes are able to be the kings of the valleys" }, { "ref": "66:2", "original": "以其善下之也。", "translation": "be­cause of their skill at be­ing low." }, { "ref": "66:4", "original": "是以聖人之欲上民也，必以其言下之；", "translation": "There­fore, want­ing to be above the peo­ple, the sage must speak to them hum­bly from be­low;" }, { "ref": "66:5", "original": "其欲先民也，必以其身後之。", "translation": "want­ing to be be­fore the peo­ple, he must put him­self be­hind them." }, { "ref": "66:6", "original": "故居上而民弗重也。", "translation": "There­fore, he dwells above them yet the peo­ple donʼt feel that heʼs a bur­den." }, { "ref": "66:7", "original": "居前而民弗害也。", "translation": "He dwells be­fore them yet the peo­ple donʼt feel that heʼs an ob­struc­tion." }, { "ref": "66:8", "original": "天下皆樂推而弗厭也。", "translation": "Eve­ry­one in the world delights in pro­mot­ing him and nev­er tires of him." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "66:9", "original": "非以其無爭與，", "translation": "Itʼs be­cause he does­nʼt con­tend" }, { "ref": "66:10", "original": "故天下莫能與之爭。", "translation": "that no one in the world can con­tend with him." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "67:4", "original": "我恆有三葆，持而葆之：", "translation": "I con­stant­ly have three treasures which I hold and treas­ure:" }, { "ref": "67:5", "original": "一曰慈，", "translation": "the first is com­pas­sion," }, { "ref": "67:6", "original": "二曰儉，", "translation": "the second is fru­gal­i­ty," }, { "ref": "67:7", "original": "三曰不敢爲天下先。", "translation": "the third is not dar­ing to be pre­em­i­nent in the world." }, { "ref": "67:8", "original": "夫慈，故能勇；", "translation": "Itʼs be­cause of com­pas­sion that I can be cou­ra­geous;" }, { "ref": "67:9", "original": "儉，故能廣；", "translation": "itʼs be­cause of fru­gal­i­ty that I can be gen­er­ous;" }, { "ref": "67:10", "original": "不敢爲天下先，故能爲成器長。", "translation": "itʼs be­cause of not dar­ing to be pre­em­i­nent in the world that I can be head of all things." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "67:11", "original": "今舍其慈且勇，", "translation": "Now, aban­don­ing com­pas­sion to be cou­ra­geous," }, { "ref": "67:12", "original": "舍其儉且廣，", "translation": "aban­don­ing fru­gal­i­ty to be gen­er­ous," }, { "ref": "67:13", "original": "舍其後且先，", "translation": "aban­don­ing the rear to be in front:" }, { "ref": "67:14", "original": "則死矣。", "translation": "this is courting death." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "68:1", "original": "善爲士者，不武。", "translation": "A skill­ful war­ri­or does­nʼt show his might." }, { "ref": "68:2", "original": "善戰者，不怒。", "translation": "A skill­ful fight­er does­nʼt get an­gry." }, { "ref": "68:3", "original": "善勝敵者，弗與。", "translation": "A skill­ful vic­tor does­nʼt en­gage his en­e­my." }, { "ref": "68:4", "original": "善用人者，爲之下。", "translation": "A skill­ful em­ploy­er places him­self be­low others." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "73:1", "original": "勇於敢者，則殺，", "translation": "Those who are brave in dar­ing will die;" }, { "ref": "73:2", "original": "勇於不敢者，則活。", "translation": "those who are brave in cau­tion will live." }, { "ref": "73:3", "original": "此兩者，或利或害。", "translation": "In these two cases, one is ben­e­fi­cial and the oth­er is harm­ful." }, { "ref": "73:4", "original": "天之所惡，孰知其故？", "translation": "Who un­der­stands why Heav­en hates what it does?" } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "73:6", "original": "天之道，不戰而善勝，", "translation": "The Way of Heav­en does­nʼt fight yet wins skill­ful­ly," }, { "ref": "73:7", "original": "不言而善應，", "translation": "does­nʼt speak yet responds skill­ful­ly," }, { "ref": "73:8", "original": "不召而自來，", "translation": "is­nʼt summoned yet co­mes on its own," }, { "ref": "73:9", "original": "繟而善謀。", "translation": "is at ease yet plans skill­ful­ly." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "73:10", "original": "天網恢恢，疏而不失。", "translation": "The net of Heav­en is vast; it has a coarse mesh yet noth­ing slips through." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "75:1", "original": "人之飢也，以其上食稅之多。", "translation": "The peo­ple starve be­cause those above con­sume too much in taxes." }, { "ref": "75:2", "original": "百姓之不治也，以其上之有爲。", "translation": "The peo­ple re­bel be­cause those above in­ter­fere." }, { "ref": "75:3", "original": "民之輕死也，以其上求生之厚。", "translation": "The peo­ple scoff at death be­cause those above de­mand so much from life." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "76:1", "original": "人之生也柔弱，", "translation": "While liv­ing, a man is sup­ple and soft," }, { "ref": "76:2", "original": "其死也堅強。", "translation": "but once dead, he is hard and rig­id." }, { "ref": "76:3", "original": "萬物草木之生也柔脆，", "translation": "While liv­ing, all things, grasses, and trees are sup­ple and crisp," }, { "ref": "76:4", "original": "其死也枯槁。", "translation": "but once dead, they are withered and dry." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "76:5", "original": "故曰堅強者死之徒也，", "translation": "There­fore it is said: those who are hard and rig­id are the followers of death;" }, { "ref": "76:6", "original": "柔弱者生之徒也。", "translation": "those who are sup­ple and soft are the followers of life." }, { "ref": "76:7", "original": "是以兵強則不勝，", "translation": "There­fore, a rig­id ar­my wonʼt win," }, { "ref": "76:8", "original": "木強則㮓。", "translation": "and a rig­id tree will snap." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "77:1", "original": "天之道，猶張弓者也？", "translation": "The Way of Heav­en is like an arch­er draw­ing his bow." }, { "ref": "77:2", "original": "高者抑之，下者舉之，", "translation": "If itʼs too high, he presses down; if itʼs too low, he lifts up;" }, { "ref": "77:3", "original": "有餘者損之，", "translation": "if there is ex­cess, he reduces it;" }, { "ref": "77:4", "original": "不足者補之。", "translation": "if there is not e­nough, he adds to it." }, { "ref": "77:5", "original": "故天之道，損有餘而補不足。", "translation": "The Way of Heav­en is al­so to re­duce what has ex­cess and add to what does­nʼt have e­nough." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "77:6", "original": "人之道則不然：", "translation": "The Way of man is dif­fer­ent:" }, { "ref": "77:7", "original": "損不足而奉有餘。", "translation": "he reduces what does­nʼt have e­nough and offers it to that which has ex­cess." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "77:8", "original": "夫孰能有餘而有以取奉於天者乎？", "translation": "Who can have ex­cess and of­fer it to Heav­en?" }, { "ref": "77:9", "original": "唯有道者乎。", "translation": "On­ly he who has the Way." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "77:10", "original": "是以聖人爲而弗有，", "translation": "There­fore, the sage takes actions with­out claiming the results;" }, { "ref": "77:11", "original": "成功而弗處居也，", "translation": "he succeeds with­out dwell­ing on it;" }, { "ref": "77:12", "original": "若此其不欲見賢也。", "translation": "sim­i­lar­ly, he does­nʼt de­sire to make a dis­play of his wor­thi­ness." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "79:1", "original": "和大怨，", "translation": "When har­mo­ny is made af­ter great re­sent­ment," }, { "ref": "79:2", "original": "必有餘怨，", "translation": "there is al­ways some re­sent­ment remaining." }, { "ref": "79:3", "original": "焉可以爲善？", "translation": "How can this be con­sid­ered good?" }, { "ref": "79:4", "original": "是以聖人執左契而不責於人。", "translation": "There­fore, the sage keeps his part of the con­tract, but makes no demands on the oth­er par­ty." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "79:7", "original": "夫天道無親，", "translation": "The Way of Heav­en has no fa­vor­ites," }, { "ref": "79:8", "original": "恆與善人。", "translation": "itʼs con­stant­ly on the side of the good man." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "80:1", "original": "小邦寡民。", "translation": "Let there be a small state with few peo­ple." }, { "ref": "80:2", "original": "使有十百人之器而勿用；", "translation": "Let them have pow­er­ful tools and not use them." }, { "ref": "80:3", "original": "使民重死而不遠徙。", "translation": "Let the peo­ple take death se­ri­ous­ly and not mi­grate far a­way." }, { "ref": "80:4", "original": "有舟車，無所乘之；", "translation": "There are boats and vehicles but no rea­son to ride them." }, { "ref": "80:5", "original": "有甲兵，無所陳之。", "translation": "There are ar­mor and weapons but no rea­son to pa­rade them." }, { "ref": "80:6", "original": "使民復結繩而用之。", "translation": "Let the peo­ple keep their records with knot­ted string again." }, { "ref": "80:7", "original": "甘其食，", "translation": "Their food is sweet," }, { "ref": "80:8", "original": "美其服，", "translation": "their clothes are beau­ti­ful," }, { "ref": "80:9", "original": "安其居，", "translation": "their homes are se­cure," }, { "ref": "80:10", "original": "樂其俗。", "translation": "and their cus­toms are en­joy­a­ble." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "80:11", "original": "鄰邦相望，", "translation": "Neigh­bor­ing states can see each oth­er," }, { "ref": "80:12", "original": "雞狗之聲相聞，", "translation": "they can hear each otherʼs dogs and roosters," }, { "ref": "80:13", "original": "民至老死，", "translation": "yet the peo­ple grow old and die" }, { "ref": "80:14", "original": "不相往來。", "translation": "with­out any deal­ings be­tween each oth­er." } ] } ] }, { "paragraphs": [ { "verses": [ { "ref": "81:1", "original": "信言不美，", "translation": "Cred­i­ble words arenʼt el­o­quent;" }, { "ref": "81:2", "original": "美言不信。", "translation": "el­o­quent words arenʼt cred­i­ble." }, { "ref": "81:3", "original": "善者不多，", "translation": "The skill­ful arenʼt polymaths;" }, { "ref": "81:4", "original": "多者不善。", "translation": "those who are polymaths arenʼt skill­ful." }, { "ref": "81:5", "original": "知者不博，", "translation": "Those who know arenʼt learn­ed;" }, { "ref": "81:6", "original": "博者不知。", "translation": "the learn­ed donʼt know." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "81:7", "original": "聖人無積，", "translation": "The sage ac­cu­mu­lates noth­ing." }, { "ref": "81:8", "original": "既以爲人己愈有，", "translation": "The more he does for others, the greater his pos­ses­sions." }, { "ref": "81:9", "original": "既以予人矣己愈多。", "translation": "The more he gives to others, the greater his abun­dance." } ] }, { "verses": [ { "ref": "81:10", "original": "故天之道，利而不害；", "translation": "There­fore, the Way of Heav­en is to ben­e­fit with­out harming." }, { "ref": "81:11", "original": "聖人之道，爲而不爭。", "translation": "The Way of the sage is to act with­out contending." } ] } ] } ] } ] }