Know the masculine, cleave to the feminine Be the valley for everyone. Being the valley for everyone You are always in virtue without lapse And you return to infancy. Know the White, cleave to the Black. Be a model for everyone. Being the model for everyone You are always in virtue and free from error [...]
A good traveler leaves no tracks. Good speech lacks faultfinding. A good counter needs no calculation. A well-shut door will stay closed without a latch. Skillful fastening will stay tied without knots. It is in this manner that the sage is always skillful in elevating people. Therefore she does not discard anybody. She is always [...]
Heaviness is the root of lightness. Composure is the ruler of instability. Therefore the sage travels all day Without putting down his heavy load. Though there may be spectacles to see He easily passes them by. This being so How could the ruler of a large state Be so concernced with himself as to ignore [...]
There is something that is perfect in its disorder Which is born before Heaven and Earth. So silent and desolate! It established itself without renewal. Functions universally without lapse. We can regard it as the Mother of Everything. I don’t know its name. Hence, when forced to name it, I call it “Tao.” When forced [...]
Standing on tiptoe, you are unsteady. Straddle-legged, you cannot go. If you show yourself, you will not be seen. If you affirm yourself, you wil not shine. If you boast, you will have no merit. If you promote yourself, you will have no success. Those who abide in the Tao call these Leftover food and [...]
To speak little is natural. Therefore a gale does not blow a whole morning. Nor does a downpour last a whole day. Who does these things? Heaven and Earth. If even Heaven and Earth cannot force perfect continuity How can people expect to? Therefore there is such a thing as aligning one’s actions with the [...]
