天道

The Way of Heaven

Heaven’s Reason

Dao Of Heaven

1

天之
道，其
猶張弓
歟 ？高
者抑
之，下
者舉
之；

May not the Way (or Dao) of Heaven be compared to the (method of) bending a bow? The (part of the bow) which was high is brought low, and what was low is raised up.

Is not Heaven’s Reason truly like stretching a bow? The high it brings down, the lowly it lifts up. Those who have abundance it depleteth; those who are deficient it augmenteth.

Tao of heaven resembles the stretching of a bow. The mighty it humbles, the lowly it exalts. They who have abundance it diminishes and gives to them who have need.

2

有餘者
損之，
不足者
補之。

(So Heaven) diminishes where there is superabundance, and supplements where there is deficiency.

Such is Heaven’s Reason. It depleteth those who have abundance but completeth the deficient.

That is Dao of heaven; it depletes those who abound, and completes those who lack.

3

天之
道，損
有餘而
補不
足。人
之道，
則不
然，

It is the Way of Heaven to diminish superabundance, and to supplement deficiency. It is not so with the way of man. He takes away from those who have not enough to add to his own superabundance.

Man’s Reason is not so. He depleteth the deficient in order to serve those who have abundance.

The human way is not so. Men take from those who lack to give to those who already abound.

4

損不足
以奉有
餘。孰
能有餘
以奉天
下，唯
有道
者。

Who can take his own superabundance and therewith serve all under heaven? Only he who is in possession of the Dao!

Where is he who would have abundance for serving the world?

Where is the man who by his abundance can best serve the world?

5

是以聖
人為而
不恃，
功成而
不處，
其不欲
見賢。

Therefore the (ruling) sage acts without claiming the results as his; he achieves his merit and does not rest (arrogantly) in it:–he does not wish to display his superiority.

Indeed, it is the holy man who acts but claims not; merit he acquires but he does not dwell upon it, and does he ever show any anxiety to display his excellence?

The wise man makes but claims not, he accomplishes merit, yet is not attached to it, neither does he display his excellence. Is it not so?

任信

Things to be Believed

Trust in Faith

Trust and Faith

1

天下莫柔弱
于水，而攻
堅強者，莫
之能勝，以
其無以易
之。

There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence of it;–for there is nothing (so effectual) for which it can be changed.

In the world nothing is tenderer and more delicate than water. In attacking the hard and the strong nothing will surpass it. There is nothing that herein takes its place.

In the world nothing is more fragile than water, and yet of all the agencies that attack hard substances nothing can surpass it.

2

弱之勝強，
柔之勝剛，
天下莫不
知，莫能
行。

Every one in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the strong, but no one is able to carry it out in practice.

The weak conquer the strong, the tender conquer the rigid. In the world there is no one who does not know it, but no one will practise it.

Of all things there is nothing that can take the place of Dao. By it the weak are conquerors of the strong, the pliable are conquerors of the rigid. In the world every one knows this, but none practice it.

3

是以聖人
云：「受國
之垢，是謂
社稷主；受
國不祥，是
為天下
王。」

Therefore a sage has said,
“He who accepts his state’s reproach,
Is hailed therefore its altars’ lord;
To him who bears men’s direful woes
They all the name of King accord.”

Therefore the holy man says:”Him who the country’s sin makes his,
We hail as priest at the great sacrifice.
Him who the curse bears of the country’s failing. As king of the empire we are hailing.”

Therefore the wise man declares: he who is guilty of the country’s sin may be the priest at the altar. He who is to blame for the country’s misfortunes, is often the Empire’s Sovereign.

4

正言若反。

Words that are strictly true seem to be paradoxical.

True words seem paradoxical.

True words are often paradoxical