老子【道德經】

六十章

治大國若烹小鮮。以道蒞天下，其鬼不神。非其鬼不神，其神不傷人。非其 神不傷人，聖人亦不傷人。夫兩不相傷，故德交歸焉。

Chapter 60
Governing a large country
is like frying a small fish.
You spoil it with too much poking.

Center your country in the Tao
and evil will have no power.
Not that it isn't there,
but you'll be able to step out of its way.

Give evil nothing to oppose
and it will disappear by itself.

六十一章

大國者下流，天下之牝，天下之交。牝常以靜勝牡，以靜為下。故大國以下 小國，則取小國；小國以下大國，則取大國。故或下以取，或下而取。大國不過 欲兼畜人，小國不過欲入事人。夫兩者各得所欲，大者宜為下。

Chapter 61
When a country obtains great power,
it becomes like the sea:
all streams run downward into it.
The more powerful it grows,
the greater the need for humility.
Humility means trusting the Tao,
thus never needing to be defensive.

A great nation is like a great man:
When he makes a mistake, he realizes it.
Having realized it, he admits it.
Having admitted it, he corrects it.
He considers those who point out his faults
as his most benevolent teachers.
He thinks of his enemy
as the shadow that he himself casts.

If a nation is centered in the Tao,
if it nourishes its own people
and doesn't meddle in the affairs of others,
it will be a light to all nations in the world.

六十二章

道者，萬物之奧。善人之寶，不善人之所保。美言可以市尊，美行可以加人 。人之不善，何棄之有？故立天子，置三公，雖有拱璧以先駟馬，不如坐進此道 。古之所以貴此道者何？不曰：求以得，有罪以免邪？故為天下貴。

Chapter 62
The Tao is the center of the universe,
the good man's treasure,
the bad man's refuge.

Honors can be bought with fine words,
respect can be won with good deeds;
but the Tao is beyond all value,
and no one can achieve it.

Thus, when a new leader is chosen,
don't offer to help him
with your wealth or your expertise.
Offer instead
to teach him about the Tao.

Why did the ancient Masters esteem the Tao?
Because, being one with the Tao,
when you seek, you find;
and when you make a mistake, you are forgiven.
That is why everybody loves it.

六十三章

為無為，事無事，味無味。大小多少，報怨以德。圖難於其易；為大於其細 。天下難事，必作於易；天下大事，必作於細。是以聖人終不為大，故能成其大 。夫輕諾必寡信，多易必多難。是以聖人猶難之，故終無難矣。

Chapter 63
Act without doing;
work without effort.
Think of the small as large
and the few as many.
Confront the difficult
while it is still easy;
accomplish the great task
by a series of small acts.

The Master never reaches for the great;
thus she achieves greatness.
When she runs into a difficulty,
she stops and gives herself to it.
She doesn't cling to her own comfort;
thus problems are no problem for her.

六十四章

其安易持；其未兆易謀；其脆易泮；其微易散。為之於未有，治之於未亂。 合抱之木，生於毫末；九層之台，起於累土；千里之行，始於足下。為者敗之； 持者失之。是以，聖人無為，故無敗；無持，故無失。民之從事，常於幾成而敗 之。慎終如始，則無敗事。是以聖人慾不欲，不貴難得之貨，學不學，複眾人之 所過。以輔萬物自然而不敢為。

Chapter 64
What is rooted is easy to nourish.
What is recent is easy to correct.
What is brittle is easy to break.
What is small is easy to scatter.

Prevent trouble before it arises.
Put things in order before they exist.
The giant pine tree
grows from a tiny sprout.
The journey of a thousand miles
starts from beneath your feet.

Rushing into action, you fail.
Trying to grasp things, you lose them.
Forcing a project to completion,
you ruin what was almost ripe.

Therefore the Master takes action
by letting things take their course.
He remains as calm
at the end as at the beginning.
He has nothing,
thus has nothing to lose.
What he desires is non-desire;
what he learns is to unlearn.
He simply reminds people
of whom they have always been.
He cares about nothing but the Tao.
Thus he can care for all things.

六十五章

古之善為道者，非以明民，將以愚之。民之難治，以其智多。故以智治國， 國之賊；不以智治國，國之福。知此兩者亦稽式。常知稽式，是謂玄德。玄德深 矣，遠矣，與物反矣，然後乃至大順。

Chapter 65
The ancient Masters
didn't try to educate the people,
but kindly taught them to not-know.

When they think that they know the answers,
people are difficult to guide.
When they know that they don't know,
people can find their own way.

If you want to learn how to govern,
avoid being clever or rich.
The simplest pattern is the clearest.
Content with an ordinary life,
you can show all people the way
back to their own true nature.

六十六章

江海所以能為百穀王者，以其善下之，故能為百穀王。是以聖人慾上民，必 以言下之；欲先民，必以身後之。是以聖人居上而民不重，居前而民不害。是以 天下樂推而不厭。以其不爭，故天下莫能與之爭。

Chapter 66
All streams flow to the sea
because it is lower than they are.
Humility gives it its power.

If you want to govern the people,
you must place yourself below them.
If you want to lead the people,
you must learn how to follow them.

The Master is above the people,
and no one feels oppressed.
She goes ahead of the people,
and no one feels manipulated.
The whole world is grateful to her.
Because she competes with no one,
no one can compete with her.

六十七章

天下皆謂我道大，似不肖。夫唯大，故似不肖。若肖，久矣其細也夫！我有 三寶，持而保之：一曰慈，二曰儉，三曰不敢為天下先。慈，故能勇；儉，故能 廣；不敢為天下先，故能成器長。今舍慈且勇，舍儉且廣，舍后且先，死矣。夫 慈，以戰則勝，以守則固。天將救之，以慈衛之。

Chapter 67
Every one under heaven says that our Way is greatly like folly. But it is just because it is great, that it seems like folly. As for things that do not seem like folly - well, there can be no question about their smallness!

Here are my three treasures. Guard and keep them!
The first is pity; the second, frugality; the third, refusal to be "foremost of all things."

For only he that pities is truly able to be brave;
Only he that is frugal is truly able to be profuse.
Only he that refuses to be foremost of all things
Is truly able to become chief of all Ministers.

At present your bravery is not based on pity, nor your profusion on frugality, nor your vanguard on your rear; and this is death. But pity cannot fight without conquering or guard without saving. Heaven arms with pity those whom it would not see destroyed.

六十八章

善為士者，不武。善戰者，不怒。善勝敵者，不與。善用人者，為之下。是 謂不爭之德，是謂用人之力，是謂配天，古之極。

Chapter 68
The best athlete
wants his opponent at his best.
The best general
enters the mind of his enemy.
The best businessman
serves the communal good.
The best leader
follows the will of the people.

All of the embody
the virtue of non-competition.
Not that they don't love to compete,
but they do it in the spirit of play.
In this they are like children
and in harmony with the Tao.

六十九章

用兵有言：「吾不敢為主，而為客；不敢進寸，而退尺。」是謂行無 行，攘無臂，執無兵，乃無敵矣。禍莫大於輕敵，輕敵幾喪吾寶。故抗兵相若， 哀者勝矣。

Chapter 69
The generals have a saying:
"Rather than make the first move
it is better to wait and see.
Rather than advance an inch
it is better to retreat a yard."

This is called
going forward without advancing,
pushing back without using weapons.

There is no greater misfortune
than underestimating your enemy.
Underestimating your enemy
means thinking that he is evil.
Thus you destroy your three treasures
and become an enemy yourself.

When two great forces oppose each other,
the victory will go
to the one that knows how to yield.

七十章

吾言甚易知，甚易行。天下莫能知，莫能行。言有宗，事有君。夫唯無知， 是以不我知。知我者希，則我者貴。是以聖人被褐而懷玉。

Chapter 70
My teachings are easy to understand
and easy to put into practice.
Yet your intellect will never grasp them,
and if you try to practice them, you'll fail.

My teachings are older than the world.
How can you grasp their meaning?

If you want to know me,
look inside your heart.

七十一章

知不知，上，不知不知，病。聖人不病，以其病病，是以不病。

Chapter 71
"To know when one does not know is best.
To think one knows when one does not know is a dire disease.
Only he who recognizes this disease as a disease
Can cure himself of the disease."
The Sage's way of curing disease
Also consists in making people recognize their diseases as diseases and thus ceasing to be diseased.

七十二章

民不畏威，則大威至。無狎其所居，無厭其所生。夫唯不厭，是以不厭。是 以聖人自知不自見，自愛不自貴。故去彼取此。

Chapter 72
When they lose their sense of awe,
people turn to religion.
When they no longer trust themselves,
they begin to depend upon authority.

Therefore the Master steps back
so that people won't be confused.
He teaches without a teaching,
so that people will have nothing to learn.

七十三章

勇於敢，則殺，勇於不敢，則活。此兩者，或利或害。天之所惡，孰知其故 ？天之道，不爭而善勝，不言而善應，不召而自來，姍然而善謀。天網恢恢，疏。而不失。

Chapter 73
The Tao is always at ease.
It overcomes without competing,
answers without speaking a word,
arrives without being summoned,
accomplishes without a plan.

Its net covers the whole universe.
And though its meshes are wide,
it doesn't let a thing slip through.

七十四章

民不畏死，奈何以死懼之？若使民常畏死，而為奇者，吾得執而殺之，孰敢 ？常有司殺者殺。夫代司殺者殺，是謂代大匠斫。夫代大匠斫者，希有不傷其手 矣。

Chapter 74
If you realize that all things change,
there is nothing you will try to hold on to.
If you aren't afraid of dying,
there is nothing you can't achieve.

Trying to control the future
is like trying to take the master carpenter's place.
When you handle the master carpenter's tools,
chances are that you'll cut your hand.

七十五章

民之飢，以其上食稅之多，是以飢。民之不治，以其上之有為，是以不治。 民之輕死，以其上求生之厚，是以輕死。夫唯無以生為者，是賢於貴生。

Chapter 75
When taxes are too high,
people go hungry.
When the government is too intrusive,
people lose their spirit.

Act for the people's benefit.
Trust them; leave them alone.

七十六章

人之生也柔弱，其死也堅強。草木之生也柔脆，其死也枯槁。故堅強者死之 徒，柔弱者生之徒。是以兵強則滅，木強則折，強大居下，柔弱居上。

Chapter 76
Men are born soft and supple;
dead, they are stiff and hard.
Plats are born tender and pliant;
dead, they are brittle and dry.

Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible
is a disciple of death.
Whoever is soft and yielding
is a disciple of life.

The hard and stiff will be broken.
The soft and supple will prevail.

七十七章

天之道，其猶張弓歟？高者抑之，下者舉之，有餘者損之，不足者補之。天 之道，損有餘而補不足。人之道，則不然：損不足以奉有餘。孰能有餘以奉天下 ？唯有道者。是以聖人為而不恃，功成而不居，其不欲見賢。

Chapter 77
As it acts in the world, the Tao
is like the bending of a bow.
The top is bent downward;
the bottom is bent up.
It adjusts excess and deficiency
so that there is perfect balance.
It takes from what is too much
and give to what isn't enough.

Those who try to control,
who use force to protect their power,
go against the direction of the Tao.
They take from those who don't have enough
and give to those who have far too much.

The Master can keep giving
because there is no end to her wealth.
She acts without expectation,
succeeds without taking credit,
and doesn't think that she is better
than anyone else.

七十八章

天下莫柔弱於水，而攻堅強者莫之能勝，以其無以易之。弱之勝強，柔之勝 剛，天下莫不知，莫能行。是以聖人云：「受國之垢，是謂社稷主；受國不祥， 是為天下王。」正言若反。

Chapter 78: Accept Responsibility
Nothing in the world
is as soft and yielding as water.
Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible,
nothing can surpass it.

The soft overcomes the hard;
the gentle overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
but few can put it into practice.

The sage says:
"Who accepts responsibility for his people rules the country;
Who accepts responsibility for the World rules the World",
But his words are not understood.

七十九章

和大怨，必有餘怨，安可以為善？是以聖人執左契而不責於人。有德司契， 無德司徹。天道無親，恆與善人。

Chapter 79
Failure is an opportunity.
If you blame someone else,
there is no end to the blame.

Therefore the Master
fulfills her own obligations
and corrects her own mistakes.
She does what she needs to do
and demands nothing of others.