He　who　is　intelligent　is　not　quarrelsome；　He　who　is　quarrelsome　is　not　intelligent。
  He　who　is　wise　is　not　pretentious；　He　who　is　pretentious　is　not　wise。
  Therefore　the　intelligent　man　does　not　struggle　to　achieve　for　himself。　The　more　useful　he　is　to　others；　the　more　his　needs　will　be　cared　for　by　those　repeatedly　benefited　by　his　yielding。
  Nature's　way　is　to　produce　good　without　evil。　The　intelligent　man's　way　is　to　accept　and　follow　Nature　rather　than　to　oppose　Nature。
  English_Balfour_TTK
  Das　Tao　Te　King　von　Lao　Tse
  Chinese　…　English　by
  Frederic　Henry　Balfour；　1884
  Vorwort/Foreword
  IT　is　only　after　some　years　of　hesitation　that　I　have　undertaken　a　new　version　of　the　Tao　Tê　Ching。　The　task　has　already　been　performed　by　Julien；　Chalmers；　Strauss；　Pl？nckner；　and　Legge；　most　of　whom；　at　any　rate；　are　scholars　of　the　first　water。　But　it　occurs　to　me梐nd　with　all　deference　I　make　the　avowal梩hat　one　prime　defect　lies　at　the　root　of　every　translation　that　has　been　published　hitherto；　and　this　is；　that　not　one　seems　to　have　been　based　solely　and　entirely　on　commentaries　furnished　by　members　of　the　Taoist　school。　The　Confucian　element　enters　largely　into　all；　and　here；　I　think；　an　injustice　has　been　done　to　Lao　Tsze。　To　a　Confucianist；　the　Taoist　system　is　in　every　sense　of　the　word　a　heresy；　and　a　commentator　holding　this　opinion　is　surely　not　the　best　expositor。　It　is　as　a　grammarian　rather　than　as　a　philosopher　that　a　member　of　the　Ju…chia　deals　with　the　Tao　Tê　Ching；　he　gives　the　sense　of　a　passage　according　to　the　syntactical　construction　rather　than　according　to　the　genius　of　the　philosophy　itself；　and　in　attempting　to　explain　the　text　by　his　own　canons　instead　of　by　the　canons　of　Taoism；　he　mistakes　the　superficial　and　apparently　obvious　meaning　for　the　hidden　and　esoteric　interpretation。　One　of　the　greatest　reproaches　levelled　at　the　Taoist　system　by　Confucian　scholars　is　the　alleged　scorn　of　ethical　morality　attributed　to　Lao　Tsze　and　his　followers。　They　have　been　represented　as　ascribing　all　the　troubles　and　vices　of　China　to　the　example　of　Yao　and　Shun；　and　to　the　doctrines　respecting　benevolence；　rectitude；　ceremonies；　and　music　enforced　by　the　Sages　who　immediately　succeeded　them。　Lü　Tsu；　in　his　commentary；　vehemently　controverts　this　theory；　and　strives　to　prove；　not　only　that　Taoism　and　Confucianism　are　at　one　upon　such　points；　but　that　the　latter　is　actually　based　upon　the　former梑eing　a　mere　carrying…out　in　practice；　a　careful　systematising；　as　it　were；　of　the　radical　doctrines　of　Lao　Chün。　The　fact　that　I　have　entirely　discarded　all　assistance　from　commentators　of　the　Confucian　school　is　my　only　excuse　for　coming　forward　with　a　new　translation　of　this　important　classic。　The　version　now　presented　is　based　solely　upon　the　commentaries　of　Lü　Ch憉n…yang；　commonly　called　Lü　Tsu；　the　well…known　Taoist　patriarch　of　the　eighth　century　of　our　era；　and　his　guidance　I　have　followed　throughout。　I　candidly　admit　that　this　has　not　been　done　without　some　effort。　It　was　no　means　easy；　at　first；　to　reject　what　appeared　to　be　the　plain；　clear；　unmistakeable　meaning　of　the　text梐　meaning；　too；　endorsed　by　many　eminent　Chinese　scholars；　such　as　Chu　Hsi；　Liu　Chieh…fu；　Wang　Pi；　and　Su　Tsze…yu；　and　adopted　by　Legge；　Julien；　and　Chalmers梚n　favour　of　an　interpretation　at　once　far…fetched　and　obscure。　But　I　felt　that　I　was　after　all　under　the　guidance　of　a　disciple；　and　not　a　critic；　of　the　Master；　and　although　many　passages　which　before　stood　out　distinctly　enough　are　now　dimmed　by　mysticism；　I　cannot　help　thinking　that　we　have　advanced　a　step　towards　the　comprehension　of　their　true　significance。　There　are　other　passages　the　existing　translations　of　which；　apart　from　questions　of　commentary；　I　believe　to　be　entirely；　and　indeed　palpably；　wrong；　and　of　these　I　now　offer　a　new　rendering　with　confidence。　The　versions　of　Julien　and　Chalmers　have　lain　beside　me；　and　I　have　constantly　referred　to　them；　but　far　from　relying　on　them　for　assistance；　each　glance　has　shown　me　how　wide　and　radical　was　the　divergence　between　them　and　the　work　growing　slowly　but　steadily　under　my　hand。
  I　need　only　add　that　the　words　enclosed　in　brackets　＇thus＇　are　for　the　most　part　representative　of　the　commentary　I　have　followed；　and　thus　serve　to　supplement　the　meagre　and　laconic　text。　Occasionally　a　few　lines　of　additional　elucidation　or　remark　have　been　appended；　where　necessary；　in　smaller　type。
  Postscript
  The　reader　is　requested　to　refer　to　Chap。　VI；　the　first　sentence　of　which　is　literally　rendered；　〃The　Spirit　of　the　Depths　is　immortal；〃　It　would　be　better；　perhaps；　to　follow　the　reading　of　the　Commentary；　which　runs　〃The　Breath　of　the　Deep　is　imperishable。〃　For　further　reference　to　this　Breath　see　infra；　passages　in　the　T慳i　Hsi　and　the　Hsin　Yin。
  I　further　beg　to　recommend　any　student　anxious　to　follow　out　the　theories　of　Taoism　embodied　in　the　Commentary　of　Lü　Ts？；　to　read　a　very　curious　and　interesting　book　by　that　author　entitled　###；　or　'Occult　Mysteries　respecting　the　Cultivation　of　the　Pure　Essence；'　kindly　sent　to　me　by　my　friend　M。　Ké？ta　Goo；　of　the　Imperial　Japanese　Diplomatic　Service；　while　the　present　volume　was　passing　through　the　press。　It　is　well　worth　study。
  1
  The　TAO；　or　Principle　of　Nature；　may　be　discussed　＇by　all＇；　it　is　not　the　popular　or　common　Tao棧。g。；　the　tao…li　of　ethics；　dealing　with　the　###　and　the　###＇。
  Its　Name　may　be　named　＇i。e。；　the　TAO　may　receive　a　designation；　though　of　itself　it　has　none＇；　but　it　is　not　an　ordinary　name；　＇or　name　in　the　usual　sense　of　the　word；　for　it　is　a　presentment　or　ειδωλον　of　the　Infinite＇。
  Its　nameless　period　was　that　which　preceded　the　birth　of　the　Universe；　＇the　###＇；
  In　being　spoken　of　by　name；　it　is　as　the　Progenitrix　of　All　Things；　＇the　period　of　the　###；　which　divided　and　produced　the　###＇。
  It　is　therefore　in　habitual　passionlessness　＇the　###　or　Quiescent　phase　of　TAO＇　that　its　mystery　may　be　scanned；　and　in　habitual　desire　＇the　###　or　Active　phase　of　TAO＇　that　its　developments　may　be　perceived。
  These　two　conditions；　the　Active　and　the　Quiescent；　alike　proceed　＇from　TAO＇；　it　is　only　in　name　that　they　differ。　Both　may　be　called　profundities；　and　the　depth　of　profundity　is　the　gate　of　every　mystery。
  2
  The　Beautiful　being　once　recognised　as　such　by　the　world；　the　Repulsive　appears　＇as　its　converse＇。　Goodness　being　once　recognised　as　such；　Evil　appears　in　like　manner。　Thus　existence　and　non…existence　produce　each　other；　the　difficult　and　the　easy　bring　about　each　other；　the　long　and　the　short　impart　form　to　each　other；　the　high　and　low　comply　＇or　change　places＇　with　each　other；　sounds　and　voices　harmonise　with　each　other；　priority　and　sequence　alternate　with　each　other。
  Wherefore　the　Sage　pursues　a　policy　of　inaction；　and　teaches　men　in　silence；　＇i。e。；　he　conforms　to　the　TAO　or　Course　of　Nature；　which　proceeds　silently　and　spontaneously；　and　thus　the　people　learn　to　govern　themselves　by　his　example　without　needing　the　interferences　of　legislation　and　instruction＇。
  He　forms　all　things　without　shrinking　＇from　the　labour＇；　produces　them　without　claiming　the　possession　＇of　virtue＇；　acts　without　presuming　on　＇his　ability＇；　and　completes　his　achievements　without　taking　any　credit　to　himself。　It　is　only　he　who　thus　does　not　stand　upon　his　merit；　and　therefore　his　merit　does　not　depart　from　him。
  3
  ＇The　Sage＇；　by　not　showing　exclusive　approval　of　those　who　are　eminent　in　virtue；　prevents　the　people　from　quarrelling；　by　not　setting　high　store　on　things　difficult　to　obtain；　he　prevents　the　people　from　becoming　robbers；　by　closing　his　eyes　to　objects　of　desire；　he　secures　his　heart　from　corruption。　Wherefore　the　Sage；　in　governing；　does　so　with　a　heart　empty　＇of　all　distractions　and　temptations＇；　but　a　bosom　full　＇of　justice　and　benevolence＇；　he　makes　his　will　pliant；　his　bodily　frame…work　firm；　he　ever　keeps　the　people　from　＇harmful＇　knowledge　and　desires；　and　prevents　those　who　have　such　knowledge　from　daring　to　put　it　into　practice。　He　pursues　a　policy　of　inaction；　and　there　is　therefore　nothing　that　is　left　ungoverned。
  4
  The　TAO　is　full　＇q。d。；　exhaustless　and　complete＇；　yet　in　operation　as　though　not　self…elated。　In　its　origin　it　is　as　it　were　the　Ancestor　of　All　Things。　It　chastens　asperity；　it　unravels　confusion；　it　moderates　the　radiance　＇proceeding　from　those　in　whom　TAO　is　embodied梥ee　Chuang　Tsze；　'Kêng…sang　Ch憉'＇；　and　it　identifies　itself　with　the　sordid　ones　of　the　earth　＇the　〃dust〃　or　common　people梥ee　Mencius；　Book　V；　chap。　1；　sec。　3；　q。d。；　it　enables　a　man　to　associate　with　the　base　without　being　defiled＇。　Pellucid　＇as　a　spreading　ocean＇　it　yet　has　the　semblance　of　permanence。　I　know　not　whose　offspring　it　is。　Its　ειδωλον　existed　before　God　was。
  5
  If　Heaven　and　Earth　were　not　benevolent；　they　would　regard　creation　in　the　light　of　grass　＇which　is　worthless＇　and　dogs　＇which　are　killed＇。　If　the　Sage　were　not　benevolent；　he　would　likewise　regard　the　people　in　the　light　of　grass　and　dogs。
  *　The　Commentator　insists　at　some　length　that　the　phrase　###　is　hypothetical；