第 306 节
作者:九米      更新:2021-02-19 21:31      字数:8740
  Great skill seems clumsy;
  Great eloquence seems hesitant。
  Movement conquers cold;
  But stillness conquers heat。
  Clearness and serenity
  Are beneath…heaven's norm。
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  When beneath…heaven has Tao;
  Race horses are used to haul dung。
  When beneath…heaven has no Tao;
  War horses breed in the countryside。
  No calamity is greater
  Than not knowing what is enough。
  No fault worse than wanting too much。
  Whoever knows what is enough
  Has enough。
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  Without going out of the door
  You can know beneath…heaven。
  Without looking out of the window
  You can see heaven's way。
  The farther you go;
  The less you know。
  Thus the sage
  Knows without walking;
  Sees without looking;
  And does without doing。
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  To get learning; add to it daily。
  To get Tao; subtract daily。
  Subtract and subtract
  Until you achieve nothing…doing。
  Do nothing…doing
  And everything will get done。
  To win beneath…heaven
  Always avoid fussing。
  If fussing is not avoided;
  Beneath heaven is not won。
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  The sage has no fixed heart。
  He finds his heart
  In the hundred families' heart。
  He is good to the good;
  He is also good to the not…good;
  For virtue is good。
  He is faithful to the faithful;
  He is also faithful to the unfaithful;
  For virtue is faithful。
  Living beneath heaven;
  The sage deals shyly with beneath…heaven
  And simplifies his heart。
  The hundred families strain eyes and ears;
  The sage acts the child to all of them。
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  Going out is life;
  Coming back is death。
  The companions of life are thirteen。
  The companions of death are thirteen。
  For people moving toward the place of death
  There are also thirteen。
  How is that?
  Because they live intently。
  It is said that
  He who preserves his life
  Meets no tigers or wild buffaloes on the road;
  Remains untouched by weapons in the wars。
  In him; the wild buffalo
  Finds no space for his horns;
  The tiger no space for his claws;
  The soldier no space for his blade。
  How is this?
  Because there is no place for death in him。
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  Tao gives them life;
  Virtue shapes them;
  Reality rears them;
  Circumstance completes them。
  Thus the ten thousand things
  All worship Tao and esteem virtue。
  No one commands them
  To worship Tao and esteem virtue。
  They do so of themselves。
  For Tao gives them life。
  Virtue nurses them; raises them;
  Nurtures them; shelters them;
  Comforts them; feeds them;
  And protects them。
  Rear but don't own!
  Work but don't claim!
  Raise but don't butcher!
  This is called inward virtue。
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  Beneath…heaven has a beginning:
  The mother of beneath…heaven。
  Knowing the mother。
  We may know the children。
  Knowing the children;
  We may keep to the mother。
  Death of body? No risk!
  Block the passages;
  Shut the doors:
  End of life? No fuss!
  Open the passages;
  Meddle with things:
  End of life? No help!
  See the small: that is insight。
  Keep to weakness: that is strength。
  Use the light: go back to insight;
  Keeping away from calamity
  And practicing the changeless。
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  If I have a grain of wisdom;
  I walk along the great Tao
  And fear only to stray。
  The great Tao is easy indeed;
  But the people choose by…paths。
  The court is very resplendent;
  Very weedy are the fields;
  And the granaries very empty。
  They wear gaudy clothes;
  Carry sharp swords;
  Exceed in eating and drinking;
  Have riches more than they can use。
  Call them robber…braggarts:
  They are anti…Tao indeed!
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  What is well planted won't be uprooted;
  What is well grasped won't slip away。
  Sons and grandsons will keep the sacrifices。
  Practice virtue in yourself:
  Virtue becomes real。
  Practice it in the family;
  It becomes abundant。
  Practice it in the county;
  It becomes increased。
  Practice it in the country;
  It becomes prolific。
  Practice it beneath heaven;
  It becomes universal。
  Thus persons are to be looked at as a person;
  Families as a family;
  Counties as a county;
  Countries as a country;
  Beneath…heaven as beneath…heaven。
  How do I know about beneath…heaven?
  Inward light!
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  One who is weighty in virtue
  Resembles an infant child。
  Poisonous insects don't sting him;
  Wild beasts don't seize him;
  Birds of prey don't strike him。
  His bones are soft;
  His sinews tender;
  Yet his grip is strong。
  He does not know
  The union of male and female;
  Yet his vitality is evident;
  His vitality perfect。
  He cries and howls all day;
  But does not get hoarse。
  His harmony is perfect indeed!
  To know harmony
  Is to know the changeless。
  To now the changeless
  Is to have insight。
  It is ominous to improve on life;
  Injurious to control breathing by the mind:
  Things overgrown fall into decay。
  That is not…Tao;
  And what is not…Tao soon ends。
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  He who speaks does not know。
  He who knows does not speak。
  Block the passages!
  Shut the doors;
  Blunt edges;
  Untie tangles;
  Harmonize lights;
  Unite all dust。
  Call this the original oneness。
  It can't be had by courting;
  Can't be had by shunning;
  Can't be had by helping;
  Can't be had by harming;
  Can't be had by praising;
  Can't be had by blaming:
  For it is beneath…heaven's highest。
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  Govern the country by regular rules;
  Direct the army by cunning moves;
  But win the world by avoiding fuss。
  How do I know that this is so?
  Inward light!
  Beneath heaven;
  The more rules and prohibitions there are;
  The poorer the people become。
  The sharper the weapons there are;
  The greater the country's confusion。
  The cleverer the people become;
  The more cunning acts take place。
  The more laws and orders there are;
  The more thieves and robbers appear。
  Therefore the sage says:
  I do nothing;
  And the people of themselves reform。
  I love stillness;
  And the people of themselves grow straight。
  I don't fuss;
  And the people of themselves get rich。
  I don't want;
  And the people of themselves grow simple。
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  When the law is dumb dumb;
  The people are simple simple。
  When the law is smart smart;
  The people are broke broke。
  Good fortune rests on bad fortune;
  Bad fortune hides in good fortune。
  Who knows the end of this?
  It does not stop:
  The normal turns into the odd;
  The good turns into the weird。
  Long have the people been in a stew!
  Therefore the sage is
  Severe; but he doesn't cut;
  Exact; but he doesn't hurt;
  Straight; but he doesn't strain;
  Bright; but he doesn't dazzle。
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  In ruling people and serving heaven;
  It is best to be sparing。
  To be sparing is to yield quickly。
  To yield quickly is to double…store virtue。
  If virtue is double…stored
  Nothing can't be overcome。
  When nothing can't be overcome;
  No one can know his limits。
  When no one knows his limits;
  That one can take on the country。
  When that one takes on
  The mother of the country;
  He can last and endure。
  Call this having deep roots
  And a strong stem:
  Living; lasting;
  And seeing into Tao。
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  Rule a big country
  As you would cook a small fish。
  When beneath…heaven is ruled with Tao;
  Demons don't go spiriting。
  Not only do the demons not spirit;
  But spirits don't harm people。
  Not only do the spirits do no harm;
  But the sage also does no harm。
  Since both do no harm;
  Virtue is restored intact。
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  A great country is one that downward flows
  To be the confluence of all beneath heaven
  And beneath…heaven's female。
  For the feminine overcomes the masculine
  By quietude and lowliness。
  Hence;
  By lowering itself before a small country;
  A great country wins over a small country。
  By lowering itself before a large country;
  A small country wins over a large country。
  The one wins by lowering itself;
  The other by keeping itself lowered。
  Great countries wish nothing more
  Than to shelter others:
  Small countries with nothing more
  Than to be sheltered。
  Since each gets its wish;
  The great country ought to make itself lower。
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  Tao is the refuge of the ten thousand tings:
  The treasure of the good man;
  The backstop of the not…good man。
  Fine words can be sold;
  Noble deeds gain respect。
  If a man is not good;
  Why throw him away?
  When an emperor is crowned
  Or the three ministers appointed;
  Discs of jade and teams of horses
  Are not as gifts the equal
  Of siting still and offering Tao。
  Why did the