Are the nation's curse。
Those who seek not to rule a country by knowledge
Are the nation's blessing。
Those who know these two （principles）
Also know the ancient standard；
And to know always the ancient standard
Is called the Mystic Virtue。
When the Mystic Virtue bees clear； far…reaching；
And things revert back （to their source）
Then and then only emerges the Grand Harmony。
六十六章
江海所以能为百谷王者，以其善下之，故能为百谷王。是以圣人欲上民，必以言下之；欲先民，必以身后之。是以圣人居上而民不重，居前而民不害。是以天下乐推而不厌。以其不争，故天下莫能与之争。
How did the great rivers and seas bee the Lords
of the ravines？
By being good at keeping low。
That was how they became Lords of the Ravines。
Therefore in order to be the chief among the people；
One must speak like their inferiors。
In order to be foremost among the people；
One must walk behind them。
Thus it is that the Sage stays above；
And the people do not feel his weight；
Walks in front；
And the people do not wish him harm。
Then the people of the world are glad to uphold him forever。
Because he does not contend；
No one in the world can contend against him。
六十七章
天下皆谓我道大，似不肖。夫唯大，故似不肖。若肖，久矣其细也夫！我有三宝，持而保之：一曰慈，二曰俭，三曰不敢为天下先。慈，故能勇；俭，故能广；不敢为天下先，故能成器长。今舍慈且勇，舍俭且广，舍后且先，死矣。夫慈，以战则胜，以守则固。天将救之，以慈卫之。
All the world says： my teaching （Tao） greatly resembles folly。
Because it is great； therefore it resembles folly。
If it did not resemble folly；
It would have long ago bee petty indeed！
I have Three Treasures；
Guard them and keep them safe：
the first is Love。
The second is； Never too much。
The third is； Never be the first in the world。
Through Love； one has no fear；
Through not doing too much； one has amplitude
（of reserve power）；
Through not presuming to be the first in the world；
One can develop one's talent and let it mature。
If one forsakes love and fearlessness；
forsakes restraint and reserve power；
forsakes following behind and rushes in front；
He is doomed！
For love is victorious in attack；
And invulnerable in defense。
Heaven arms with love
Those it would not see destroyed。 ？？
？？
？？？？
áùê？°？？？
？？？？é？？aê？？？￡？2？？？？￡é？？？？？￡？2？？…？￡é？ê¤μ？？？￡？2？ó？？￡é？ó？è？？？￡？？a？？？？？￡ê？？？2？？ù？？μ？￡？ê？？？ó？è？？？á｜￡？ê？？？？？ìì￡？1？？？？？？￡
？？？？The brave soldier is not violent；
？？？？The good fighter does not lose his temper；
？？？？The great conqueror does not fight （on small issues）；
？？？？The good user of men places himself below others。
？？？？… This is the virtue of not…contending；
？？？？Is called the capacity to use men；
？？？？Is reaching to the height of being
？？？？Mated to Heaven； to what was of old。
六十九章
用兵有言：「吾不敢为主，而为客；不敢进寸，而退尺。」是谓行无行，攘无臂，执无兵，乃无敌矣。祸莫大于轻敌，轻敌几丧吾宝。故抗兵相若，哀者胜矣。
There is the maxim of military strategists；
I dare not be the first to invade； but rather be the invaded。
Dare not press forward an inch； but rather retreat a foot。
That is； to march without formations；
To roll up the sleeves；
To charge not in frontal attacks；
To arm without weapons。
There is no greater catastrophe than to underestimate the enemy。
To underestimate the enemy might entail the loss of my treasures。
Therefore when two equally matched armies meet；
It is the man of sorrow who wins。
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。夫唯无知，是以不我知。知我者希，则我者贵。是以圣人被褐而怀玉。
My teachings are very easy to understand
and very easy to practice；
But no one can understand them and
no one can practice them。
In my words there is a principle。
In the affairs of men there is a system。
Because they know not these；
They also know me not。
Since there are few that know me；
Therefore I am distinguished。
Therefore the Sage wears a coarse cloth on top
And carries jade within his bosom。
七十一章
知不知，上，不知不知，病。圣人不病，以其病病，是以不病。
Who knows that he does not know is the highest；
Who （pretends to） know what he does not know is sick…minded。
And who recognizes sick…mindedness as sick…mindedness
is not sick…minded。
The Sage is not sick…minded。
Because he recognizes sick…mindedness as sick…mindness；
Therefore he is not sick…minded。
七十二章
民不畏威，则大威至。无狎其所居，无厌其所生。夫唯不厌，是以不厌。是以圣人自知不自见，自爱不自贵。故去彼取此。
When people have no fear of force；
Then （as is the mon practice） great force descends
upon them。
Despise not their dwellings；
Dislike not their progeny。
Because you do not dislike them；
You will not be disliked yourself。
Therefore the Sage knows himself； but does not show himself；
Loves himself； but does not exalt himself。
Therefore he rejects the one （force） and
accepts the other （gentility）。
七十三章
勇于敢，则杀，勇于不敢，则活。此两者，或利或害。天之所恶，孰知其故？天之道，不争而善胜，不言而善应，不召而自来，姗然而善谋。天网恢恢，疏而不失。
Who is brave in daring （you） kill；
Who is brave in not daring （you） let live。
In these two；
There is some advantage and some disadvantage。
（Even if） Heaven dislikes certain people；
Who would know （who are to be killed and） why？
Therefore even the Sage regards it as a difficult question。
Heaven's Way （Tao） is good at conquest without strife；
Rewarding （vice and virtue） without words；
Making its appearance without call；
Achieving results without obvious design。
The heaven's net is broad and wide。
With big meshes； yet letting nothing slip through。
七十四章
民不畏死，奈何以死惧之？若使民常畏死，而为奇者，吾得执而杀之，孰敢？常有司杀者杀。夫代司杀者杀，是谓代大匠斫。夫代大匠斫者，希有不伤其手矣。
The people are not afraid of death；
Why threaten them with death？
Supposing that the people
are afraid of death；
And we can seize and kill the unruly；
Who would dare to do so？
Often it happens that the executioner is killed。
And to take the place of the executioner
Is like handling the hatchet for the master carpenter。
He who handles the hatchet for the master carpenter
seldom escapes injury to his hands。 ？？
？？
？？？？
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？？？？？？？？？￠￡？ò？？？é？ê3？°？？？à￡？ê？ò？？￠？￡？？？？2？？？￡？ò？？？é？？？ó？？a￡？ê？ò？2？？？？￡？？？？？á？à￡？ò？？？é？？óéú？？o？￡？ê？ò？？á？à？￡·ò？¨？？ò？éú？a？？￡？ê？？íóú1óéú？￡
？？？？When people are hungry；
？？？？It is because their rulers eat too much tax…grain。
？？？？Therefore the unruliness of hungry people
？？？？Is due to the interference of their rulers。
？？？？That is why they are unruly。
？？？？The people are not afraid of death；
？？？？Because they are anxious to make a living。
？？？？That is why they are not afraid of death。
？？？？It is those who interfere not with their living
？？？？That are wise in exalting life。
七十六章
人之生也柔弱，其死也坚强。草木之生也柔脆，其死也枯槁。故坚强者死之徒，柔弱者生之徒。是以兵强则灭，木强则折，强大居下，柔弱居上。
When man is born； he is tender and weak；
At death； he is hard and stiff。
When the things and plants are alive； they are soft
and supple；
When they are dead； they are brittle and dry。
Therefore hardness and stiffness are the panions of
death；
And softness and gentleness are the panions of life。
Therefore when an army is headstrong； it will lose in a battle。
When a tree is hard； it will be cut down。
The big and strong belong underneath。
The gentle and weak belong at the top。
七十七章
天之道，其犹张弓欤？高者抑之，下者举之，有馀者损之，不足者补之。天之道，损有馀而补不足。人之道，则不然：损不足以奉有馀。孰能有馀以奉天下？唯有道者。是以圣人为而不恃，功成而不居，其不欲见贤。
The Tao （way） of Heaven；
Is it not like the bending of a bow？
The top es down and the bottom…end goes up；
The extra （length） is shortened； the insufficient （width）
is expanded。
It is the way of Heaven to take away from those that have too much
And give to those that have not enough。
Not so with man's way：
He takes from those that have not
And gives it as tribute to those that have too much。
Who can have enough and to spare to give to the entire world？
Only the man of Tao。
Therefore the Sage acts； but does not possess；
Acplishes but lays claim to no credit；
Because he has no