Chapter 57
"Rule a nation with justice.
Wage war with deception.
Become ruler of the world with peace.
How do I know that this is so?
Because of these.
The more laws and restrictions,
the poorer people become.
The sharper men's weapons,
the more trouble in the land.
The more ingenious and clever men,
the more strange things happen.
The more rules and regulations,
the more thieves and robbers.
Therefore, the sage says: I Wu-Wei,
people will rule themselves.
I enjoy peace and people become honest.
I do nothing special such as tax and war and people become rich.
I have no unjust desires for concubines or conquering.
People return to the good and simple life."
- Translated by Tienzen Gong, Chapter 57
"Govern a state by (i) the normal (cheng);
Conduct warfare as (i) the abnormal (ch'i);
Take the empire when (i) there is no business.
How do I know such should be the case?
By the following:
In an empire with many prohibitions,
People are often poor;
When people have many sharp weapons,
The state is in great darkness (tzu hun);
When persons abound in ingenuity (ch'iao),
Abnormal (ch'i) objects multiply (tzu ch'i);
When laws are abundantly promulgated (tzu chang),
There are many thieves and brigands.
Therefore the sage says:
I do not act (wei),
Hence the people transform by themselves (tzu-hua);
I love tranquillity (ching),
Hence the people are normal by themselves (tzu-cheng);
I have no business,
Hence the people grow rich by themselves;
I have no desire,
Hence the people are like the uncarved wood by themselves (tzu-p'u)."
- Translated by Ellen M. Chen, Chapter 57
"Albeit one governs the country by rectitude,
And carries on wars by strategems,
Yet one must rule the empire by meddling with no business.
The empire can always be ruled by meddling with no business.
Otherwise, it can never be done.
How do I know this is so?
By this:
The more restrictions and avoidances are in the empire,
The poorer become the people;
The more sharp implements the people keep,
The more confusions are in the country;
The more arts and crafts men have,
The more are fantastic things produced;
The more laws and regulations are given,
The more robbers and thieves there are.
Therefore the Sage says;
Inasmuch as I betake myself to non-action, the people of themselves become developed.
Inasmuch as I love quietude, the people of themselves become righteous.
Inasmuch as I make no fuss, the people of themselves become wealthy.
Inasmuch as I am free from desire, the people of themselves remain simple."
- Translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 57
以正治國.
以奇用兵.
以無事取天下.
吾何以知其然哉.
以此天下多忌諱, 而民彌貧.
民多利器, 國家滋昏.
人多伎巧, 奇物滋起.
法令滋彰, 盜賊多有.
故聖人云.
我無為而民自化.
我好靜而民自正.
我無事而民自富.
我無欲而民自樸.
- Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 57
yi chêng chih kuo.
yi ch'i yung ping.
yi wu shih ch'ü t'ien hsia.
wu ho yi chih ch'i jan tsai.
yi tz'u t'ien hsia to chi hui, erh min mi p'in.
min to li ch'i, kuo chia tzu hun.
jên to chi ch'iao, ch'i wu tzu ch'i.
fa ling tzu chang, tao tsê to yu.
ku shêng jên yun.
wo wu wei erh min tzu hua.
wo hao ching erh min tzu chêng.
wo wu shih erh min tzu fu.
wo wu yü erh min tzu p'u.
- Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 57
"In government, objectives are clarified.
In warfare, objectives are concealed.
In following the Tao, objectives are discarded.
How do I know that this is so?
By feeling it from within.
With every commandment thrust upon the people,
They become more impoverished and alienated.
As the weapons of the state grow ever more destructive,
The more contagious is the fear that desolates the nation.
The further science spreads its hegemony of the intellect,
The more demonic are the products that roll off the assembly line.
As the precedents of litigation grow, and the statutory codes accumulate,
The politicians and criminals will proliferate and flourish.
The counsel of the Sage is different:
Let your action lack force,
And there will be spontaneous transformation.
Let meditation guide you,
And the natural order will arise.
Abandon power-
Lead only by example and consensus,
And there will be abundance in the land.
Defeat desire, let innocence be your law,
And your nation will return
To its deepest, simple nature."
- Translated by Brian Donohue, 2005, Chapter 57
"Let the upright rule the state,
And the crafty the army lead,
But the realm can only be made one' s own
When from active scheming freed.
How do I know this is so?
By facts that are open to all,
As you multiply prohibitive laws
The people into poverty fall.
You increase disorder as well,
When you increase the weapons of war,
And the more and more artful and cunning men
grow,
The more and more crafty contrivance they
show,
And the more laws and more thieves there are.
Said the sage, I do nothing, and men
Of themselves transformed will be,
I love to keep still, they have uprightness,
I do no scheming, and wealth they possess,
I have no ambition, and plain-mindedness
Will come spontaneously."
- Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 57
- Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 57
Se lucha en la guerra con tácticas extraordinarias.
Pero solo con la no-interferencia se ganará el mundo.
¿Cómo lo sé?
Porque he visto esto:
Cuantas más restricciones se imponen y más artificiales
son los tabúes que hay en el mundo,
más se empobrece la gente.
Cuantas más armas y soldados existen,
mas desorden y conflicto hay en el reino.
Cuanto más oportunistas son los hombres,
mas cosas nefastas ocurren.
Cuanta más prominencia se dá a las leyes y regulaciones,
más ladrones y bandidos aparecen.
Por eso el sabio dice:
Yo no causo interferencia,
y así el pueblo por sí mismo progresa.
Yo fomento la quietud,
y así el pueblo por sí mismo prospera.
Yo no emprendo ningún negocio,
y así el pueblo por sí mismo se enriquece.
Yo nada deseo,
y así el pueblo por sí mismo retorna a la sencillez."
- Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 57
"The righteous man may rule the nation.
The strategic man may rule the army.
But the man who refrains from active measures should be the king.
How do I know this?
When the actions of the people are controlled by prohibited laws, the country becomes more and more impoverished.
When the people are allowed the free use of arms, the Government is in danger.
The more crafty and dexterous the people become, the more do artificial things come into use.
And when those cunning arts are publicly esteemed, then do rogues prosper.
Therefore the wise man says:-
I will design nothing: and the people will shape themselves.
I will keep quiet; and the people will find their rest.
I will not assert myself; and the people will come forth.
I will discountenance ambition; and the people will revert to their natural simplicity."
- Translated by Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 57
Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching
Taoism: A Selected Reading List
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