Friday, February 15, 2019

Daodejing, Laozi, Chapter 28

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 28

"Who knows his manhood's strength,
Yet still his female feebleness maintains;
As to one channel flow the many drains,
All come to him, yea, all beneath the sky.
Thus he the constant excellence retains;
The simple child again, free from all stains.

Who knows how white attracts,
Yet always keeps himself within black's shade,
The pattern of humility displayed,
Displayed in view of all beneath the sky;
He in the unchanging excellence arrayed,
Endless return to man's first state has made.

Who knows how glory shines,
Yet loves disgrace, nor e'er for it is pale;
Behold his presence in a spacious vale,
To which men come from all beneath the sky.
The unchanging excellence completes its tale;
The simple infant man in him we hail.

The unwrought material, when divided and distributed, forms vessels.
The sage, when employed, becomes the Head of all the Officers of government.
In his greatest regulations he employs no violent measures."
-  Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 28  



"Who his manhood shows
And his womanhood knows
Becomes the empire's river.
Is he the empire's river,
He will from virtue never deviate,
And home he turneth to a child's estate.

Who his brightness shows
And his blackness knows
Becomes the empire's model.
Is he the empire's model,
Of virtue ne'er shall he be destitute,
And home he turneth to the absolute.

Who knows his fame
And guards his shame
Becomes the empire's valley.
Is he the empire's valley,
For e'er his virtue will sufficient be,
And home he turneth to simplicity."

Simplicity, when scattered, becomes a vessel of usefulness.
The holy man, by using it, becomes the chief leader;
And truly, a great principle will never do harm."
-  Translated by Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 28 





"He who is aware of the Male
But keeps to the Female
Becomes the ravine of the world.
Being the ravine of the world,
He has the original character (teh) which is not cut up.
And returns again to the (innocence of the) babe.
He who is conscious of the white (bright)
But keeps to the black (dark)
Becomes the model for the world.
Being the model for the world,
He has the eternal power which never errs,
And returns again to the Primordial Nothingness.
He who is familiar with honor and glory
But keeps to obscurity
Becomes the valley of the world.
Being the valley of the world,
He has an eternal power which always suffices,
And returns again to the natural integrity of uncarved wood.
Break up this uncarved wood
And it is shaped into vessel
In the hands of the Sage
They become the officials and magistrates.
Therefore the great ruler does not cut up."
-  Translated by Lin Yutang, 1948, Chapter 28  


知其雄, 守其雌, 為天下谿.
為天下谿, 常德不離, 復歸於嬰兒.
知其白守其黑, 為天下式.
為天下式, 常德不忒, 復歸於無極.
知其榮, 守其辱, 為天下谷.
為天下谷, 常德乃足, 復歸於樸.
樸散則為器.
聖人用之, 則為官長.
故大制不割.
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 28  




chih ch'i hsiung, shou ch'i tz'u, wei t'ien hsia ch'i.
wei t'ien hsia ch'i, ch'ang tê pu li, fu kuei yü ying erh.
chih ch'i pai shou ch'i hei, wei t'ien hsia shih.
wei t'ien hsia shih, ch'ang tê pu t'ê, fu kuei yü wu chi.
chih ch'i jung, shou ch'i ju, wei t'ien hsia ku.
wei t'ien hsia ku, ch'ang tê nai tsu, fu kuei yü p'u.
p'u san tsê wei ch'i.
shêng jên yung chih, tsê wei kuan ch'ang.
ku ta chih pu ko.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 28   



"The Nature of Opposites and Change ...
 Be aware of your masculine nature;
 But by keeping the feminine way,
 You shall be to the world like a canyon,
 Where the Virtue eternal abides,
 And go back to become as a child.
 Be aware of the white all around you;
 But remembering the black that is there,
 You shall be to the world like a tester,
 Whom the Virtue eternal, unerring,
 Redirects to the infinite past.
 Be aware of your glory and honor;
 But in never relinquishing shame,
 You shall be to the world like a valley,
 Where Virtue eternal, sufficient,
 Sends you back to the Virginal Block.
 When the Virginal Block is asunder,
 And is made into several tools,
 To the ends of the Wise Man directed,
 They become then his chief officers:
 For "The Master himself does not carve."
 -  Translated by Raymond Blackney, 1955, Chapter 28
 



"Know the male
But keep to the role of the female
And be a ravine to the empire.
If you are a ravine to the empire,
Then the constant virtue will not desert you
And you will again return to being a babe.
Know the white
But keep to the role of the sullied
And be a model to the empire.
If you are a model to the empire,
Then the constant virtue will not be wanting
And you will return to the infinite,
Know honour
But keep to the role of the disgraced
And be a valley to the empire.
If you are a valley to the empire,
Then the constant virtue will be sufficient
And you will return to being the uncarved block.
When the uncarved block shatters it becomes vessels.
The sage makes use of these and becomes the lord over the officials.
Hence the greatest cutting does not sever."
-  Translated by D. C. Lau, 1963, Chapter 28   


"Conociendo lo masculino, y convirtiendose en lo femenino,
Se llega a ser la vía a través de la cual se mueve el Mundo,
Estar unido a la virtud,
Y renacer de nuevo.

Conociendo la luz y convirtiendose en la oscuridad,
Uno se convierte en el Mundo,
Llegando a ser la virtud,
Y volviendo al Tao.

Conociendo el honor y siendo humilde,
Uno se convierte en el valle del Mundo,
Llenandose de la virtud,
Y siendo como un tronco no cortado.

Cuando el tronco es cortado se convierte en herramientas.
Usadas por el sabio, son poderosas;
Así pues, un buen carpintero no desperdicia madera."
-  Translated by Antonio Rivas Gonzálvez, 1998, Capitulo 28





"Be familiar with Masculinity but watch over Femininity - and become the Valley of the World.
Being the Valley of the World, invariant Te will not leave you.
Turn back to being an infant.
Be familiar with what is pure and white but watch over what is dark and black - and become the Pattern for the World.
Being the Pattern for the World, your invariant Te Will be constant.
Turn back to being limitless.
Be familiar with what is praiseworthy but watch over what is disgraceful - and become the Valley of the World.
Being the Valley of the World, your invariant Te will be sufficient.
Turn back to being an Uncarved Block.
When the Uncarved Block is cut up then it becomes a government tool.
When the Wise Person instead uses it then it becomes head of the government.
Yes: A great carver does no cutting, a great ruler makes no rules."
-  Translated by Michael LaFargue, 1992, Chapter 28   


Chapter 28 of the Tao Te Ching

Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching

English Language Translators' Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices


Taoism: A Selected Reading List

A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo on a Chapter of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes at least 16 different translations or interpolations of the Chapter in English, two Spanish translations, the Chinese characters for the Chapter, a Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin Romanization of the Mandarin Chinese words for the Chapter, recommended reading lists, a detailed bibliography; indexing by key words and terms for the Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization; some commentary, and other resources for the Chapter.







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