Chapter 59
"To govern men and to serve heaven nothing is better than to have a reserve.
The Master indeed has a reserve; it is called brilliant foresight.
Brilliant foresight is called the increasing abundance of Teh.
If you have an ever-increasing abundance of Teh , then your Inner Life is unconquerable.
If you Inner Life in unconquerable, then its limits cannot be known.
If you cannot gauge the limits of your Inner Life, then you shall surely possess the kingdom.
If you possess the Mother of the kingdom,
You shall endure forever.
This is to be deep rooted and to have a firm foundation.
The possessor of Tao shall have enduring life and infinite vision."
- Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 59
"To rule men and serve heaven, there is nothing like thrift.
Now,
Only through thrift can one be prepared;
Being prepared means having a heavy store of integrity;
With a heavy store of integrity, he can overcome everything.
Able to overcome everything, no one knows his limits;
If no one knows his limits, he can have the kingdom;
Having the mother of the kingdom, he can long endure.
This is called "sinking roots firm and deep, the Way of long life and lasting vision.""
- Translated by Victor Mair, Chapter 59
"To lead men and serve heaven, weigh the worth
Of the one source:
Use the single force
Which doubles the strength of the strong
By enabling man to go right, disabling him to go wrong,
Be so charged with the nature of life that you give your people birth,
That you mother your land, are the fit
And ever-iving root of it:
The seeing root, whose eye is infinite."
- Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 59
治人事天, 莫若嗇.
夫唯嗇, 是謂早服.
早服謂之重積德.
重積德, 則無不克.
無不克, 則莫知其極.
莫知其極, 可以有國.
有國之母, 可以長久.
是謂深根固柢, 長生久視之道.
- Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 59
zhi ren shi tian, mo ruo se.
fu wei se, shi wei zao fu.
zao fu wei zhi zhong ji de.
zhong ji de, ze wu bu ke.
wu bu ke, ze mo zhi qi ji.
mo zhi qi ji, ke yi you guo.
you guo zhi mu, ke yi chang jiu.
shi wei shen gen gu di, chang sheng jiu shi zhi dao.
- Hanyu Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 59
"There is nothing better than moderation
for teaching people or serving Heaven.
Those who use moderation
are already on the path to the Tao.
Those who follow the Tao early
will have an abundance of virtue.
When there is an abundance of virtue,
there is nothing that can not be done.
Where there is limitless ability,
then the kingdom is withing your grasp.
When you know the Mother of the kingdom,
then you will be long enduring.
This is spoken of as the deep root and the firm trunk,
the Way to a long life and great spiritual vision."
- Translated by J. H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 59
"Para gobernar al pueblo en armonía con el Universo,
lo mejor es la moderación.
La moderación implica renunciar a intereses personales.
Quien consigue pronto la moderación,
acumula mucha virtud.
Con la virtud acumulada,
vencerá en todo.
Venciendo en todo,
llegará a límites insospechados.
Al no guiarse por límites se puede ser un gran guía.
Un gran guía puede poseer la Madre del reino, y
puede ser perdurable en ello.
El Tao implica adquirir raíces profundas y bases firmes.
Esto conlleva a una larga vida con la visión de la Mutación Perpetua."
- Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 59
"In governing the country and serving Heaven
There is nothing like frugality.
Only by being frugal can you recover quickly.
When you recover quickly you accumulate virtue.
Having accumulated virtue,
There is nothing you can't overcome.
When there is nothing you can't overcome
Who knows the limits of your capabilities?
These limits being unfathomable
You can possess the country.
The Mother who possesses the country can be long-living.
This is called "planting the roots deeply and firmly.""
- Translated by Charles Muller, Chapter 59
Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching
Taoism: A Selected Reading List
