To cherish oneself

The people not are afraid of the dreadful,

the great dreadful will come, indeed!

Do not render narrow their place where they dwell.

Do not make wearisome their place where they live.

Now only when not they are made wearisome,

thereby not they are wearisome.

Therefore the holy man himself knows,

not himself he regards.

Himself cherishes not himself he treasures.

Therefore he discards the latter

chooses the former.

 

Knowledge's disease

To know the unknowable is high.

Not to know the knowable is sickness.

Now only by being sick of sickness,

thereby not we are sick.

The holy man not is sick.

Because he is sick of sickness.

therefore not he is sick.

Of knowing difficulty

My words very easy to understand,

very easy to practise.

In the world no one can understand,

no one can practise.

Words have an acestor.

Business actions have a master,

Just as he is not known,

therefore not I am known.

Who know me those ones are rare.

On that account I am honorable.

Therefore the holy man wears wool

hides inside gems.

 

Of the mysterious, the functions

An expert of war has the saying:

I not dare to become a host,

but become a guest.

Not I dare to advance an inch but withdraw a foot.

This is called marching the not-marching,

threatening without arms,

charging without hostility,

seizing without weapons.

Evil none greater than making light the enemy.

By making light of the enemy

we will lose our treasures.

Therefore matched armies mutually encounter,

the weaker one conquers, indeed.

 

Comply with heaven

 

Well excels as a warrior,

the one is not warlike.

Well fights

the one is not wrathful.

Well conquers the enemy,

the one is not quarrelsome.

Well employs the people,

the one renders himself lowly.

This is called not-quarreling's virtue.

This is called the employing of men's ability.

This is called complying with Heaven.

Since olden times the most perfect.

Three treasures

In the world all call me great,

I resemble the unseeming.

Now only one is great

because one resembles the unseeming.

If one were unseeming,

how long would be, indeed,

his mediocrity.

Now, I have three treasures.

I preserve and treasure them.

The first is called compassion.

The second is called economy.

The third is called not daring 

to be in the world's foremost compassionate,

therefore he can be brave.

economical, therefore he can be generous.

not dares to be in the world's foremost,

therefore he can be perfected as vessels of profit.

Now if discard compassion and are brave,

they discard economy and are generous,

they discard being behind and go to the front,

they will die indeed.

However they are compassionate, 

thereby in battles then they will conquer.

Thereby in the defence then they will be firm.

Heaven, when about to help them,

with compassion will protect them.

 

To put behind oneself

 

Rivers seas the reason why they can become of the hundred valleys' the kings,

that because they can lower themselves.

Therefore they can become of the hundred valleys the kings.

Therefore the holy man wishing to be above the people;

surely in his words keeps below them.

Wishing to feed the people,

surely with his person keeps behind them.

Therefore the holy man dwells above,

yet the people not feel the burden.

He dwells as a leader yet the people not suffer harm.

Therefore the world rejoices in exalting and not tires.

Because he not quarrels,

therefore in the world none can with him quarrel.

Simplicity virtue

 

In olden times,
Well who practised reason, the ones,
did not thereby enlighten the people,

will thereby make simple-hearted them.

The people in their being difficult to govern because they cleverness much.

With cleverness to govern a country is the country's curse.

Not with cleverness to govern a country is the country's blessing.

Who knows these two things also a pattern a model.

Always to know the pattern the mode

this is called profound virtue.

Profound virtue is deep indeed.

Far-reaching indeed.

To things the reverse, indeed.

Thus obtains to great obedience.

Mind the insignificant

That is at rest easily is kept quiet.

That not yet has appeared easily is prevented.

That is feeble easily is broken.

That is scanty easily is scattered.

Treat them while not yet exist.

Administer them while not yet they are in disorder.

With both arms can be embraced

a tree grows from a tiny rootlet.

Of nine stories 

a tower rises from accumulating clay.

Of ten thousand miles

a journey begins with a foot beneath.

Makes the one mars it.

Seizes of the one loses it.

The holy man not makes,

therefore not he mars.

Not he seizes,

therefore not he loses.

The people in their pursuing business,

always at the approach of competition,

yet fail it.

Be careful to the end as well as at the beginning

then not fail in business.

Therefore the holy man desires non-desires.

Not he esteems difficult obtainment the treasures.

He learns not-learnedness.

He returns to all people's what they passed by,

thereby he asists the ten thousand things their natural development,

but not he dares to make.

Consider the beginning

Do the not-doing.

Practice the not-practising

Taste the not-tasting.

Make great the small

render many the few.

Respond to hatred with virtue.

Contemplate a difficulty while it is easy.

Manage a great thing while it is small.

The world's difficult affairs surely arise from easiness.

The world's great affairs surely originate from smallness.

Therefore the holy man to the end not plays the great.

Therefore he can accomplish his greatness.

Now, as rash promises surely are lacking faith,

many things are easy,

surely many things will be difficult

Therefore the holy man even difficult it.

Therefore to the end he has not difficulties.

 

Practise reason

The rational man the ten thousand things their asylum,

the good man their treasure,

the not-good man's that which he holds fats to.

Beautiful words one can thereby sell.

Noble deeds one can thereby accomplish more with the people.

A man his not-goodness why thrown away he is?

Therefore was elected heaven's son

were appointed three ministers.

Though having reverently in hand as a screen

thereto riding with four horses,

not equalled by sitting still propounding this reason?

The ancient their reason why they esteemed this reason, that is:

What, indeed?

Is it not say that if sought then it is obtained?

He who has sin thereby can be saved?

Therefore it becomes the world's honor.

 

Humility's virtue

A great state, one that downwards flows,

the empire's union,

the empire's wife.

The female always by quietude conquers the male,

by quietude she makes lowly,

thus a great state by stooping to small states,

on that account conquers the smaller states.

Smaller states by stooping to great states,

on that account conquer great states.

Therefore some stoop to conquer,

others stoop and conquer.

Great states not more wish to unite feed the people.

Small states not more wish to enter to serve the people.

Now both ones, each one in its way gain

they that which they wish.

the greater one properly must make itself lower.