Daring to act

 

Courage, to daring then leads to death.

Courage to not-daring then leads to life.

These two things sometimes beneficial,

sometimes are harmful.

Heaven's what is hated by,

who knows its reason?

Therefore the holy man even deems difficult it.

Heaven's reason not quarrels yet well it conquers;

not it speaks yet well it responds;

not it summons yet itself it comes.

in a lenient manner,

yet good.

Heaven's net is vast,

so vast:

wide-meshed and yet not it loses.

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.