5 When there is nothing you can’t overcome, no one knows where it will end.
6 When no one knows where it will end, you can possess the state.
7 And when you possess the mother of the state, you can last a very long time.
8 This is called [having] deep roots and a firm base,
9 It’s the Way of long life and long-lasting vision.
COMMENTS AND NOTES
The first two-thirds of the chapter (lines 1-6) no longer survive in Text A.
The standard text has “this is called” in line 2 where the Ma-wang-tui text has “therefore.” So it would read, “Only if you are sparing is this called early submission.”
[CHAPTER 60]
1 Ruling a large state is like cooking small fish.
2 When you use the Way to govern the world, evil spirits won’t have godlike power.
3 Actually, it’s not that evil spirits won’t have godlike power,
4 It’s that their power will not harm men.
5 But it’s not [just] that their power won’t harm men,
6 The Sage, also, will not harm them.
7 Since these two do not harm others,
8 Therefore their Virtues intermingle and return to them.
COMMENTS AND NOTES
Texts A and B are the same.
Kuei, my “evil spirits,” in popular religion are the “ghosts,” the souls of people who have died without descendants to provide for them, or the souls of people who have died untimely, sometimes violent, deaths. They cause all sorts of problems for the living.
In line 6 the standard text has “The Sage also will not harm men.” The Ma-wang-tui variant of “not harm them” (fu-shang) allows a number of interpretations of the last three lines. To whom does the “them” refer? Does it mean “men”? I think that it does and translate accordingly. But it might also refer back to the evil spirits, the point being that in the ideal state, the evil spirits would cause no harm to people, and the Sage, in like manner, would not do things harmful to these spirits. As a result, there is harmony in this state between spirits and men.
[CHAPTER 61, TEXT A]
1 The large state is like the lower part of a river;
2 It is the female of the world;
3 It is the meeting point of the world.
4 The female constantly overcomes the male with tranquility.
5 Because she is tranquil, therefore she is fittingly underneath.
6 The large state—if it is below the small state, then it takes over the small state;
7 The small state—if it is below the large state, then it is taken over by the large state.
8 Therefore some by being low take over,
9 And some by being low are taken over.
10 Therefore the large state merely desires to unite and rear others;
11 While the small state merely desires to enter and serve others.
12 If both get what they want,
13 Then the large state should fittingly be underneath.
COMMENTS AND NOTES
Text B is like the standard text in having a “therefore” at the start of line 6, and in line 10, Text B has “make stand side by side” (ping) in place of “unite” (chien). Text B, as with most other editions of the text, omits the word “state” from the last line.
The Ma-wang-tui version of this chapter differs significantly from what we find in the standard version of the text. To begin with, lines 2 and 3 are reversed, and line 4 in the Ma-wang-tui texts is grammatically more precise. More importantly, the meaning of line 7 is completely changed by the addition of the particle yü (here meaning “by”); the standard text of Lao-tzu here has “And if the small state is below the large state, then it takes over the large state.” In other words, in the standard version the chapter seems to describe a technique of statecraft that will succeed no matter who uses it—presumably what is being advocated is a crafty device of acting humbler and more lowly than one’s opponent and in this way drawing him off guard so that he can be defeated. That the Ma-wang-tui version of the chapter is the correct one is confirmed, however, even in the standard version of the text, in which lines 8 and 9 are the same as here.
If the chapter is not about devious statecraft, then there is no need to translate chien and ch’u in line 10 as “annex and herd others”—the words can mean good things—“unite and rear.” And in this way, what had appeared to be a bit of crafty advice now appears to be an appeal to the rulers of large states not to lord it over the small states they want to incorporate; they will be more successful by taking a humble approach.
[CHAPTER 62, TEXT A]
1 The Way is that toward which all things flow.
2 It is the treasure of the good man,
3 And that which protects the bad.
4 Beautiful words can be bought and sold;
5 Honored deeds can be presented to others as gifts;
6 [Even with] things that people regard as no good—will they be rejected?
7 Therefore, when the Son of Heaven is being enthroned or the Three Ministers installed,
8 Though you might salute them with disks of jade preceded by teams of four horses,
9 That’s not so good as sitting still and offering this.
10 The reason why the ancients valued this—what was it?
11 Did they not say, “Those who seek, with this will attain, and those who commit offenses, with this will escape”?!
12 Therefore, it’s the most valued thing in the world.
COMMENTS AND NOTES
Texts A and B are the same: most of line 10 is now missing in Text B.
In line 1 the standard text has “storehouse” or “treasured corner” (ao) where the Ma-wang-tui texts have “tendency” or “the way things flow” (chu). And in line 5 the standard text has “add on to” (chia) where the Ma-wang-tui texts have “present as a gift” (ho).
In line 7 the standard text has “Three Dukes” (san-kung) where the Ma-wang-tui texts have “Three Ministers” (san-ch’ing). On the latter title Hucker has—referring to the meaning of this title during the Chou—a “collective reference to the three eminent officials at the royal court entitled Minister of Education (ssu-t’u), of War (ssu-ma), and of Works (ssu-k’ung).” The “Three Dukes” were “ordinarily Grand Preceptor (t’ai-shih), Grand Mentor (t’ai-fu), and Grand Guardian (t’ai-pao).” It seems likely that the change from san-ch’ing to san-kung was made during the Han, when that title assumed greater importance.
Finally, in line 9, the standard texts add the word “Way” at the end; that is, “That’s not so good as sitting still and offering this Way.”
My interpretation of line 6 is, so far as I can tell, somewhat unique. But the thrust of lines 4-6 seems to be that if all of these things can be presented to others as gifts, then surely the Tao can be as well.
[CHAPTER 63, TEXT A]
1 Act without acting;
2 Serve without concern for affairs;
3 Find flavor in what has no flavor.
4 Regard the small as large and the few as many,
5 And repay resentment with kindness.
6 Plan for the difficult while it is easy;
7 Act on the large while it’s minute.
8 The most difficult things in the world begin as things that are easy;
9 The largest things in the world arise from the minute.
10 Therefore the Sage, to the end does not strive to do the great,
11 And as a result, he is able to accomplish the great;
12 Those who too lightly agree will necessarily be trusted by few;
13 And those who regard many things as easy will necessarily [end up] with many difficulties.
14 Therefore, even the Sage regards things as difficult,
15 And as a result, in the end he has no difficulty.
COMMENTS AND NOTES
On the Way’s lack of flavor (line 3), see below, chapter 35, lines 4 and 5.
Though Text A is not in good
shape, Text B is worse. Now missing from Text B are lines 2 to the middle of 7, parts of lines 8 and 9, all of lines 10 and 11, and parts of lines 14 and 15. There is a “period” at the start of line 1 in Text A.
The word “things” (shih) in lines 8 and 9 is explicit in other editions of the Lao-tzu, while it is simply implied in the Ma-wang-tui texts. Also, the standard text has a “necessarily” (pi) in lines 8 and 9 (that is, “necessarily begin as” and “necessarily arise from”).
[CHAPTER 64]
1 What is at rest is easy to hold;
2 What has not yet given a sign is easy to plan for;
3 The brittle is easily shattered;
4 The minute is easily scattered;
5 Act on it before it comes into being;
6 Order it before it turns into chaos.
7 A tree [so big] that it takes both arms to surround starts out as the tiniest shoot;
8 A nine-story terrace rises up from a basket of dirt.
9 A high place one hundred, one thousand feet high begins from under your feet.
10 Those who act on it ruin it;
11 Those who hold on to it lose it.
12 Therefore the Sage does not act,
13 And as a result, he doesn’t ruin [things];
14 He does not hold on to [things],
15 And as a result, he doesn’t lose [things];
16 In people’s handling of affairs, they always ruin things when they’re right at the point of completion.
17 Therefore we say, “If you’re as careful at the end as you were at the beginning, you’ll have no failures.”
18 Therefore the Sage desires not to desire and doesn’t value goods that are hard to obtain;
19 He learns not to learn and returns to what the masses pass by;
20 He could help all things to be natural, yet he dare not do it.
COMMENTS AND NOTES
There is a “period” at the head of line 1 in Text A. In line 9, Text A has “eight hundred feet” (pai-jen) where Text B has “one hundred, one thousand.” In line 16, Text A has “right at the point of completing affairs” (ch’eng-shih) in place of “completion” (ch’eng). And in line 17 in Text A the “we say” is omitted.
In line 7 the standard text has “grows from” (sheng) instead of “starts out as” (tso). In line 8 in the standard text the terrace rises up from “a pile of” (lei) dirt, while in the Ma-wang-tui text the word is “basket” (also lei).
Of greater importance, line 9 in most editions of the text is “The journey of a thousand li starts from where one stands,” though the Text A reading of “A high place of eight hundred feet” is attested in a few editions.
The “it” in “Those who act on it” in line 10 is omitted in other texts. And the “Therefore” or “Therefore we say” at the start of line 17 does not occur in other texts.
Finally, the meaning of the last line is clarified with the negative fu (“not ——-it”) in place of pu (“not——”); it seems clear that the point is that he could do this but he knows he dare not because such “action” would have adverse effects. The standard reading is rather “Thus he supports all things in their natural state but does not take any action.”
[CHAPTER 65]
1 Those who practiced the Way in antiquity,
2 Did not use it to enlighten the people.
3 Rather, they used it to make them dumb.
4 Now the reason why people are difficult to rule is because of their knowledge;
5 As a result, to use knowledge to rule the state
6 Is thievery of the state;
7 To use ignorance to rule the state
8 Is kindness to the state.
9 One who constantly understands these two,
10 Also [understands] the principle.
11 To constantly understand the principle—
12 This is called Profound Virtue.
13 Profound Virtue is deep, is far-reaching,
14 And together with things it returns.
15 Thus we arrive at the Great Accord.
COMMENTS AND NOTES
In line 1, Text A has “Therefore we say” (or “Therefore, it is said that”—ku-yiieh) “those who practice the Way,” which seems to suppose a connection between chapters 64 and 65. But this reading is unattested in other editions, and any connection between chapters 64 and 65 in terms of ideas is tenuous at best. Presumably the intended word is the same “antiquity” (ku) that begins Text B.
The word shan (“skilled at,” “good at”) is added to line 1 in the standard text—that is, it reads “Those who were good at practicing the Way in antiquity.”
In line 4 of the standard text, the reason why people are difficult to rule is that their knowledge is too great, or that they know too much (i ch’i chih to).
In lines 5 and 7, the Ma-wang-tui texts literally say, “To use knowledge to know the state” and “To use not-knowledge to know the state,” versus the standard reading of “To use knowledge to rule the state,” and so on. That is to say, the chih that means knowledge is used in both lines where the standard text has the chih that means “to rule.” But one of the meanings of chih (“to know”) is “to control” (chu) or “to manage” (wei), and this meaning occurs in relation to what one does to a state. It is in that sense that I understand chih in these lines.
Line 7 in the standard text differs syntactically from what we find in the Ma-wang-tui texts. The standard text says, “To not use knowledge (or “wisdom”—chih) …,” whereas the Ma-wang-tui texts have “To use not-knowledge …” (i.e., “use” and “not” are reversed). And in line 8 the standard text has “Is good fortune for the state” (fu) instead of “kindness” or “virtue” (te).
The “constantly” (heng) in line 9 is not found in the standard text, while the standard text has an additional “then” (jan-hou) at the start of line 15 that is omitted in the Ma-wang-tui texts.
Chapter 65, like chapters 3 and 5 below, can be read in two quite different ways in terms of how the Taoist ruler should rule. What do we make of the fact that he rules without using “knowledge”? Does this mean that he deprives people of education, in an attempt to have a populace of vegetables or automatons that will do his work and never question a thing? Or is the point rather that he recognizes that the premium placed on knowledge and wisdom by the Confucians has its bad side? Thus, what he wants to do away with is crafty, self-serving knowledge that does indeed make for bad relations in people.
[CHAPTER 66]
1 The reason why rivers and oceans are able to be the kings of the one hundred valleys is that they are good at being below them.
2 For this reason they are able to be the kings of the one hundred valleys.
3 Therefore in the Sage’s desire to be above the people,
4 He must in his speech be below them.
5 And in his desire to be at the front of the people,
6 He must in his person be behind them.
7 Thus he dwells above, yet the people do not regard him as heavy;
8 And he dwells in front, yet the people do not see him as posing a threat.
9 The whole world delights in his praise and never tires of him.
10 Is it not because he is not contentious,
11 That, as a result, no one in the world can contend with him?!
COMMENTS AND NOTES
In Text A, lines 7 and 8 are reversed. Also, the “whole” or “everyone” (chieh) in line 9 is omitted in Text A (as it is in the standard text): it just has “the world” (t’ien-hsia).
The standard text omits the words “the Sage’s” (sheng-jen chih) from line 3 and thus would read, “Therefore, if one desires to be above the people.” On the other hand, the standard text does say that it is the Sage who “dwells above,” and so on, in lines 7 and 8: “Thus the Sage dwells above, yet the people do not regard him as heavy.” An impressive number of texts agree with the Ma-wang-tui texts on these points and do not accord with the standard edition.
In the standard text, lines 10 and 11 form a statement instead of a question. They read, “Because he does not contend, Therefore, no one in the world can contend with him.”
[CHAPTER 80]
1 Let the states be small and people few—
2 Bring it about that there are weapons for “tens” and “hundreds,” yet let no one use them;
3 Have the people regard death gravely and put migrating far from their minds.
4 Though they might have boats and carriages, no one will ride them;
5 Though they might have armor and spears, no one will display them.
6 Have the people return to knotting cords and using them.
7 They will relish their food,
8 Regard their clothing as beautiful,
9 Delight in their customs,
10 And feel safe and secure in their homes.
11 Neighboring states might overlook one another,
12 And the sounds of chickens and dogs might be overheard,
13 Yet the people will arrive at old age and death with no comings and goings between them.
COMMENTS AND NOTES
There is a “period” at the start of line 1 in Text A. In line 3, Text A seems to say, “put seeing off (sung) far from their minds.” And in line 4 in Text A the words “carriages and boats” are reversed. Line 13 is now missing from Text A, as is most of line 6.
There is a military and a nonmilitary interpretation of the “tens” and “hundreds” in line 2, and most translators seem to prefer the latter (for example, Wing-tsit Chan has “Let there be ten times and a hundred times as many utensils.”) I am persuaded to read the “tens” and “hundreds” as designations of troops or platoons, and the “utensils” (ch’i) as “weapons” not because of new evidence in the Ma-wang-tui texts but rather because I find the argument that ties together lines 2 and 5 and 3 and 4 very convincing; that is, the “carriages and boats” would be used by people who want to migrate, and the armor and spears would be used by troops in battle.
Lao-Tzu- Te-Tao Ching Page 10