by An Liu
and one piece for socks.
The cap is worn on the head,
but the socks are worn on the feet.
17.37
If you know yourself, you cannot be enticed by things.
If you understand life and death, you cannot be put off by danger.
Thus a good swimmer cannot be frightened by wading.
17.38
No blood relationship is closer than one’s own bones and flesh; they unite joints and connective tissue. But when the mind loses control over them, they can turn around and cause harm to oneself. How much more so is that true with more distant [relations].
17.39
The sage’s relation to the Way is like that of the sunflower to the sun. Although he does not begin and end with it, he faces it with utter sincerity.
17.40
The imperial reservoir overflows in times of flooding and dries up in times of drought, [but] the sources of the Yangzi waters are deep springs that cannot dry up.
17.41
An awning that is not framed cannot screen out the sun.
A wheel that is not spoked cannot turn fast.
Nonetheless, frames and spokes are not in themselves sufficient to be relied on.
17.42
Metal overcomes wood, but it is not possible to destroy a forest with a single knife.
Earth overcomes water, but it is not possible to plug the Yangzi with one clod of earth.
17.43
When a cripple sees a tiger and he does not run away, it is not due to his bravery but because his situation is not conducive to it.17
17.44
What is tilted readily overturns.
What is slanted readily topples.
A person who is close is readily helped.
A place that is damp readily [gets] rain.
17.45
When the rat is caught, the trap moves;
when the fish is hooked, the float jerks;
when the load is moved, the cart squeaks.
17.46
Straw dogs can stand, but they cannot walk.
The “snake-bed” plant resembles the miwu plant,18 but it cannot [give off] a scent.
17.47
No one who says
Xu You had no Potency
or Wu Huo had no strength
could fail to show disgrace in his face. No one fails to avoid revealing his own inadequacies.
17.48
Suppose the stride of a rabbit were made as big as that of a horse. It could keep up with the sun and pursue the wind. If [a rabbit] actually became [as big as] a horse, though, it would not be able to run at all.
17.49
In winter there might be thunder and lightning,
and in summer there might be frost and snow.
Nevertheless, the inherent tendencies of heat and cold do not change. Small differences are not enough to hinder constant principles.
17.50
The Yellow Emperor produced yin and yang.
Shang Pian produced ears and eyes;
Sang Lin produced shoulders and arms.19
Nüwa used these to carry out the seventy transformations.20
17.51
To talk all day, one would need the traits of a sage;
to hit a bull’s-eye a hundred times [in a row], one would need the skill of an [Archer] Yi or a Peng Meng.21
But the present era does not praise them; such adherence to standards is reviled.
17.52
Both the ox’s hoof and the pig’s skull are bone, but the world does not heat-crack them [for divination]. The reason why we must ask the tortoise if an outcome will be good or bad is because people have been doing so for years.
17.53
If you live near the Ao granary, you do not eat more because of it;
if you live close to the Yangzi or the Yellow River, you do not drink more because of it.22
You hope to fill your stomach; that is enough.
17.54
The orchid and the iris give forth their fragrance23 but never [live to] see the frost.
The owl24 evades the weapons [of his attackers], but his life ends in the fifth month.25
17.55
The tongue or the teeth—which decays first?
The spear handle or the blade—which dulls first?
The bowstring or the arrow—which snaps first?
17.56
The eel and the snake,
the silkworm and the caterpillar—
In appearance they belong to the same category. But how they are liked or disliked makes them different.
17.57
Jin used the Chuiji jade disk to acquire [the states of] Yu and Guo;26
the Rong chieftain Li used a beautiful woman to destroy the state of Jin.27
17.58
Deaf people cannot sing, for they have no means to imagine music.
Blind people cannot observe, for they have no means to discern things.
17.59
If you watch the archer, you will lose sight of his skill.
If you watch the calligrapher, you will lose sight of his passion.
If you focus on what is there [on the outside], you will lose sight of what is preserved [on the inside].
17.60
If nothing from ancient times could ever be improved, then solid wagon wheels would never [have evolved into] wheels with separate hubs.28
17.61
If you get a female musician to blow through the reed pipes
and [another] musician to put his fingers on the holes,
even though they might keep the beat, no one could stand to listen to it. [The music] would lack its ruling form.29
17.62
If you have the same illness as one who is dying, it will be difficult to be a good doctor [for him];
If you share the same Way as a state that is perishing, it will be difficult to make plans for it.
17.63
When you make rice for your guest but eat greens yourself, you [show that you] prize reputation more highly than reality.
17.64
A nursing bitch will bite a tiger;
a brooding hen will peck a fox.
When their [maternal] concern has been aroused, they do not take account of [relative] strengths.
17.65
What makes the shadow crooked is the [original] form;
what makes the echo distorted is the [original] sound.
When emotions are divulged, the inner [sentiment] is easy to infer;
when flowers are untimely, [their fruit] is inedible.
17.66
If you go to Yue,
you can go by boat
or go by carriage.
The routes are different, but the destination is the same.
17.67
Good-looking men do not [all] have the same body.
Beautiful women do not [all] have the same face.
But they all are pleasing to the eye.
Pears, oranges, dates, and chestnuts do not have the same flavor,
but they all are satisfying to the palate.
17.68
There are people who rob and get rich, but not all rich people are necessarily robbers.
There are people who are pure and poor, but not all poor people are necessarily pure.
17.69
Reed floss is like [silk] floss but cannot be used as floss (to pad winter clothing);
hemp [fiber] is not in the category of cloth, but it can be made into cloth.
17.70
If you come out of a forest, you cannot follow a straight path.
If you traverse a pass, you cannot tread [as straight as] a marking cord.
17.71
The means by which Yi shot far and pierced the center of small things was not the bow and arrow.
The means by which Zaofu drove fast and far was not the reins and bit.
17.72
The sea retains what it has expelled;30 thus it is expansive.
The wheel
returns where it has gone; thus it is far-reaching.
17.73
Mutton does not long for ants, but ants are drawn to mutton because it smells rank.
Pickling brine does not long for gnats, but gnats are drawn to pickling brine because it is sour.
17.74
By tasting a small piece of meat, you know the flavor of the whole cauldron.
By suspending a feather over hot coals, you know the dryness and humidity of the qi.31
By the small, you judge the large; by the near, you extrapolate the far.
17.75
A ten-qing reservoir can irrigate forty qing of land,32
[but] a one-qing reservoir cannot irrigate four qing of land.
The decrease in scale from large to small is like this.
17.76
Under the light of a bright moon you can see far, but you cannot write in minuscule.
On a very foggy morning you can write in minuscule, but you cannot see beyond a few feet.
17.77
An artist concerned about a single hair will lose sight of the face.
An archer who aims at a small [point] will miss the big [target].
17.78
To dig out a rat hole and ruin the village gate,
to burst a small pimple and erupt a great boil
resembles
a pearl with a defect,
a jade with a flaw:
Leave it alone and it will remain whole;
remove it and you will spoil it all.
17.79
A bird that builds a nest makes its home in the dense forest because it is safe.
An animal that digs a hole relies on a raised embankment because it is convenient.
17.80
Prince Qingji could run as fast as tailed deer and [ordinary] deer, and he caught rhinoceroses and tigers with his bare hands. Placed in a dark room, though, he could not even catch a tortoise or a turtle because conditions were not conducive to it.33
17.81
Tang banished his ruler and enjoyed a glorious reputation.
Cui Shu assassinated his prince and was greatly despised.
What they did was comparable; why they did it was different.
17.82
Lü Wang encouraged the old to be vigorous.
Xiang Tuo34 caused the young to be proud.
[People] admire those of [their own] kind.
17.83
What causes the leaves to fall is the wind that shakes them.
What causes the water to cloud are the fish that stir it.
17.84
The markings of tigers and leopards attract archers;
the agility of monkeys and apes brings hunters.35
17.85
Moving one chess piece is not sufficient to display your wisdom.
Plucking one string [of an instrument] is not sufficient to show your sorrow.
17.86
If a three-inch pipe has no stopper [in its lower end], the whole world cannot fill it.
If a ten-dan vessel has a stopper [in its drain hole], a hundred pecks will suffice.
17.87
Using a bamboo pole to measure the depth of the Yangzi River and, when the bamboo pole has reached its limit, considering that the water’s [depth] has been measured, is [truly] deluded.
17.88
Those who fish hasten to the deeps;
those who fell trees hasten to the mountains,
for [they know] what they hurry after will be there.
In the morning, people hasten to the market;
in the evening they stroll leisurely home,
for what they sought is gone.
17.89
Sable fur that is mottled cannot compare with fox fur that is uniform.36
A white jade disk with spots is not highly treasured.
This describes the difficulty in achieving purity.
17.90
The ghosts of those who died in battles hate spirit shamans;
robbers and thieves hate barking dogs.
17.91
It is easy to make sacrifices of millet and meat at an altar of the soil without a village;
it is easy to pray for prosperity at an altar of grain without a state.37
17.91a
A tortoise lacks hearing, but his sight cannot be fooled; its quintessence lies in its clear sight.
A blind musician lacks sight, but his hearing cannot be obstructed; his quintessence lies in his acute hearing.
17.92
The posthumous son does not yearn for his father, for there is no impression in his mind. He does not see his image as he dreams because he has never laid eyes on his form.
17.93
A cobra cannot grow legs;
tigers and leopards cannot be made to climb trees.38
17.94
A horse does not feast on lard;
a hawfinch does not peck up millet;
[but] not because they are abstemious.
17.94a
When Qin penetrated the Yao Pass, Wei built up its ramparts.
17.95
Starving horses in the stables are still and silent, but throw down some hay by their side and the covetous heart is born.
17.96
When you draw a bow and shoot, without the [whole] bowstring the arrow would not fly. But [the portion of] the bowstring that makes the shot is just one part in a hundred.
17.97
The Way and its Potency can be taken as a constant [model];
expediency cannot be taken as a constant [model].
Thus,
[someone who] slips through the pass [and flees the country] cannot be [allowed to] return;
an escaped prisoner cannot be rehabilitated.
17.98
A ring can be used to illustrate a circle, but it cannot necessarily be used as a wheel.
A silk cord can be used to make edging for a sandal, but it cannot necessarily be used as a ribbon.
17.99
The sun and the moon do not rise together.
Foxes do not form male twosomes.
The spirit dragon has no mate.
Fierce beasts do not form herds.
Birds of prey do not pair off.
17.100
If you follow a marking cord to cut [things], you will not make a mistake.
If you suspend a scale to weigh [things], you will not go wrong.
If you set up a gnomon to look into the distance, you will not be confused.39
17.101
If you subtract years [from your age], you will incur jealousy from your younger brother.
If you add years [to your age], you will incur suspicions from your elder brother.
Better just to follow principles and act according to what is suitable.
17.102
People do not see the dragon in flight. It can rise so high because the wind and rain serve it.
17.103
Where grubs proliferate, trees snap.
Where fissures widen, walls crumble.
17.104
Things that are hung up will eventually fall down.
Limbs that stick out will eventually break off.
17.105
If you endure freezing cold and do not die, you will not impair your sturdiness.
If you face scorching heat and do not suffer sunstroke, you will not lose your sturdiness.
But if you have never been unsturdy, you will lose your sturdiness.40
17.106
When a bath is prepared, the lice console one another;
When a large building is finished, swallows congratulate one another.
Sorrow and joy are far apart.
17.107
When Liuxia Hui41 saw the sweetmeats, he said, “[These] can nourish the elderly.”
When Robber Zhi saw the sweetmeats, he said, “[These] can grease the door bolt.”
What they saw was the same, but how they would use it was different.
17.108
The silkworm eat
s but does not drink. In thirty-two days it transforms.42
The cicada drinks but does not eat. In thirty days it sheds its skin.
The ant neither eats nor drinks. In three days she dies.
17.109
When people eat riverstones,43 they die; when silkworms eat them, they avert starvation.
When fish eat ba beans, they die; when rats eat them, they grow corpulent.
Correlative categories cannot necessarily be inferred.
17.110
Tile is made with fire, but you cannot get fire from it;
Bamboo grows in the water, but you cannot get water from it.
17.111
To scatter dust around and want to keep from getting dirty;
to wrap yourself in furs and fan yourself too;
—wouldn’t it be better just to wear appropriate clothes?
17.112
Dry bamboo has fire [within it], but without a fire drill it will not ignite;
within the earth there is water, but without a spring it will not emerge.
17.113
The maladies of oysters and elephants44 are the treasures of humankind. But human maladies—who would treasure them?
17.114
If you are so worried about the wine seller’s profits that you do not buy his wine, you will just go thirsty.
If you are so worried about the chariot driver’s profits that you do not hire his chariot, you will not reach your destination.
If you seize fire to throw it at someone else, you will be burned first instead.
17.115
If your neighbor’s mother died, you [would] go over to shed tears with him. But if your own wife died, you would not weep [publicly] because [people would] consider it a violation [of propriety].
17.116
In the Country of Naked People, in the western regions, birds and beasts [and people] do not avoid one another; together they all are as one.
17.117
If you grab a single piece of roasting meat, you will burn your fingers.
If you stand ten paces away from ten thousand dan of roasting meat, you will not burn to death.
Though the same with respect to their qi, they differ with respect to how much is amassed. [The difference between] great and small courage is like this.