73.
Silent victory
The courage to dare leads to death,
The courage not to dare leads to life.
A discord:
One feeds,
The other harms.
What does or does not contradict Heaven,
Who can say for sure?
Even the wise cannot be certain.
The way of Heaven isn’t conflicted,
Yet always shines in victory.
It doesn't speak,
Yet it gives all the answers.
Uncalled,
Yet present.
In calm self-reliance,
Yet everything planned out.
The net of Heaven is gigantic and vast.
Widely knotted,
Yet impenetrable.
勇於敢則殺，
勇於不敢則活。
此兩者，
或利或害。
天之所惡，
孰知其故？
是以聖人猶難之。
天之道，
不爭而善勝，
不言而善應，
不召而自來，
繟然而善謀。
天網恢恢，
踈而不失。
☯️
74.
Lethal death
How can you threaten people who are not afraid
of dying with death?
If you continuously threaten people with death,
Who, oh who, dares to be the executioner,
Of murderers?
There have always been official executioners.
Therefore, if you replace the official executioners,
Then this is what we call:
Cutting down the big woodcutter.
And isn't it true that when the chopper is
replaced,
Few don't hurt their hands?
民不畏死，
奈何以死懼之？
若使民常畏死，
而為奇者，
吾得執而殺之，
孰敢？
常有司殺者殺。
夫司殺者，
是大匠斲；
夫代大匠斲者，
希有不傷其手矣。
☯️
75.
Burdens
People starve when the grain,
Is overbought by officials.
Therefore:
A people who fuss too much,
Is simply the result of interference.
Therefore:
A people who can deal with death,
Is because they strive for the fullness of life.
Verily,
The things in life that haven’t been forced are
worth more,
Than everything you have squeezed out of life.
民之飢，
以其上食稅之多，
是以飢。
民之難治，
以其上之有為，
是以難治。
民之輕死，
以其求生之厚，
是以輕死。
夫唯無以生為者，
是賢於貴生。
☯️
76.
Subtle power
People are born soft and supple.
When people die, they become hard and rigid.
Everything that lives,
Animals and plants,
Are soft and supple at birth,
And at death dry and withered.
Hardness and rigidity therefore,
Have become the associates are of death.
Softness and fragility,
The companions of life.
Once army troops become rigid,
Victory falls away.
Once trees get rigid,
They must be taken down.
Grandeur and whimsy below,
Softness and fragility remain above.
人之生也柔弱，
其死也堅強。
萬物草木之生也柔脆，
其死也枯槁。
故堅強者死之徒，
柔弱者生之徒。
是以兵強則不勝，
木強則共。
強大處下，
柔弱處上。
☯️
77.
The way of nature
Is the way of Heaven,
Not like stretching out a bow?
The highest things it takes down.
The lowest things it lifts up.
Whatever has abundance it reduces.
Whatever is lacking, it compensates.
The way of heaven is:
Reduce abundance,
And supplement shortages.
The way of men is,
Not quite the same.
They decrease when there is a shortage,
And sacrifice even more of that which is in
abundance.
But who has so much abundance,
To be able to sacrifice to the whole world?
So, there are only those who follow the Dao.
The wise act without claiming.
They achieve their goals but don't stop there.
Without the urge to considered better.
天之道，
其猶張弓與？
高者抑之，
下者舉之；
有餘者損之，
不足者補之。
天之道，
損有餘而補不足。
人之道，
則不然，
損不足以奉有餘。
孰能有餘以奉天下，
唯有道者。
是以聖人為而不恃，
功成而不處，
其不欲見賢。
☯️
78.
The wisdom of water
In the whole world,
There’s nothing more delicate and soft,
Than water.
When it takes on hardness and firmness,
It is unparalleled.
Because there's nothing that can replace it.
What is weak overcomes what is strong.
What is soft overcomes what is hard.
No one in the world can comprehend.
Nobody can copy it.
A wise saying is this:
Who bears the shame of the community,
Receives the name of Lord of Grain and Altars.
Whoever bears the calamities of the community,
Receives the name of the world's king.
Words of truth,
Seem like a paradox.
天下莫柔弱於水，
而攻堅強者莫之能勝，
其無以易之。
弱之勝強，
柔之勝剛，
天下莫不知，
莫能行。
是以聖人云：
受國之垢，
是謂社稷主；
受國不祥，
是謂天下王。
正言若反。
☯️
79.
Blessed tolerance
A calmed anger,
Leaves traces of anger.
Is that something you would describe as,
Resolved?
Wise men sign their part of the contract,
Without asking a signature from the other party;
Inner strength also has such open contracts,
It is uncertainty that demands a signature.
The way of Heaven knows no side,
And constantly supports good people.
和大怨，
必有餘怨；
安可以為善？
是以聖人執左契，
而不責於人。
有德司契，
無德司徹。
天道無親，
常與善人。
☯️
80.
Simple living
The smaller a community,
The smaller the people.
Let people have tens, hundreds of rules,
Without ever using them.
Let people take death seriously,
And yet not deviate too far.
Although there are boats and carriages,
Do not have a reason to use them.
Though there are armor and weapons,
Let them have no reason to show them.
Let people return to knotting ropes,
And use them.
Sweet, their food.
Good, their clothes.
Peaceful, their home.
Happy, their habits.
Neighboring countries can see each other,
As dogs and roosters can hear each other,
And the people meanwhile are getting old,
And die,
Before having the chance to visit each other,
Once more.
小國寡民。
使有什伯之器而不用；
使民重死而不遠徙。
雖有舟輿，
無所乘之，
雖有甲兵，
無所陳之。
使民復結繩而用之，
甘其食，
美其服，
安其居，
樂其俗。
鄰國相望，
雞犬之聲相聞，
民至老死，
不相往來。
☯️
81.
Words of truth
True words don't always ring.
Ringing words are not always true.
It is a good disposition not to argue.
Arguing all the time is no good.
Those who realize are not always learned.
Those who are educated often do not realize.
The wise don’t hoard.
The more they do for others,
The more they have.
The more they give to others.
The more abundance they achieve.
The Way of Heaven:
Groom and don’t hurt.
The Way of the Sage:
Create and don’t compete.
信言不美，
美言不信。
善者不辯，
辯者不善。
知者不博，
博者不知。
聖人不積，
既以為人己愈有，
既以與人己愈多。
天之道，
利而不害；
聖人之道，
為而不爭。
☯️
