Chapter 41 |
上士聞道,勤而行之;中士聞道,若存若亡;下士聞道,大笑之,不笑不足以為道。故建言有之,明道若昧,進道若退,夷道若纇,上德若谷,大白若辱,廣德若不足,建德若偷,質真若窬,大方無隅,大器晚成,大音希聲,大象無形,道隱無名,夫唯道,善貸且成。 |
shang shi wen dao, qin er xing zhi |
Those who have top abilities of perception will diligently abide by dao after they have heard about it. |
zhong shi wen dao, ruo cun ruo wang |
Those who have average abilities of perception will be jumping between certainty and uncertainty about dao after they have heard about it. |
xia shi wen dao, da |
Those who have low abilities of perception will laugh about dao after they have heard about it. If they do not laugh, it will not be dao at all. |
gu jian yan you zhi |
There is some advice for enlightenment by dao. |
ming dao ruo mei |
Enlightenment by dao is deemed as dim as possible to begin with. |
jin dao ruo tui |
Enlightenment by dao is deemed to retreat as the way to advance. |
yi dao ruo lei |
Enlightenment by dao is deemed to clear away obstacles by untying knots. |
shang de ruo gu |
The leader’s de should be as vast as a valley. |
da bai ruo ru |
The magnificent nobility of such a leader is as if it were disgraceful. |
guang de ruo bu zu |
Enrich your de as if it is never enough. |
jian de ruo tou |
Establish your de unnoticeably as if you were doing a stealthy manoeuvre. |
zhi zhen ruo yu |
Its nature is so unquestionable even if using some unorthodox way to advance. |
da fang wu yu |
The magnificent direction is without directive and boundary. |
da qi wan cheng |
The magnificent social device will take time to accomplish. |
da yin xi sheng |
Its magnificent sound is too thin to be heard. |
da xiang wu xing |
Its magnificent appearance is formless. |
dao yin wu ming |
Dao is hidden in the world beyond knowledge. |
fu wei dao, shan dai |
Applying dao well enough is already half way to success. |