Tao Te Ching

Chapter 42
[Original text]

The sergeant [1] heard the Tao, and practiced it diligently;Don't laugh, it's not enough.

Therefore, it is suggested that [3] has:

The way of enlightenment is like ignorance, the way of advancement is like retreating, and the way of barbarians is like going back[4].

Superior virtue is like a valley, Guangde is not enough, Jian[5] virtue is like stealing[6], and quality is like authenticity[7].

Dabai Ruohu[8], Dafang Wuyu[9], late blooming.

The sound of the great sound is rare [10], the elephant is invisible, and the way is hidden and nameless.

Husband only follows the way, and good loans [11] will succeed.

【Note】

[1] Shangshi: A superior scholar refers to a person with high qualifications.

[2] Death: pass "forget", forget.

[3] Suggestion: the person who makes a statement.

[4] 颣 (lèi): Injustice.

[5] Jian: Tong "jian", healthy, robust.

[6] Steal: lazy, lazy.

[7] Yu: Dirty, turbid.

[8] Shame: dirty black.

[9] Corner: corners, corners.

[10] Xi Sheng: Silent.

[11] Loan: Borrowing, extended to give and help.

【Analysis】

After hearing the "Tao", people with high aptitude will practice hard; after hearing the "Tao", people with ordinary aptitude either remember or forget it;If it is not ridiculed by those who do not understand it, it is not enough to be called "Tao".

Therefore, the person who made the speech said:

The bright "Tao" seems dark and unclear, the advancing "Tao" seems to be retreating, and the flat "Tao" seems to be bumpy.

The sublime is like the valley, the vast is like the lack, the vigor is like laziness, and the simple is like filth.

Pure white is similar to dirty black, Fangzheng seems to have no edges and corners, and the most precious utensils are always fully formed last.

The loudest sound is silent, the biggest image has no shape, and the big road is always hidden and hard to see.

Only "Tao" is good at helping everything and accomplishing everything.

All the metaphors are to describe the "Tao", what does the "Tao" look like?In short, it must not be what it looks like on the surface, because it is mysterious and unusual.Only people with poor qualifications only look at the surface, and the false surface is often very different from the real inside, so those who can't see the "Tao" will think that the "Tao" is just like that, and it is even very ridiculous.

【Explanation by Famous Artists】

Mr. He Shang:
When the sergeant heard the truth, he worked hard and tried his best.The sergeant heard the Tao, governing the body for long-term existence and governing the country for peace, so he survived happily.Seeing wealth, sex and honor, confused by lust, and then dying.The corporal is greedy and lustful, and when he sees the Tao is weak, he calls it fear; when he sees the Tao is simple, he calls it humble, so he laughs.Not being laughed at by the corporals is not enough to be called Tao.

Build, build also.Assuming that there is a way to speak, it should be as follows:

A person who understands the way, if he is ignorant, he will see nothing.If you are aggressive, if you can't retreat.Yi, flat also.The people of the Dao are not different from each other, if they are more than the same.

A person of supreme virtue is like a deep valley, and he is not ashamed or dirty.A person with great virtue is not enough if he is stupid and stubborn.People who build morality, if they can secretly induce emptiness.A simple person is like five colors, and it is unclear if there is a shallowness.

If a person of great purity is filthy, he will not reveal himself.A generous and upright person has no wrongdoing and incorruptibility.A man of great skill is like a nine-potted hulian, and he cannot die.

The big sound is like thunder, waiting for the time to move, Yu Dang's love and hopeful words.A man of great dharma, simple and indescribable.The way is hidden, making people unable to name it.

Cheng, just also.Words are good at lending people's energy, and they are accomplished.

(End of this chapter)