Tao Te Ching

Chapter 67
[Original text]

The reason why Jianghai can be the king of a hundred valleys[1] is because of his goodness[2], so he can be the king of a hundred valleys.

Therefore, if a sage wants to be superior to the people[3], he must use his words to speak down;It is because the sage is in the top and the people are not important[4], and the people are in the front and the people are not harmful, so the world is happy to push[5] and never tire of it.Because it does not compete, the world cannot compete with it.

【Note】

[1] Valley: River.

[2] Below: under it.

[3] Shangmin: Being in the supremacy of the people means ruling the people.

[4] Ancestors: Leading the people and leading the people.

[5] Heavy: heavy burden, burden.

[6] Push: support.

【Analysis】

The reason why Jianghai can become a place where many rivers converge is because it is good at being in a low position.

Therefore, if a sage wants to rule the people, he must talk to them modestly; if he wants to lead the people, he must stand behind them.The sage stands above the people and leads them, and the people do not feel that their burden has become heavy; the sage leads the people in front of the people, and the people do not think that this will cause harm to them.Only with such a leader, the people will be happy to support him, and will not hate him.Because he doesn't fight for anything, no one in the world can compete with him for anything, but will spontaneously submit to him.

Lao Tzu described the relationship between "modestness" and "tolerance" through the relationship between a big country and a small country.Jianghai is in a low position, but it can gather hundreds of rivers, so it has achieved its own breadth and vastness.A country (the ruler of the country) should also follow the example of Jiang Hai and adopt a tolerant and humble attitude towards the people. Only in this way can a bigger country be achieved and the status of the king appear higher.

【Explanation by Famous Artists】

Mr. He Shang:
The rivers and seas are humble, so the crowds return to them. If the people return to the king, they are humble, so they can be the king of the hundred valleys.

Desire to be above the people.Fa Jianghai is humble.If you want to be before the people, you should put others first and then yourself.A sage is the master of the people, and does not abuse his dignity, so the people don't take it seriously.A sage is in front of the people, and does not hide his back with light, and the people are as close as parents, and have no desire to harm.The sage loves deeply and regards the people as innocent children, so the world is happy to advance together, and there is no one who will never tire of it.When the world is full of saints, it is because the saints do not compete with others.Those who speak to everyone do something, and those who do not compete with me do nothing.

(End of this chapter)