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Chapter 23

希言自然

希xī言yán自zì然rán。
故gù飘piāo风fēng不bù终zhōng朝zhāo，
骤zhòu雨yǔ不bù终zhōng日rì。
孰shú为wéi此cǐ者zhě？
天tiān地dì。
天tiān地dì尚shàng不bù能néng久jiǔ，
而ér况kuàng于yú人rén乎hū？
故gù从cóng事shì于yú道dào者zhě，
同tóng于yú道dào；
德dé者zhě，
同tóng于yú德dé；
失shī者zhě，
同tóng于yú失shī。
同tóng于yú道dào者zhě，
道dào亦yì乐lè得dé之zhī；
同tóng于yú德dé者zhě，
德dé亦yì乐lè得dé之zhī；
于yú失shī者zhě，
失shī亦yì乐lè得dé之zhī。
信xìn不bù足zú焉yān，
有yǒu不bù信xìn焉yān。

To be sparse in speech is to be spontaneous. Thus wind squalls do not outlast the morning and teeming rain does not outlast the day. Who causes these? Heaven and earth. Even heaven and earth cannot long persist thus, how much less can man. Those who follow the Dao are alike in Dao with others who follow the Dao, are alike in virtue with others who have virtue, are alike is loss with others who have loss. Alike in Dao with others who follow the Dao - he delights indeed in grasping the Dao; alike in virtue with others who have virtue - he delights indeed in having virtue; alike in loss others who have loss - he delights indeed in having loss. Where faithfulness is insufficient there is unfaithfulness.

A modern classroom translation, with labeled subsections for study.

© 2010, 2016, 2019 Robert Eno. Freely available for personal use and not-for-profit educational settings. For other purposes, apart from fair use, copyright is not waived.