jesterswilde
DAO DE JINGHome

Chapter 24

企者不立

企qǐ者zhě不bù立lì;
跨kuà者zhě不bù行xíng;
自zì见jiàn者zhě不bù明míng;
自zì是shì者zhě不bù彰zhāng;
自zì伐fá者zhě无wú功gōng;
自zì矜jīn者zhě不bù长cháng。
其qí在zài道dào也yě,曰yuē:
馀yú食shí赘zhuì形xíng。
物wù或huò恶wù之zhī,
故gù有yǒu道dào者zhě不bù处chù。

One on tiptoe cannot stand; one whose legs are spread cannot walk.

One who shows himself cannot be bright; one who asserts himself cannot shone; one who praises himself can be meritorious; one who boasts of himself cannot endure.

For the Dao, these are called “excess store and superfluous acts.” Things detest them; therefore, the man of the Dao does not abide in them.

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.