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Chapter 26

重为轻根

重zhòng为wéi轻qīng根gēn，
静jìng为wéi躁zào君jūn。
是shì以yǐ君jūn子zǐ终zhōng日rì行xíng不bù离lí辎zī重zhòng。
虽suī有yǒu荣róng观guān，
燕yàn处chǔ超chāo然rán。
奈nài何hé万wàn乘shèng之zhī主zhǔ，
而ér以yǐ身shēn轻qīng天tiān下xià？
轻qīng则zé失shī根gēn，
躁zào则zé失shī君jūn。

a> Heaviness is the root of lightness; tranquility is the lord of haste.

b> Therefore, to the day’s end the traveling sage never leaves his laden carts. Though beside lavish towers, he stays by them all aloof.

c> How could the ruler of a thousand chariot state take his own body as of lesser weight than the world?

d> To be light is to lose the root; to be hasty is to lose one’s lord.

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.