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Chapter 43

天下之至柔

天tiān下xià之zhī至zhì柔róu，
驰chí骋chěng天tiān下xià之zhī至zhì坚jiān。
无wú有yǒu入rù无wú间jiān。
吾wú是shì以yǐ知zhī无wú为wéi之zhī有yǒu益yì，
不bù言yán之zhī教jiào，
无wú为wéi之zhī益yì，
天tiān下xià希xī及jí之zhī。

a> The most pliant thing in the world will ride roughshod over the hardest. What comes out from where nothing is enters into what has no apertures.

b> Hence I know the advantage of non-action (wuwei). The wordless teaching and the advantage of non-action – few in the world attain to these.

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.