Chapter 49
圣人常无心
圣人常无心，
以百姓心为心。
善者，
吾善之；
不善者，
吾亦善之；
德善。
信者，
吾信之；
不信者，
吾亦信之；
德信。
圣人在天下，
歙歙焉，
为天下浑其心，
百姓皆注其耳目，
圣人皆孩之。
The sage has no constant mind: he takes the mind of the people as his mind. When I treat the good as good and I also treat those who are not good as good, my virtue is good. When I treat the faithful as faithful and I also treat the unfaithful as faithful, my virtue is faithful. The sage appears shut to the world, and towards the world he blanks his mind in a daze. The people all entrust their eyes and ears to him; he treats them as children.
A modern classroom translation, with labeled subsections for study.
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