Chapter 64

其安易持

Chapter Translation

其qí安ān易yì持chí，

其qí未wèi兆zhào易yì谋móu，

其qí脆cuì易yì泮pàn，

其qí微wēi易yì散sàn，

为wéi之zhī于yú未wèi有yǒu，

治zhì之zhī于yú未wèi乱luàn。

合hé抱bào之zhī木mù，

生shēng于yú毫háo末mò；

九jiǔ层céng之zhī台tái，

起qǐ于yú累lěi土tǔ；

千qiān里lǐ之zhī行xíng，

始shǐ于yú足zú下xià。

为wéi者zhě拜bài之zhī，

执zhí者zhě失shī之zhī，

是shì以yǐ圣shèng人rén无wú为wéi，

故gù无wú败bài，

无wú执zhí，

故gù无wú师shī。

民mín之zhī从cóng事shì，

常cháng于yú几jī成chéng而ér败bài之zhī；

慎shèn终zhōng如rú始shǐ，

则zé无wú败bài事shì。

是shì以yǐ圣shèng人rén欲yù不bù欲yù，

不bù贵guì难nán得dé之zhī货huò；

学xué不bù学xué，

复fù众zhòng人rén之zhī所suǒ过guò。

以yǐ辅fǔ万wàn物wù之zhī自zì然rán，

a> When things are at rest they are easy to maintain; when situations have not yet emerged they are easy to plan for. When brittle, things are easy to split; when minute things are easy to disperse.

Deal with things before they occur; order things before they are disordered.

b> A tree trunk several arm spans round was born of the tiniest seed. Towers nine stories high rise from foundations of piled earth. A journey of a thousand li begins with the first footfall.

c> He who acts, fails; he who grasps, loses.

Therefore the sage takes no action (wuwei) and hence has no failure, does no grasping and hence takes no loss.

d> When people pursue an undertaking, it is always at the point of success that they ruin it. Attend at the end as you did at the start and you will have no failures.

e> Therefore, the sage desires not to desire and does not value goods hard to come by; he learns not to learn and redeems the errors of the masses.

Assisting the things of the world to be as they are in themselves, he dares not act.

A modern classroom translation, with labeled subsections for study.