Lao Tzu for Everyone
Students, Scholars,
& Seekers
Chinese-English Interlinear
Peter Gilboy, Ph. D.
regarding the characters
used in this translation.
Lesson 19
Finding the 道 Way
絕jué
(糹thread + 卩person kneeling + 刀 knife)
cut off, sever, terminate
Seeking the Way is like seeking something that we already hold in our hand. There is nothing we can do to find it. But there is much to 无wú 為wéi "not do."
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Interlinear
Line 1
Do away with sageliness.
Abandon cleverness.,
And the people will
benefit a hundredfold.
絕jué 聖shēng 棄qì 知zhī
cut off/sever sage abandon know
民mín 利lì* 百bǎi 倍bèi
the people sharp 100 many-fold
Cut off sageliness and abandon knowing,
the people will be advantaged 100 fold.
No one can "become" a sage. Our own personal 道 way, our 自zì 然rán or authentic self is already with us. That is our sagehood. Uncover it, and sagely wisdom and action appear on their own. Our "not doing," or 无wú 為wéi, is our only part in this.
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*利lì, "sharp" is used here as it sometimes is in English, meaning to "have an edge," and to "benefit."
Line 2
Do away with kindness!
Abandon righteousness!
And the people will
return to their national affections.
絕jué 仁rén 棄qì 義yì
cut off humanity abandon righteous
民mìn 復fù 孝xiào 慈
the people return filial piety compassion
Cut off humanity, abandon righteous,
the people will return to filial compassion.
In the last lesson we saw that 仁rén kindness and 義yì righteousness are Confucian virtues to be actively cultivated. These are noble goals and they will certainly benefit the family and society.
But our need to cultivate kindness and righteousness is also a confession that we are not yet kind and not yet righteous, and therefore they must be cultivated.
For Lao Tzu, no such cultivation is necessary. We are originally kind and we originally understand right action. All the virtues are present to us now. Just 復fù return to what we already are, and all the rest will follow.
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Line 3
Do away with cunning!
Abandon favoritism!
And there will be
no more robbers and thieves.
絕jué 巧qiǎo 棄qì 利lì
cut off skill abandon sharp
盜dào 賊zéi 无wú 有yǒu
rob outlaw not have have/exist
End craftiness and abandon advantage,
and robbers and outlaws cease to be.
"Cunning" is the cleverness we use in order to get our way. "Favoritism" is also in the service of one's personal advantage.
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Line 4
These three are
valuable sayings,
and yet they are not enough
in themselves.
此cǐ 三sān 言yán 也yě
this three say (part.)
以yǐ 為wéi 文wén* 未wèi 足zú
(regard as) learning not yet sufficient.
Country is confused and disordered,
guided by loyal ministers.
“These three” obviously refer to the first three lines. While fine as far as they go, they are still insufficient.
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*文wén, has a number of meanings, including "literature," “writing,” “refine,” “embellishment,” and “pattern.”
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Line 5
So it is necessary
to add this:
故gù 令lìng 之zhī 有yǒu 所suǒ 屬chǔ
therefore command (pron.) have that which attach
Therefore, order it to be attached:
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Line 6
See the pure.
Embrace the simple.
Make less of yourself.
Have few desires.
見jiàn 素
see unadorn/plain
抱bào 樸pú
embrace uncarved wood
少shǎo 私sī*
few, deficient me/personal
而ér 寡guǎ 欲yù
and sparse desire
See the plain
Embrace the uncarved wood
lesson your person
and decrease desire.
Wisdom is so simple that we overlook it. That’s why this final line is so crucial, and so simply stated.
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*私sī , “me," "personal," can also refer to one’s personal affairs and personal benefits. With the negative, 無wú "not have" 私sī "myself," it can refer to being unselfish, altruistic, and selfless. See Lesson 7, line 6 for the only other appearance of this character, used there, according to Wang Bi, in the sense of having no personal goals.
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