Chapter 17 — Simple ways淳風

太上，謂大人也。大人在上，故曰太上。大人在上，居無為之事，行不言之教，萬物作焉而不為始，故下知有之而已，言從上也。

Taishang (太上) means the great person. The great person is above, and so it says taishang. The great person is above and dwells in affairs without doing, and carries out the teaching without words; the ten thousand things rise, and he does not take himself as the one who began them. So those below only know that he is there, which is to say that they follow the one above.

太上，謂太古無名之君。下知有之者，下知上有君，而不臣事，質樸也。

Taishang means the nameless ruler of the far-off ancient days. That those below know he is there means that they know only that there is a ruler above them and do not serve him as subjects, for they are plain and unadorned in their grain.

其德可見，恩惠可稱，故親愛而譽之。

His virtue can be seen and his kindness can be named, and so they love him closely and praise him.

不能以無為居事，不言為教，立善行施，使下得親而譽之也。

He cannot dwell in affairs by not doing nor make his teaching out of not speaking, and so he sets up goodness and hands out favors, and those below come to draw near and praise him.

不復能以恩仁令物，而賴威權也。

He can no longer move things by kindness and benevolence, and leans on awe and power.

設刑法以治之。

He sets up punishments and laws and governs by them.

不能法以正齊民，而以智治國，下知避之，其令不從，故曰，侮之也。

He cannot make the people straight and even by law but governs the state by cleverness, so those below learn how to dodge and do not follow his orders. That is why it says they despise him.

禁多令煩，不可歸誠，故欺侮之。

His prohibitions are many and his orders are troublesome, so the people cannot return to a true heart, and therefore they cheat him and treat him with contempt.

夫御體失性，則疾病生；輔物失真，則疵釁作。信不足焉，則有不信，此自然之道也。已處不足，非智之所齊也。

When one governs the body and loses its nature, sickness arises; when one helps things along and loses what is true, flaws and cracks arise. Where trust runs short there is distrust: this is the Dao that is so of itself. Once one is already in the place of shortfall, it is not something cleverness can set even.

君信不足於下，下則應之以不信，而欺其君也。

When the ruler does not show those below trust enough, those below answer with distrust and deceive their ruler.

說太上之君，舉事猶，貴重於言，恐離道失自然也。

This speaks of the best of rulers. He hesitates in what he undertakes and holds his words dear, fearing that he may fall away from the Dao and lose what is so of itself.

自然，其端兆不可得而見也，其意趣不可得而覩也，無物可以易其言，言必有應，故曰悠兮其貴言也。居無為之事，行不言之教，不以形立物，故功成事遂，而百姓不知其所以然也。

What is so of itself shows no sign one can look at, and where its intent is heading cannot be spied out. There is nothing that could change his words, and when he speaks there is surely an answer; that is why it says how unhurried he is, how sparing of words. He dwells in affairs without doing and carries out the teaching without words, and does not set things up by their shapes; so the work is done and the task complete, and the people do not know how it came to be so.

謂天下太平也。

This speaks of great peace throughout the world.

百姓不知君上之德淳厚，反以為己自當然也。

The common people do not know that the ruler's virtue is deep and thick, and instead take it that they are so of themselves.