Chapter 20 — Unlike the world異俗

下篇，為學者日益，為道者日損。然則學求益所能，而進其智者也，若將無欲而足，何求於益。不知而中，何求於進。夫燕雀有匹，鳩鴿有仇，寒鄉之民，必知旃裘，自然已足，益之則憂。故續鳧之足，何異截鶴之脛，畏譽而進，何異畏刑。唯阿美惡，相去何若？故人之所畏，吾亦畏焉，未敢恃之以為用也。

A later chapter says, "Do learning and you add day by day; do the Dao and you take away day by day." If so, learning is seeking to add to what one can do and to push one's cleverness forward. If one has no wants and is already content, what would one seek to add? If one hits the mark without knowing, what would one seek to push forward? Swallows and sparrows have their mates and pigeons have their mates, and the people of a cold country are sure to know fur. Being so of itself, one is already content, and to add is to make grief. So how is stretching a duck's legs different from cutting a crane's shanks, and how is pressing forward in dread of praise different from dread of punishment? How far apart are a respectful yes and a careless yes, the beautiful and the hateful? So what others fear I too fear, and I dare not trust it and use it.

絕學不真，不合道文。

To cut off here is to cut off the learning that is not true and does not accord with the Dao.

除浮華則無憂患也。

Pare away flighty ornament and there is no worry.

同為應對而相去幾何。疾時賤質而貴文。

Both are words of answering, so how far apart can they be? This hates how the people of that time slighted plain substance and prized ornament.

善者稱譽，惡者諫諍，能相去何如。疾時惡忠直，用邪佞也。

The good is a word of praise, while the hateful is contending with straight words; so how different can they be? This hates how the people of that time disliked the loyal and upright and used crooked flatterers.

人謂道人也。人所畏者，畏不絕學之君也。不可不畏，近令色，殺仁賢。

Others here means those who practice the Dao. What they fear is a ruler who has not cut off learning. One cannot but fear him, because such a ruler keeps fair-faced men close and puts the good and worthy to death.

歎與俗相返之遠也。

He sighs at how far he has turned away from the common world.

或言世俗人荒亂，欲進學為文，未央止也。

It also says that the people of the world are wild and disordered, pressing on into learning and wanting to make ornament, so that there is nowhere it stops.

眾人迷於美進，惑於榮利，欲進心競，故熙熙如享太牢，如春登臺也。

The crowd is dazzled by fine advancement and led astray by glory and gain, and their hearts contend to press forward. That is why it says they are merry, as if enjoying a great feast, as if climbing a terrace in spring.

熙熙，放淫多情欲也。

Xixi (熙熙) is overflowing as one pleases, with many thoughts and wants.

如飢思太牢之具，意無足時也。

They are like a starving man thinking of the food at a great feast; their hearts are never content.

春，陰陽交通，萬物感動，登台觀之，意志淫淫然。

In spring yin (陰) and yang (陽) pass into each other and all things stir in response, and to climb a terrace and look at this makes the mind brim over.

我獨怕然安靜，未有情慾之形兆也。

I alone am plain and still, with no sign yet of thoughts or wants.

言我廓然無形之可名、無兆之可舉，如嬰兒之未能孩也。

It means that I am wide open, with no shape that could be named and no sign that could be raised, like a newborn that cannot yet smile.

如小兒未能答偶人時也。

It is like a child who cannot yet answer in keeping with what others say.

我乘乘如窮鄙，無所歸就。

I am as if being carried along, like a man from a remote village, with no place to go back to and stay.

若無所宅。

As if there were no house to stay in.

眾人無不有懷有志，盈溢胸心，故曰，皆有餘也。我獨廓然無為無欲，若遺失之也。

The crowd do not lack what they hold and what they aim at, and it fills their breasts to overflowing. That is why it says they all have plenty. I alone am wide open, with no doing and no wanting, as if I had lost something.

眾人餘財以為奢，餘智以為詐。

The crowd use their surplus goods for extravagance and their surplus cleverness for deceit.

我獨如遺棄，似於不足也。

I alone seem cast aside, and so I look wanting.

絕愚之人，心無所別析，意無所好欲，猶然其情不可覩我頹然若此也。

A person whose foolishness is utter has nothing in his heart that he splits and divides, and nothing in his aims that he likes and longs for. Even so his mind cannot be spied out, and I am like this, as if fallen in on myself.

不與俗人相隨，守一不移，如愚人之心也。

I do not follow the people of the world, but keep to the one (一) and do not shift; this is like the heart of a fool.

無所別析，不可為明。

There is nothing he splits and divides, so he cannot be called bright.

無所分別。

There is no picking apart and dividing.

耀其光也。

They flash their light.

明且達也。

They are bright, and they are well versed.

如闇昧也。

I seem dark and far off.

分別別析也。

They pick apart and divide.

察察，急且疾也。

Chacha (察察) is being urgent and quick.

情不可覩。

His mind cannot be spied out.

悶悶，無所割截。

Menmen (悶悶) is having nothing that one cuts off and divides.

我獨忽忽，如江海之流，莫知其所窮極也。

I alone am dim, like the flow of the rivers and the sea, and no one knows where it ends.

我獨漂漂，若飛若揚，無所止也，志意在神域也。

I alone drift, as if flying and as if blown, with nowhere that I stop; my mind is in the place of the spirit (神).

無所繫縶。

He is tied to nothing.

以，用也。皆欲有所施用也。

Yi (以) means to use. They all wish to have something to hand out and put to use.

以，有為也。

Yi is having something one does.

無所欲為，悶悶昏昏，若無所識，故曰頑且鄙也。

Having nothing he wants, he seems closed in and dim, as if he knew nothing. That is why it says he is slow and coarse as well.

我獨無為。

I alone have nothing that I do.

鄙，似若不逮也。

Bi (鄙) is seeming not to reach.

食母，生之本也。人者皆棄生民之本，貴末飾之華，故曰我獨欲異於人。

Shimu (食母), the mother who gives milk, is the root that bears and rears. People all throw away the root that keeps the people alive and hold dear the flower that adorns the tip. That is why it says I alone wish to differ from others.

我獨與人異也。

I alone differ from others.

食，用也。母，道也。我獨貴用道也。

Shi (食) is using, and mu (母) is the Dao. I alone hold dear the using of the Dao.