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Chapter 26 — The virtue of weight重德

Daodejing (The Classic of the Way and Virtue) 道德經 · Laozi, with commentaries by Wang Bi and Heshang Gong · 4th–3rd century BC (Wang Bi's commentary, 3rd century AD) · 4 passages · 47 Chinese characters · reading time 0.2 min

Daodejing (The Classic of the Way and Virtue) Daojing (The Classic of the Way) Eighty-one chapters, five thousand characters. The silk manuscripts that came out of the tombs differ in their characters from the recension in use today, so there are many places where the reading of one and the same passage divides. Wang Bi reads the book as philosophy; Heshang Gong reads it as governing and the nurture of life.

1The heavy is the root of the light

重為輕根，靜為躁君。

The heavy is the root of the light. The still is the lord of the restless.

note 3
王弼

凡物輕不能載重，小不能鎮大。不行者使行，不動者制動，是以重必為輕根，靜必為躁君也。

In general, what is light cannot carry what is heavy, and what is small cannot hold down what is great. What does not travel is what makes things travel, and what does not move is what governs movement. This is why the heavy must be the root of the light, and the still must be the lord of the restless.

河上公

人君不重則不尊，治身不重則失神，草木之花葉輕，故零落，根重故長存也。

If a ruler is not weighty, he is not honored; and if one is not weighty in governing the body, one loses the spirit. The flowers and leaves of grass and trees are light, and so they fall; the root is heavy, and so it long endures.

河上公

人君不靜則失威，治身不靜則身危，龍靜故能變化，虎躁故夭虧也。

If a ruler is not still, he loses his authority; and if one is not still in governing the body, the body comes into danger. The dragon is still, and so it can transform; the tiger is restless, and so it is cut short early.

2He does not leave the baggage cart

是以聖人終日行不離輜重。

So the sage travels all day and does not leave the baggage cart.

note 2
王弼

以重為本，故不離。

Because he takes the heavy as his root, he does not leave it.

河上公

輜，靜也。聖人終日行道，不離其靜與重也。

Zi (輜) means stillness. The sage practices the Way all day long, and still does not leave that stillness and weight.

3Though there are splendid sights

雖有榮觀，燕處超然。

Though there are splendid sights, he stays at ease and above them.

note 2
王弼

不以經心也。

He does not set his heart on them.

河上公

榮觀，謂宮闕。燕處，后妃所居也。超然，遠避而不處也。

The splendid sights (榮觀) means the palace. Staying at ease (燕處) is where the queen and the consorts live. Being above them (超然) is to keep far away and not stay there.

4Being light, he loses the root

奈何萬乘之主，而以身輕天下？輕則失本，躁則失君。

How could the lord of ten thousand chariots hold himself lighter than all under heaven? Being light, he loses the root. Being restless, he loses his place as lord.

note 5
王弼

輕，不鎮重也，失本，為喪身也，失君，為失君位也。

Qing (輕) is not being able to hold down what is heavy. To lose the root is to lose one's body, and to lose the lord is to lose one's place as lord.

河上公

奈何者，疾時主傷痛之辭。萬乘之主謂王。

"How could it be" is a phrase spoken in hatred and pain over the ruler of that time. The lord of ten thousand chariots (萬乘) means the king.

河上公

王者至尊，而以其身行輕躁乎。疾時王奢恣輕淫也。

The king is most exalted, and yet does he carry his own person lightly and restlessly? It is hatred of how the king of that time was extravagant and willful, light and licentious.

河上公

王者輕淫則失其臣，治身輕淫則失其精。

If the king is light and licentious, he loses his ministers; and if one is light and licentious in governing the body, one loses one's vital essence.

河上公

王者行躁疾則失其君位，治身躁疾則失其精神也。

If the king acts restlessly, he loses his place as lord; and if one is restless in governing the body, one loses one's spirit.

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