Chapter 28 — Back to the uncarved log反朴

雄，先之屬；雌，後之屬也。知為天下之先也，必後也，是以聖人後其身而身先也。谿不求物而物自歸之，嬰兒不用智而合自然之智。

The male (雄) belongs to what goes first, and the female (雌) belongs to what comes after. He knows that to be first under heaven one must come after. This is why the sage puts his own body behind and his body comes first. A stream does not seek things out, and yet things come home to it of themselves; a newborn child uses no wisdom, and yet it fits the wisdom that is so of itself.

雄以喻尊，雌以喻卑。人雖自知其尊顯，當復守之以卑微，去雄之強梁，就雌之柔和，如是則天下歸之，如水流入深谿也。

The male stands for what is high, the female for what is low. Though a man knows himself to be high and conspicuous, he ought to keep himself again in what is low and slight, letting go the male's forcefulness and going toward the female's softness. When he is like this, all under heaven comes home to him, as water flows into a deep ravine.

人能謙下如深谿，則德常在，不復離於己。

If a man can lower himself and be humble like a deep ravine, the virtue is always there and does not leave him again.

當復歸志於嬰兒，惷然而無所知也。

He ought to turn his mind back again to the newborn child, simple and knowing nothing.

式，模則也。

Shi (式) is a pattern to follow.

白以喻昭昭，黑以喻默默。人雖自知昭昭，明白當復守之以默默，如闇昧無所見，如是則可為天下法式，則德常在。

The white stands for what is bright, the black for what is silent. Though a man knows himself to be bright, he should keep that brightness again in silence, as if he were in the dark and saw nothing. When he is like this, he can be the pattern of all under heaven, and the virtue is always there.

忒，差也。

Te (忒) means to go astray.

人能為天下法式，則德常在於己，不復差忒。

If a man can be the pattern of all under heaven, the virtue is always with him and does not go astray again.

不可窮也。

It cannot be exhausted.

德不差忒，則常生久壽，歸身於無窮極也。

When the virtue does not go astray, he lives on and enjoys long years, and he turns his body back to what has no limit.

此三者，言常反終，後乃德全其所處也。下章云，反者道之動也。功不可取，常處其母也。

These three say that one always returns to the end, and only by coming after does virtue keep whole the place where it dwells. A chapter below says, "Turning back is the movement of the Dao." Merit cannot be taken, and so one always dwells with the mother.

榮以喻尊貴，辱以喻污濁。人能知己之有榮貴，當復守之以污濁，如是則天下歸之，如水流入深谷也。

Glory stands for what is high and honored, disgrace for what is soiled and murky. When a man knows that he has glory and honor, he ought to keep himself again in what is soiled and murky. When he is like this, all under heaven comes home to him, as water flows into a deep valley.

足，止也。人能為天下谷，則德乃常止於己。

Zu (足), to be enough, is to come to rest. If a man can be the valley of all under heaven, the virtue always rests with him.

復當歸身於質樸，不復為文飾。

He ought again to turn his body back to what is plain and unworked, and not adorn it.

樸，真也。真散則百行出，殊類生，若器也。聖人因其分散，故為之立官長。以善為師，不善為資，移風易俗，復使歸於一也。

Pu (樸), the uncarved log, is genuineness. When genuineness is broken up, all manner of conduct comes out and separate sorts arise, as with vessels. The sage follows their being divided and scattered, and so for their sake he sets up chiefs of the officials. He makes the good his teachers and the not good his stock, and shifts and changes the customs so as to bring them back again to the one.

器，用也。萬物之樸散則為器用也。若道散則為神明，流為日月，分為五行也。

Qi (器), a vessel, is use. When the plainness of the ten thousand things is broken up, it is used as vessels. So when the Dao is broken up it becomes the spirits, it flows out and becomes the sun and the moon, and it divides and becomes the five forces (五行).

聖人升用則為百官之元長也。

When the sage is raised up and put to use, he becomes the head of all the officials.

大制者，以天下之心為心，故無割也。

Great shaping is to make the heart of all under heaven one's own heart. This is why there is no cutting apart.

聖人用之則以大道制御天下，無所傷割，治身則以大道制御情欲，不害精神也。

When the sage uses this, he governs all under heaven by the great Dao, so that nothing is hurt or cut off; and when he orders his own body, he governs his feelings and desires by the great Dao, so that his spirit is not harmed.