Chapter 29 — Doing nothing無為
1All under heaven is a sacred vessel
將欲取天下而為之，吾見其不得已。天下神器，
If someone wishes to take all under heaven and work upon it, I see that it cannot be done. All under heaven is a sacred vessel,
note 5
神，無形無方也。器，合成也。無形以合，故謂之神器也。
The sacred (神) is what has neither form nor quarter, and a vessel (器) is what is put together and completed. It is put together by having no form, and so it says a sacred vessel.
欲為天下主也。
He wished to become the lord of all under heaven.
欲以有為治民。
He wished to govern the people by forced action.
我見其不得天道人心已明矣，天道惡煩濁，人心惡多欲。
I see that it is already plain he will not gain the way of heaven or the hearts of people. The way of heaven hates what is troublesome and turbid, and the human heart hates what is full of desire.
器，物也。人乃天下之神物也，神物好安靜，不可以有為治。
A vessel is a thing. People are the numinous things of all under heaven. Numinous things love what is at peace and still, and so they cannot be governed by forced action.
2Work upon it and you ruin it
不可為也，為者敗之，執者失之。
and it cannot be worked upon. One who works upon it ruins it. One who grasps it loses it.
note 3
萬物以自然為性，故可因而不可為也。可通而不可執也。物有常性，而造為之，故必敗也。物有往來而執之，故必失矣。
The ten thousand things take what is so of itself as their nature, so they can be followed but cannot be worked upon, and they can be let through but cannot be grasped. Things have a constant nature, and because one makes something up and works upon them, one is sure to ruin them. Things have their coming and going, and because one tries to grasp them, one is sure to lose them.
以有為治之，則敗其質性。
Govern them by forced action and you ruin their substance and their nature.
強執教之，則失其情實，生於詐偽也。
Hold them down by force and teach them, and their true state is lost and deceit and pretense arise.
3He puts away excess, extravagance, and grandness
故物或行或隨，或歔或吹。或強或羸，或挫或隳。是以聖人去甚，去奢，去泰。
So things go ahead or follow, breathe out or blow. They are strong or they are frail, they break or they fall. That is why the sage puts away excess, puts away extravagance, and puts away grandness.
note 6
凡此諸或，言物事逆順反覆，不施為執割也。聖人達自然之至，暢萬物之情，故因而不為，順而不施。除其所以迷，去其所以惑，故心不亂而物性自得之也。
All these words "or" say that things and affairs go against and go along, turn over and come round again, and that one neither hands out and works upon them nor grasps and cuts them apart. The sage reaches the utmost of what is so of itself and sees clear into the real state of the ten thousand things. This is why he follows and does not work upon, goes along and does not hand out. He does away with what makes people stray and puts aside what deludes them. This is why his heart is not thrown into disorder, and the nature of things is gained of itself.
上所行，下必隨之也。
When those above act, those below are sure to follow.
呴，溫也。吹，寒也。有所溫必有所寒也。
Xu (呴) is warmth. Chui (吹) is cold. Where there is something warm, there is sure to be something cold.
有所強大，必有所贏弱也。
Where there is something strong and great, there is sure to be something frail and weak.
載，安也。隳，危也。有所安必有所危，明人君不可以有為治國與治身也。
Zai (載) is being at peace. Hui (隳) is being in peril. Where there is something at peace, there is sure to be something in peril; this makes plain that a ruler cannot govern the state or govern their own person by forced action.
甚謂貪淫聲色。奢謂服飾飲食。泰謂宮室臺榭。去此三者，處中和，行無為，則天下自化。
Shen (甚) speaks of a greedy excess in sound and color. She (奢) speaks of dress and of eating and drinking. Tai (泰) speaks of palace halls and lofty houses. Put these three away, dwell in what leans to neither side, and practice non-action, and all under heaven is transformed of itself.