Chapter 35 — The virtue of benevolence仁德

大象，天象之母也，不寒不溫不涼，故能包統萬物，無所犯傷，主若執之，則天下往也。

The great image is the mother of the images of heaven. It is neither cold nor warm nor cool, and so it wraps and holds the ten thousand things without violating or injuring any of them. When a ruler holds to it, all under heaven comes flocking.

執，守也。象，道也。聖人守大道，則天下萬民移心歸往之也。治身則天降神明，往來於己也。

To hold (執) is to keep. The image (象) is the Dao. When the sage keeps the great Dao, all the people under heaven turn their hearts and go over to him. And when he governs his own body, heaven sends down the spirit light (神明), which comes and goes within him.

無形無識，不偏不彰，故萬物得往而不害妨也。

It has no form and nothing to be recognized; it neither leans to a side nor shows itself. Hence, though the ten thousand things come flocking, it neither harms them nor hinders them.

萬民歸往而不傷害，則國家安寧而致太平矣。治身不害神明，則身安而大壽也。

When all the people come over and are neither hurt nor harmed, the state is at rest and reaches great peace. And when in governing the body one does not harm the spirit light, the body is at rest and the life is greatly long.

言道之深大，人聞道之言，乃更不如樂與餌，應時感悅人心也。樂與餌則能令過客止，而道之出言淡然無味，視之不足見則不足以悅其目，聽之不足聞則不足以娛其耳，若無所中然，乃用之不可窮極也。

This says that the Dao is deep and great, yet when people hear the words of the Dao it does not match music and fine food, which gladden the heart at the right moment. Music and fine food can make the passing traveler stop, but when the Dao comes out in words it is bland and without taste. Look at it and there is not enough to see, so it is not enough to please the eye; listen to it and there is not enough to hear, so it is not enough to delight the ear. It seems to fit nothing at all, yet when it is actually used, it cannot be exhausted or brought to an end.

餌，美也。過客，一也。人能樂美於道，則一留止也。一者，去盈而處虛，忽忽如過客。

Fine food (餌) means what is beautiful. The passing traveler is the One (一). When a person delights in the Dao and finds it beautiful, the One stays and halts with him. The One is what casts off fullness and dwells in emptiness; it is fleeting, like a traveler passing by.

道出入於口，淡淡非如五味有酸鹹苦甘辛也。

The Dao goes in and out of the mouth blandly; it is not like the five tastes, which have sour, salty, bitter, sweet, and pungent.

足，得也。道無形，非若五色有青黃赤白黑可得見也。

Enough (足) means to get. The Dao has no shape, so it is not like the five colors, which have blue, yellow, red, white, and black and can be seen.

道非若五音有宮商角徵羽可得聽聞也。

The Dao is not like the five notes, which have gong, shang, jue, zhi, and yu (宮商角徵羽) and can be heard.

既，盡也。謂用道治國，則國安民昌。治身則壽命延長，無有既盡之時也。

Used up (既) means exhausted. This says that when the Dao is used to govern a state, the state is at rest and the people flourish; and when it is used to govern the body, the life span is lengthened, and there is no time at which it is exhausted and gone.