Chapter 45 — Vast virtue洪德

隨物而成，不為一象，故若缺也。

It completes by following things and does not hold to a single form, and so it seems flawed.

謂道德大成之君也。若缺者，滅名藏譽，如毀缺不備也。

This speaks of a ruler who has greatly completed the Dao and its virtue. To seem flawed is to erase one's name and hide one's praise, so that one appears broken and flawed, as though not fully furnished.

其用心如是，則無弊盡時也。

If one's use of mind is like this, there is never a time when it wears out and is spent.

大盈充足，隨物而與，無所愛矜，故若沖也。

Greatly full and well sufficient, it gives by following things and has nothing it grudges or boasts of, and so it seems empty.

謂道德大盈滿之君也。若沖者，貴不敢驕也，富不敢奢也。

This speaks of a ruler in whom the Dao and its virtue are greatly full. To seem empty is to be honored and yet not dare to be haughty, to be well off and yet not dare to be extravagant.

其用心如是，則無窮盡時也。

If one's use of mind is like this, there is never a time when it runs out and is exhausted.

隨物而直，直不在一，故若屈也。

It is straight by following things, so its straightness does not lie in any one thing, and so it seems bent.

大直，謂修道法度正直如一也。若屈者，不與俗人爭，若可屈折。

Great straightness means that one cultivates the Dao so that one's standards are upright and straight throughout. To seem bent is not to contend with worldly people, so that one looks as though one could be bent and broken.

大巧，因自然以成器，不造為異端，故若拙也。

Great skill follows what is so of itself to complete a vessel and makes up no other end, and so it seems clumsy.

大巧謂多才術也。若拙者，亦不敢見其能。

Great skill means having much talent and many arts. To seem clumsy is again not to dare to show what one is able to do.

大辯因物而言，己無所造，故若訥也。

Great eloquence speaks by following things and makes up nothing of its own, and so it seems halting.

大辯者，智無疑。若訥者，口無辟。

Great eloquence is wisdom without doubt. To seem halting is to have no leaning in one's mouth.

躁罷然後勝寒，靜無為以勝熱，以此推之，則清靜為天下正也。靜則全物之真，躁則犯物之性，故惟清靜，乃得如上諸大也。

Only after moving until worn out does one overcome cold, and it is by being still and doing nothing that one overcomes heat. Reasoning out from this, clear stillness is what is straight for all under heaven. Be still and you keep whole the truth of things; be hasty and you violate their nature. So only by being clear and still can one become like all those great things above.

勝，極也。春夏陽氣躁疾於上，萬物盛大，極則寒，寒則零落死亡也。言人不當剛躁也。

Sheng (勝) here means reaching the end. In spring and summer the yang (陽) breath moves swiftly above and the ten thousand things flourish and grow large; reach the end and it turns cold, and when it turns cold they fall and die. This says that a person ought not to be hard and hasty.

秋冬萬物靜於黃泉之下，極則熱，熱者生之源。

In autumn and winter the ten thousand things are still deep beneath the earth; reach the end and it turns warm, and warmth is the source of life.

能清靜則為天下之長，持身正則無終已時也。

One who can be clear and still becomes the elder of all under heaven, and one whose bearing is upright has no time of ending.