Chapter 49 — Entrusting to virtue任德

動常因也。

His movement is only ever a following.

聖人重改更，貴因循，若自無心。

The sage takes altering and changing to be a weighty matter and holds it precious to follow things as they are, and so he seems to have no heart of his own.

百姓心之所便，聖人因而從之。

Whatever the heart of the people finds easy, the sage follows and goes along with.

各因其用則善不失也。

Follow each in its own use and goodness is not lost.

百姓為善，聖人因而善之。

When the people do good, the sage accordingly treats them as good.

百姓雖有不善者，聖人化之使善也。

Even when there are those among the people who are not good, the sage transforms them and makes them good.

無棄人也。

No one is cast away.

百姓德化，聖人為善。

The people are transformed by virtue, and the sage makes goodness of it.

各用聰明。

Each uses his own cleverness.

百姓為信，聖人因而信之。

When the people are trustworthy, the sage accordingly treats them as trustworthy.

百姓為不信，聖人化之為信者也。

Even when the people are not trustworthy, the sage transforms them and makes them into trustworthy ones.

百姓德化，聖人以為信。

The people are transformed by virtue, and by this the sage makes trustworthiness.

聖人在天下怵怵常恐怖，富貴不敢驕奢。

The sage is watchful and wary in all under heaven and is always in fear, so that even in abundance and honor he does not dare to be haughty or extravagant.

言聖人為天下百姓混濁其心，若愚闇不通也。

This says that the sage muddies his heart for the people of all under heaven, so that he seems foolish and dark and not open to things.

皆使和而無欲，如嬰兒也。夫天地設位，聖人成能，人謀鬼謀，百姓與能者，能者與之，資者取之，能大則大，資貴則貴，物有其宗，事有其主，如此則可冕旒充目而不懼於欺，黈纊塞耳而無戚於慢，又何為勞一身之聰明，以察百姓之情哉。夫以明察物，物亦競以其明應之，以不信察物，物亦競以其不信應之。夫天下之心，不必同其所應，不敢異則莫肯用其情矣，甚矣害之大也，莫大於用其明矣。夫在智則人與之訟，在力則人與之爭。智不出於人而立乎訟地則窮矣；力不出於人而立乎爭地則危矣。未有能使人無用其智力乎己者也，如此則己以一敵人，而人以千萬敵己也。若乃多其法網，煩其刑罰，塞其徑路，攻其幽宅，則萬物失其自然，百姓喪其手足，鳥亂於上，魚亂於下。是以聖人之於天下歙歙焉，心無所主也，為天下渾心焉，意無所適莫也。無所察焉，百姓何避，無所求焉，百姓何應，無避無應，則莫不用其情矣。人無為舍其所能，而為其所不能，舍其所長，而為其所短，如此，則言者言其所知，行者行其所能，百姓各皆注其耳目焉，吾皆孩之而已。

He makes them all blend together and be without wanting, so that they become like newborn children. Now heaven and earth set out the stations and the sage completes what can be done, and men plan and the spirits plan while the people join with the one who is able. To the able he entrusts, and from those who are a resource he takes; where ability is great he uses it greatly, and where the resource is precious he uses it preciously. Things have their head and affairs have their master. Being so, though the tassels of his crown screen his eyes he does not fear being deceived, and though the silk stoppers block his ears he does not worry about neglect. Why then should he wear out the cleverness of a single body to look into the real state of the people? Now look into things with brightness and things too will vie to answer with their brightness; look into things with mistrust and things too will vie to answer with their mistrust. Now the hearts of all under heaven need not answer in the same way, and when they dare not differ, no one is willing to use his real state. How grave it is, the greatness of the harm! Nothing is greater than using one's brightness. Now stand on wit and people will go to law with you; stand on strength and people will struggle with you. If your wit is no better than others' and you take your place on the ground of lawsuits, you come to the end of your resources; if your strength is no better than others' and you take your place on the ground of struggle, you stand in danger. There has never yet been anyone who could keep people from using their wit and strength upon him. Being so, I face people with one while people face me with a thousand and ten thousand. If he makes the net of law fine-meshed and his punishments vexatious, blocks the roads and strikes at the hidden dwellings, then the ten thousand things lose what is so of themselves and the people lose their own hands and feet, so that the birds are thrown into confusion above and the fish into confusion below. This is why the sage draws his heart in from all under heaven and holds nothing in his heart as his own stand, and blends his heart for all under heaven and has nothing in his will that must be so or must not be. Since he looks into nothing, what would the people avoid? Since he seeks nothing, what would the people answer to? With nothing to avoid and nothing to answer to, there is no one who does not use his real state. People do not cast away what they are able to do in order to do what they cannot, nor cast away what they are good at in order to do what they are poor at. Being so, those who speak speak what they know and those who act do what they are able, the people each turn their ears and eyes toward him, and I only treat them all as children.

注，用也。百姓皆用其耳目為聖人視聽也。

Zhu (注) means to use. The people all use their ears and eyes to see and hear on the sage's behalf.

聖人愛念百姓如嬰孩赤子，長養之而不責望其報。

The sage loves and cherishes the people as he would newborn children, rearing them to grow without looking for any return.