Chapter 55 — The dark token玄符
1One who holds virtue thickly is like a newborn child
含德之厚，比於赤子。蜂蠆虺蛇不螫，猛獸不據，攫鳥不搏。
One who holds virtue thickly is like a newborn child. Bees and scorpions and vipers and snakes do not sting him, fierce beasts do not seize him, and birds of prey do not strike him.
note 5
赤子無求無欲，不犯眾物，故毒蟲之物無犯之人也。含德之厚者，不犯於物，故無物以損其全也。
A newborn child seeks nothing and desires nothing, and so it offends no thing; therefore no venomous creature offends it. One who holds virtue thickly offends no thing, and so there is no thing to diminish his wholeness.
謂含懷道德之厚也。
It means holding the Dao and virtue thickly within.
神明保佑含德之人，若父母之於赤子也。
The bright spirits guard and help the one who holds virtue, as parents do a newborn child.
蜂蠇蛇虺不螫。
Bees and scorpions and snakes and vipers do not sting him.
赤子不害於物，物亦不害之。故太平之世，人無貴賤，仁心，有刺之物，還返其本，有毒之蟲，不傷於人。
A newborn child harms no thing, and so no thing harms him. Therefore in an age of great peace people are neither high nor low but hold a kindly heart, thorned things turn back to their root, and venomous creatures do not injure anyone.
2Weak bones and soft sinews, yet a firm grip
骨弱筋柔而握固。
His bones are weak and his sinews are soft, yet his grip is firm.
note 2
以柔弱之故，故握能周固。
Because it is soft and weak, its grip can be firm all round.
赤子筋骨柔弱而持物堅固，以其意心不移也。
A newborn child's sinews and bones are soft and weak, yet he grips a thing firmly, because his mind does not shift.
3He does not yet know the joining of male and female
未知牝牡之合而全作，
He does not yet know the joining of male and female, yet he grows whole,
note 2
作，長也。無物以損其身，故能全長也。言含德之厚者，無物可以損其德、渝其真，柔弱不爭而不摧折，皆若此也。
To grow (作) means to grow up. There is no thing to diminish its body, and so it can grow up whole. It means that for one who holds virtue thickly there is no thing that can diminish his virtue or alter his genuineness, and that being soft and weak and not contending he is still not broken — all of it is like this.
赤子未知男女會合而陰陽作怒者，由精氣多之所致也。
That a newborn child, who does not yet know the joining of man and woman, still has yin and yang rise and stretch in him comes from the abundance of his vital essence.
4He cries all day and does not grow hoarse
精之至也。終日號而不嗄，
for his vital essence is at its height. He cries all day and does not grow hoarse,
note 6
無爭欲之心，故終日出聲而不嗄也。
It has no heart that contends and desires, and so it makes sound all day without growing hoarse.
赤子從朝至暮啼號聲不變易者，和氣多之所至也。
That a newborn child cries from morning to evening without his voice changing comes from the abundance of harmonious breath.
人能和氣柔弱有益於人者，則為知道之常也。
When a person can make his breath harmonious and, being soft and weak, can benefit others, he is said to know the constancy of the Dao.
人能知道之常行，則日以明達於玄妙也。
When a person can know the constant practice of the Dao, day by day he comes to understand clearly what is dark and subtle.
祥，長也。言益生欲自生，日以長大。
Xiang (祥) means growing. It means that one who adds to his life and seeks to live of himself grows larger day by day.
心當專一和柔而神氣實內，故形柔。而反使妄有所為，和氣去於中，故形體日以剛強也。
The mind ought to be gathered into one, harmonious and soft; then spirit and breath fill the inside and the body is supple. But if instead one lets himself act wildly, the harmonious breath departs from within, and so the body grows firm and strong day by day.
5Knowing harmony is called the constant
和之至也。知和曰常，
for his harmony is at its height. Knowing harmony is called the constant,
note 1
物以和為常，故知和則得常也。
Things take harmony as their constant, and so knowing harmony is gaining the constant.
6Knowing the constant is called clarity
知常曰明。
and knowing the constant is called clarity.
note 1
不皦不昧，不溫不涼，此常也。無形不可得而見，曰明也。
Neither bright nor dark, neither warm nor cool — this is the constant. Being without shape it cannot be seen, and so it is called clarity.
7Adding to life is called a disaster
益生曰祥。
Adding to life is called a disaster,
note 1
生不可益，益之則夭也。
Life cannot be added to; add to it and one dies early.
8The heart driving the breath is called strength
心使氣曰強。
and the heart driving the breath is called strength.
note 1
心宜無有，使氣則強。
The heart ought to hold nothing; drive the breath and one grows strong.
9When a thing grows strong, it grows old
物壯則老，謂之不道，不道早已。
When a thing grows strong, it grows old. This is called not the Dao, and what is not the Dao ends early.
note 3
萬物壯極則枯老也。
When the strength of all things reaches its height, they wither and grow old.
枯老則不得道矣。
What withers and grows old does not attain the Dao.
不得道者早死。
One who does not attain the Dao dies early.