Chapter 57 — Simple ways淳風

以道治國則國平，以正治國則奇正起也，以無事則能取天下也。上章云：其取天下者，常以無事，及其有事，又不足以取天下也。故以正治國則不足以取天下，而以奇用兵也。夫以道治國，崇本以息末，以正治國，立辟以攻末，本不立而末淺，民無所及，故必至於奇用兵也。

Govern the state with the Dao and the state is level; govern the state with what is straight and both the strange and the straight arise; only by having no business can one win all under heaven. The chapter above said, “Winning all under heaven is always done by having no business, and once there is business, it is again not enough to win all under heaven.” So if one governs the state with what is straight, it is not enough to win all under heaven, and one comes to use arms with what is strange. Now, governing the state with the Dao means raising up the base so as to still the tips, while governing the state with what is straight means setting up laws so as to strike at the tips. When the base is not set up and the tips are shallow, the people have nothing to reach for, and so it must come to using arms with what is strange.

以，至也。天使正身之人，使有國也。

The word “with” (以) means to reach. Heaven sends a man who keeps his own person straight and lets him hold a state.

奇，詐也。天使詐偽之人，使用兵也。

“Strange” (奇) means deceit. Heaven sends a man who is deceitful and false and lets him use arms.

以無事無為之人，使取天下為之主。

It lets a man who has no business and does nothing win all under heaven and become its lord.

利器，凡所以利己之器也。民强則國家弱。

Instruments of profit are any instruments by which one profits oneself. When the people grow strong, the state grows weak.

此，今也。老子言，我何以知天意然哉，以今日所見知。

“This” (此) means today. Laozi says: How do I know that the will of Heaven is so? I know it from what I have seen today.

天下謂人主也。忌諱者防禁也。令煩則奸生，禁多則下詐，相殆故貧。

“All under heaven” here means the ruler. Taboos are what blocks and forbids. When orders are fussy, cunning springs up; when prohibitions are many, those below practice deceit. So they endanger one another and grow poor.

利器者，權也。民多權則視者眩於目，聽者惑於耳，上下不親，故國家昏亂。

Instruments of profit are power. When the people have much power, the eyes of those who look are dazzled and the ears of those who listen are led astray; high and low are not close to one another, and so the state grows dark and disordered.

民多智慧則巧偽生，巧偽生則邪事起。

When the people have much cleverness, skill and falsehood are born, and when skill and falsehood are born, crooked affairs arise.

人謂人君、百里諸侯也。多技巧，謂刻畫宮觀，雕琢章服，奇物滋起，下則化上，飾金鏤玉，文繡彩色日以滋甚。

“People” here means the ruler and the feudal lords who hold a hundred li (里, a measure of distance). Having many skills means carving and painting palaces and towers and chiseling and trimming ceremonial robes. Strange things arise all the more, and those below change in step with those above, so that gilding gold and inlaying jade, embroidering silk and dyeing colors grow worse by the day.

法物，好物也。珍好之物滋生彰著，則農事廢，飢寒並至，而盜賊多有也。

Fine goods (法物) are goods that are good. When precious and fine goods spring up all the more and are put on show, farming is abandoned and hunger and cold come together, and so thieves grow many.

立正欲以息邪，而奇兵用；多忌諱欲以恥貧，而民彌貧；利器欲以强國者也，而國愈昬多。皆舍本以治末，故以致此也。

One sets up what is straight in the wish to still what is crooked, and strange troops are used; one lays down many taboos in the wish to make poverty shameful, and the people grow poorer still; one uses instruments of profit in the wish to make the state strong, and the state grows darker still. All of it comes about through casting off the base and governing the tips.

上之所欲，民從之速也。我之所欲，唯無欲而民亦無欲而自樸也。此四者，崇本以息末也。

What those above want, the people follow quickly. If what I want is only to want nothing, then the people too will want nothing and become like the uncarved log of themselves. These four are raising up the base so as to still the tips.

謂下事也。

It refers to the matters that follow below.

聖人言：我修道承天，無所改作，而民自化成也。

The sage says: If I cultivate the Dao and serve Heaven, and there is nothing I alter or make, the people change and come to completion of themselves.

聖人言：我好靜，不言不教，而民自忠正也。

The sage says: If I love stillness and neither speak nor teach, the people become loyal and straight of themselves.

我無徭役徵召之事，民安其業故皆自富也。

If I have no forced labor and no calling up of men, the people rest easy in their work, and so all of them grow rich of themselves.

我常無欲，去華文，微服飾，民則隨我為質樸也。聖人言：我修道守真，絕去六情，民自隨我而清也。

If I never have wants, cast off showy patterns and keep my clothing and adornment plain, then the people follow me and become simple. The sage says: If I cultivate the Dao and keep to what is true, cutting off the six feelings (六情), the people of themselves follow me and become clear.