Chapter 58 — Going along with change順化

言善治政者，無形無名，無事無政可舉，悶悶然，卒至於大治，故曰，其政悶悶也。其民無所爭競，寬大淳淳，故曰，其民淳淳也。

It means that one who governs well has no shape and no name, no business and no government that could be raised up; he seems muddled, yet in the end he comes to great order. That is why it says the government is muddled. His people have nothing to contend and vie over, and are broad and great and honest, and so it says the people are honest.

其政教寬大，悶悶昧昧，似若不明也。

His government and teaching are broad and great, muddled and dim, as though they were not clear.

政教寬大，故民醇醇富厚，相親睦也。

Government and teaching are broad and great, and so the people are honest and amply provided, close and harmonious with one another.

立刑名，明賞罰，以檢姦偽，故曰察察也。殊類分析，民懷爭競，故曰，其民缺缺也。

He sets up punishments and names and makes rewards and penalties clear so as to check cunning and falsehood, and so it says sharp and searching. Kinds are divided and split apart, and the people harbor a mind to contend and vie, and so it says the people are worn away.

其政教急疾，言決於口，聽決於耳也。

His government and teaching are urgent and quick: speech is decided at the mouth, and listening is decided at the ear.

政教急疾。民不聊生。故缺缺日以踈薄。

Government and teaching are urgent and quick, and the people cannot make a living. And so they are worn away, growing more distant and thin by the day.

言誰知善治之極乎！唯無可正舉，無可形名，悶悶然而天下大化，是其極也。

It means: who knows the utmost of governing well? Only when there is nothing that can be straightly raised up and nothing that can be shaped and named, so that he seems muddled and yet all under heaven is greatly changed — this is its utmost.

倚，因也。夫福因禍而生，人遭禍而能悔過責己，修道行善，則禍去福來。

Yi (倚) means to come by way of. Good fortune comes to be by way of disaster: if a person meets with disaster and can repent of his faults, reproach himself, cultivate the Dao, and do good, then disaster goes and good fortune comes.

禍伏匿於福中，人得福而為驕恣，則福去禍來。

Disaster lies crouching and hidden within good fortune: if a person gains good fortune and yet grows arrogant and does as he pleases, then good fortune goes and disaster comes.

禍福更相生，誰能知其窮極時。

Disaster and good fortune arise from each other by turns; who can know the time when they come to an end?

無，不也。謂人君不正其身，其無國也。

Wu (無) means not. It means that if a ruler does not make his own person straight, he has no state.

以正治國，則便復以奇用兵矣。故曰，正復為奇。

Govern the state with what is straight, and at once one comes again to use arms with what is strange. That is why it says the straight turns again into the strange.

奇，詐也。人君不正，下雖正，復化上為詐也。

Qi (奇) is deceit. If the ruler is not straight, then though those below be straight, they are changed again in following the one above and come to deceive.

善人皆復化上為訞祥也。

Good people too are all changed again in following the one above and become uncanny.

立善以和萬物，則便復有妖之患也。

Set up the good so as to bring the ten thousand things into harmony, and at once there is again the trouble of the uncanny.

言人之迷惑失道，固久矣。不可便正善治以責。

It means that people have been deluded and have lost the Dao for a very long time, and so one cannot straightway reproach them with straight and good governing.

言人君迷惑失正以來，其日已固久。

It means that ever since the ruler was deluded and lost what is straight, the days of it have already been truly long.

以方導物，舍去其邪，不以方割物，所謂大方無隅。

He leads things with what is square so that they cast off their crookedness, but he does not cut things with what is square. This is what is meant by: the great square has no corners.

聖人行方正者，欲以率下，不以割截人也。

The sage acts square and straight in order to lead those below; he does not do it to cut people off.

聖人廉清，欲以化民，不以傷害人也。今則不然，正己以害人也。

The sage is upright and clear in order to change the people; he does not do it to injure people. Yet now it is not so: men make themselves straight and thereby harm others.

廉，清廉也；劌，傷也。以清廉清民，令去其邪，令去其汙，不以清廉劌傷於物也。

Upright (廉) is being clear and upright; wound (劌) is to injure. He makes the people clear by his uprightness so that they cast off their crookedness and cast off their filth, but he does not use his uprightness to injure things.

以直導物，令去其僻，而不以直激沸於物也。所謂大直若屈也。

He leads things with what is straight so that they cast off their leaning, but he does not use his straightness to strike against things and set them boiling. This is what is meant by: the greatly straight seems bent.

肆，申也。聖人雖直，曲己從人，不自申也。

Si (肆) is to stretch out. Though the sage is straight, he bends himself to follow others, and so he does not stretch himself out.

聖人雖有獨見之明，當如闇昧，不以曜亂人也。

Though the sage has the brightness of seeing alone, he ought to seem dark; he does not flash out and throw people into confusion.

以光鑑其所以迷，不以光照求其隱慝也，所謂明道若昧也，此皆崇本以息末，不攻而使復之也。

He uses his light only to look into why they stray; he does not use his light to search out their hidden faults. This is what is meant by: the bright Dao seems dark. All of this is raising up the base so as to still the tips, making them return without striking at them.