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Chapter 66 — Putting oneself last後己

Daodejing (The Classic of the Way and Virtue) 道德經 · Laozi, with commentaries by Wang Bi and Heshang Gong · 4th–3rd century BC (Wang Bi's commentary, 3rd century AD) · 1 passages · 76 Chinese characters · reading time 0.3 min

Daodejing (The Classic of the Way and Virtue) Dejing (The Classic of Virtue) Eighty-one chapters, five thousand characters. The silk manuscripts that came out of the tombs differ in their characters from the recension in use today, so there are many places where the reading of one and the same passage divides. Wang Bi reads the book as philosophy; Heshang Gong reads it as governing and the nurture of life.

1He does not contend so no one can contend with him

江海所以能為百谷王者，以其善下之，故能為百谷王。是以欲上民，必以言下之。欲先民，必以身後之。是以聖人處上而民不重，處前而民不害。是以天下樂推而不厭，以其不爭，故天下莫能與之爭。

The rivers and the sea can be king over the hundred valleys because they are good at lying below them, and that is how they can be king over the hundred valleys. So one who would stand above the people must speak from below them, and one who would go before the people must put himself behind them. So the sage stands above, and the people do not feel his weight. He stands in front, and the people do not feel harmed. So all under heaven gladly pushes him up and never tires of him. Because he does not contend, no one under heaven can contend with him.

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河上公

江海以卑，故眾流歸之，若民歸就王。

The rivers and the sea lie low, and so the many streams gather into them, just as the people turn to their king.

河上公

以卑下，故能為百谷王也。

Because they put themselves below, they can be king over the hundred valleys.

河上公

欲在民之上也。

This means wishing to stand above the people.

河上公

法江海處謙虛。

He takes the rivers and the sea as his model and dwells in humility and emptiness.

河上公

欲在民之前也。

This means wishing to stand before the people.

河上公

先人而後己也。

It is to put others first and oneself behind.

河上公

聖人在民上為主，不以尊貴虐下，故民戴而不為重。

Though the sage is master above the people, he does not trample those below him with his high and honored place, and so the people uphold him without feeling his weight.

河上公

聖人在民前，不以光明蔽後，民親之若父母，無有欲害之心也。

Though the sage stands before the people, he does not block those behind him with his own brightness, so the people hold him close as a parent and have no wish to harm him.

河上公

聖人恩深愛厚，視民如赤子，故天下樂推進以為主，無有厭也。

The sage's kindness is deep and his love is thick, and he looks on the people as newborn children; so all under heaven gladly pushes him up and makes him master, and never tires of him.

河上公

天下無厭聖人時，是由聖人不與人爭先後也。

All under heaven does not tire of the sage because the sage does not contend with others over who goes first and who comes after.

河上公

言人皆有為，無有與吾爭無為。

This says that others all have something they do, but there is no one to contend with my not-doing.

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