Translation

All that came before fulfills the One
Heaven fulfills the One and is clear.
Earth fulfills the One and is tranquil.
Mind fulfills the One and is effective.
Valley fulfills the One and is full.
Existence fulfills the One and grows.
Rulers fulfill the One and support the empire faithfully.
The One causes.

Heaven without clarity brings dreadful splitting.
Earth without tranquility brings dreadful waste.
Mind without effectiveness brings dreadful stoppage.
Valley without fullness brings dreadful exhaustion.
Existence without growth brings dreadful extinction.
Rulers without faithfulness bring dreadful setbacks.
Hence, the precious take the lowly as the origin.
The high take low as the base.
This, and so rulers call themselves solitary, scant, pathetic

Is this not taking the lowly as a foundation of heresy?
No.
Extreme fame is without fame.
Not to desire is comparable to beauty.
Jewelry is comparable to stone.

former time (the past) of need (have to_ get, obtain, gain > satisfied) one ?.

sky (heaven; day; nature; God) need (have to_ get, obtain, gain > satisfied) one use (take; so as to_and; as well as) unmixed (clear; thoroughly; settle).

earth need (have to_ get, obtain, gain > satisfied) one use (take; so as to_and; as well as) peaceful (tranquil).

god (spirit; mind; smart) need (have to_ get, obtain, gain > satisfied) one use (take; so as to_and; as well as) quick (clever; effective).

valley ( grain) need (have to_ get, obtain, gain > satisfied) one use (take; so as to_and; as well as) be full of (have a surplus of).

all things on earth need (have to_ get, obtain, gain > satisfied) one use (take; so as to_and; as well as) give birth (bear; grow; existence; life).

nobleman (high official) king (<formal> great) need (have to_ get, obtain, gain > satisfied) one use (take; so as to_and; as well as) do (act as; be, mean; support) land under heaven loyal (faithful; divination).

his (its, he, it, that; such) send (deliver; devote; result in) of.

sky (heaven; day; nature; God) nothing (without) use (take; so as to_and; as well as) unmixed (clear; thoroughly; settle) support (bring; handle, will>lead, command) fear (dread; terrify; intimidate) split (crack).

earth nothing (without) use (take; so as to_and; as well as) peaceful (tranquil) support (bring; handle, will>lead, command) fear (dread; terrify; intimidate) give up (abandon; abolish; waste; useless).

god (spirit; mind; smart) nothing (without) use (take; so as to_and; as well as) quick (clever; effective) support (bring; handle, will>lead, command) fear (dread; terrify; intimidate) have a rest (stop work,etc.).

valley ( grain) nothing (without) use (take; so as to_and; as well as) be full of (have a surplus of) support (bring; handle, will>lead, command) exhaust (use up).

be full of (have a surplus of) nothing (without) use (take; so as to_and; as well as) give birth (bear; grow; existence; life) support (bring; handle, will>lead, command)fear (dread; terrify; intimidate) extinguish (submerge; destroy).

nobleman (high official) king (<formal> great) nothing (without) use (take; so as to_and; as well as) loyal (faithful; divination) support (bring; handle, will>lead, command) fear (dread; terrify; intimidate) fall (suffer a setback).

hence (on purpose; intentionally) expensive (precious; noble) use (take; so as to_and; as well as) inexpensive (cheap; lowly; humble) do (act as; be, mean; support) the root (basis; origin; native),

tall (high; above the average) use (take; so as to_and; as well as) below (down; under; underneath; lower; inferior) do (act as; be, mean; support) base (foundation; basic; key; primary).

<grm>is (<formal> this; that) use (take; so as to_and; as well as) nobleman (high official) king (<formal> great) self (oneself; certainly) fit (match; suit>call> say) fatherless (orphaned; solitary), few (scant; tasteless; widowed), no valley ( grain).

this wrong (not conform to) use (take; so as to_and; as well as) inexpensive (cheap; lowly; humble) do (act as; be, mean; support) root of a plant (foundation; origin) evil (heretical; irregular; unhealthy environment)?

wrong (not conform to) part of speech ((interrogative particle, lofty).

to (until; > extremely; most) reputation (fame; praise; eulogize) nothing (without) reputation (fame; praise; eulogize).

no desire (longing; wish; want; about to) ??in compliance with (according to; like; as; as if > if; > go to) jade (pure, beautiful [of a person]).

neck-ornament in compliance with (according to; like; as; as if > if; > go to) stone (rock; stone inscription).

Original

昔之得一者。
天得一以清。
地得一以宁。
神得一以灵。
谷得一以盈。
万物得一以生。
侯王得一以为天下贞。
其致之。
天无以清将恐裂。
地无以宁将恐废。
神无以灵将恐歇。
谷无以盈将恐竭。
万物无以生将恐灭。
侯王无以贞将恐蹶。
故贵以贱为本，
高以下为基。
是以侯王自称孤、寡、不谷。
此非以贱为本邪？
非乎。
至誉无誉。
不欲□□如玉
珞珞如石。

Commentary, February 2010

D.C. Lao translates this chapter’s final sentence as, ‘Not wishing to be one among many like jade, Nor to be aloof like stone‘. Does this convey the meaning of the original? Compare D.C. Lao’s with the literal translation of the characters and/or my translation (below). Although, I don’t think it matters much. When you read either from a ‘taoist’ point of view, you will likely see a ‘taoist’ message, provided both are well written (i.e., grammar and such). The ‘best’ one will be the one that says best what you want to hear. Naturally, this holds true regardless of translation accuracy. Simply put: What we think we see is a result of what we want to see. Just as ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’, so also is ‘meaning is in the mind of the beholder’. (No wonder I have to say, in the end, my mind is that of a fool – how blank! Nevertheless…)

We use D.C. Lao’s more readable translation at the Sunday meeting. Personally, I see ‘Not wishing to be one among many like jade’ as portraying our hierarchical drive for social status. Each person feels special (i.e., the ego illusion) which ironically makes this a ‘one among many’ reality. This can only add to any indifference one may have about ‘keeping up with the Joneses’, and instead nudge one to ‘be aloof like stone’ (and perhaps also gain a competitive edge in the process).

I imagine that righteous purists, of every stripe, fit this ‘be aloof like stone’ model. Personally, never being particularly drawn to the cultural mainstream, this ‘aloof like stone’ turned out to be a principle by-path for me. Naturally enough, I never found contentment in being more aloof like stone, nor in longing to be one among many like jade. That makes sense, of course, because these are symptoms of underlying imbalance (i.e., symptoms reveal imbalance and/or mask imbalance, but never eliminate imbalance).

Finding a balance between the two is the only way that works. Like maintaining physical balance, in a head stand for example, constant vigilance is essential. Of course, this is an ‘easier said than done’ ideal. Still, at least I know what to head for. Often in existential matters, merely knowing the way is more than sufficient. Knowing this, the rest takes care of itself; a journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath one’s feet. What happens beneath one’s feet now is far more crucial than getting anywhere; the getting there is how we live out our days.

Existence fulfills the One and grows, and so on, parallels my view that everything in existence rests on a symptom of something deeper. Calling ‘that something’ the One is appropriate. For one thing, as soon as you name ‘that something’, it then becomes a symptom of something One level deeper. The One is that indistinct and shadowy aspect that has yet to be named. I suppose this is like a house of mirrors, with the One obscured by the last mirror. The practical value in knowing that existence fulfills the One and grows lies not in understanding what the One actually is, but rather in knowing that whatever you see is resting on a deeper base cause. The mind can only identify and name the surface, the appearance, of things. The trap lies in believing that the surface of which you are aware is the whole picture, when in fact, it is only the tip of the iceberg. The more you understand that existence fulfills the One and grows, the less likely you can become swept up and trapped by what you think that you know. This sounds horribly abstract to me, but that’s only because words don’t lend themselves to describing such matters. I suppose it is the challenge of tackling the impossible that keeps me trying and typing.

The high takes low as the base. This, and so rulers call themselves solitary, scant, pathetic. I see two ways to interpret this: (1) They are solitary, scant, pathetic because they are kings, or (2) they are kings because they are solitary, scant, pathetic. For me, the base cause here is feeling solitary, scant, pathetic. In other words, feeling solitary, scant, pathetic drives one to be ‘king’ of something. The high takes low as the base points to the process. The low is the foundation and the power house that drives the high. As they say, “nature abhors a vacuum”; the silent and void are the mother of all action.