Translation
Govern a big country as if boiling a small fish.
So that the way is present for all under heaven,
Its spirit is not magical.
Not only that its spirit is not magical,
Its magic does not hinder the people.
Not only that its magic does not hinder the people,
The wise person does not hinder the people.
Neither assists in hindering,
Therefore, each ascribes virtue to the other.
rule (govern; order; peace; > government; cure; control) big (great; fully) country like (as if, seem) boil small fresh (bright; delicious; aquatic foods).
use (take; so as to_and; as well as) road (way, principle; speak; think) arrive (be present) land under heaven,
his (its; their; they; that) ghost (spirit; dirty trick; terrible> clever; smart) no (not) god (supernatural; magical; smart).
wrong (not conform to <infrml> must) his (its; their; they; that) ghost (spirit; dirty trick; terrible> clever; smart) no (not) god (supernatural; magical; smart),
his (its; their; they; that)god (supernatural; magical; smart) no (not) wound (develop an aversion to sth.; distress; hinder) human being (person; people; adult).
wrong (not conform to <infrml> must) his (its; their; they; that) god (spirit; mind; smart) no (not) wound (develop an aversion to sth.; distress; hinder) human being (person; people; adult),
sage (wise man) also (too) no (not) wound (develop an aversion to sth.; distress; hinder) human being (person; people; adult).
husband (man) two (both; either) no (not) appearance (<frml> assist_mutually) wound (develop an aversion to sth.; distress; hinder)
reason (cause; on purpose; hence) virtue (moral character; heart) hand over (give up; meet; join) go back to (return; give back to; come together) here (herein; (usu. negative questioning) how; why).
Original
治大国若烹小鲜。
以道莅天下，
其鬼不神。
非其鬼不神，
其神不伤人。
非其神不伤人，
圣人亦不伤人。
夫两不相伤，
故德交归焉。
Commentary, December 2010
This chapter reminds me of how easy it is to go to extremes. Balance is so hard to maintain, and perfect balance is impossible to realize(1). Fortunately I eventually came to realize this is natural, i.e., balance is balanced by imbalance. Ah yes, straightforward words seem paradoxical. For me, life is a process of getting closer and closer to the happy medium between too much, and too little. In other words, circumstances bring me to maturity. Cooking an egg, like boiling a small fish, takes less action (heat) than beginners imagine, and so the inexperienced overcook it. Likewise, in life we tend to over do, over protect, over plan, over think, over desire… . In the natural wild, heaven and earth’s ruthless edge would push back on us, slow us down, resulting in a happy medium of sorts. Freeing ourselves from nature’s restraints, as we have, makes maintaining reasonable balance all the more challenging. Ironically, the more we are able to satiate our every desire, the less we are able to know contentment.
Boiling a small fish reminds me of the saying, “too little, too late”. If we were not so preoccupied with doing what requires less doing, we would be aware of what truly needs “more, sooner”. Eagerly jumping into actions is symptomatic of deep seated personal fears and needs, projected outward in those action. When life is action-packed-full there is no space to see. Hold firmly to stillness to watch our needs and fears, rather than jumping in, gives us space to see when action would be most timely (2). Ironically, such delayed gratification results in constant ‘gratification’. (i.e., short term pain; long term pleasure).
As I see it, words such as spirits and God symbolize for us what exists beyond what we think we know. We are much better at defining existence than the ancients were. Having less factual knowledge at their disposal, they relied on ‘fuzzier’ rationales to support their myths. For example, someone getting sick might be seen as the body being hindered by bad spirits. Now, we get out the microscope and see E. Coli by the millions… Ah ha! But really, isn’t this simply an undated version of the “what we think we know”.
The crux of the matter is not that different. The ancients thought they knew; we think we know; future generations (10,000 year from now perhaps) will look back on our quaint understanding at their future time when they think they truly know. Nothing will have changed. Only when we face the void, will we be truly be capable of not knowing anything. The older a person gets, the more that becomes possible, i.e., death is moving closer. Still, I wouldn’t hold my breath!
So, why do we need to think we know? I’d say fear drives us to see the indistinct and shadowy… distinctly! Names and words help us nail that mystery upon mystery down. This utility of names and words makes language inevitable… and natural I might add. Nevertheless these deceive us. Still, when conditions are fairly balance, neither assists in hindering, therefore, each ascribes virtue to the other.
(1) Perfect balance is impossible to realize only in the sense that impossible expectations are impossible to realize. I see nature as being in a dynamic state of perfect balance. My desire to hold onto any moment creates an impossible expectation. I am my own worst enemy.
(2) Watching our needs and fears, rather than jumping in may be a good example of chapter 70’s My words are very easy to understand and very easy to put into practice, yet no one in the world can understand them or put them into practice, especially the “put them into practice” part! Still, it helps to know the way.