Translation
The way of nature is like a stretching bow.
The high restrains the lower lifts.
The surplus decreases, the insufficient benefits.
The way of nature decreases surplus yet benefits the insufficient.
The way of man, as a rule however, decreases the insufficient so as to give to the surplus.
Who can have a surplus and give to all under heaven?
Only those who have the way.
The holy people uses this to serve, yet does not rely on,
Meritorious deeds result, yet not dwelled within.
Such absence of desire to appear able and virtuous – how odd!.
sky (heaven; day; season; nature; God) of road (way, principle; speak; think) his (her; its; that; such) just as (like; still; as if) open (spread; stretch) bow-shaped take part in (give, get along with, help> and).
tall (high; above the average) ?restrain (repress; curb) of , below (down; under; underneath; lower; inferior)?lift (raise; hold up; act; deed; move) of .
have (exist) extra (surplus; after <frml>I) ? decrease (lose; damage> sarcastic> mean; shabby) of,no (not) foot (leg; enough; full; as much as) ? repair (fill; supply; nourish> benefit) of .
sky (heaven; day; season; nature; God) of road (way, principle; speak; think), decrease (lose; damage> sarcastic> mean; shabby) have (exist) extra (surplus; after <frml>I) <conj.>and / but (not) repair (fill; supply; nourish> benefit) no (not) foot (leg; enough; full; as much as).
man (people; adult) of road (way, principle; speak; think), standard (norm; rule > imitate; follow) no (not) right (correct; so; like that> but), decrease (lose; damage> sarcastic> mean; shabby) no (not) foot (leg; enough; full; as much as) use (take, because of, as well as) give (receive; esteem; believe in; wait upon) have (exist) extra (surplus; after <frml>I).
who (which; what) can (be able to) have (exist) surplus (spare; remaining; beyond <formal> I) use (take, because of, as well as) give (receive; esteem; believe in; wait upon) land under heaven,
only (alone) have (exist) road (way, principle; speak; think)?.
<grm>is <formal> this; that) use (take, because of, as well as) sage (saint; holy) man (people; adult) do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean; support) <conj.>and / but (not) no (not) rely on ( depend on),
merit (achievement) accomplish (become; result) <conj.>and / but (not) no (not) get along (with sb., manage;<frml > dwell; live_place).
his (her; its; that; such) no (not) desire (wish; want; about to) see (appear, become visible) virtuous (worthy, able) evil (heretical; irregular; unhealthy environment)!
Original
天之道其犹张弓与。
高者抑之，
下者举之。
有余者损之，
不足者补之。
天之道，
损有余而补不足。
人之道，
则不然，
损不足以奉有余。
孰能有余以奉天下，
唯有道者。
是以圣人
为而不恃，
功成而不处。
其不欲见贤邪！
Commentary, September 2011
Once in awhile the Tao Te Ching falls into what I’d call a ‘humanist’ trap. This lends support to the view than the Tao Te Ching is really the product of more than one thinker / author. Perhaps too, the ‘taoist’ point of view was passed down via aural tradition over generations before being finally written down. (It’s so long ago; I forgot 
)
The view here that ‘It is the way of heaven to take from what has in excess in order to make good what is deficient. The way of man is otherwise‘ runs contrary to the broader view expressed in chapter 34… The way is broad, reaching left as well as right.
Even more at odds with this chapter is chapter 25, which in my view, expresses a simple rendering of the emergent properties principle. Chapter 25 ends with:
I can only guess that our species’ fairness instinct (see our fairness instinct) drives the egalitarian bias obvious in chapter 77. This sense of equality and fairness underlies so much (perhaps most) of our behavior, I suspect. I now deem this to be a major influence in every facet of life(1).
Indeed, this chapter expresses a sense of what I call implied free will. It is subtly expressed here, for instance, by: The way of nature decreases surplus yet benefits the insufficient. The way of man, as a rule however, decreases the insufficient so as to give to the surplus. The implication is that mankind somehow has a choice in the matter. It seems to imply that mankind could act more “naturally” than it does if it chose to. This view puts the cart before the horse (or rather the man before the biology).
The way I see it, an animal (including us) does what it does out of innate need and fear. What is the real reason that the way of man, as a rule however, decreases the insufficient so as to give to the surplus? Chapter 22 sheds light on this indirectly:
Here, the view is that by not bragging he has merit; by no boasting he endures; by not considering himself right, he is illustrious. Again, the cart is before the horse(2). My experience is just the other way around. The more I feel inner merit, the less I tend to brag; the more illustrious I feel, the less I need to consider myself right, and so on.
Similarly, the more contentment I feel, the less I decrease the insufficient so as to give to the surplus. It is out of need (visceral hunger) that greedy action arises. Greed is a symptom of not being content; greed is a natural consequence of not being content. Not being content drives animals, including us, to do what they do – period. The trick to balanced living is not shooting oneself in the foot. This entails doing that which has the best chance to make us feel more content; with contentment we naturally keep to the deed that consists in taking no action and practice the teaching that uses no words. Ah yes, all this is so very easy to understand and very easy to put into practice, yet…
(1) So, how do I know I’m not just projecting some need to see “the fairness instinct” as one of nature’s master puppeteers? I don’t really. On the other hand, I don’t really care if I’m right or wrong. Ironically this may make it more likely that I’m seeing ‘it’ as ‘it’ is. In any case, people have no trouble seeing instinct as the driving force in animal life. It’s just in human life where people balk at the idea. Somehow we desire to see ourselves “superior” to other animals and blessed with free will, free choice.
(2) The way this is stated, i.e., “He does not brag, and so has merit”, is accurate in the sense that this is how we tend to perceive it. Meaning, when someone doesn’t brag we regard them in a more meritorious light. This ‘judging a book by its cover’ is a key bio-hoodwink that often trips us up.