Translation
Do without doing,
Be involved without being involved.
Taste without tasting.
Make the great small and the many few,
Respond to resentment using kindness.
Plan difficulty out from its easy.
Do the great out from its small.
All difficulties under heaven must arise from the easy.
All that is great under heaven must arise from the small.
Accordingly, the wise man, in the end, doesn’t support greatness,
For this reason he is able to accomplish greatness.
The man that rashly promises, certainly few trust.
The excessively easy, certainly excessively difficult.
Accordingly, the wise man, still of difficulty,
For this reason, in the end, without difficulty.
1) do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean; support) nothing (without; not) do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean; support), 为无为，(wéi wú wéi.)
2) matter (affair; thing; involvement) nothing (without; not) matter (affair; thing; involvement), 事无事，(shì wú shì,)
3) taste (flavor; smell; interest) nothing (without; not) taste (flavor; smell; interest). 味无味。(wèi wú wèi.)
4) big (large; great; major) small (little; petty; minor) many (much; more; excessive; too much) few (little, lack), 大小多少，(dà xiăo duō shăo,)
5) report (announce; newspaper) resentment (blame; complain) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) virtue (moral character; integrity; kindness, heart). 报怨以德。(bào yuàn yĭ dé.)
6) picture (drawing; plan; attempt; intent) difficult (hard; troublesome; put somebody into a difficult position; hardly possible; bad) in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) his (its; their; they; that) easy (amiable), 图难于其易，(tú nán yú qí yì,)
7) do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean; support) big (large; great; major) in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) his (its; their; they; that) thin (in small particles; fine; careful). 为大于其细。(wéi dà yú qí xì.)
8) land under heaven difficult (hard; troublesome; put sb. into a difficult position) matter (affair; thing; involvement) certainly (must) do (make; rise; get up; write; compose; become) in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) easy (amiable). 天下难事必作于易。(tiān xià nán shì bì zuò yú yì.)
9) land under heaven big (large; great; major) matter (affair; thing; involvement) certainly (must) do (make; rise; get up; write; compose; become) in (at, to, from, by, than, out of) thin (in small particles; fine; careful). 天下大事必作于细。(tiān xià dà shì bì zuò yú xì.)
10) <grm> is (yes <frml> this; that) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) sage (holy; sacred) human (man; people) end (death; eventually; after all; whole; all) no (not) stand for (wèi <prep> support: for object, cause or purpose) big (large; great; major), 是以圣人终不为大，(shì yĭ shèng rén zhōng bù wéi dà,)
11) reason (cause; on purpose; hence) can (be able to) accomplish (become; result) his (its; their; they; that) big (large; great; major), 故能成其大。(gù néng chéng qí dà.)
12) husband (man) light (softly) promise (yes) certainly (must) few (scant; tasteless; widowed) true (trust; faith; believe). 夫轻诺必寡信。(fū qīng nuò bì guă xìn.)
13) much (more; too many; excessive) easy (amiable) certainly (must) much (more; too many; excessive) difficult (hard; troublesome; put sb. into a difficult position), 多易必多难。(duō yì bì duō nán.)
14) <grm> is (yes <frml> this; that) use (<v> take <p> according to; because of <adj> so as to <conj> and) sage (holy; sacred) human (man; people) just as (like; still; as if) difficult (hard; troublesome; put sb. into a difficult position) of, 是以圣人犹难之，(shì yĭ shèng rén yóu nán zhī,)
15) reason (cause; on purpose; hence) end (death; eventually; after all; whole; all) nothing (without; not) difficult (hard; troublesome; put sb. into a difficult position) already (indeed; really; how). 故终无难矣。(gù zhōng wú nán yĭ.)
Third Pass: Chapter of the Month
Corrections:
Line 12: The man that softly promises, certainly few trust. Softly promises is probably misleading. It may infer gently which oddly enough isn’t wrong, per se, as the various translated meanings (below) of the character show. A more accurate inference would be ‘not important; rashly; make light of‘, or even the primary meaning, ‘light‘. Light promises are not to be taken seriously. Why did I ever choose softly? Oh well, that’s why I keep reviewing this ‘work in progress’. Rashly is a better fit.
Qīng (轻) light; small in number, degree, etc.; not important; gently; softly; rashly; belittle; make light of.
Reflections:
Make the great small and the many few. Making the “many few” certainly goes a long way to decreasing my life’s stress. That is the core benefit of the correlations process. Chapter 56’s focus on “profound sameness” parallels this in how it advises going about making the “many few“:
You will notice a number of references to “great” and “greatness” in this chapter. Words often carry and convey ‘personal context stories’. These can mislead us, especially here. Therefore, it helps to mull over the various meanings for this character besides “great“: dà (大) big; large; great; heavy (rain, etc.); strong (wind, etc.); loud; general; main; major; size; age; greatly; fully; in a big way; on a big (or large) scale; eldest.
Respond to resentment using kindness. We all carry a certain level of resentment. Resentment or anger serves as a ‘counterweight’ to fear, that driver of life. Nevertheless, using kindness can help us avoid contending interactions to an extent… This is called the moral character of not contending, and Nature’s way never contending, yet adept in victory. Realizing the full scope of this natural process helps me tap in to kindness more readily… if not in the heat of the battle, then soon after. Responding to resentment using kindness is not something we are capable of choosing to do (i.e., the hoax of free will); however, realizing the process at work defuses the detrimental role that one’s thinking would otherwise play.
Close relationships are prime areas for resentments to fester and grow. I assume the intertwined egos projecting their personal needs and fear on each other foster this. Kindness is key… Science Says Lasting Relationships Come Down To 2 Basic Traits
All that is great under heaven must arise from the small. This presages the next chapter’s A thousand mile journey begins below the feet. Indeed, I feel the word ‘great’ is illusionary. It is merely a projection of our own expectations and/or human hierarchical tendencies. The more I fall into the trap of regarding ‘great’ as an objective reality, the more unwittingly I become a participant in an unwinnable game. Using nature as my guide, I see nothing in all of nature that is greater than something else. The hundred or so elements each serve a function in nature, i.e., hydrogen is not ‘greater’ than helium; an whale is not ‘greater’ than a worm. That we may regard a whale greater than a worm merely reflects our own biases (needs and fears). Accordingly, the wise man, in the end, doesn’t support greatness.
It may help to dig into the other meanings of the character that I translated as “support“: I used the falling tone meaning, but you’ll notice that the rising tone meanings lend a similar flavor.
Wèi (为) <formal> stand for, support.
Wéi (为) do; act; act as; serve as; become; be; mean; <preposition> (for passive).
By the way, this character is prominent in line 1: 为无为 = Do without doing.
This wéi wú wéi or (wú wéi) has become a popular cliché of sorts in modern times. I suppose it stumps the most action obsessed Western mind, or Eastern mind for that matter. Here is a breakdown of the characters: do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean; support) nothing (without; not) do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean; support), 为无为 (wéi wú wéi.) The more one falls under the illusion of self (ego), and thus believes they have free will, the more inscrutable wéi wú wéi.
Second Pass: Work in Progress
Issues:
Midway through this chapter were a few missing periods. Did I say how ancient Chinese doesn’t have punctuation marks? Modern Chinese does, but I don’t know when they adopted this; it truly helps comprehension, doesn’t it.
Line 6 and 7 need clarification. First, line 6 of the literal reads hard to come by. This should instead read the difficult (hard; troublesome; put somebody into a difficult position; hardly possible; bad; unpleasant). I don’t know why I put ‘hard to come by’ other than the fact that ‘hard’ and ‘difficult’ are synonyms. D.C. Lau uses that phrase in a number of chapters, so perhaps it was his subliminal influence on me.
Next, let’s examine the from in both line 6 and 7: Plan difficulty from its easy. Do the great from its small. This may convey an overly and misleadingly linear point of view. The quantum view of non-locality may fit better (but not be any easier to understand). These existences are interlinked, yet we notice them as separate conditions, separate in time. The key word here is 于 (yú) at, in, out from. Here are some other combination words that use 于 (yú), and may shed light.
处于 (chǔyú) be (in a certain condition). (处 chǔ = get along, be situated in, manage <formal> dwell, live)
利于 (lìyú) be beneficial; be good for. (利 lì = sharp; favorable; advantage; profit)
在于 (zàiyú) lie in; rest with; be determined by; depend on. (在 zài = exist, be living, rest with, depend on)
Perhaps adding “out” helps make it feel less linear… three dimensional rather than two.
Plan difficulty out from its easy. Do the great out from its small.
Another sticking point, akin, comes in line 14: Accordingly, the wise man, akin of difficulty. Here again, some other uses of the character 犹 (yóu) may help. 犹 translates formally as: just as, like, still… which led me to use the word akin. I’ve bolded other uses that stand out for me. I especially favor “still ringing (or reverberating) in one’s ears”.
犹豫不决 (yóuyùbùjué) shilly-shally.
犹豫 (yóuyù) hesitate; be irresolute. 犹疑 (yóuyi) hesitate.
记忆犹新 (jìyìyóuxīn) remain fresh in one’s memory.
言犹在耳 (yányóuzài’ěr) the words are still ringing (or reverberating) in one’s ears.
Commentary:
Hmm, there is a fuzzy line separating Issues from Commentary. Oh well. First, notice how this chapter can be read as a prescription for ‘right action’, i.e., what one should do. Being a skeptic of free will, I find it more useful to interpret this as a description of how nature works. When I truly know how nature works, I find that I can’t help but reach great conformity.
Conversely, when my ideals (desires and worries) hold sway I contend with the way things are… and constantly shoot myself in the foot. Life is only so long; why spend it going around in circles? It just make one dizzy! Now a few thoughts on what stood out for me today…
Taste without tasting: Discriminating tastes lead to difficulty, especially when linked to an ideal expectation (thinking it is ‘good’, ‘bad’, could be ‘better’, why is it ‘so awful’?). Discernment can increase understanding or misunderstanding. How do you know which is which? Simple, when understanding reaches its full extent, can you know nothing?
Respond to resentment using kindness: When you expect kindness, you set yourself up for feeling resentment. This line is a hint at how to look at the world, and how that approach determines your reaction. The original Chinese conveys this better than I’m able to do in English. In English is comes off as more of a ‘turn the other cheek’ view.
The man that lightly promises, certainly few trust: Initially, this brings to mind, “words are cheap, actions speak louder than words, the proof is in the pudding”. Perhaps, because ‘lightly‘ conveys to me an especially unconscious (plus frivolous, careless, flaky) connotation. However, the words lightly promises can easily convey something entirely different. Lightly promises is from 轻诺 (qīngnuò). This breaks down as: qīng = light; small in number; not important; gently; softly; belittle, and nuò = promise; yes.
Now, consider this in light of what chapter 41 says about promises: Truthful promises seem capricious (also mull over the rest of chapter 41). This begs the question, what are promises, why do we make them and what are our expectations around them. I’ve always had difficulty with promises; they feel futuristic and forced. Not finding any parallel in nature makes promising anything look even more like a symptom of underlying forces: expectation, desire and ideals—all of which are potentially poisonous to natural spontaneity. Certainly, I understand their social utility; I just find it too often hollow.
This makes ‘certainly few trust’ instead come across as virtuous—a ‘taoist positive’ when consider in light of this view from chapter 20:
Suggested Revision:
Do without doing,
Be involved without being involved.
Taste without tasting.
Make the great small and the many few,
Respond to resentment using kindness.
Plan difficulty out from its easy.
Do the great out from its small.
All difficulties under heaven must arise from the easy.
All that is great under heaven must arise from the small.
Accordingly, the wise man, in the end, doesn’t support greatness,
For this reason he is able to accomplish greatness.
The man that softly promises, certainly few trust.
The excessively easy, certainly excessively difficult.
Accordingly, the wise man, still of difficulty,
For this reason, in the end, without difficulty.
#6 hard to come by difficult (hard; troublesome; put somebody into a difficult position; hardly possible; bad)
First Pass: Chapter of the Week
I see various ways to consider the idea of Doing that which consists in taking no action; and Laying plans for the accomplishment of the difficult. At first glance they may even seem contradictory—apparently doing nothing on one hand and yet lay plans on the other. These virtues and do good to him who has done you an injury (respond to resentment using kindness) may also appear to be moral prescriptions. Are they?
I’d say they are, if that is what you want to see. There is more to this than meets the eye though. I find do without doing useful because life usually sorts itself out better when I don’t jump in right away and meddle. This is another way of counseling patience. In action it is timeliness that matters also speaks to patient action that is timed to maximize efficiency (benefit/cost).
Respond to resentment using kindness sure sounds like a moral prescription. Christ echoed this view:
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you
I find this impossible to pull off sincerely. Feeling resentment is a symptom of foiled expectations. On the other hand, if I know contentment (i.e., have zero expectations) I naturally feel kindness within, and so respond to others kindly. This parallels the Bhagavad Gita:
A gift is pure when it is given from the heart to the right person at the right time and at the right place, and when we expect nothing in return.
We tend to ignore the deeper how’s and why’s, and instead tout moral ideals to fix societal ills. I suspect this is no more effective than the ‘snake oil’ remedies of old. We only think they work; history proves otherwise. Only through deeper understanding do we have any hope of fixing pretty much anything. Buddha hit the nail on the head—he fleshed out the basic how’s and why’s (Four Noble Truths) and then proposed Right Understanding as a first step to fixing things. These Truths are utterly clear, yet usually fall on deaf ears(1). Doesn’t this prove that we simply understand what we already know, and we simply know what we already need and fear (desire)? It is all very humbling!
The habit of considering things excessively easy is probably a normal symptom of youthful naïveté. Certainly, youth lacks the experiences that prods the more mature to consider consequences down the road. Not surprisingly, youth can encounter excessively difficult(2). As chapter 16 puts it, Woe to him who willfully innovates while ignorant of the constant. Fortunately, as the years go by, wisdom deepen. On the other hand, there are enough old-yet-foolish, and young-yet-wise. Nevertheless, every person grows wiser and more mature as they age, relative to where they started. After all circumstances bring [all of] them to maturity.
Ah, too bad that hard won wisdom has to go the grave with us. Yep, and the next generation gets to learn it all over again. Looking back on things I’ve read, like the Tao Te Ching, I recall how uplifting the spiritual ideals sounded, and I longed to incorporate them in my life. Decades later, rather than incorporating them in me, I am becoming them naturally—It happens to us naturally. There is an important distinction. The spiritual ideas are universal and reflect maturity. The only way one becomes mature is through circumstances and time. The ‘teachings’ don’t teach, they are merely commentary on the experience. They are biographical universals, not models that we can shoehorn our lives into—That is why I know the benefit of resorting to no action. The teaching that uses no words, the benefit of resorting to no action, these are beyond the understanding of all but a very few in the world.
(1) During my years on East Asia I noticed how unaware most Buddhists there were of Buddha’s core view. Of course, the same is true in the West. People obviously prefer the bypath of form and overlook the foundation of function. Again, proofing that our needs and fears (desire) determine what we see (understand)? That’s enough to make anyone who realizes this tentative, as if fording a river in winter!
(2) Considering something excessively easy or difficult can often be a projection of one’s own needs and fears, having nothing to do with age. Those emotions form our imagined sense of what lies down the road.