Tao Te Ching Chapter 59
第59章
治人事天，莫若嗇。夫唯嗇，是謂早服；早服謂之重積德；重積德則無不克，無不克則莫知其極；莫知其極，可以有國；有國之母，可以長久；是謂深根固柢，長生久視之道。
For regulating the human (in our constitution) and rendering the (proper) service to the heavenly, there is nothing like moderation.
It is only by this moderation that there is effected an early return (to man's normal state). That early return is what I call the repeated accumulation of the attributes (of the Tao). With that repeated accumulation of those attributes, there comes the subjugation (of every obstacle to such return). Of this subjugation we know not what shall be the limit; and when one knows not what the limit shall be, he may be the ruler of a state.
He who possesses the mother of the state may continue long. His case is like that (of the plant) of which we say that its roots are deep and its flower stalks firm:--this is the way to secure that its enduring life shall long be seen.
English: James Legge (1891), The Tâo Teh King, Sacred Books of the East vol. 39 (1891) — public domain. Chinese: Wang Bi recension (王弼本), commentary removed.
Character glossary
- 治zhìto administer, to govern, to regulate
- 人rénman, person; people
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 莫mòcannot; do not; is not; negative
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 嗇sèmiserly, stingy, thrifty
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 唯wéionly; sole
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 早zǎoearly; soon; morning
- 服fúclothes; to dress, to wear; to take medi
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 重zhòngheavy, weighty; to double, to repeat
- 積jīto store up, to amass, to accumulate
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 克kèto subdue, to restrain, to overcome; use
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 極jíextreme, top; final, furthest, utmost; p
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 國guócountry, nation, state; national
- 母mǔmother; female elders; female
- 長zhǎnglong, lasting; to excel in
- 久jiǔlong ago; a long time
- 深shēndeep, profound; depth
- 根gēnroot, basis, foundation
- 固gùto solidify; strength
- 柢dǐroot, base
- 生shēnglife, lifetime; birth; growth
- 視shìto look at, to inspect, to observe, to r
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
Similar passages
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.