Tao Te Ching Chapter 60
第60章
治大國，若烹小鮮。以道莅天下，其鬼不神；非其鬼不神，其神不傷人；非其神不傷人，聖人亦不傷人。夫兩不相傷，故德交歸焉。
Governing a great state is like cooking small fish.
Let the kingdom be governed according to the Tao, and the manes of the departed will not manifest their spiritual energy. It is not that those manes have not that spiritual energy, but it will not be employed to hurt men. It is not that it could not hurt men, but neither does the ruling sage hurt them.
When these two do not injuriously affect each other, their good influences converge in the virtue (of the Tao).
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
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 國guócountry, nation, state; national
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 烹pēngcooking, cuisine; stir-fry
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 鮮xiānfresh; delicious; attractive
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 莅lìattend, be present; arrive at
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 鬼guǐghost; demon; sly, mischievous
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 神shéngod, spirit; divine, mysterious, superna
- 非fēinot, negative, non-; to oppose
- 傷shāngto injure, to harm; wound, injury; to fa
- 人rénman, person; people
- 聖shèngholy, sacred; sage, saint
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 兩liǎngtwo, both, pair, couple; ounce
- 相xiāngmutual, reciprocal; equal; each other
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 交jiāoto connect; to deliver, to exchange; to
- 歸guīto return, to go back; to return to, to
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
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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.