Tao Te Ching Chapter 61
第61章
大國者下流，天下之交。天下之牝，牝常以靜勝牡，以靜為下。故大國以下小國，則取小國；小國以下大國，則取大國。故或下以取，或下而取。大國不過欲兼畜人，小國不過欲入事人。夫兩者各得其所欲，大者宜為下。
What makes a great state is its being (like) a low-lying, down- flowing (stream);--it becomes the centre to which tend (all the small states) under heaven.
(To illustrate from) the case of all females:--the female always overcomes the male by her stillness. Stillness may be considered (a sort of) abasement.
Thus it is that a great state, by condescending to small states, gains them for itself; and that small states, by abasing themselves to a great state, win it over to them. In the one case the abasement leads to gaining adherents, in the other case to procuring favour.
The great state only wishes to unite men together and nourish them; a small state only wishes to be received by, and to serve, the other. Each gets what it desires, but the great state must learn to abase itself.
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
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 國guócountry, nation, state; national
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 流liúto flow, to drift, to circulate; class
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 交jiāoto connect; to deliver, to exchange; to
- 牝pìnfemale animal; keyhole; valley
- 常chángcommon, general, normal; always, frequen
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 靜jìngstill, quiet, motionless, gentle
- 勝shèngvictory; to excel, to truimph
- 牡mǔmale animal; key, door bolt
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 取qǔto take, to receive, to obtain; to selec
- 或huòor, either, else; maybe, perhaps, possib
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 過guòpass; to go across, to pass through
- 欲yùdesire, want, longing, intent
- 兼jiānboth, and; at the same time; to unite, t
- 畜chùlivestock, domestic animals
- 人rénman, person; people
- 入rùto enter, to come in; to join
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 兩liǎngtwo, both, pair, couple; ounce
- 各gèindividual; each, every; all
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 宜yífitting, proper, right; what one should
Similar passages
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 45
- Analects 19.20
- Zhuangzi Opening Trunks
- Zhuangzi The Old Fisherman
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.