道德經

Tao Te Ching 22 · 22

The Gain in Yielding

曲則全，枉則直，窪則盈，弊則新，少則得，多則惑。是以聖人抱一為天下式。不自見故明，不自是故彰，不自伐故有功，不自矜故長。夫唯不爭，故天下莫能與之爭。古之所謂曲則全者，豈虛言哉！誠全而歸之。

Bend, and be whole; be crooked, and be straight; be hollow, and be filled; be worn, and be new; have little, and gain; have much, and be confused. So the sage holds on to the One and is the model of the world. He does not display himself, so he sees clearly; he does not think himself right, so he stands out; he does not boast of himself, so he has merit; he does not exalt himself, so he lasts long. Now, it is only because he does not contend that no one in the world can contend with him. The ancients’ saying, “bend, and be whole”: how could these be empty words? Truly, you stay whole and give it back.

Word by word

曲qūBend則zéand全quánbe whole，枉wǎngbe crooked則zéand直zhíbe straight，窪wābe hollow則zéand盈yíngbe filled，弊bìbe worn則zéand新xīnbe new，少shǎohave little則zéand得dégain，多duōhave much則zéand惑huòbe confused。是以shì yǐSo聖人shèng rénthe sage抱bàoholds on to一yīthe Oneand為wéiisof天下tiān xiàthe world式shìthe model。He不bùdoes not自zìhimself見xiàndisplay故gùsohe明míngsees clearly，he不bùdoes not自zìhimselfright是shìthink right故gùsohe彰zhāngstands out，he不bùdoes not自zìhimself伐fáboast of故gùsohe有yǒuhas功gōngmerit，he不bùdoes not自zìhimself矜jīnexalt故gùsohe長chánglasts long。夫fúNowit is唯wéionly becausehe不bùdoes not爭zhēngcontend，故gùthatin天下tiān xiàthe world莫mòno one能néngcan與yǔwith之zhīhim爭zhēngcontend。古gǔThe ancients之zhī(’s)’所謂suǒ wèisaying曲qūbend則zéand全quánbe whole者zhě(that)，豈qǐhow couldthese be虛xūempty言yánwords哉zāi(?)！誠chéngTrulyyou全quánstay whole而érand歸guīgive back之zhīitback。，；，；，；，；，；，。。，；，；，；，。，。，，：？，。

The setting

Chapter 22. Heshang Gong titles it 益謙, "The Gain in Yielding."

A note on this passage

The sage lives by the same logic as the opening paradoxes: each renunciation produces the opposite of what a rival would expect.

Heshang Gong reads the last line, staying whole and giving it back, as the body kept intact and returned to one’s parents, echoing the old teaching that an unharmed body is itself an act of devotion.

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Tao Te Ching 22 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/tao/22/