道德經

Tao Te Ching 23 · 23

Emptiness

希言自然。飄風不終朝，驟雨不終日。孰為此者天地。天地尚不能久，而況於人乎？故從事於道者，道者同於道。德者同於德；失者同於失。同於道者道亦樂得之；同於德者德亦樂得之；同於失者失亦樂失之。信不足焉，有不信焉。

To speak little is natural. A whirling wind does not last the whole morning; a sudden downpour does not last the whole day. Who makes these? Heaven and earth. If even heaven and earth are not able to make them last, how much less can man? So, for one who works by the Way: the man of the Way is one with the Way; the man of virtue is one with virtue; the man of loss is one with loss. The one who is one with the Way, the Way too is glad to have him; the one who is one with virtue, virtue too is glad to have him; the one who is one with loss, loss too is glad to lose him. Where trust is not enough, there is no trust in return.

Word by word

希xīlittle言yánTo speak自然zì ránis natural。飄piāoA whirling風fēngwind不bùdoes not終zhōnglast the whole朝zhāomorning，驟zhòua sudden雨yǔdownpour不bùdoes not終zhōnglast the whole日rìday。孰shúWho為wéimakes此cǐthese者zhě(the one)天地tiān deHeaven and earth。天地tiān deheaven and earthIf尚shàngeven不bùnotable能néngare ableto make them久jiǔlast，而ér(then)況kuànghow much lesscan於yú(for)人rénman乎hū(?)？故gùSo從事cóng shìworks於yúby道dàothe Wayfor者zhěone who，of道dàothe Way者zhěthe man同tóngis one於yúwith道dàothe Way。of德dévirtue者zhěthe man同tóngis one於yúwith德dévirtue；of失shīloss者zhěthe man同tóngis one於yúwith失shīloss。同tóngis one於yúwith道dàothe Way者zhěThe one who道dàothe Way亦yìtoo樂lèis glad得déto have之zhīhim；同tóngis one於yúwith德dévirtue者zhěthe one who德dévirtue亦yìtoo樂lèis glad得déto have之zhīhim；同tóngis one於yúwith失shīloss者zhěthe one who失shīloss亦yìtoo樂lèis glad失shīto lose之zhīhim。信xìntrust不bùis not足zúenough焉yānWhere，有yǒuthere is不bùno信xìntrust焉yānin return。。；。？。，？，：；；。，；，；，。，。

The setting

Chapter 23. Heshang Gong titles it 虛無, "Emptiness."

A note on this passage

The storm is a picture of speech. If nature’s own violent effort burns out fast, a ruler’s talk and decrees should be sparing too.

Each kind of person is met by what he lives by, and Heshang Gong’s text alone breaks the pattern at the very end. Where Wang Bi has all three couplets end in 得 “gain,” Heshang Gong’s third couplet uses 失 “lose” instead, so Loss actually abandons the one who courts it.

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