道德經

Tao Te Ching 28 · 28

Return to the Uncarved Block

知其雄，守其雌，為天下谿。為天下谿，常德不離，復歸於嬰兒。知其白，守其黑，為天下式。為天下式，常德不忒，復歸於無極。知其榮，守其辱，為天下谷，為天下谷，常德乃足，復歸於樸。樸散則為器，聖人用之，則為官長，故大制不割。

Know the male, keep to the female, and be the ravine of the world. Be the ravine of the world, and constant virtue never leaves you; you return again to the infant. Know the white, keep to the black, and be the model of the world. Be the model of the world, and constant virtue never goes astray; you return again to the limitless. Know the glory, keep to the disgrace, and be the valley of the world. Be the valley of the world, and constant virtue is then enough; you return again to the uncarved block. The uncarved block, when scattered, becomes vessels; the sage, when put to use, becomes the head of the officials. So the great order does not cut apart.

Word by word

知zhīKnow其qíthe雄xióngmale，守shǒukeep to其qíthe雌cífemale，and為wéibeof天下tiān xiàthe world谿xīthe ravine。為wéiBeof天下tiān xiàthe world谿xīthe ravine，and常chángconstant德dévirtue不bùnever離líleaves you，you復歸fù guīreturn again於yúto嬰兒yīng érthe infant。知zhīKnow其qíthe白báiwhite，守shǒukeep to其qíthe黑hēiblack，and為wéibeof天下tiān xiàthe world式shìthe model。為wéiBeof天下tiān xiàthe world式shìthe model，and常chángconstant德dévirtue不bùnever忒tègoes astray，you復歸fù guīreturn again於yúto無極wú jíthe limitless。知zhīKnow其qíthe榮róngglory，守shǒukeep to其qíthe辱rǔdisgrace，and為wéibeof天下tiān xiàthe world谷gǔthe valley，為wéiBeof天下tiān xiàthe world谷gǔthe valley，and常chángconstant德dévirtue乃nǎithenenough足zúis enough，you復歸fù guīreturn again於yúto樸pǔthe uncarved block。樸pǔThe uncarved blockwhen散sànscattered則zé(then)為wéibecomes器qìvessels，聖人shèng rénthe sagewhen用yòngput to use之zhī(him)，則zé(then)為wéibecomes官長guān zhǎngthe head of the officials，故gùSo大制dà zhìthe great order不bùdoes not割gēcut apart。，，。，；。，，。，；。，，。，；。，，；，，。。

The setting

Chapter 28. Heshang Gong titles it 反朴, "Return to the Uncarved Block."

A note on this passage

Each couplet has you know one quality and keep to its opposite, and that is what makes you a gathering place for the world.

The last image gives the whole book’s central metaphor: an uncarved block of wood, whole and undefined, that becomes tools only once it is cut apart. The sage uses that cutting without losing sight of the wholeness behind it. Heshang Gong’s text repeats “be the valley of the world” twice, matching the doubled phrasing of the first two couplets; Wang Bi’s has it only once.

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