道德經

Tao Te Ching 55 · 55

The Dark Sign

含德之厚，比於赤子。毒蟲不螫，猛獸不據，玃鳥不搏。骨弱，筋柔，而握固；未知牝牡之合，而䘒作精之至也。終日號而不啞，和之至也。知和曰常，知常曰明。益生日祥，心使氣日强。物壯將老，謂之不道，不道早已。

One who holds virtue in full measure is like a newborn child. Poisonous insects do not sting it, fierce beasts do not claw it, birds of prey do not strike it. Its bones are weak and its sinews soft, yet its grip is firm. It does not yet know the joining of female and male, yet its member stirs: this is essence at its height. It cries all day, yet its voice does not grow hoarse: this is harmony at its height. Knowing harmony is called the constant; knowing the constant is called clarity. Adding to life, it grows bigger day by day; when the heart drives the breath, it grows hard day by day. A thing at its peak will soon grow old: this is called not following the Way. What does not follow the Way ends early.

Word by word

含hánOne who holds德dévirtue之zhī(’s)厚hòuin full measure，比bǐis like於yú(to)赤chìa newborn子zǐchild。毒dúPoisonous蟲chónginsects不bùdo not螫shìsting it，猛měngfierce獸shòubeasts不bùdo not據jùclaw it，玃鳥jué niǎobirds of prey不bùdo not搏bóstrike it。骨gǔIts bones弱ruòare weak，and筋jīnits sinews柔róusoft，而éryet握wòits grip固gùis firm；It未wèidoes not yet知zhīknow牝牡pìn mǔfemale and male之zhīof合héthe joining，而éryet䘒作zuī zuòits member stirs精jīngessence之zhīat至zhìits height也yěthis is。終zhōngall日rìdayIt號háocries而éryetits voice不bùdoes not啞yǎgrow hoarse，和héharmony之zhīat至zhìits height也yěthis is。知zhīKnowing和héharmony曰yuēis called常chángthe constant，知zhīknowing常chángthe constant曰yuēis called明míngclarity。益yìAdding to生shēnglife日rìday by dayit祥xiánggrows bigger，when心xīnthe heart使shǐdrives氣qìthe breath日rìday by dayit强qiánggrows hard。物wùA thing壯zhuàngat its peak將jiāngwill soon老lǎogrow old，謂wèiis called之zhīthis不bùnot following道dàothe Way，不bùWhat does not道dàofollow the Way早zǎoearly已yǐends。。，，。，。，：。，：。；。，；，。：。。

The setting

The uncanny wholeness of a baby, and the warning against forcing your own vitality.

A note on this passage

The newborn is safe because it is so soft and undefended, and its cry never goes hoarse because nothing forces it. Heshang Gong reads the stirring of its member as a sign of how full its vital essence is.

This chapter holds one of the book’s real cruxes. Most editions read 祥 in its ordinary sense, “an ill omen”, an ironic label for forcing your own vitality. Heshang Gong glosses it as 長 “to grow”, which makes the line a plain description of a swelling process instead of a verdict, and the warning lands one clause later, in “not following the Way”. The graph swap seen in chapter 52 (日 for 曰) happens twice more here.

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Tao Te Ching 55 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/tao/55/