道德經

Tao Te Ching 77 · 77

The Way of Heaven

天之道，其猶張弓乎？高者抑之，下者舉之，有餘者損之，不足者與之。天之道，損有餘而補不足。人之道則不然，損不足以奉有餘。孰能有餘以奉天下？唯有道者。是以聖人為而不恃，功成而不處，其不欲見賢。

Heaven’s Way: is it not like stringing a bow? What is high, it presses down; what is low, it lifts up; what has too much, it takes from; what has too little, it gives to. Heaven’s Way takes from what has too much and adds to what has too little. Man’s way, though, is not so: it takes from what has too little to give to what has too much. Who can have too much and give it to the world? Only one who has the Way. So the sage acts but does not rely on it; the work is done, and he does not dwell in it; he does not wish to show his worth.

Word by word

天tiānHeaven之zhī’s道dàoWay，其qíis itnot猶yóulike張zhāngstringing弓gōnga bow乎hū(?)？高gāois high者zhěWhat抑yìpresses down之zhīit，下xiàis low者zhěwhat舉jǔlifts up之zhīit，有餘yǒu yúhas too much者zhěwhat損sǔntakes from之zhīit，不足bù zúhas too little者zhěwhat與yǔgives to之zhīit。天tiānHeaven之zhī’s道dàoWay，損sǔntakes from有餘yǒu yúwhat has too much而érand補bǔadds to不足bù zúwhat has too little。人rénMan之zhī’s道dàoway則zéthough不bùis not然ránso，it損sǔntakes from不足bù zúwhat has too little以yǐto奉fènggive to有餘yǒu yúwhat has too much。孰shúWho能néngcan有餘yǒu yúhave too much以yǐand奉fènggive it天下tiān xiàto the world？唯wéiOnly有yǒuhas道dàothe Way者zhěone who。是以shì yǐSo聖人shèng rénthe sage為wéiacts而érbut不bùdoes not恃shìrely on it，功gōngthe work成chéngis done而érandhe不bùdoes not處chǔdwell in it，其qíhe不bùdoes not欲yùwish見xiànto show賢xiánhis worth。：？，；，；，；，。。，，：。？。；，；。

The setting

Heaven’s Way levels surplus and lack like the stringing of a bow, against the human habit of doing the reverse: home of the famous 損有餘而補不足 line.

A note on this passage

Stringing a bow is the picture of a natural leveling, and human ways, the chapter says, run in the opposite direction. The line 損有餘而補不足 is one of the book’s most quoted.

The Song print writes 補 there with a rare graph; Wang Bi’s text has the ordinary 補 at the same line, while silk A is damaged there and silk B reads 益 “adds to”.

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