第十三章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 13

Favor and disgrace both unsettle us because we cling to the self; one who values the world as himself can be trusted with it.

宠chǒng辱rǔ若ruò惊jīng，

Accept humiliation as a surprise,
贵guì大dà患huàn若ruò身shēn。

Value great illness as your own self.
何hé谓wèi宠chǒng辱rǔ若ruò惊jīng？

What do I mean by "Accept humiliation as a surprise"?
宠chǒng为wéi下xià，得dé之zhī若ruò惊jīng，

When you are humble, attainment is construed as a surprise,
失shī之zhī若ruò惊jīng，

And so is loss,
是shì谓wèi宠chǒng辱rǔ若ruò惊jīng。

Thus, I say "Accept humiliation as a surprise".
何hé谓wèi贵guì大dà患huàn若ruò身shēn？

What do I mean by "Value great illness as your own self"?
吾wú所suǒ以yǐ有yǒu大dà患huàn者zhě，

If I have a great illness,
为wèi吾wú有yǒu身shēn，及jí吾wú无wú身shēn，

Hence I have a body, and if I have no body,
吾wú有yǒu何hé患huàn！

How can I be ill!
故gù贵guì以yǐ身shēn为wéi天tiān下xià，

Consequently, valuing your body in accordance with the world,
若ruò可kě寄jì天tiān下xià；

Is alike entangling yourself with the world;
爱ài以yǐ身shēn为wéi天tiān下xià，

Loving your body in accordance with the world,
若ruò可kě托tuō天tiān下xià。

Is alike entrusting yourself with the world.

Words in this chapter

Words in chapter 13, with pinyin and meaning
Word	Pinyin	Meaning
宠	chǒng	favor, being favored
辱	rǔ	disgrace
若	ruò	like, as if
惊	jīng	alarm, startled
贵	guì	to value, to prize
大	dà	great, big
患	huàn	trouble, affliction
身	shēn	oneself, the person
何谓	hé wèi	what is meant by
为	wéi	to be, to count as
下	xià	low, below
得	dé	to get, to obtain
之	zhī	it, them (object)
失	shī	to lose; loss
是	shì	this
谓	wèi	to call, to be called
吾	wú	I
所以	suǒ yǐ	the reason why
有	yǒu	to have, to possess
者	zhě	one who, that which
为	wèi	because
及	jí	when, if
无	wú	not have, without, no
何	hé	what, how
故	gù	therefore
以	yǐ	to take (as)
天下	tiān xià	all under heaven, the world
可	kě	can be
寄	jì	to entrust
爱	ài	to love, care for
托	tuō	to entrust

Compare: James Legge (1891)

Favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared; honour and great calamity, to be regarded as personal conditions (of the same kind).

What is meant by speaking thus of favour and disgrace? Disgrace is being in a low position (after the enjoyment of favour). The getting that (favour) leads to the apprehension (of losing it), and the losing it leads to the fear of (still greater calamity):--this is what is meant by saying that favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared.

And what is meant by saying that honour and great calamity are to be (similarly) regarded as personal conditions? What makes me liable to great calamity is my having the body (which I call myself); if I had not the body, what great calamity could come to me?

Therefore he who would administer the kingdom, honouring it as he honours his own person, may be employed to govern it, and he who would administer it with the love which he bears to his own person may be entrusted with it.

Public domain. Source: Wikisource.

Meaning of chapter 13

Chapter 13 asks why favor and disgrace both unsettle people, and it is one of the harder chapters to construe. It opens with two sayings, 宠辱若惊, favor and disgrace are alike alarming, and 贵大患若身, great trouble is valued like one's own person, then explains each in turn.

Favor is called something low: gaining it brings alarm, and so does losing it. Great trouble comes from having a body, a self to protect: if I had no body, what trouble could I have? The point is not to despise oneself, but to see that worry follows from attachment to the self.

The last four lines are read in different ways. This site follows the reading given in its summary: one who values the world as he values his own person can be entrusted with the world, and one who loves it so can be given charge of it. Wang Bi comments that one who would not trade his own person for anything can be trusted with the world. The weighing of self against possessions returns in chapter 44, and the ruler who treats the world lightly in chapter 26.

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Meaning of chapter 13