第二十六章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 26
Weight is the root of lightness and calm the master of haste; a ruler who acts lightly loses his root.
Text
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重为轻根，静为躁君。
Heaviness is the root of lightness, composure rules impetuousness.
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是以圣人终日行不离辎重。
Therefore the sage travels all day without putting down his heavy load.
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虽有荣观，燕处超然，
Though there may be spectacles to see, he effortlessly remains composed.
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奈何万乘之主，
What's to be done with the innumerable leaders,
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而以身轻天下？
That are so concerned with themselves as to disregard the rest of the world?
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轻则失本，躁则失君。
Frivolousness leads to lost roots, impetuousness leads to lost rulership.
Words in this chapter
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 重 | zhòng | heavy, heaviness |
| 为 | wéi | to be, to count as |
| 轻 | qīng | light; to slight |
| 根 | gēn | root |
| 静 | jìng | stillness, still |
| 躁 | zào | restlessness |
| 君 | jūn | ruler, master |
| 是以 | shì yǐ | therefore, for this reason |
| 圣人 | shèng rén | the sage |
| 终日 | zhōng rì | all day long |
| 行 | xíng | to walk, to move |
| 不 | bù | not |
| 离 | lí | to separate |
| 辎重 | zī zhòng | the heavy baggage |
| 虽 | suī | although, even if |
| 有 | yǒu | to have, to possess |
| 荣 | róng | glory, splendor |
| 观 | guàn | splendid sights |
| 燕 | yàn | at ease |
| 处 | chǔ | to dwell in, abide by |
| 超然 | chāo rán | detached, above it all |
| 奈何 | nài hé | how is it that |
| 万 | wàn | ten thousand |
| 乘 | shèng | war chariots |
| 之 | zhī | of, 's (linking particle) |
| 主 | zhǔ | ruler, lord |
| 而 | ér | and yet, but |
| 以 | yǐ | by means of, with |
| 身 | shēn | oneself, the person |
| 天下 | tiān xià | all under heaven, the world |
| 则 | zé | then |
| 失 | shī | to lose; loss |
| 本 | běn | root, foundation |
Compare: James Legge (1891)
Gravity is the root of lightness; stillness, the ruler of movement.
Therefore a wise prince, marching the whole day, does not go far from his baggage waggons. Although he may have brilliant prospects to look at, he quietly remains (in his proper place), indifferent to them. How should the lord of a myriad chariots carry himself lightly before the kingdom? If he do act lightly, he has lost his root (of gravity); if he proceed to active movement, he will lose his throne.
Public domain. Source: Wikisource.
Meaning of chapter 26
Chapter 26 sets two pairs side by side: heaviness is the root of lightness, and stillness is the master of agitation. The heavy and the still come first; the light and the restless depend on them.
The image that follows is a journey. The sage travels all day without leaving his 辎重, the heavy baggage carts. Even with splendid sights to see, he stays at ease and above them. Then comes a question to rulers: how can the lord of ten thousand chariots treat the world lightly for the sake of his own person? Lightness loses the root; agitation loses mastery.
The chapter plays on 轻 and 重, light and heavy, which in Chinese also mean taking something lightly or seriously. Wang Bi's text has 圣人, the sage, in line 2, where the silk manuscripts and some other editions read 君子, the noble one. A ruler's relation between his own person and the world is the subject of chapter 13, and stillness overcoming agitation returns in chapter 45.