第二十七章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 27
The skilled leave no trace; the sage rejects no one, and good and not-good each have their use.
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善行无辙迹，
A good traveler leaves no tracks,
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善言无瑕谪，
A good speaker lacks flaws and rebuke,
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善数不用筹策，
A good counter needs no calculator.
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善闭无关楗而不可开，
What is properly closed requires no lock, and yet cannot be opened,
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善结无绳约而不可解。
What is well bound requires no knot, and yet cannot be untied.
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是以圣人常善救人，
This is how the sage always elevates people,
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故无弃人；
And doesn't ostracize others.
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常善救物，故无弃物，
He always takes care of things, and doesn't cast away anything.
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是谓袭明。
This is called following the light.
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故善人者，不善人之师；
Hence, the benefactor is the teacher of the lesser person,
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不善人者，善人之资。
The lesser person is the endowment of the benefactor.
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不贵其师，不爱其资，
Fail to value the teacher, fail to like the endowment,
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虽智大迷，
Though you may be intelligent, you are greatly confused,
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是谓要妙。
This is called the essential subtlety.
Words in this chapter
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 善 | shàn | to be good at |
| 行 | xíng | to walk, to move |
| 无 | wú | not have, without, no |
| 辙 | zhé | wheel ruts |
| 迹 | jì | traces, footprints |
| 言 | yán | words, to speak |
| 瑕 | xiá | flaw |
| 谪 | zhé | fault to blame |
| 数 | shù | to count |
| 不 | bù | not |
| 用 | yòng | to use |
| 筹 | chóu | tally sticks |
| 策 | cè | counting rods |
| 闭 | bì | to close, to shut |
| 关 | guān | bolt, bar |
| 楗 | jiàn | door bar |
| 而 | ér | and yet, but |
| 可 | kě | can be |
| 开 | kāi | to open |
| 结 | jié | to tie |
| 绳 | shéng | rope, cord |
| 约 | yuē | to tie, to bind |
| 解 | jiě | to untie |
| 是以 | shì yǐ | therefore, for this reason |
| 圣人 | shèng rén | the sage |
| 常 | cháng | always, ever |
| 救 | jiù | to save, to help |
| 人 | rén | people, others |
| 故 | gù | therefore |
| 弃 | qì | to abandon, cast away |
| 物 | wù | thing, beings |
| 是 | shì | this |
| 谓 | wèi | to call, to be called |
| 袭 | xí | to follow, to inherit |
| 明 | míng | clarity, insight; clear |
| 善人 | shàn rén | the good person |
| 者 | zhě | one who, that which |
| 之 | zhī | of, 's (linking particle) |
| 师 | shī | teacher |
| 资 | zī | resource, material |
| 贵 | guì | to value, to prize |
| 其 | qí | its, his, their |
| 爱 | ài | to love, care for |
| 虽 | suī | although, even if |
| 智 | zhì | clever, cunning |
| 大 | dà | great, big |
| 迷 | mí | lost, astray |
| 要 | yào | essential, crucial |
| 妙 | miào | subtle wonder |
Compare: James Legge (1891)
The skilful traveller leaves no traces of his wheels or footsteps; the skilful speaker says nothing that can be found fault with or blamed; the skilful reckoner uses no tallies; the skilful closer needs no bolts or bars, while to open what he has shut will be impossible; the skilful binder uses no strings or knots, while to unloose what he has bound will be impossible. In the same way the sage is always skilful at saving men, and so he does not cast away any man; he is always skilful at saving things, and so he does not cast away anything. This is called 'Hiding the light of his procedure.'
Therefore the man of skill is a master (to be looked up to) by him who has not the skill; and he who has not the skill is the helper of (the reputation of) him who has the skill. If the one did not honour his master, and the other did not rejoice in his helper, an (observer), though intelligent, might greatly err about them. This is called 'The utmost degree of mystery.'
Public domain. Source: Wikisource.
Meaning of chapter 27
Chapter 27 begins with five examples of skill so complete that its tools disappear: a good traveler leaves no tracks, a good speaker leaves nothing to fault, a good counter needs no tallies, a good closing needs no bolt yet cannot be opened, a good binding needs no rope yet cannot be undone.
The sage is skilled in the same way with people. He is always good at saving people, so no one is cast off, and good at saving things, so nothing is cast off. This is called 袭明, rendered "following the light"; 袭 can mean to carry on or to cover, and the phrase is read both ways. The good person is the teacher of the one who is not good, and the one who is not good is the good person's 资, material to work on. Whoever does not value the teacher or care for the material is lost, however clever: this is called the essential mystery.
This site reads 资 with Wang Bi, as what the good person draws on. That no one is cast off returns in chapter 62, where the Way protects even those who are not good, and in chapter 49.