第二十八章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 28

Know the strong but keep to the soft; return to the infant, the limitless and the uncarved block.

知zhī其qí雄xióng，守shǒu其qí雌cí，为wéi天tiān下xià溪xī。

Manage masculinity, abides by femininity, be as the universal flow.
为wéi天tiān下xià溪xī，常cháng德dé不bù离lí，

Be as the universal flow, and the enduring virtue shall not fade,
复fù归guī于yú婴yīng儿ér。

Ever returning to the new-born.
知zhī其qí白bái，守shǒu其qí黑hēi，为wéi天tiān下xià式shì。

Handle whiteness, comply with darkness, be as the universal order.
为wéi天tiān下xià式shì，常cháng德dé不bù忒tè，

Be as the universal order, and the enduring virtue shall be faultless,
复fù归guī于yú无wú极jí。

Ever reverting to infinity.
知zhī其qí荣róng，守shǒu其qí辱rǔ，为wéi天tiān下xià谷gǔ。

Control glory, accept disgrace, be as the universal channel.
为wéi天tiān下xià谷gǔ，常cháng德dé乃nǎi足zú，

Be as the universal channel, and the enduring virtue shall be sufficient,
复fù归guī于yú朴pǔ。

Ever relapsing into simplicity.
朴pǔ散sàn则zé为wéi器qì，

Once simplicity is dispersed, so as to craft an instrument,
圣shèng人rén用yòng之zhī则zé为wéi官guān长zhǎng。

The wise ruler intervenes and uses it to govern.
故gù大dà制zhì不bù割gē。

Therefore, great governance does not seek to process simplicity.

Words in this chapter

Words in chapter 28, with pinyin and meaning
Word	Pinyin	Meaning
知	zhī	to know
其	qí	its, his, their
雄	xióng	the male
守	shǒu	to keep, to guard
雌	cí	female, yielding
为	wéi	to be, to count as
天下	tiān xià	all under heaven, the world
溪	xī	ravine, stream
常	cháng	constant, eternal
德	dé	virtue
不	bù	not
离	lí	to separate
复归	fù guī	to return again
于	yú	to, at
婴儿	yīng ér	the infant
白	bái	white, the bright
黑	hēi	black, the dark
式	shì	model, pattern
忒	tè	to err, to go astray
无极	wú jí	the limitless
荣	róng	glory, splendor
辱	rǔ	disgrace
谷	gǔ	valley
乃	nǎi	then, in turn
足	zú	enough, sufficient
朴	pǔ	the uncarved block
散	sàn	to be split up
则	zé	then
器	qì	vessel, tool, instrument
圣人	shèng rén	the sage
用	yòng	to use
之	zhī	it, them (object)
官	guān	officials
长	zhǎng	to rear, to lead
故	gù	therefore
大	dà	great, big
制	zhì	cutting; governing
割	gē	to cut apart

Compare: James Legge (1891)

Who knows his manhood's strength,
Yet still his female feebleness maintains;
As to one channel flow the many drains,
All come to him, yea, all beneath the sky.
Thus he the constant excellence retains;
The simple child again, free from all stains.

Who knows how white attracts,
Yet always keeps himself within black's shade,
The pattern of humility displayed,
Displayed in view of all beneath the sky;
He in the unchanging excellence arrayed,
Endless return to man's first state has made.

Who knows how glory shines,
Yet loves disgrace, nor e'er for it is pale;
Behold his presence in a spacious vale,
To which men come from all beneath the sky.
The unchanging excellence completes its tale;
The simple infant man in him we hail.

The unwrought material, when divided and distributed, forms vessels. The sage, when employed, becomes the Head of all the Officers (of government); and in his greatest regulations he employs no violent measures.

Public domain. Source: Wikisource.

Meaning of chapter 28

Chapter 28 asks the reader to know the strong, bright and honored side of things while keeping to the soft, dark and humble side.

The chapter is built from three parallel stanzas. Each pairs a quality to know with one to keep: 雄 and 雌, the male and the female; 白 and 黑, white and black; 荣 and 辱, glory and disgrace. Keeping to the lower side makes one the ravine, the model and the valley of the world, low places that things flow into, and each stanza ends with a return: to the infant, to the limitless (无极) and to 朴, the uncarved block. The female and the valley recall chapters 6 and 10; the infant comes back in chapter 55.

The last lines turn to government. When the uncarved block is cut up it becomes tools, and the sage uses them to appoint officials, yet the closing line says that the great 制 does not cut. 制 means both cutting and ruling; the site keeps both senses and follows Wang Bi, for whom the greatest rule takes the mind of the world as its own and so divides nothing. Chapter 32 takes up the same image of cutting and names.

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Meaning of chapter 28