第二十九章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 29
The world is a sacred vessel that cannot be seized or shaped; the sage avoids excess.
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将欲取天下而为之，
If you wish to take the world and run it,
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吾见其不得已。
I can see that you will not succeed.
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天下神器，不可为也。
The universe's power cannot be acted upon.
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为者败之，执者失之。
Manipulators spoil it, commanders lose it.
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故物或行或随，
Thus, some things move, while some follow.
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或歔或吹，
Some sigh, while some blow.
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或强或羸，
Some are strong, while some are weak.
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或挫或隳。
Some destroy, while some are destroyed.
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是以圣人去甚，
Hence, the sage shuns extremes,
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去奢，去泰。
Shuns grandiosity, shuns excesses.
Words in this chapter
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 将 | jiāng | about to; to intend |
| 欲 | yù | desire, to desire |
| 取 | qǔ | to take, to seize |
| 天下 | tiān xià | all under heaven, the world |
| 而 | ér | and, and then |
| 为 | wéi | to act, to do, to make |
| 之 | zhī | it, them (object) |
| 吾 | wú | I |
| 见 | jiàn | to see |
| 其 | qí | it, he, they (subject) |
| 不得已 | bù dé yǐ | having no other choice |
| 神器 | shén qì | a sacred vessel |
| 不 | bù | not |
| 可 | kě | can be |
| 也 | yě | final particle (assertion) |
| 者 | zhě | one who, that which |
| 败 | bài | to ruin, to spoil |
| 执 | zhí | to hold, to grasp |
| 失 | shī | to lose; loss |
| 故 | gù | therefore |
| 物 | wù | thing, beings |
| 或 | huò | some ... others |
| 行 | xíng | to walk, to move |
| 随 | suí | to follow |
| 歔 | xū | to breathe out gently |
| 吹 | chuī | to blow hard |
| 强 | qiáng | strong |
| 羸 | léi | weak, frail |
| 挫 | cuò | to be crushed |
| 隳 | huī | to fall, to be destroyed |
| 是以 | shì yǐ | therefore, for this reason |
| 圣人 | shèng rén | the sage |
| 去 | qù | to discard |
| 甚 | shèn | the extreme |
| 奢 | shē | extravagance |
| 泰 | tài | excess, extravagance |
Compare: James Legge (1891)
If any one should wish to get the kingdom for himself, and to effect this by what he does, I see that he will not succeed. The kingdom is a spirit-like thing, and cannot be got by active doing. He who would so win it destroys it; he who would hold it in his grasp loses it.
The course and nature of things is such that
What was in front is now behind;
What warmed anon we freezing find.
Strength is of weakness oft the spoil;
The store in ruins mocks our toil.
Hence the sage puts away excessive effort, extravagance, and easy indulgence.
Public domain. Source: Wikisource.
Meaning of chapter 29
Chapter 29 warns that no one who sets out to take the world and remake it will succeed.
The world is called 神器, a sacred vessel. Wang Bi explains 神 as what has no fixed shape or place and 器 as something put together: the world is assembled without a shape, so it cannot be handled like an ordinary object. Two short clauses give the result, those who act on it spoil it and those who grasp it lose it, and they return word for word in chapter 64. A list of contrasts follows: some things lead and some follow, some are strong and some weak, some destroy and some are destroyed. Things differ and change on their own, which is why forcing them into one plan fails.
The conclusion is modest. The sage does not try to control this variety; he only removes what is too much: excess, extravagance and overreach (甚, 奢, 泰). The chapter belongs with chapter 48, on winning the world by leaving it alone, and with chapter 30, on the use of force.