第三十六章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 36

Things turn into their opposites; the soft and weak overcome the hard and strong.

将jiāng欲yù歙xī之zhī，必bì固gù张zhāng之zhī；

What is to be shrunk must first be stretched;
将jiāng欲yù弱ruò之zhī，必bì固gù强qiáng之zhī；

what is to be weakened must first be strengthened;
将jiāng欲yù废fèi之zhī，必bì固gù兴xīng之zhī；

what is to be cast down must first be raised up;
将jiāng欲yù夺duó之zhī，必bì固gù与yǔ之zhī，

what is to be taken must first be given.
是shì谓wèi微wēi明míng。

This is called subtle insight.
柔róu弱ruò胜shèng刚gāng强qiáng。

The soft and weak overcome the hard and strong.
鱼yú不bù可kě脱tuō于yú渊yuān，

Fish must not leave the deep water;
国guó之zhī利lì器qì不bù可kě以yǐ示shì人rén。

the sharp tools of the state must not be shown to people.

Words in this chapter

Words in chapter 36, with pinyin and meaning
Word	Pinyin	Meaning
将	jiāng	about to; to intend
欲	yù	desire, to desire
歙	xī	to shrink, to draw in
之	zhī	it, them (object)
必	bì	surely, inevitably
固	gù	first, surely
张	zhāng	to stretch, to open out
弱	ruò	to weaken
强	qiáng	to strengthen
废	fèi	to fall into disuse
兴	xīng	to raise up
夺	duó	to take away
与	yǔ	giving, dealing with others
是	shì	this
谓	wèi	to call, to be called
微	wēi	subtle, minute
明	míng	clarity, insight; clear
柔	róu	soft, supple
弱	ruò	weak, weakness
胜	shèng	to overcome; victory
刚	gāng	hard, rigid
强	qiáng	strong
鱼	yú	fish
不	bù	not
可	kě	can be
脱	tuō	to leave, to escape
于	yú	to, at
渊	yuān	deep pool, depth
国	guó	the state
之	zhī	of, 's (linking particle)
利器	lì qì	sharp tools
以	yǐ	by means of, with
示	shì	to show
人	rén	people, others

Compare: James Legge (1891)

When one is about to take an inspiration, he is sure to make a (previous) expiration; when he is going to weaken another, he will first strengthen him; when he is going to overthrow another, he will first have raised him up; when he is going to despoil another, he will first have made gifts to him:--this is called 'Hiding the light (of his procedure).'

The soft overcomes the hard; and the weak the strong.

Fishes should not be taken from the deep; instruments for the profit of a state should not be shown to the people.

Public domain. Source: Wikisource.

Meaning of chapter 36

Chapter 36 observes that things turn into their opposites: what is about to shrink has first been stretched, and what is about to fall has first been raised.

Four parallel lines set out the pattern: shrinking follows stretching, weakening follows strengthening, casting down follows raising up, and taking follows giving. The chapter calls this 微明, subtle insight, and draws the rule that the soft and weak overcome the hard and strong (柔弱胜刚强), a theme of chapters 43, 76 and 78.

These lines are among the most disputed in the book. Read as tactics, they advise building up an enemy in order to ruin him, and the Legalist Han Fei cites them in that sense. Wang Bi reads them differently: to remove the violent, one follows the nature of things and lets them bring themselves down, without relying on punishment. The site follows Wang Bi. The closing pair, the fish that must stay in deep water and the sharp tools of the state that must not be shown, is read in the same spirit: for Wang Bi, showing them means governing by punishment.

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Meaning of chapter 36