第三十八章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 38

True virtue does not try to be virtuous; as the Way is lost, virtue, humaneness, justice and ritual follow in decline.

上shàng德dé不bù德dé，是shì以yǐ有yǒu德dé；

Superior virtue is not "virtuous"; that is why it has virtue.
下xià德dé不bù失shī德dé，是shì以yǐ无wú德dé。

Inferior virtue never lets go of virtue; that is why it has no virtue.
上shàng德dé无wú为wéi而ér无wú以yǐ为wéi，

Superior virtue does not act, and has no motive for acting.
下xià德dé为wéi之zhī而ér有yǒu以yǐ为wéi。

Inferior virtue acts, and has a motive for acting.
上shàng仁rén为wéi之zhī而ér无wú以yǐ为wéi，

Superior humaneness acts, but has no motive for acting.
上shàng义yì为wéi之zhī而ér有yǒu以yǐ为wéi，

Superior justice acts, and has a motive for acting.
上shàng礼lǐ为wéi之zhī而ér莫mò之zhī应yìng，

Superior ritual acts, and when no one responds,
则zé攘rǎng臂bì而ér扔rēng之zhī。

it rolls up its sleeves and forces them.
故gù失shī道dào而ér后hòu德dé，失shī德dé而ér后hòu仁rén，

So when the Way is lost, there is virtue; when virtue is lost, there is humaneness;
失shī仁rén而ér后hòu义yì，失shī义yì而ér后hòu礼lǐ。

when humaneness is lost, there is justice; when justice is lost, there is ritual.
夫fú礼lǐ者zhě，忠zhōng信xìn之zhī薄bó而ér乱luàn之zhī首shǒu。

Ritual is the thinning of loyalty and trust, and the start of disorder.
前qián识shí者zhě，道dào之zhī华huá而ér愚yú之zhī始shǐ。

Foreknowledge is the flower of the Way and the beginning of folly.
是shì以yǐ大dà丈zhàng夫fū处chǔ其qí厚hòu，

So the great man dwells in what is thick,
不bù居jū其qí薄bó；

not in what is thin;
处chǔ其qí实shí，不bù居jū其qí华huá。

in the fruit, not in the flower.
故gù去qù彼bǐ取qǔ此cǐ。

So he lets go of that and takes up this.

Words in this chapter

Words in chapter 38, with pinyin and meaning
Word	Pinyin	Meaning
上	shàng	highest, supreme
德	dé	virtue
不	bù	not
是以	shì yǐ	therefore, for this reason
有	yǒu	to have, to possess
下	xià	low, below
失	shī	to lose; loss
无	wú	not have, without, no
无为	wú wéi	non-action
而	ér	and, and then
以	yǐ	a use, a purpose
为	wéi	to act, to do, to make
之	zhī	it, them (object)
仁	rén	humaneness, humane
义	yì	justice
礼	lǐ	ritual, propriety
莫	mò	no one, nothing
应	yìng	to respond
则	zé	then
攘臂	rǎng bì	to roll up one’s sleeves
扔	rēng	to pull, to force
故	gù	therefore
道	dào	the Way
而后	ér hòu	and then, only then
夫	fú	now, indeed (opening particle)
者	zhě	one who, that which
忠	zhōng	loyalty
信	xìn	trust, good faith
之	zhī	of, 's (linking particle)
薄	bó	thin, the thinning
乱	luàn	disturbed, in disorder
首	shǒu	head, front
前	qián	front, before
识	shí	to fathom, to know
华	huá	flower, outward show
愚	yú	folly
始	shǐ	the beginning
大丈夫	dà zhàng fū	the great man
处	chǔ	to dwell in, abide by
其	qí	its, his, their
厚	hòu	thick, heavy, generous
居	jū	to dwell (in), claim
实	shí	fruit, the substance
去	qù	to discard
彼	bǐ	that, the other
取	qǔ	to take, to seize
此	cǐ	this, these

Compare: James Legge (1891)

(Those who) possessed in highest degree the attributes (of the Tao) did not (seek) to show them, and therefore they possessed them (in fullest measure). (Those who) possessed in a lower degree those attributes (sought how) not to lose them, and therefore they did not possess them (in fullest measure).

(Those who) possessed in the highest degree those attributes did nothing (with a purpose), and had no need to do anything. (Those who) possessed them in a lower degree were (always) doing, and had need to be so doing.

(Those who) possessed the highest benevolence were (always seeking) to carry it out, and had no need to be doing so. (Those who) possessed the highest righteousness were (always seeking) to carry it out, and had need to be so doing.

(Those who) possessed the highest (sense of) propriety were (always seeking) to show it, and when men did not respond to it, they bared the arm and marched up to them.

Thus it was that when the Tao was lost, its attributes appeared; when its attributes were lost, benevolence appeared; when benevolence was lost, righteousness appeared; and when righteousness was lost, the proprieties appeared.

Now propriety is the attenuated form of leal-heartedness and good faith, and is also the commencement of disorder; swift apprehension is (only) a flower of the Tao, and is the beginning of stupidity.

Thus it is that the Great man abides by what is solid, and eschews what is flimsy; dwells with the fruit and not with the flower. It is thus that he puts away the one and makes choice of the other.

Public domain. Source: Wikisource.

Meaning of chapter 38

Chapter 38 opens the second part of the book, the part on virtue, by setting true virtue against the effort to be virtuous.

Superior virtue (上德) is not "virtuous", and that is why it has virtue; inferior virtue clings to virtue and so has none. The chapter then ranks values prized by the Confucian tradition by whether they act and why: superior virtue does not act and has no motive for acting; humaneness (仁) acts without a motive; justice (义) acts with one; ritual (礼) acts, and when no one responds, rolls up its sleeves and forces people. Hence the famous descent: when the Way is lost there is virtue, then humaneness, then justice, then ritual, which is the thinning of loyalty and trust and the start of disorder. Chapter 18 makes a similar point.

The ending uses plant images. Foreknowledge is the flower of the Way and the beginning of folly; the great man dwells in the thick rather than the thin, in the fruit rather than the flower. The site reads 无以为 with Wang Bi, as having no motive for acting; his note on this chapter is the longest in his commentary. The closing words, letting go of that and taking up this, also end chapters 12 and 72.

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Meaning of chapter 38