第五十四章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 54
Virtue cultivated in oneself spreads to the family, the village, the state and the world.
Text
-
善建者不拔，
What is well planted cannot be uprooted,
-
善抱者不脱，
what is well held cannot slip away,
-
子孙以祭祀不辍。
and children and grandchildren will keep up the offerings without end.
-
修之于身，其德乃真；
Cultivate it in yourself, and virtue will be genuine;
-
修之于家，其德乃余；
cultivate it in the family, and virtue will be abundant;
-
修之于乡，其德乃长；
cultivate it in the village, and virtue will last;
-
修之于国，其德乃丰；
cultivate it in the state, and virtue will flourish;
-
修之于天下，其德乃普。
cultivate it in the world, and virtue will be everywhere.
-
故以身观身，以家观家，
So observe the self through the self, the family through the family,
-
以乡观乡，以国观国，
the village through the village, the state through the state,
-
以天下观天下。
the world through the world.
-
吾何以知天下然哉？以此。
How do I know the world is so? By this.
Words in this chapter
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 善 | shàn | to be good at |
| 建 | jiàn | to plant, establish |
| 者 | zhě | one who, that which |
| 不 | bù | not |
| 拔 | bá | to uproot |
| 抱 | bào | to embrace |
| 脱 | tuō | to leave, to escape |
| 子孙 | zǐ sūn | children and grandchildren |
| 以 | yǐ | by means of, with |
| 祭祀 | jì sì | ancestral offerings |
| 辍 | chuò | to cease, to break off |
| 修 | xiū | to cultivate |
| 之 | zhī | it, them (object) |
| 于 | yú | to, at |
| 身 | shēn | oneself, the person |
| 其 | qí | its, his, their |
| 德 | dé | virtue |
| 乃 | nǎi | then, in turn |
| 真 | zhēn | true, genuine |
| 家 | jiā | family, household |
| 余 | yú | leftover, surplus |
| 乡 | xiāng | village |
| 长 | cháng | long, long-lasting |
| 国 | guó | the state |
| 丰 | fēng | abundant |
| 天下 | tiān xià | all under heaven, the world |
| 普 | pǔ | everywhere, universal |
| 故 | gù | therefore |
| 观 | guān | to observe |
| 吾 | wú | I |
| 何以 | hé yǐ | how, by what |
| 知 | zhī | to know |
| 然 | rán | so, thus |
| 哉 | zāi | exclamation particle |
| 此 | cǐ | this, these |
Compare: James Legge (1891)
What (Tao's) skilful planter plants
Can never be uptorn;
What his skilful arms enfold,
From him can ne'er be borne.
Sons shall bring in lengthening line,
Sacrifices to his shrine.
Tao when nursed within one's self,
His vigour will make true;
And where the family it rules
What riches will accrue!
The neighbourhood where it prevails
In thriving will abound;
And when 'tis seen throughout the state,
Good fortune will be found.
Employ it the kingdom o'er,
And men thrive all around.
In this way the effect will be seen in the person, by the observation of different cases; in the family; in the neighbourhood; in the state; and in the kingdom.
How do I know that this effect is sure to hold thus all under the sky? By this (method of observation).
Public domain. Source: Wikisource.
Meaning of chapter 54
Chapter 54 says that virtue cultivated in oneself spreads outward, through the family and the village, to the state and the world.
It begins with two images of firmness: what is well planted cannot be uprooted, and what is well held cannot slip away, so that children and grandchildren keep up the ancestral offerings without end. Then comes a ladder of five steps. Cultivated in oneself, virtue is genuine; in the family, abundant; in the village, lasting; in the state, flourishing; in the world, everywhere. Readers often compare this ladder with the sequence of self, family, state and world in the Confucian Great Learning (大学).
The last lines turn the ladder into a way of knowing: observe the self through the self, the family through the family, and so on up to the world through the world. One reading is that each level is understood on its own terms rather than measured against another. The chapter ends with a question and a short answer, how do I know the world is so? By this, a formula also found in chapters 21 and 57. Chapter 47 likewise speaks of knowing the world without going out of the door.