第六十三章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 63

Act on the difficult while it is easy and on the great while it is small.

为wéi无wú为wéi，事shì无wú事shì，

Act without acting, work without working,
味wèi无wú味wèi。

taste without tasting.
大dà小xiǎo多duō少shǎo，报bào怨yuàn以yǐ德dé。

Treat the small as great and the few as many; repay resentment with virtue.
图tú难nán于yú其qí易yì，为wéi大dà于yú其qí细xì；

Plan the difficult while it is easy; do the great while it is small.
天tiān下xià难nán事shì必bì作zuò于yú易yì，

The difficult things of the world always start out easy;
天tiān下xià大dà事shì必bì作zuò于yú细xì。

the great things of the world always start out small.
是shì以yǐ圣shèng人rén终zhōng不bù为wéi大dà，

So the sage never does anything great,
故gù能néng成chéng其qí大dà。

and so he can achieve greatness.
夫fú轻qīng诺nuò必bì寡guǎ信xìn，

Light promises always earn little trust;
多duō易yì必bì多duō难nán。

taking much as easy always brings much difficulty.
是shì以yǐ圣shèng人rén犹yóu难nán之zhī，

So the sage treats things as difficult,
故gù终zhōng无wú难nán矣yǐ。

and so in the end has no difficulty.

Words in this chapter

Words in chapter 63, with pinyin and meaning
Word	Pinyin	Meaning
为	wéi	to act, to do, to make
无为	wú wéi	non-action
事	shì	to serve, to work at
无	wú	not have, without, no
事	shì	affairs, work
味	wèi	flavor; to taste
大	dà	great, big
小	xiǎo	small
多	duō	much, many
少	shǎo	few, to lessen
报	bào	to repay
怨	yuàn	resentment
以	yǐ	by means of, with
德	dé	virtue
图	tú	to plan, to tackle
难	nán	difficult
于	yú	to, at
其	qí	its, his, their
易	yì	easy
细	xì	minute, small
天下	tiān xià	all under heaven, the world
必	bì	surely, inevitably
作	zuò	to arise, come forth
是以	shì yǐ	therefore, for this reason
圣人	shèng rén	the sage
终	zhōng	in the end, ever
不	bù	not
故	gù	therefore
能	néng	can, to be able
成	chéng	to complete, accomplish
夫	fú	now, indeed (opening particle)
轻	qīng	light; to slight
诺	nuò	promise
寡	guǎ	few, to lessen
信	xìn	trust, good faith
犹	yóu	even, still
之	zhī	it, them (object)
矣	yǐ	final particle (completion)

Compare: James Legge (1891)

(It is the way of the Tao) to act without (thinking of) acting; to conduct affairs without (feeling the) trouble of them; to taste without discerning any flavour; to consider what is small as great, and a few as many; and to recompense injury with kindness.

(The master of it) anticipates things that are difficult while they are easy, and does things that would become great while they are small. All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a previous state in which they were easy, and all great things from one in which they were small. Therefore the sage, while he never does what is great, is able on that account to accomplish the greatest things.

He who lightly promises is sure to keep but little faith; he who is continually thinking things easy is sure to find them difficult. Therefore the sage sees difficulty even in what seems easy, and so never has any difficulties.

Public domain. Source: Wikisource.

Meaning of chapter 63

Chapter 63 is about dealing with things while they are still small and easy. It opens with three paradoxes in one pattern: act without acting (为无为), work without working, taste without tasting. The first of them also appears in chapter 3.

Line 3 is one of the tersest in the book. 大小多少 is literally "great small many few" and has been read in several ways; the site reads it as treating the small as great and the few as many. The same line ends with 报怨以德, "repay resentment with virtue". The Analects records Confucius being asked about this saying and answering that resentment should be repaid with uprightness, and virtue with virtue.

The rest is practical. Plan the difficult while it is easy and do the great while it is small, since everything difficult or great in the world starts out easy or small. So the sage never does anything great, and achieves greatness; he treats things as difficult, and in the end has no difficulty. Chapter 64 carries the theme on with the tree, the tower and the journey of a thousand miles.

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Meaning of chapter 63