第六十八章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 68

The best warrior is not warlike or angry, and wins by not contending.

善shàn为wéi士shì者zhě不bù武wǔ，

A good officer is not warlike;
善shàn战zhàn者zhě不bù怒nù，

a good fighter is not angry;
善shàn胜shèng敌dí者zhě不bù与yǔ，善shàn用yòng人rén者zhě为wéi之zhī下xià，

one good at defeating enemies does not engage them; one good at using people places himself below them.
是shì谓wèi不bù争zhēng之zhī德dé，是shì谓wèi用yòng人rén之zhī力lì，

This is called the virtue of not contending; this is called using the strength of others;
是shì谓wèi配pèi天tiān古gǔ之zhī极jí。

this is called matching heaven, the summit of the ancients.

Words in this chapter

Words in chapter 68, with pinyin and meaning
Word	Pinyin	Meaning
善	shàn	to be good at
为	wéi	to be, to count as
士	shì	officer
者	zhě	one who, that which
不	bù	not
武	wǔ	warlike
战	zhàn	battle, to fight
怒	nù	angry, anger
胜	shèng	to overcome; victory
敌	dí	enemy
与	yǔ	to engage (in battle)
用	yòng	to use
人	rén	people, others
之	zhī	it, them (object)
下	xià	low, below
是	shì	this
谓	wèi	to call, to be called
不争	bù zhēng	not contending
之	zhī	of, 's (linking particle)
德	dé	virtue
力	lì	force, strength
配	pèi	to match, to equal
天	tiān	heaven
古	gǔ	antiquity, ancient
极	jí	utmost, extreme

Compare: James Legge (1891)

He who in (Tao's) wars has skill
Assumes no martial port;
He who fights with most good will
To rage makes no resort.
He who vanquishes yet still
Keeps from his foes apart;
He whose hests men most fulfil
Yet humbly plies his art.

Thus we say, 'He ne'er contends,
And therein is his might.'
Thus we say, 'Men's wills he bends,
That they with him unite.'
Thus we say, 'Like Heaven's his ends,
No sage of old more bright.'

Public domain. Source: Wikisource.

Meaning of chapter 68

Chapter 68 describes the good warrior by what he does not do. A good officer is not warlike, a good fighter is not angry, one good at defeating enemies does not engage them, and one good at using people places himself below them.

These four lines are then given three names: the virtue of not contending (不争之德), using the strength of others, and matching heaven. Strength that lies in restraint and in taking the lower place joins the chapters on war to those on government, such as chapter 66, where the sage leads by staying below. 士 here is an officer, not the scholar of chapter 41.

The last line, 配天古之极, is short and has been punctuated and read in different ways. The site follows the received text and reads it as one phrase: matching heaven, the summit of the ancients. Chapter 73 says the same of heaven itself, whose Way does not contend yet is good at winning, and chapter 81 ends the book with a Way that acts and does not contend.

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Meaning of chapter 68