Governing the people

1. 不尚贤，使民不争，

   Not adulating the worthy makes people non-contentious.

2. 不贵难得之货，使民不为盗。

   not valuing hard-to-get goods makes people refrain from stealing.

3. 不见可欲，使民心不乱。

   Not displaying what can be desired keeps people's hearts calm.

4. 是以圣人之治，

   Thus the sage governs:

5. 虚其心，实其腹，弱其志，强其骨。

   clear people's minds, fill their bellies, weaken their ambitions and strengthen their bones.

6. 常使民无知无欲，使夫智者不敢为也，

   Always keep the people without knowledge and without desire, and make the clever ones not dare to act.

7. 为无为，则无不治。

   Act without acting, and nothing will be out of order.

Listen Chapter 3, line 1

1. 天地不仁，以万物为刍狗；

   Heaven and earth are inhumane, they treat all things like ritual dolls.

2. 圣人不仁，以百姓为刍狗。

   The sage is inhumane, he treats the people like ritual dolls.

Listen Chapter 5, line 1

1. 爱民治国，

   Love people and govern your country,

2. 能无知乎？

   can you avoid over-manipulation?

Listen Chapter 10, line 7

1. 故贵以身为天下，

   Consequently, one who values his body as he values the world

2. 若可寄天下；

   Can be trusted with the world;

3. 爱以身为天下，

   one who loves his body as he loves the world

4. 若可托天下。

   Can be given charge of the world.

Listen Chapter 13, line 11

1. 太上，下知有之。

   The great masters: those below only know they exist.

2. 其次，亲而誉之。

   The next are loved and praised.

3. 其次，畏之。

   The next are feared.

4. 其次，侮之。

   The next are despised.

5. 信不足焉，有不信焉。

   Where trust is insufficient, there is distrust.

6. 悠兮其贵言。

   Unhurried, he is sparing with his words.

7. 功成事遂，

   Deed accomplished and task successful,

8. 百姓皆谓我自然。

   the people all say: "It happened of itself."

Listen Chapter 17, line 1

1. 绝圣弃智，民利百倍；

   Reject the divine and abandon wisdom, the people will benefit a hundredfold.

2. 绝仁弃义，民复孝慈；

   Get rid of humaneness and abandon justice, the people will return to filial piety and compassion.

3. 绝巧弃利，盗贼无有。

   Get rid of cleverness and abandon profit, thieves and gangsters will not exist.

Listen Chapter 19, line 1

1. 奈何万乘之主，

   What's to be done with the innumerable leaders,

2. 而以身轻天下？

   that are so concerned with themselves as to disregard the rest of the world?

3. 轻则失本，躁则失君。

   Frivolousness leads to lost roots, impetuousness leads to lost rulership.

Listen Chapter 26, line 4

1. 朴散则为器，

   Once simplicity is dispersed, so as to craft an instrument,

2. 圣人用之则为官长。

   the sage, using them, sets up the heads of officials.

3. 故大制不割。

   Therefore, great governance does not seek to process simplicity.

Listen Chapter 28, line 10

1. 将欲取天下而为之，

   If you wish to take the world and run it,

2. 吾见其不得已。

   I can see that you will not succeed.

3. 天下神器，不可为也。

   The world is a sacred vessel that cannot be acted upon.

4. 为者败之，执者失之。

   Manipulators spoil it, commanders lose it.

Listen Chapter 29, line 1

1. 侯王若能守之，

   If lords and kings could hold to it,

2. 万物将自宾。

   the myriad things would come to them as guests of their own accord.

3. 天地相合以降甘露，

   Heaven and earth would join and let sweet dew fall,

4. 民莫之令而自均。

   and the people, with no one ordering them, would share it evenly.

Listen Chapter 32, line 3

1. 道常无为而无不为，

   The Way constantly practices non-action, yet nothing is left undone.

2. 侯王若能守之，

   If lords and kings could hold to it,

3. 万物将自化。

   the myriad things would transform of themselves.

Listen Chapter 37, line 1

1. 取天下常以无事，

   One wins the world by constantly leaving it alone;

2. 及其有事，不足以取天下。

   as soon as one meddles, one is not fit to win the world.

Listen Chapter 48, line 4

1. 圣人无常心，

   The sage has no fixed mind of his own;

2. 以百姓心为心。

   he makes the people's mind his mind.

Listen Chapter 49, line 1

1. 大道甚夷，而民好径。

   The great Way is very smooth, yet people love side paths.

2. 朝甚除，

   The court is spotless,

3. 田甚芜，仓甚虚；

   while the fields are full of weeds and the granaries empty;

4. 服文彩，

   they wear embroidered robes,

5. 带利剑，厌饮食，

   carry sharp swords, are sated with food and drink,

6. 财货有余；

   and have wealth to spare:

7. 是为盗夸。

   this is called the boasting of robbers.

Listen Chapter 53, line 3

1. 以正治国，以奇用兵，

   Govern the state by what is upright; wage war by surprise;

2. 以无事取天下。

   win the world by leaving it alone.

3. 吾何以知其然哉？以此。

   How do I know it is so? By this:

4. 天下多忌讳，

   the more prohibitions in the world,

5. 而民弥贫；

   the poorer the people;

6. 民多利器，国家滋昏；

   the more sharp tools the people have, the more the state falls into confusion;

7. 人多伎巧，

   the more skill and cunning people have,

8. 奇物滋起；

   the more strange things appear;

9. 法令滋彰，盗贼多有。

   the more laws and orders are displayed, the more thieves and robbers there are.

10. 故圣人云：

    So the sage says:

11. “我无为而民自化，

    "I do not act, and the people transform of themselves;

12. 我好静而民自正，

    I love stillness, and the people become upright of themselves;

13. 我无事而民自富，

    I leave things alone, and the people grow rich of themselves;

14. 我无欲而民自朴。”

    I have no desires, and the people become simple of themselves."

Listen Chapter 57, line 1

1. 其政闷闷，其民淳淳；

   When government is dull and quiet, the people are simple and honest;

2. 其政察察，其民缺缺。

   when government is sharp and prying, the people are discontented.

Listen Chapter 58, line 1

1. 治人事天，莫若啬。

   In governing people and serving heaven, nothing is better than frugality.

2. 夫唯啬，是谓早服；

   Being frugal means submitting early;

3. 早服谓之重积德；

   submitting early means accumulating virtue again and again;

4. 重积德则无不克，

   accumulating virtue again and again, nothing cannot be overcome;

5. 无不克则莫知其极；

   when nothing cannot be overcome, no one knows one's limits;

6. 莫知其极，可以有国；

   when no one knows one's limits, one can hold a state;

7. 有国之母，可以长久；

   holding the mother of the state, one can last long.

8. 是谓深根固柢，长生久视之道。

   This is called deep roots and a firm base, the Way of long life and lasting sight.

Listen Chapter 59, line 1

1. 治大国，若烹小鲜。

   Govern a great state as you would cook a small fish.

2. 以道莅天下，其鬼不神；

   When the Way presides over the world, ghosts have no power;

3. 非其鬼不神，其神不伤人；

   not that ghosts have no power, but their power does not harm people;

4. 非其神不伤人，圣人亦不伤人。

   not that their power does not harm people, but the sage, too, does not harm people.

5. 夫两不相伤，故德交归焉。

   Since neither harms the other, their virtue flows back to the people.

Listen Chapter 60, line 1

1. 古之善为道者，非以明民，

   Those of old who were good at the Way did not use it to make the people clever,

2. 将以愚之。

   but to keep them simple.

3. 民之难治，以其智多。

   People are hard to govern because they are too clever.

4. 故以智治国，国之贼，

   So to govern a state with cleverness is to rob the state;

5. 不以智治国，国之福。

   not to govern a state with cleverness is a blessing for the state.

Listen Chapter 65, line 1

1. 是以欲上民，必以言下之。

   So to be above the people, one must speak as one below them;

2. 欲先民，必以身后之。

   to lead the people, one must put oneself behind them.

3. 是以圣人处上而民不重，

   So the sage is above, yet the people do not feel his weight;

4. 处前而民不害。

   he is in front, yet the people do not feel harmed.

5. 是以天下乐推而不厌，

   So the whole world gladly supports him and never tires of him.

6. 以其不争，故天下莫能与之争。

   Because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him.

Listen Chapter 66, line 4

1. 民不畏威，则大威至。

   When the people no longer fear authority, a greater terror comes.

2. 无狎其所居，无厌其所生。

   Do not cramp their homes; do not press down on their livelihood.

3. 夫唯不厌，是以不厌。

   Only if you do not press down on them will they not turn against you.

Listen Chapter 72, line 1

1. 民不畏死，

   If the people do not fear death,

2. 奈何以死惧之？

   why threaten them with death?

3. 若使民常畏死，

   If the people always feared death,

4. 而为奇者，

   and those who did wrong

5. 吾得执而杀之，

   could be seized and killed by me,

6. 孰敢？

   who would dare?

7. 常有司杀者杀，

   There is always an executioner who kills.

8. 夫代司杀者杀，

   To kill in the executioner's place

9. 是谓代大匠斫。

   is like cutting wood in the master carpenter's place.

10. 夫代大匠斫者，

    Those who cut in the master carpenter's place

11. 希有不伤其手矣。

    rarely escape cutting their own hands.

Listen Chapter 74, line 1

1. 民之饥，以其上食税之多，

   The people go hungry because those above eat up too much in taxes;

2. 是以饥。

   that is why they go hungry.

3. 民之难治，以其上之有为，

   The people are hard to govern because those above meddle;

4. 是以难治。

   that is why they are hard to govern.

5. 民之轻死，

   The people make light of death

6. 以其上求生之厚，

   because those above seek too much from life;

7. 是以轻死。

   that is why they make light of death.

8. 夫唯无以生为者，

   Only those who do not live for living

9. 是贤于贵生。

   are wiser than those who prize life.

Listen Chapter 75, line 1

1. 是以圣人云：

   So the sage says:

2. “受国之垢，是谓社稷主；

   "One who takes on the filth of the state is called lord of the altars of earth and grain;

3. 受国不祥，是为天下王。”

   one who takes on the misfortunes of the state is king of the world."

Listen Chapter 78, line 7

1. 小国寡民，使有什伯之器而不用，

   A small state with few people: let them have tools for ten or a hundred, and not use them;

2. 使民重死而不远徙。

   let the people take death seriously and not travel far.

3. 虽有舟舆，无所乘之；

   Though they have boats and carts, they have no need to ride them;

4. 虽有甲兵，无所陈之。

   though they have armor and weapons, they have no need to display them.

5. 使人复结绳而用之，

   Let people go back to knotting cords to keep records,

6. 甘其食，美其服，

   find their food sweet, their clothes beautiful,

7. 安其居，

   their homes peaceful,

8. 乐其俗。

   and delight in their customs.

9. 邻国相望，鸡犬之声相闻，

   Neighboring states can see each other, and hear each other's cocks and dogs,

10. 民至老死，不相往来。

    yet the people grow old and die without ever visiting each other.

Listen Chapter 80, line 1