Tao Te Ching

Chapter 16
[Original text]

The ancient goodness is the way, subtle and mysterious, deep and unknowable.Husbands cannot know, so they are forced to tolerate [1]:

Yu Xi [2], if you are in the river in winter; You Xi [3], if you are afraid of your neighbors; Yan Xi [4], you are like a guest; Huan Xi, you are like Ling Shi; It is like a valley; Hunxi [5], it is like turbidity; Danxi [6], it is like a sea; Fuxi [7], it seems to be endless.Who can turn turbidity into tranquility, Xu Qing?Who can move it for a long time, Xu Sheng?
Those who keep this way do not want to be profitable [8].Husbands are not profitable, so they can cover up new successes [9].

【Note】

[1] Content: describe, describe.

[2] Yuxi: Hesitant look.

[3] Ju Xi: Ju, originally meant the vigilance of apes and monkeys. "Yuxi" means vigilance and vigilance.

[4] Yan Xi: Yan Yan, solemn and respectful.

[5] Hunxi: thick and simple appearance, mixed, which means "hun".

[6] Danxi: vast, vast.

[7] Bingxi: Describes the appearance of the wind blowing, here refers to the movement light and swift like the wind.

[8] Not wanting profit: not seeking complacency.filled.

[9] Conceal what is not new: get rid of the old and keep the new.

【Analysis】

In ancient times, people who were good at exercising the "Tao" usually had a spiritual realm far beyond the level that ordinary people can understand. These people's life is subtle and mysterious, which makes people feel unfathomable.It is precisely because they are difficult to be understood and known by ordinary people, so I will barely describe them here:
They are always cautious, as if wading across the river in winter, afraid of stepping on the ice and falling into the cold water;
They are always on the alert, like a king who fears that the armies of his neighbors should come against his country at any moment;

They are always respectful and solemn, as if they are guests going to an important banquet far away;
They always move freely and freely, as if the ice cubes of early spring are slowly melting;

They are always simple and honest, as if they are a piece of natural, uncrafted artwork;
They are always open-minded and far-sighted, like a deep and secluded valley, with the space to carry everything;

They are always thick and simple, like muddy rivers, and they do not reject harmony with all things;

They are always mighty, as if they are endless seas; they are always breezy, as if they never stop.

Who can slowly clarify muddy water and turn it into pure water?Who can make the silence slowly become active, and make life appear in the space?A person who maintains this "Tao" will not be complacent, and it is precisely because he will never be complacent that he can discard the old and keep the new, constantly improve himself, and exist between heaven and earth forever.

To put it simply, if a person wants to give himself space, he needs to maintain a tolerant, simple, and open-minded state of mind, instead of being rigid, narrow, headstrong, and xenophobic.Only by realizing one's own inadequacies can one realize one's potential for progress, and also one can make progress, have a future, and have development, so as to facilitate the continuation of life.For example, a cup has space only when it is not full, and people will continue to use it; once it is full, it is difficult to carry more, and its role will come to an end.

【Explanation by Famous Artists】

Mr. He Shang:
It is also called the king of the Tao.Xuan, God.It is said that his aspirations are mysterious, and his essence is connected with the heavens.The morality is far-reaching, unknowable, the inner vision is blind, the hearing is deaf, and it is impossible to know the strengths and weaknesses.That the next sentence also.

Always be more cautious when doing things, and it is difficult for Xi Ruodong to wade across the river.Its advance and retreat are like restraints. If a person breaks the law, he fears that his neighbors will know about it.Like a guest who is afraid of his host, it seems that he has nothing to do.Huanzhe, dismissed.The releaser dies.Get rid of passion and desire, and become empty every day.Dun who, quality thick.Simple ones, the shape is not divided.Keep the spirit inside, but there is no literary talent outside.The broad ones are magnanimous.The valley, the emptiness.Without virtue and fame, everything is included.Those who are muddy, keep the truth; those who are muddy, do not follow the same.To contract with others is to have no self-respect.

No one, no one.Who can know that the turbidity of the water will stop and be still, and it will gradually clear itself.Who can be quiet for a long time, and slowly live forever.Keep this way of Xu Sheng, and don't want to be extravagant and overflowing.

Only those who are not full can guard against becoming new.Those who hide are also glorious.Newcomers, expensive fame.

(End of this chapter)