Tao Te Ching

Chapter 75
[Original text]

The people are not afraid of death, so why are they afraid of death?If the people are always afraid of death, and it is strange[1], I will insist[2] and kill them, who would dare?

There are often killers [3] to kill.The husband who kills on behalf of the master kills is called a master on behalf of □[4].Husband on behalf of the great craftsman □, I hope [5] will not hurt his hands.

【Note】

[1] Qi: Weird, evil, opposite to "positive", here refers to people who do evil.

[2] Hold: Catch, detain.

[3] Killer: The person in charge of execution refers to the way of heaven.

[4] □ (zhuó): the ancient form of "斫", cut, cut.

[5] Xi: Rare, rare.

【Analysis】

The people are not afraid of life and death, so what is the use of terrifying the people with life and death?If the common people are afraid of life and death, then when we arrest and kill those evildoers, who will dare to do evil things?
There should be a person in charge of execution who is responsible for killing.To kill in place of an executioner is like chopping wood in place of a carpenter.And those who cut wood instead of carpenters, rarely do not accidentally hurt their hands. (In other words, if we overstep our duty to punish others instead of God, the same disaster is likely to befall us.)
【Explanation by Famous Artists】

Mr. He Shang:
Those who rule the country have severe punishments, and the people have no means of living, so they are not afraid of death.Those who rule the body are addicted to lust and hurt the spirit, greedy for money and killing themselves, the people do not know what to fear.The ruler of the people does not lenient punishment, but teaches the people to get rid of lust, how can they set up criminal laws to fear death?When you eliminate your own limitations, teach the people to get rid of their desire for profit.It is a strange coincidence that the people will not follow Taoism, but they should be killed in response to the king's law. Who would dare to commit crimes?When Laozi was ill, the king did not moralize him first, but punished him first.

The killer is called the sky, he is condescending, and the commander inspects people's mistakes.The sky net is restored, sparse but not lost.The way of heaven is clear, and killing is perpetual, just like growing in spring and growing in summer, harvesting in autumn and storing in winter, transporting and moving with buckets and ladles, and doing it according to festivals.If a gentleman wants to kill it on his behalf, it is like a clumsy husband chopping wood on behalf of a master craftsman, and the work is useless.When a ruler executes punishment, it is like a clumsy husband chopping wood on behalf of a master craftsman, and the square and radius will not be reasonable, and he will hurt himself.Those who kill on behalf of heaven lose their discipline, don't have their discipline, and suffer from it.

(End of this chapter)