English
39
"Those that of old got The One Thing: The sky got The One Thing, and by this became clear. The earth got The One Thing, and by this became steady. The spirits got The One Thing, and by this obtained their powers. The rivers got The One Thing, and by this became full. The thousands of things got The One Thing, and by this came to life. The princes and kings got The One Thing, and by this became the Standard for the World. This is how things came about. The sky, without what makes it clear, is likely to crack. The earth, without what makes it steady, is likely to quake. The spirits, without what gives them powers, are likely to vanish. The rivers, without what makes them full are likely to dry up. The thousands of things, without what gives them life, are likely to perish. The princes and kings, without what makes them eminent and noble, are likely to fall. Yes, the eminent takes the common and ignored as a root the noble takes the lowly as a foundation. And so, the princes and kings call themselves 'the orphan ... ,' 'the poor ... ,' 'the destitute ... is this not using the common and ignored as a root Is it not so? Yes, enumerate the carriage parts - still not a carriage. He doesn't wish to glitter and glitter like jade he falls like a stone, falling into oblivion."
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votes
Author
Lao TzuBook
Tao Te Ching
Version: 9