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"In bringing your spiritual (ying) and bodily (p'o) souls to embrace the One, Can (neng) you never depart (li) from it? In concentrating your breath to attain softness, Can you be like an infant (ying erh)? In cleansing your mirror (lan) of the dark (hsüan), Can you make it spotless? In opening and closing heaven's gate (t'ien men), Can you be the female (tz'u)? In being enlightened (ming) and comprehending all, Can you do it without knowledge? In loving the people and governing the state, Can you practice non-action? To give birth, to nurture, To give birth yet not to claim possession (yu), To act (wei) yet not to hold on to, To grow (chang) yet not to lord over (tsai), This is called the dark virtue (yüan te)."

Author

Lao Tzu

All Translations

English

"In bringing your spiritual (ying) and bodily (p'o) souls to embrace the One, Can (neng) you never depart (li) from it? In concentrating your breath to attain softness, Can you be like an infant (ying erh)? In cleansing your mirror (lan) of the dark (hsüan), Can you make it spotless? In opening and closing heaven's gate (t'ien men), Can you be the female (tz'u)? In being enlightened (ming) and comprehending all, Can you do it without knowledge? In loving the people and governing the state, Can you practice non-action? To give birth, to nurture, To give birth yet not to claim possession (yu), To act (wei) yet not to hold on to, To grow (chang) yet not to lord over (tsai), This is called the dark virtue (yüan te)."

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