《道德真經廣聖義》Vol. 39

The Broad Commentary on the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue, Scroll Thirty-Eight, Chapter Fifty-Three, “If I Had Even the Least Knowledge”: A Plain-Language Explanation

Scroll and chapter

This is the thirty-eighth scroll of The Broad Commentary on the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue, written by Master Guangcheng, Du Guangting, of the Tang dynasty. It interprets Chapter Fifty-Three of the Dao De Jing (Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue), “If I Had Even the Least Knowledge.”

Summary of the commentary: The previous chapter discussed keeping to the mother, preserving the offspring, returning to the root, and embracing the constant as essentials of cultivation. This chapter explains that if one considers oneself “knowledgeable” and then tries to practice the Dao, one’s actions will often be alarming. The opening sentence points out that “knowledge” runs counter to the Dao; the chapter then explains the troubles that arise from such knowledge, and ends by warning that “thieving excess” is contrary to the Dao.

Text and commentary

Scripture: If I had even the least knowledge, I would walk the Great Dao.

注: Laozi is saying: Suppose I were proud and self-assured, believing myself wise and capable, yet set out to walk the Great Dao. I would already be out of accord with the Dao. I would then act according to my own cleverness, and what I did would often be cause for alarm.

Commentary: “If I” is a hypothetical expression used by Laozi. “Even the least knowledge” describes a self-assured, stubborn attitude that presumes to know. The Dao cannot be grasped through cleverness, yet people try to practice it by relying on what they know. Laozi worries that they will be misled, and states plainly: If I proudly relied on my own cleverness and tried to spread the Wuwei (non-action) Great Dao throughout the world, my knowledge would conflict with the Dao, and I would lose its quiet, non-action transformation and nurturing. Acting only through one’s own cleverness harms the myriad things, and so becomes cause for alarm.

Explanation: Rulers who accord with the highest Dao and people who cultivate diligently do not rely on extensive knowledge to “make” the Dao, nor on broad learning to “seek” the truth. The Dao cannot be “known” in that way: the more one tries to seize it through knowledge, the farther one strays from it. In the “Northward Journey” section of Zhuangzi’s “Free and Easy Wandering,” Zhi (“Wisdom”) travels above the Dark Waters and asks Wuweiwei (“Non-Action, Unspoken”): What kind of thinking and reflection counts as knowing? Where should one be, and how should one live, to attain the Dao? This too conveys that the Dao cannot be reached through “knowledge.”

Overall meaning of the chapter, as summarized in the commentary

The previous chapter presented returning to clarity and embracing the constant as the foremost essentials of cultivation. This chapter points to the harm of “walking the Dao with even the least knowledge”: one’s actions bring alarm, harm the body, and invite calamity. It also explains the troubles knowledge brings and laments that “thieving excess” is contrary to the Dao, holding it up as a warning.

If someone cultivates alone with self-restraint, curbs desire, devotes themselves to the Dao, and awaits the truth, they may hope to accord with the Dao. But if they rely on what they know and try to walk the Great Dao, they act in the opposite way.

A warning about the state of the world: The Great Dao is naturally level and open, yet people prefer crooked paths. They live in splendid courtyards, wear extravagant clothes, and eat fine food, while fields lie fallow and granaries stand empty: those in office eat their fill and amass wealth, while ordinary people’s homes are empty and their strength exhausted. Taking this as a standard, people of discernment should reject excess and luxury, restrain spending on clothing and furnishings, attend diligently to the three agricultural seasons, and ensure that every community prospers, so the state may remain peaceful and people do not steal. Those who cultivate themselves should practice self-restraint, curb desire, devote themselves to the Dao, and await transcendence.

“Wealth” stands in contrast to “cultivating alone with self-restraint”: the former is thieving excess, while the latter means keeping to simplicity.

A Plain-Language Interpretation

An Dao asked someone for guidance: “What should I follow, and which path should I take, in order to attain the Dao?” The other person was asked three times and did not reply. It was not that he deliberately refused to answer; he truly did not know how to answer.

Zhi went to the south bank of the White River and asked Kuangqu. Kuangqu sighed: “Alas, I know, but as soon as I try to speak, I forget what I meant to say.”

Zhi then returned to the Yellow Emperor’s palace and asked the Yellow Emperor. He replied: “Only when you stop deliberating can you begin to understand the Dao. The Dao is at rest when it has no fixed place and is not confined by appearances. You attain the Dao by not clinging to a particular path or grasping at the word ‘Dao.’”

Zhi said to the Yellow Emperor: “You and I know. Wuwei says that Kuangqu does not know. Which of us is right?” The Yellow Emperor answered: “Wuwei is truly right, and Kuangqu is partly right. You and I are still far from it. ‘Those who know do not speak; those who speak may not truly know.’ Thus the sages practice the teaching without words. The Dao lies beyond specific statements, yet it is not entirely beyond expression; there is a clarity in it. Those who think they understand it thoroughly are, in fact, farther from it.” The point here is for rulers to practice the teaching without words, not for people to cling stubbornly to their own views and assume they understand everything.

Taiching once asked Wuqiong: “Do you understand the Dao?” Wuqiong replied: “I do not.” Taiching then asked Wuwei, who said: “One who understands the Dao may be honored or humble, restrained or free.” Taiching took this answer to Wushi and asked: “Which is more right, Wuqiong or Wuwei?” Wushi replied: “‘I do not understand’ speaks from a deeper place; ‘I understand’ speaks from a shallower one. ‘I do not understand’ is inward; ‘I understand’ is still outward. The Dao cannot be grasped by hearing: once heard, it is incomplete. It cannot be grasped by seeing: once seen, it is incomplete. It cannot be grasped by speaking: once spoken, it is incomplete.” If the mind is convinced it understands, and then acts according to its own interpretation of the Dao, it has already gone against the Dao. Is that not cause for concern?

The scripture also says: “The Great Dao is broad and level, yet people prefer crooked paths and side roads.”

The commentary says: The Great Dao is simple and easy to follow. What it most fears is people misusing their cleverness, and many people do just that, always hoping to take a shortcut. The Dao’s transformation is grounded in Wuwei (non-action), which makes the way simple and easy. But if people cannot be content without desire, and instead devote themselves to managing worldly affairs, they may set out seeking a shortcut, only to lose the Dao and disrupt harmony. That is why it says, “People greatly prefer paths.”

The explanation says: The Dao is level and open, and one may enter through Wuwei. People favor crooked paths, and once they become caught up in profit-seeking and clever contrivances, they depart from the true Dao. Many take the crooked road, while few value the broad and level way.

Why are there so many who take the crooked path, and so few who keep to the right way? Because heretical teachings cater to worldly tastes, making it easy for people of limited ability to follow the crowd. The Great Dao is itself detached and characterized by Wuwei (non-action); only those of superior wisdom can remain steadfast in it. That is why so many devise deviant and crooked paths. Among Confucius’s disciples was Tantai Mieming, whose courtesy name was Ziyu. He lived in Wucheng, never took shortcuts, and was content with poverty and glad to practice the Way of righteousness. The Confucians held him in esteem. How much more, then, should those who cultivate the true Dao and seek to understand the Great Dao avoid becoming attached to deviant paths—for no transgression is greater than that. Governing a state means eliminating treachery and honoring integrity, promoting loyal counsel and dismissing flatterers. Only then can sound principles be hoped for and peace brought about.

“Burning harmony” comes from the Zhuangzi, “External Things.” The movements of Yin-Yang fell into disorder, and Heaven and Earth were greatly shaken. Fire appeared in the water and burned a great scholar tree. When advantage and harm rubbed against each other, they produced much fire; people “burned harmony.” This means that harm arises from desire: the fire of desire burns away one’s true nature and injures the harmony of Heaven.

“The court is kept in great repair”

Commentary: Esteeming the worthy and wise and showing off one’s cleverness give rise to cunning and deceit. “Repair” here means governing.

Explication: “Kept in repair” refers to rulers who are fond of shortcuts and do not esteem the transformation brought about by Wuwei. They take active intervention alone as the principle of governing the state. Though they may keep the court in perfect order, any such intervention fosters cunning and deceit. Hence the commentary says that esteeming the worthy and priding oneself on wisdom give rise to craftiness and falsehood. Another interpretation is that the court is renovated, with lofty buildings and carved walls; this is why it is called “great repair.”

Meaning: Those above appoint clever and crafty people and boast of the court’s effective governance; those below are made to exhaust the people’s strength building splendid palaces. Cleverness and craft may make the court appear imposing, but the people are left impoverished. The pursuit of extravagance leaves the ruler absorbed in grandeur while the people scatter and collapse. How could this compare with thatched huts and untrimmed rafters, or with a ruler who, in quiet ease, brings order to all under Heaven? Those who cultivate themselves wear coarse clothes and keep fine jade close to the heart; they do not pursue lavish display and excess, lest they harm themselves.

“Lofty halls and carved walls” comes from the “Song of the Five Sons” in the Book of Documents. After Taikang, son of Xia Qi, succeeded to the throne, he became engrossed in hunting. His five brothers composed a song saying that hunting in the open, lust within, drunkenness and love of music, and lofty halls with carved walls—any one of these was enough to bring ruin. “Lofty halls” means grand palaces; “carved walls” means walls adorned with fine carvings.

“The fields are overgrown with weeds”

Commentary: A taste for frivolous food and drink and neglect of one’s proper work lead to the abandonment of farming.

Explication: When grass grows thick, it is called “overgrown.” Indulgence in cunning and deceit, and living off others’ labor, leave the fields neglected and make a good harvest impossible, as if they were piled with weeds.

Meaning: When clever and crafty people fill the court and the treacherous hold office, esteem for show and luxury leads to the neglect of one’s work.

A Plain-Language Interpretation

On the Form of Government and the Primacy of Agriculture

When palaces are too heavily ornamented and buildings rise too high, agriculture suffers: fields lie fallow, mugwort and weeds grow rampant, and the people toil until they fall ill. How, then, can the people be made peaceful and the state strong? The Book of Songs says, “If you neither plow nor reap, how do you come to possess all those granaries?” Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants must each attend to their proper occupations; only then will there be no idle wanderers living off others’ grain. If farming is neglected and deceitful practices are prized, there will be more people living without working, and the state’s strength will be depleted. The character “jing” (京) originally means a mound of piled earth. To say that in a good harvest grain is piled up like a jing or a tu (𡊨, an earthen mound) means there is a great deal of it. “Jing” can also mean “large.”

“The granaries are very empty”

(Note) The southern fields yield no harvest, and there are no reserves.

(Explanation) In a good year, the granaries are full; when farming is abandoned, they are empty. This is only natural.

(Interpretation) When perverse cleverness is indulged, government is harmed, and agriculture is undermined, it is only to be expected that warehouses will be empty, since there are so many superfluous people living off others. If the ruler values stillness and emptiness, and the ministers are upright in heart, the paths of corruption will be blocked and the gates of honesty thrown open. If no lavish palaces or lofty terraces are built, idle people living off others’ grain are kept in check, and farming is encouraged, then the granaries will be full, government will be calm, and the people will be at peace. In this way, cleansing oneself and cultivating the truth, purifying the heart and holding fast to the Dao, can be achieved both for oneself and for the state.

“They wear embroidered finery”

(Note) Carved ornament and elaborate embroidery harm artisans and the benefits of making agriculture the foundation.

(Explanation) Using blue and red as patterns and silk as decoration means valuing ornamentation over simplicity.

(Interpretation) The court has lost the right path, and the ruler prizes showiness, adorning himself with finery. In terms of principle, this is entirely fitting—as a criticism.

“They wear sharp swords”

(Note) They do not cultivate civil virtue, but value only military preparedness.

(Explanation) Sharp swords refer to military preparedness. Civil virtue is the fundamental instrument of governing the state; military achievement supports civil virtue. Civil affairs are the root, military affairs the branch. To devote oneself exclusively to military achievement is to abandon the root and exalt the branch.

(Interpretation) Sharp swords are used to subdue enemies; they are not the great instrument of governing a state. To prize wearing them is to slight civil affairs and abandon the root. The Spring and Autumn Annals records an episode concerning military preparedness: in the summer of the tenth year of Duke Ding, he met Duke Jing of Qi at Jiagu. Confucius was acting as minister of ceremonies. He said, “I have heard that civil affairs must be accompanied by military preparedness, and military affairs by civil preparedness. When feudal lords leave their own territory, they must have the proper officials with them. I ask that the left and right commanders accompany us.” Duke Ding agreed. At the meeting site, an altar was built with three tiers of earthen steps. The rulers met according to ritual, exchanged bows, and ascended the steps; after the offerings had been exchanged, envoys from Qi brought in Lai people carrying weapons, who beat drums and shouted as they tried to seize Duke Ding. Confucius hurried up the steps to stop them. This shows that civil and military preparedness should support one another; one must not prize sharp swords alone while slighting civil virtue.

(Historical account preceding the text)

The envoy stepped forward, but before he had climbed even one full step, he turned back and said, “Soldiers! Our two rulers were friends, yet you are disrupting our relations by using captured Yi soldiers. This is not how the ruler of Qi should command the feudal lords. The border peoples do not scheme against the Central States; foreign peoples do not disrupt the Xia realm; captives do not interfere with an alliance; and weapons do not coerce friends. Such acts bring ill fortune before the spirits, violate De, and offend human relationships. Surely your ruler would not do this.” The Marquis of Qi felt ashamed and waved for them to withdraw.

A little later, the Marquis of Qi had music played in the palace, while actors and dwarfs mocked the Duke of Lu before him. Confucius hurried forward and mounted the steps, again without completing even one full step. He said, “These people who mislead and insult the feudal lords deserve death. Let the officials responsible carry out the law at once.” The dwarf was then executed, and his limbs were displayed separately. The Marquis of Qi was afraid and looked ashamed. After the alliance meeting, he returned home and rebuked his ministers: “The State of Lu supports its ruler through the way of gentlemen, while you alone have taught me the way of the Yi and Di peoples, leading me to offend the Duke of Lu.” He then returned the Lu lands he had seized, including Yun, Huan, and Guoyin. This illustrates that civil affairs require military preparedness: ritual and law must be upheld by authority.

“Sated with food”

Commentary: Cooking rich meats and fresh delicacies, and indulging in strong flavors, is called “sated and glutted”—eating one’s fill until one is weary of it.

Explanatory note: “Sated with food” means that the kitchens are lavishly stocked and people feast on fragrant delicacies. Fine foods and wealth pile up above, while below there is suffering from cold and hunger.

Interpretation: When a state relies on cunning and deceit, and its ruler still acts through deliberate intervention, the transformation of the Dao does not prevail and farming falls into neglect. Meanwhile, the finest dishes grow tiresome in the kitchens. The exhausted people suffer from cold and hunger, while the court and markets feast on rare delicacies. Is this not painful?

“There is an excess of wealth and goods”

Commentary: Hoarding and accumulating riches, and storing away rare and unusual things.

Explanatory note: “Wealth and goods” refers to money, silk, pearls, jade, and the like. They are amassed in abundance and hoarded in excess. Those who have not learned the Way do not regard freedom from greed as precious; they only seek more wealth, piling it up to their own folly.

Interpretation: The ancients said, “Better to store wealth among the people than in the state’s treasuries.” How true those words are! Confucius said, “If the people do not have enough, who can the ruler have enough with?” In this way, the people prosper and the state is secure. But if accumulation never ends, no ravine can be filled: the treasuries overflow while the people’s strength is exhausted. This is no way to rule as a king or hegemon.

“This is called robbing and boasting; it is not the Dao”

Commentary: Relying on one’s own cleverness brings harm with every action. One behaves like a thief, yet boasts of it—“boasting of theft.” This is not the Dao, and is truly lamentable. “哉” is an exclamatory particle.

Explanatory note: Taking what is not rightfully yours is theft; boasting of what you possess is arrogance. And there is also “head-count levies” (a method of extraction) …

Interpretation: (Continuing from the previous passage) … (The text following “head-count levies” appears to be incomplete; it should be checked against a complete edition. The general meaning is that ruthless exactions and flaunting one’s wealth both depart from the Dao.)

Would it not be fitting to call them “thieves”? They take from people who already have too little, indulge their desires and squander their own abundant resources, then congratulate themselves and boast of it. Acting in this way, they do not follow the Dao I follow. “Ye zai” is an expression of lament.

They do not govern the people through Dao and De, but instead rule the country with cunning schemes and deceitful arts. At court and among the people alike, luxury and artifice are admired. Those below are drained dry: private households lack even husks and chaff, while the public granaries are weary of fine grain and meat. Wealth piles up as fields lie fallow, yet people praise their own goodness and ability and boast without restraint. Those who cultivate themselves let sights and sounds disturb their hearts and jewels and ornaments confuse their eyes. Desires damage their nature; clever contrivances startle the unlearned. Their true Qi is depleted from the Three Dantian (upper, middle, and lower energy centers), while the Red Child—their innate purity—perishes within the Six Viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and intention). Only the remnant Qi in the body remains, yet they chase rank and pay and boast of themselves: this is theft. They have strayed far from the Dao. The Old Master therefore set down this text as a grave warning, for both self-cultivation and governing a country may take it as a lesson.

“Thief”: The Shuowen says that one who secretly takes another’s property is a thief. The character is composed of elements meaning “next,” “vessel,” and “mouth-fluid”: mouth-fluid above a vessel suggests a desire to obtain something, hence the term “thief.” The Zilin says that taking what is not one’s own is called theft. Those who enjoy rare foods, abundant wealth, and more than enough to satisfy themselves, yet fail to cultivate their own De; who possess great wealth but little virtue, and take what is not theirs as though by stealth—if they do not reflect on themselves but instead boast of their merits, what else could they be but thieves? Above all, they should be cautioned to act with humility.

Chapter heading and commentary (Chapter 54, “What Is Well Established Cannot Be Uprooted”):

The commentary: The previous chapter explains that a ruler who favors expedient paths becomes a boasting thief and departs from the Dao. This chapter explains that a ruler who establishes things well enjoys an unshakable foundation and endures. It begins by showing the benefits of establishing a country and cultivating oneself through the Dao; then it uses the self to explain how to observe oneself and one’s household; finally, the passage beginning “How do I know…” concludes with a lament, showing what enlightened insight can verify.

The meaning is this: Establish a country through Dao and De, and it cannot be overthrown; guide people through Dao and De, and they will not abandon you. Thus the country endures without end and its descendants continue without interruption. How is this achieved? Cultivate oneself through the Dao and bring one’s household into order; bring the household into order through the Dao and bring the village into order; bring the village into order through the Dao and bring the country into order; bring the country into order through the Dao and bring all under Heaven into order. By observing the benefits of cultivating the Dao and the harms of neglecting it, one can understand order and disorder and see survival and decline. The aim is to put an end to theft.

A Vernacular Interpretation of the Widespread Commentary on the True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue

The preceding passage says that when people seek glory, change their conduct only out of regret, yet still prefer shortcuts, signs of good and ill fortune often arise from this—whether in governing a state or cultivating oneself.

“One who is skilled at establishing cannot be uprooted.”

Commentary: One who is skilled at founding a state and laying its foundations through the Dao cannot be overthrown.

Exposition: “Establishing” means founding; “cannot be uprooted” means not being toppled or torn out by the roots. The point is this: if a ruler can found a state and lay its foundations through the Dao, then act in ways the people can accept, allow the myriad people to transform and flourish of their own accord, shape them through simplicity, and set an example through virtuous conduct and influence, then the laws will be trusted and people will willingly support the ruler without growing weary of him. In this way, achievements become deeply rooted and all lands turn toward De. How could such skillful founding be overthrown?

Meaning: If a state is not founded on the Dao, the people will turn against it and even its closest allies will abandon it. If a person does not cultivate himself through the Dao, he will court danger and invite disaster, and ruin may come at any moment. Only a foundation in the Dao and De can keep one from danger. “Make the law a model and thereby inspire trust” comes from the Great Odes of the Book of Songs: King Wen made the laws a model, and all the states came to trust him. “Trust” here means faith; through the Dao, King Wen guided people by his example, and the world came to trust him. “They willingly support him without growing weary” conveys the meaning of chapter 66 of this scripture: if a sage wishes to stand above the people, he first speaks humbly; if he wishes to stand before them, he first places himself behind them. He stands above them without weighing them down and stands before them without harming them. The world willingly supports him without growing weary. Because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him. This is the general sense of being skilled at founding a state and cultivating oneself. “Influence” means that virtuous transformation is like the wind, while its teaching and reputation spread far and wide.

“One who is skilled at holding fast cannot be separated from what he holds.”

Commentary: One who is skilled at embracing and protecting the people through the Dao cannot be parted from them or see them scattered.

Exposition: “Holding” means keeping to something and embracing it; “separated” means parted or scattered. When someone is skilled at embracing the people through the Dao, they are glad to follow whenever he acts. How could they scatter? Even passersby pause where fine food is served, so how much more compelling is the Dao and De? When these guide the things of the world, those things naturally turn toward them and attach themselves to them. This is only to be expected.

Meaning: The sage responds to the times and establishes the guiding standard, making it his purpose to let things fulfill their nature. The people of the four seas turn toward benevolence, and all lands follow his transformation. The foundations of the state cannot be uprooted, and the people’s hearts cannot be separated from him. In the past, the Great King of Zhou, inheriting the virtue of the ancient lord Gugong Danfu, first became king at Bin. Under pressure from the Rong and an attack by the Di, he refused their offer of silk and hides, then their chariots and horses, and finally their pearls and jade. He said, “What the Di seek is my land.” This event offers a historical lesson in why the foundations of a state and the people’s hearts must not be lightly abandoned.

Could one preserve oneself by exhausting the people through warfare and conscripting them into service?

Can one protect oneself by waging war at the people’s expense and making them serve?

I could not bear to live among one man’s elder brother and kill his younger brother, or among one man’s father and kill his son.

To live alongside someone’s elder brother and then kill his younger brother, or alongside someone’s father and then kill his son—I could not bring myself to do such a thing.

All of you, stay where you are. What difference is there between being my subjects and being subjects of the Di people?

You should all remain here. What difference is there between being my subjects and being subjects of the Di people?

Besides, I have heard this: one should not use what sustains life to harm the life that ought to be nurtured.

Moreover, I have heard that what we depend on for sustenance should not be used to damage the life we should protect.

So he leaned on his staff and departed. The people followed him one after another, and they established a state beneath Mount Qi.

He had three sons. His youngest, Ji Li, was the father of King Wen. King Wen became the Earl of the West, cultivated himself and upheld De (Virtue/Power), and laid the foundations of the Zhou dynasty, which endured for more than eight hundred years.

This was probably because he knew how to win the people’s hearts, so that they were unwilling to leave him and followed closely.

The phrase “music and food” comes from chapter 35 of the upper section of the Dao De Jing (Classic of the Way and Its Virtue).

The text says: “Music and food make passing travelers stop.”

It means that when joyful music is played and fine dishes are laid out, travelers hear them and pause to listen; they see the food and find it appealing, so they choose to stay.

How much more naturally, then, will people take delight in and follow someone whose Dao and De are manifest to the world.

The sacrifices to descendants continue without interruption

The commentary says: A ruler who establishes himself through Dao and De and holds fast to the good leaves achievements that benefit later generations. If people cherish the sweet pear tree, how much more will they cherish his descendants?

When rulers perform ancestral sacrifices, those who achieved merit are honored as ancestors, and those who embodied De are honored in the ancestral temple. The rise of the Zhou began with Hou Ji and was brought to completion by Kings Wen and Wu.

The Zhou performed sacrifices to Hou Ji in the open country and honored King Wen in the ancestral temple.

Thus, even though divination foretold thirty generations of rule and seven hundred years on the throne, and the spirit tablets of ancestors whose temples were dismantled were moved elsewhere, the sacrifices to Hou Ji in the open country and to King Wen in the ancestral temple continued without interruption.

The subcommentary explains: “Sacrifice” means to present offerings; “ancestral rites” means to continue the offerings from one generation to the next.

It refers to descendants presenting offerings to their ancestors. “Interrupt” means to stop.

The explanation says: If one governs a state by establishing goodness and holding fast to the good, blessings will pass down to one’s descendants. If one cultivates oneself by establishing goodness and holding fast to the good, one’s lifespan may exceed what one was originally allotted; the sacrifices will not cease, and the family’s legacy will endure without end.

The reference to people cherishing the sweet pear tree comes from the “Sweet Pear Tree” poem in the Book of Songs: “Lush, tender sweet pear tree, do not cut it down or damage it; it is where the Duke of Shao rested.”

Long ago, after King Wu of Zhou gained the realm, he assigned the Duke of Zhou, Dan, to govern east of the Shaan region, and the Duke of Shao, Shi, to govern the west.

The Duke of Shao embodied De, and the people delighted in his rule. He was always reluctant to burden them, so he would sit beneath a sweet pear tree to hear their legal disputes.

Later generations remembered his De and preserved the tree, neither cutting nor felling it. The poem praises this.

“Those who achieved merit are honored as ancestors” means that a ruler who establishes a state depends on the blessings accumulated over generations to gain the realm. Once his achievements are complete, he is honored with sacrifices in the ancestral temple.

Establishing ritual must take as its foundation ancestors who rendered service, offering sacrifices to them, and those who possessed virtue, honoring them.

When establishing ritual, one should offer sacrifices to ancestors who rendered service and honor those who possessed virtue. Zong means to honor or revere.

Houji, whose surname was Ji and personal name Qi, was a descendant of the Ji clan. He served under Yao and later under Shun. When the people suffered famine, Houji sowed the hundred grains to relieve them. His merit and virtue transformed all things, and he served as Director of Agriculture. His descendants, from Danfu down to Kings Wen and Wu, established the state and its altars. For this reason, Houji was worshipped in the ancestral temple and in suburban rites as the counterpart of Heaven, while King Wen was worshipped as the counterpart of Earth. Even after the ties of kinship had grown distant and the ancestral temple line had shifted, temples to Houji and King Wen as founding ancestors continued to receive offerings from generation to generation. These sacrifices ended only when the dynasties changed in the Qin and Han periods. The Han inherited the legacy of Yao. The sage virtue of Tang Yao benefited the people, and his descendants later established the Han dynasty. He was worshipped by successive generations until the Wei received the Han’s abdication. Gao Yao, posthumously honored as Emperor Deming, assisted Yao and served Shun, sowing virtue among the people. Thus our Tang inherited his distant blessings, received the Mandate, and enjoyed rule; he was posthumously honored as Emperor Deming.

Cultivate it in oneself, and one’s virtue becomes genuine.

Commentary: Cultivate the Dao within oneself, and virtue becomes genuine and pure.

Exegesis: What follows explains that little cultivation brings little realization, while much learning brings many gains. “Cultivate it in oneself” means cultivating oneself; “cultivate it in the family” means cultivating the whole family. The principle extends from cultivating oneself to cultivating the world. A person who establishes goodness sees their true nature clearly. This true nature is pure and free of falsehood and admixture. When these are eliminated, virtue becomes genuine and pure.

Commentary: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; in cultivating oneself and governing the state, one should begin with oneself before turning to others. Cultivation begins close at hand, within oneself, and extends outward to things. Establish the roots and secure the foundation, and there will be no collapse or danger. When virtue in oneself is genuine and pure, things are transformed naturally through its influence.

Cultivate it in the family, and one’s virtue will abound.

Commentary: When the whole family cultivates the Dao, virtue brings blessings in abundance.

Exegesis: When the Dao is cultivated in the family, harmony prevails between those above and below, and virtue brings blessings in abundance. Thus the Yi says: “A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have blessings to spare.”

Commentary: When a person has the Dao, harmony must prevail in the family. The father is caring, the mother is caring, the children are filial, the elder brother is affectionate, the younger brother is respectful, the husband is faithful, and the wife is chaste. When harmony prevails throughout the family in this way, blessings flow to the descendants, and goodness extends to later generations. On the accumulation of good deeds, the “Wenyan” commentary to the Kun hexagram in the Yi says: “How compliant is the way of Kun! It receives from Heaven and acts in season. A family that accumulates good deeds will surely have blessings to spare; a family that accumulates evil deeds will surely have calamities to spare.” This passage makes clear…

Plain-Language Interpretation

Good and ill fortune take shape gradually: Calamity and blessing do not strike without warning. First, consider whether you have long been doing good or evil. Good and evil are planted first; only then do good and ill fortune slowly become apparent. The passage that follows explains how cultivating the Dao and accumulating De begins with one household, then expands step by step to a village, a state, and eventually all under Heaven.

Cultivate the Dao in One Household, and Goodness Will Remain

When a household cultivates the Dao, its goodness will overflow. When even one household earnestly cultivates the Dao and does good, the benefits will remain. They will benefit not only the household itself, but also its descendants and those around it.

Cultivate the Dao in a Village, and De Will Endure

Cultivate it in a village, and its De will endure.

Commentary: When the people of an entire village cultivate the Dao, De can be maintained over time.

Explanation (following the Rites of Zhou on the meaning of “village”): According to the Rites of Zhou, a village comprised 12,500 households. “Cultivating the Dao in a village” means that ritual and right conduct flourish, social ranks are properly ordered, and neighbors look out for one another without favoring their own relatives. The influence of one household’s cultivation is not yet broad enough; only when the whole village cultivates the Dao can De endure for a long time.

Meaning: A noble person first puts their own conduct in order, then sets their household right, and then extends this to the village: respecting elders, caring for the young, guiding the unwise and enlightening the uninformed. Young and old each find their proper place; ranks are orderly; customs are upright, and ritual and music are harmonious. What begins as self-cultivation becomes an example for thousands of households to follow. The Dao transforms all things, and no goodness could be greater than this. Thus it is said to be excellent, enduring, and lasting.

Cultivate the Dao in a State, and De Will Grow Abundant

Cultivate it in a state, and its De will grow abundant.

Commentary: When the people throughout a state cultivate the Dao, De becomes full and flourishing.

Explanation: Cultivating the Dao within a state can transform customs and return people to simplicity and authenticity, without showing partiality to those who are close. A single village is still too limited; only when an entire state cultivates the Dao can its De be called abundant.

Meaning: “A state” refers to the domain of a feudal lord. Dukes, marquises, counts, viscounts, and barons each governed a state, originally to protect the royal house and assist the Son of Heaven. If everyone in a state could cultivate the Dao, ritual would flourish and teaching would bring harmony; the ruler would be trustworthy, ministers loyal, and the land peaceful. Its De would naturally become abundant.

Cultivate the Dao throughout All under Heaven, and De Will Reach Everywhere

Cultivate it throughout all under Heaven, and its De will be universal.

Commentary: If all under Heaven cultivates De, its influence can spread everywhere.

Explanation: “Universal” means reaching everywhere. The people’s return to simplicity and honesty depends on the ruler’s teaching. De cultivated at court can flow as far as lands beyond the seas. When the ruler corrects their own conduct, people are transformed without words and brought to order without instruction. Those below respond to those above as an echo answers a sound. De reaches everywhere; this is what it means for its influence to be universal.

Meaning: The Dao must first be realized within oneself, then extended to all things. As the ancients said, they had never heard of a state in disorder when its ruler’s conduct was upright, or a well-governed state when its ruler’s conduct was corrupt. When one cultivates oneself inwardly, the world beyond naturally responds. De begins nearby and travels far. If even an ordinary person can bring about such a response, how much more so can an emperor? If the Son of Heaven embodies the Dao and keeps to stillness and mystery, honors Heaven and follows the Earth, quiets the mind, corrects their own conduct, and governs through Wuwei (non-action), then writing will be unified, vehicles will use the same tracks, and all under Heaven will become one.

Summary: The classic presents four stages—household, village, state, and all under Heaven—to show how cultivating the Dao and accumulating De spread outward like ripples. Each stage is explained through commentary, exposition, and interpretation, moving from the village system described in the Rites of Zhou, through the governance of feudal states, and finally to the Son of Heaven’s rule over all under Heaven. The central idea is this: cultivate yourself first, and De can endure, grow abundant, and reach everywhere.

Through the waterways and overland routes, the peoples of the four quarters sincerely submit; the myriad states come to court and call themselves subjects. The Great Dao covers and protects all without exception.

Thus its De spreads everywhere. The ancestral temple is where the Son of Heaven attends to state affairs.

When De is practiced everywhere and bestowed widely, it is as the Image commentary on the Qian hexagram in the Book of Changes says: “The dragon appears in the field; De is bestowed universally.” This means that at the first nine, the dragon is still hidden; only at the second nine does it appear. When it should remain hidden, its work is not yet complete and its De has not yet reached other things. It must wait for the right time to act and remain still to preserve itself. When it emerges and appears at the second nine, it bestows De and extends its instruction throughout the four quarters, so that its influence reaches everywhere.

The dragon is a metaphor for Yang Qi. Yang Qi first arises in the month of Zi, hidden beneath the depths of the dark spring. In the month of Chou it emerges into view and can then bring forth and transform the myriad things. They respond to its power of beginning; thus Yang Qi spreads its influence and reaches all things.

Therefore, observe the body by means of the body.

Commentary: Observe the body by means of the methods of cultivating it; only when it is purified can this be true observation.

Explanation: To observe is to examine clearly. The commentary says to observe the body by means of the methods of cultivating it, and that only when it is purified is this true. This means to observe the body’s true aspect: it is pure from the beginning, unstained by worldly impurities. Remove every view of existence, and then let go of the view itself; understand that emptiness, too, is empty. Set aside both extremes at once and accord fully with the Middle Way. This may be called purity and accord with the Real.

Meaning: A body that does not cultivate the Dao acts contrary to right principle and is said to bring shame and danger upon itself. A body that cultivates the Dao cuts off external entanglements, gathers Qi within, removes defilements, stills thoughts, guards the One, and concentrates Shen. Through wisdom, it observes itself, realizes the true aspect, does not become attached to either emptiness or existence, and enters deeply into the wondrous gate. In this way, it can attain the Dao. If a ruler who governs the state can faithfully hold to the Mean, he will enjoy Heaven’s favor for a long time.

Observe the family by means of the family.

Commentary: Observe the family by means of the methods of cultivating it. If family members can live in harmony, blessings and goodness will abound.

Explanation: Observe the family by means of the methods of cultivating it; when family members live in harmony, blessings and goodness will abound.

Meaning: A family that does not cultivate the Dao is not harmonious with its six degrees of kin and does not follow the five teachings. Calamities and misfortune arise at every turn, and those above and below fall into disorder and separation. In a family that cultivates the Dao, the nine generations of kin are in harmony, and every kind of goodness gathers. The Image commentary on the fifth nine of the Family hexagram in the Book of Changes says, “The king draws near to his family; all love one another.” This means that one occupies a position of honor and understands the way of the family, so that the six degrees of kin live in harmony. Apply this to government, and all under Heaven will be transformed and will love and delight in one another.

Observe the village by means of the village.

Commentary: Observe the village by means of the methods of cultivating it. If its people can follow an orderly course, it will endure.

Explanation: Observe the village by means of the methods of cultivating it; when the people of the village all cultivate the Dao, those of higher and lower rank follow their proper order.

The teachings of Daoism gradually spread far and wide, so that the blessings of De can endure through the ages.

In villages where the Dao is not cultivated, people show no respect for ritual, young and old lose their proper order, the high and low oppress one another, and those above and below contend. In villages where the Dao is cultivated, De flourishes. People each keep to their proper roles; all is quiet and harmonious, the land is at peace, and its people live in accord.

Viewing a state through the state

Commentary: By observing a state through the way of governing it, one sees that the state can prosper only when its people are diligent and frugal.

Exposition: View a state by the methods used to govern it. When its people are all diligent in their cultivation and economical in their habits, De will flourish.

Interpretation: In a state that does not cultivate the Dao, weapons and forced labor abound, the people are abused and harmed, and epidemics spread, bringing suffering upon them. In a state that cultivates the Dao, the spirits lend their aid; wind and rain come in their proper seasons; good teachings reach the people, and auspicious signs follow of their own accord. The people prosper and De grows abundant. This is the natural result of good governance.

Viewing All under Heaven through All under Heaven

Commentary: By observing All under Heaven through the way of governing it, one sees that only through Wuwei (non-action) can all be benefited.

Exposition: What is there to observe when viewing All under Heaven through All under Heaven? One need only observe oneself. When the ruler is tranquil and practices Wuwei, establishing and holding fast to the Dao with skill, the people naturally gather around him, and the state’s fortunes are secure.

Interpretation: All under Heaven without the cultivation of the Dao is like the age of Jie and Zhou: the people are plunged into misery, the realm is torn apart, families turn against one another, and the altars of state are laid waste. Though there are wise ministers and brave warriors, they cannot be put to use; though the state has walls as strong as metal and moats as deep as boiling water, it cannot be defended. Even with the rank of a ruler of ten thousand chariots, one cannot hope to live as an ordinary man. All under Heaven that cultivates the Dao is like the age of Yao and Shun: within the Four Seas, every household is worthy of honor; benevolence and kindness reach even distant lands; and the calendar is issued throughout the realm. Though floods and droughts bring disaster, the harvest is not ruined; though armies set out on campaigns, the people do not resent them. Why is this so? Because the rulers first set themselves right within the ninefold palace, and All under Heaven naturally fell into accord. Then they ascended to the Real and attained the Dao, enduring forever without perishing, shining brightly as models for ten thousand generations.

How do I know that All under Heaven is so? Through this.

Commentary: By this method, one observes oneself, one’s household, one’s village, and one’s state; through such observation, one can know.

Exposition: This is posed as a question. Lao Jun says: How do I know that, when something is well established, it cannot be uprooted, and when something is firmly held, it cannot slip away, so that blessings and De must inevitably bring vast benefit? I know by observing in successive stages, beginning with oneself. From one’s own household, one can extend one’s understanding to governing the state. Thus one comes to know.

This passage expounds on understanding the rise and fall of nations through observing oneself and others. Laozi (Lord Lao) compassionately teaches humanity to discern good and evil through both personal cultivation and governance.

"Observing my life" originates from the third line of the Guan (Observation) hexagram in the Book of Changes, signifying the observation of one's own actions and decisions. The third line sits atop the lower trigram, symbolizing potential advancement, while being beneath the upper trigram suggests possible retreat. This reminds us to assess circumstances wisely—advancing when appropriate and withdrawing when necessary—maintaining flexible responsiveness.

"Observing their lives" refers to those in high positions (such as rulers) who must be particularly mindful of their words and deeds, as all under heaven watch them. Like the topmost line of the Guan hexagram occupying the most visible position, every action draws public scrutiny, demanding utmost prudence.

The scripture emphasizes that whether observing oneself or others, the crux lies in cultivating De (Virtue/Power). When moral cultivation is perfected, the state becomes stable and individuals attain blessings and immortality; when De is lost, nations decline and personal calamities follow. Thus rulers and subjects alike should sincerely devote themselves to moral refinement.

In essence, this teaching instructs us: discern right from wrong by observing personal conduct and national conditions, acting with measured wisdom; those in authority must be especially circumspect; and for both individuals and states, moral cultivation remains the fundamental principle.