Faith (1) is not beautiful, good words are not believed. The good one (2) does not argue (3), and the one who argues is not good. Those who know do not know (4), and those who know do not know. The saint does not accumulate (5), because he thinks that he has more with himself (6), and he thinks that he has more with others (7). The way of heaven is good but not harmful (8). The way of the saints (9), for the sake of not fighting.

[Translation]

True and credible words are not pretty, and beautiful words are not true. Kind people don't say it by chance, and people who say it by heart are not kind. Those who are truly knowledgeable do not pretend, and those who pretend that they know more are not really knowledgeable. The saint is not possessive, but tries his best to take care of others, and he himself is more sufficient; He tries his best to give to others, and he is richer. The law of nature is to benefit all things without harming them. The code of conduct of the saints is not to fight with others in anything.

[Notes]

1. Faith: true and credible words.

2. Benevolent: A person who is kind in words and deeds.

3. Debate: skillful argumentation and ability to speak.

4. Bo: broad and profound.

5. Saints do not accumulate: people with Tao are not selfish and have no desire to possess.

6. Since I think that people have become more and more: I have used everything I have to help others, and I am more fulfilling.

7. Many: Opposite to "less", it means "rich" here.

8. Benefit but not harm: so that all things can be benefited without harming all things.

9. The Way of the Sage: The code of conduct of the Sage.

[Quote]

This chapter is the last chapter of the Tao Te Ching and should be the official conclusion of the book. This chapter takes the form of aphorisms similar to those of chapters 9, 10, 15, 20, 33, 45, 64, and 76, with the first three sentences talking about the main purpose of life and the last two about governing the world. The aphorisms of this chapter can serve as the supreme norms of human behavior, such as faithfulness, prophecy, specialization, and indisputable benefit. The highest state of life is the combination of truth, goodness and beauty, and truth is the core. This chapter contains the idea of naïve dialectics, which is the moral standard by which human behavior is judged.

[Commentary]

At the beginning of the chapter, three pairs of categories are proposed: faith and beauty; good and argumentative; Knowledge and knowledge, this is actually a question of truth and falsehood, beauty and ugliness, good and evil. Lao Tzu tries to show that the superficial appearance and essence of some things are often inconsistent. There is a wealth of dialectical ideas in it, and it is the moral standard by which human behavior is judged. In accordance with these three principles, we should demand ourselves with "faith", "good deeds" and "true knowledge", so as to achieve harmony between truth, goodness and beauty in ourselves. According to Lao Tzu's thought, it is to return to "simplicity" and return to the nature of not being polluted by worldly influences such as deceit, ingenuity, and strife. Zhang Songru said: "There are many kinds of things in the world, and social phenomena are even more complicated, and if we just assume that 'believes' are not beautiful, and 'beautiful words' are not believed; 'knowers' are not knowledgeable, and 'knowledgers' are ignorant, this will be one-sided. It cannot be said that the things of truth, goodness, and beauty in the world can never be unified, but can only be mutually exclusive. If we only know one and do not know the other, then we will inevitably start with dialectics and end with metaphysics. In this regard, we do not believe that there is no need to be literally strict with Lao Tzu, otherwise we will deviate from or misinterpret Lao Tzu's original meaning. In fact, in daily life, people often say this: "Advice is against the ear" and "Good medicine is bitter". After hearing these words, probably few people went to the tip of the bull's horns and asked: Is it true that all the words of loyalty are against the ear? Is all good medicine bitter? Therefore, there is no problem of absolutization in these aphorisms of Lao Tzu.

Faith (1) is not beautiful, good words are not believed. The good one (2) does not argue (3), and the one who argues is not good. Those who know do not know (4), and those who know do not know. The saint does not accumulate (5), because he thinks that he has more with himself (6), and he thinks that he has more with others (7). The way of heaven is good but not harmful (8). The way of the saints (9), for the sake of not fighting.

[Translation]

True and credible words are not pretty, and beautiful words are not true. Kind people don't say it by chance, and people who say it by heart are not kind. Those who are truly knowledgeable do not pretend, and those who pretend that they know more are not really knowledgeable. The saint is not possessive, but tries his best to take care of others, and he himself is more sufficient; He tries his best to give to others, and he is richer. The law of nature is to benefit all things without harming them. The code of conduct of the saints is not to fight with others in anything.

[Notes]

1. Faith: true and credible words.

2. Benevolent: A person who is kind in words and deeds.

3. Debate: skillful argumentation and ability to speak.

4. Bo: broad and profound.

5. Saints do not accumulate: people with Tao are not selfish and have no desire to possess.

6. Since I think that people have become more and more: I have used everything I have to help others, and I am more fulfilling.

7. Many: Opposite to "less", it means "rich" here.

8. Benefit but not harm: so that all things can be benefited without harming all things.

9. The Way of the Sage: The code of conduct of the Sage.

[Quote]

This chapter is the last chapter of the Tao Te Ching and should be the official conclusion of the book. This chapter takes the form of aphorisms similar to those of chapters 9, 10, 15, 20, 33, 45, 64, and 76, with the first three sentences talking about the main purpose of life and the last two about governing the world. The aphorisms of this chapter can serve as the supreme norms of human behavior, such as faithfulness, prophecy, specialization, and indisputable benefit. The highest state of life is the combination of truth, goodness and beauty, and truth is the core. This chapter contains the idea of naïve dialectics, which is the moral standard by which human behavior is judged.

[Commentary]

At the beginning of the chapter, three pairs of categories are proposed: faith and beauty; good and argumentative; Knowledge and knowledge, this is actually a question of truth and falsehood, beauty and ugliness, good and evil. Lao Tzu tries to show that the superficial appearance and essence of some things are often inconsistent. There is a wealth of dialectical ideas in it, and it is the moral standard by which human behavior is judged. In accordance with these three principles, we should demand ourselves with "faith", "good deeds" and "true knowledge", so as to achieve harmony between truth, goodness and beauty in ourselves. According to Lao Tzu's thought, it is to return to "simplicity" and return to the nature of not being polluted by worldly influences such as deceit, ingenuity, and strife. Zhang Songru said: "There are many kinds of things in the world, and social phenomena are even more complicated, and if we just assume that 'believes' are not beautiful, and 'beautiful words' are not believed; 'knowers' are not knowledgeable, and 'knowledgers' are ignorant, this will be one-sided. It cannot be said that the things of truth, goodness, and beauty in the world can never be unified, but can only be mutually exclusive. If we only know one and do not know the other, then we will inevitably start with dialectics and end with metaphysics. In this regard, we do not believe that there is no need to be literally strict with Lao Tzu, otherwise we will deviate from or misinterpret Lao Tzu's original meaning. In fact, in daily life, people often say this: "Advice is against the ear" and "Good medicine is bitter". After hearing these words, probably few people went to the tip of the bull's horns and asked: Is it true that all the words of loyalty are against the ear? Is all good medicine bitter? Therefore, these aphorisms of Lao Tzu are not (to be continued. )