So that I (1) have knowledge (2), walk on the road, and only give (3) fear. The great road is very good (4), and the people (5) are good (6). The court is very divided (7), the field is very clear, the warehouse is very empty, the clothes are brilliant, the sword is brilliant, the food is disgusted (8), and the wealth is surplus, which is called a thief (9). It's not the way!

[Translation]

If I have a little understanding, and I walk on the road, the only thing I worry about is the fear of going down the wrong path. Although the avenue is flat, Renjun likes to take the evil path. The government was extremely corrupt, leaving the farmland barren and the warehouses very empty, but the people still wore splendid clothes, wore sharp swords, feasted on exquisite food, and looted and possessed surplus goods, which was called a robber leader. How unreasonable!

[Notes]

1. I: I refer to the saint who has the Tao. Lao Tzu is here to make a statement to himself.

2. Knowing: Medium, tiny. There is a little knowledge, a little knowledge.

3. Shi: evil, oblique.

4. Flat: flat.

5. People: refers to the people, one is "the people".

6. Path: Evil path.

7. The government is very corrupt. One said that the palace was very tidy.

8. Disgusted with eating: disgusted, full, satisfied, sufficient. I was so full that I didn't want to eat anymore.

9. Thief: Boasting again. That is, the big thief, the thief.

[Quote]

This chapter sharply exposes some of the contradictions in the society of the time. In the book Tao Te Ching, there are several places that deal with this issue, such as three chapters, nineteen chapters, fifty-seven chapters, seventy-five chapters, etc. This chapter describes the darkness of society and the great calamities brought by the rulers, especially the rulers, by virtue of their power and force, who are in a state of starvation, barren and empty of farmland, and who live a life of debauchery and luxury, while the lower classes of the people are starving, and the farmland is barren and empty. In this situation, it is no wonder that Lao Tzu called the ruler a "thief". The content of this chapter can also be said to be a portrait of the tyrants who are unscrupulous.

[Commentary]

Yang Xingshun said: "The people who 'boast' live in luxury, while the people are starving. According to Lao Tzu's doctrine, this kind of abnormal situation will not exist forever, and sooner or later human society will return to its original 'way of heaven'. Lao Tzu warns those selfish rulers that they are always hungry for more goods, which will put themselves in great danger. 'There is no greater misfortune than discontentment, and no greater culpability than desire' (ch. 46). In this way, they violated the law of the 'way of heaven', and 'the way of heaven has long been lost' (chapter 30). Let the selfish rulers, who have long forgotten the golden rule of their ancestors, not think that their power is indestructible. Such a day will come: rulers will be punished for all their wickedness, for in the world 'weakness is better than strength'. Lao Tzu's fierce hatred for the oppressor, his sincere sympathy for the people who have suffered a great calamity, and his deep belief in the inevitable collapse of the social and political system that oppresses and plunders the people -- these are the main characteristics of Lao Tzu's social ethics. From the standpoint of the masses of the people, from the perspective of social stability and development, attacking the tyrants in power as "thieves" is the most valuable and important viewpoint of Taoism from Laozi to Zhuangzi. In Zhuangzi's miscellaneous essays, he proposed that "those who steal the hook will be punished, and those who steal the country will be punished", which is the traditional view. In fact, those who "have more than enough goods" are the real "thieves", and "the saints do not die, but the thieves do not stop", this is the cry of the oppressed laborers. From this point of view, we also feel that this shows that Lao Tzu is not the spokesman for the interests of the decaying and declining slave owners and aristocracy, but truly represents the aspirations of the oppressed.

So that I (1) have knowledge (2), walk on the road, and only give (3) fear. The great road is very good (4), and the people (5) are good (6). The court is very divided (7), the field is very clear, the warehouse is very empty, the clothes are brilliant, the sword is brilliant, the food is disgusted (8), and the wealth is surplus, which is called a thief (9). It's not the way!

[Translation]

If I have a little understanding, and I walk on the road, the only thing I worry about is the fear of going down the wrong path. Although the avenue is flat, Renjun likes to take the evil path. The government was extremely corrupt, leaving the farmland barren and the warehouses very empty, but the people still wore splendid clothes, wore sharp swords, feasted on exquisite food, and looted and possessed surplus goods, which was called a robber leader. How unreasonable!

[Notes]

1. I: I refer to the saint who has the Tao. Lao Tzu is here to make a statement to himself.

2. Knowing: Medium, tiny. There is a little knowledge, a little knowledge.

3. Shi: evil, oblique.

4. Flat: flat.

5. People: refers to the people, one is "the people".

6. Path: Evil path.

7. The government is very corrupt. One said that the palace was very tidy.

8. Disgusted with eating: disgusted, full, satisfied, sufficient. I was so full that I didn't want to eat anymore.

9. Thief: Boasting again. That is, the big thief, the thief.

[Quote]

This chapter sharply exposes some of the contradictions in the society of the time. In the book Tao Te Ching, there are several places that deal with this issue, such as three chapters, nineteen chapters, fifty-seven chapters, seventy-five chapters, etc. This chapter describes the darkness of society and the great calamities brought by the rulers, especially the rulers, by virtue of their power and force, who are in a state of starvation, barren and empty of farmland, and who live a life of debauchery and luxury, while the lower classes of the people are starving, and the farmland is barren and empty. In this situation, it is no wonder that Lao Tzu called the ruler a "thief". The content of this chapter can also be said to be a portrait of the tyrants who are unscrupulous.

[Commentary]

Yang Xingshun said: "The people who 'boast' live in luxury, while the people are starving. According to Lao Tzu's doctrine, this kind of abnormal situation will not exist forever, and sooner or later human society will return to its original 'way of heaven'. Lao Tzu warns those selfish rulers that they are always hungry for more goods, which will put themselves in great danger. 'There is no greater misfortune than discontentment, and no greater culpability than desire' (ch. 46). In this way, they violated the law of the 'way of heaven', and 'the way of heaven has long been lost' (chapter 30). Let the selfish rulers, who have long forgotten the golden rule of their ancestors, not think that their power is indestructible. Such a day will come: rulers will be punished for all their wickedness, for in the world 'weakness is better than strength'. Lao Tzu's fierce hatred for the oppressor, his sincere sympathy for the people who have suffered a great calamity, and his deep belief in the inevitable collapse of the social and political system that oppresses and plunders the people -- these are the main characteristics of Lao Tzu's social ethics. From the standpoint of the masses of the people, from the perspective of social stability and development, attacking the tyrants in power as "thieves" is the most valuable and important viewpoint of Taoism from Laozi to Zhuangzi. In Zhuangzi's miscellaneous essays, he proposed that "those who steal the hook will be punished, and those who steal the country will be punished", which is the traditional view. In fact, those who "have more than enough goods" are the real "thieves", and "the saints do not die, but the thieves do not stop", this is the cry of the oppressed laborers. From this point of view, we also feel that this shows that Lao Tzu is not the spokesman for the interests of the decaying and declining slave owners and aristocracy, but truly represents the aspirations of the oppressed. Those who "have more than enough goods" are genuine "thieves", and "saints do not die, but thieves do not stop", this is the cry of proceeding from the interests of the oppressed laborers. From this point of view, we also feel that this shows that Lao Tzu is not the spokesman for the interests of the decaying and declining slave owners and aristocracy, but truly represents the aspirations of the oppressed. We also feel that this shows that Lao Tzu is not the spokesman for the interests of the decaying and declining slave owners and aristocracy, but truly represents the aspirations of the oppressed 6666666666666666. (To be continued.) )