Virtue is not virtue (1), it is to be virtuous, and virtue is not lost (2), it is no virtue (3). Virtue does nothing and does nothing (4), and virtue does nothing and thinks (5). The benevolent is not for it, and the righteous is for it. If you don't respond to it, throw it with your arms crossed (6). Therefore, after losing morality, after losing morality, after losing morality, after losing benevolence, after losing benevolence, after righteousness, after losing righteousness. The husband is the thin of the faithful (7), and the head of the chaos (8). The foreknowledge (9), the flower of the Tao (10), and the beginning of foolishness. It is the great husband who treats it thick (11) and does not dwell in it thin (12); Therefore, go to the other and take this.

[Translation]

People who possess "upper virtue" do not appear to be outwardly virtuous, so they are actually "virtuous"; those who possess "lower virtue" are manifested as external "Tao" and therefore do not actually have "virtue". People who are "virtuous" conform to nature and act unintentionally, and people who are "virtuous" conform to nature and have intentions. The benevolent man wanted to do something but did not respond to him, so he raised his arms and forced others. Therefore, after losing the "Tao", there is "virtue", after losing "virtue", after losing "benevolence", after losing "benevolence", there is "righteousness", and after losing righteousness, there is courtesy. The "rite" is the product of a lack of faithfulness and the beginning of trouble. The so-called "prophets" are nothing but the vanity of the "Word", from which ignorance begins to arise. Therefore, the husband is honest and does not live in thinness, and he is simple in heart, not in vanity. Therefore, it is necessary to abandon the thinness and vanity and adopt simplicity and honesty.

[Notes]

1. Virtue is not virtue: Virtue is not manifested as a form of "virtue". This sentence means that people who have virtue do not show virtue in form because they are natural.

2. Virtue does not lose virtue: people who are under virtue abide by the formal "virtue", and do not lose virtue that is, they do not leave virtue in form.

3. No virtue: unable to reflect the real virtue.

4. Shangde does nothing and does nothing: to, heart, intentional. Nothing to do, that is, no intention. This sentence means: A virtuous person conforms to nature and does not act intentionally.

5. Virtue does nothing and thinks: This sentence corresponds to the previous sentence, that is, people who are under virtue are natural and intentional.

6. Throw it with your arms: Throw your arms out, throw them away, and throw them with strong traction.

7. Thin: insufficient, thin.

8. First: beginning, beginning.

9. Foresight: Prophet and foresight, foresight.

10. Hua: vanity.

11. Fulfill their wishes: be honest and simple.

12. Thin: refers to the decay of etiquette.

[Quote]

This chapter is the beginning of the Book of Virtues. Some people believe that the first part begins with "Tao", so it is called "Tao Jing", and the next part begins with the word "De", so it is called "Tao Jing". This chapter is more difficult to understand in the Tao Te Ching. Lao Tzu believes that the attribute of "Tao" is manifested as "virtue", and any behavior that conforms to "Tao" is "virtuous", and vice versa, it is "immorality". "Tao" and "Virtue" are inseparable, but they are different. Because "virtue" is divided into upper and lower, "virtue" is completely in line with the spirit of "Tao". "Virtue" is the embodiment of "Tao" in the world, "Tao" is an objective law, and "Virtue" refers to human beings knowing and acting according to objective laws. People apply "Tao" to the function of human society, which is "virtue".

[Commentary]

On the one hand, the Tao Te Ching talks about "Tao" and on the other hand, it talks about "virtue". Lao Tzu believes that "virtue" is completely in line with the spirit of "Tao". Chapter 21 once wrote: "The guest of Confucius, only the Tao is followed"; Chapter 28 says: "For the world stream, Changde will not leave, and return to the baby", "For the valley of the world, Changde is enough, and return to Pu", and chapter 51 says, "To be born without having, for the sake of not being ashamed, and growing without slaughter, is called Xuande". The "Confucius", "Changde" and "Xuande" mentioned above all refer to the "Shangde" mentioned here. From a political point of view, we believe that the so-called "virtue" is different from the "virtue government" mentioned in Confucianism. Lao Tzu criticized Confucianism's "moral government" for not looking at the actual situation and only relying on people's subjective will to implement it, which is not "virtue", but "immorality"; while Lao Tzu's "virtue" is "doing nothing" and "doing nothing", which does not deviate from the objective laws of nature, and the ruler has no utilitarian intentions, and does not act only according to his subjective will, and the result of this is of course doing nothing but doing nothing, that is, the spirit of "Tao" is fully embodied in the world, so it is also "virtuous". However, "lower virtue" is the "inaction" of "having thoughts", but with a utilitarian purpose, let the subjective will do things. In this chapter, Lao Tzu divides politics into two types and five levels. The two types are "non-action" and "promising". "Dao" and "Virtue" belong to the type of "non-action", and benevolence, righteousness, and propriety belong to the type of "doing". The five levels are Tao, Virtue, Benevolence, Righteousness, and Propriety. Among these five levels, virtue and benevolence are the highest standards, but "virtue" only refers to "upper virtue", not "lower virtue". Losing the way and then virtue, this is said within the type of non-action, and losing the way is reduced to lower virtue, which is not much different from Shangren. Virtue and benevolence are followed by benevolence, which refers to leaving the type of "non-action" to have benevolence. Benevolence is already "promising" and "for", so "loss of benevolence and then righteousness" and "loss of righteousness and then courtesy" are different levels shown within the scope of "promising". In this chapter, Lao Tzu uses the term "great husband", which is the only noun used in the book, and some people have interpreted this in the past as "a person with high wisdom", which has the same original meaning, but it also contains boldness, boldness, and fortitude. Lao Tzu felt that interpersonal relationships were becoming more and more difficult to get along with, so he used the word "big husband" in a very excited mood, and said, "The big husband is thick, not thin; Therefore go to the other and take this". This chapter uses a number of specific norms to set one's thoughts and actions in a fixed form, that is, to act faithfully and not to perform the rites of pouring. Therefore, Lao Tzu's minimum requirement for politics is to get rid of "thin" and "flowery" and restore "thick" and "solid".

Dao" and "virtue" belong to the type of "non-action", and benevolence, righteousness, and propriety belong to the type of "doing". The five levels are Tao, Virtue, Benevolence, Righteousness, and Propriety. Among these five levels, virtue and benevolence are the highest standards, but "virtue" only refers to "upper virtue", not "lower virtue". Losing the way and then virtue, this is said within the type of non-action, and losing the way is reduced to lower virtue, which is not much different from Shangren. Virtue and benevolence are followed by benevolence, which refers to leaving the type of "non-action" to have benevolence. Benevolence is already "promising" and "for", so "loss of benevolence and then righteousness" and "loss of righteousness and then courtesy" are different levels shown within the scope of "promising". In this chapter, Lao Tzu uses the term "great husband" (to be continued.) )