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Dao De Jing Introduction Table of content – The Way and Its Power

The naturalist, individualist and politic doctrine of Lao-tse exhibited in 81 poetic and obscure texts. Tr. Waley (en), Lau (en), Julien (fr) and Wilhelm (de).

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Daodejing II. 61.

Section De – Chapter LXI

A large kingdom must be like the low ground towards which all streams flows down. It must be a point towards which all things under heaven converge. Its part must be that of the female in its dealings with all things under heaven.

The female by quiescence conquers the male; by quiescence gets underneath. If a large kingdom can in the same way succeed in getting underneath a small kingdom then it will win the adherence of the small kingdom; and it is because small kingdoms are by nature in this way underneath large kingdoms that they win the adherence of large kingdoms. The one must get underneath in order to do it; the other is underneath and therefore does it. (What large countries really need is more inhabitants; and what small countries need is some place where their surplus inhabitants can go and get employment.) Thus each gets what it needs. That is why I say the large kingdom must “get underneath”.

Waley 61

大国要向江海一样居于下流, 为天下所归, 自居天下雌柔的位置, 雌柔常常以静战胜雄强, 这是由于静处下的缘故。
所以大国对小国谦下, 就可以会聚小国; 小国对大国谦下, 就可以见容于大国。这样, 一个用谦下取得小国的依附, 一个用谦下取得大国的包容。
大国不过想令小国归附, 小国不过想令大国包容, 通过谦下可以各得其所, 因此大者宜为下。

白话翻译

A large state is the lower reaches of a river:
The place where all the streams of the world unite.

In the union of the world,
The female always gets the better of the male by stillness.

Being still, she takes the lower position.

Hence the large state, by taking the lower position, annexes the smallstate;
The small state, by taking the lower position, affiliates itself tothe large state.

Thus the one, by taking the lower position, annexes;
The other, by taking the lower position, is annexed.
All that the large state wants is to take the other under its wing;
All that the small state wants is to have its services accepted bythe other.
If each of the two wants to find its proper place,
It is meet that the large should take the lower position.

Lau 61

Un grand royaume (doit s'abaisser comme) les fleuves et les mers, où se réunissent (toutes les eaux de) l'empire.
Dans le monde, tel est le rôle de la femelle. En restant en repos, elle triomphe constamment du mâle. Ce repos est une sorte d'abaissement.
C'est pourquoi, si un grand royaume s'abaisse devant les petits royaumes, il gagnera les petits royaumes.
Si les petits royaumes s'abaissent devant un grand royaume, ils gagneront le grand royaume.
C'est pourquoi les uns s'abaissent pour recevoir, les autres s'abaissent pour être reçus.
Ce que désire uniquement un grand royaume, c'est de réunir et de gouverner les autres hommes.
Ce que désire uniquement un petit royaume, c'est d'être admis à servir les autres hommes.
Alors tous deux obtiennent ce qu'ils désiraient.
Mais les grands doivent s'abaisser !

Julien 61

Indem ein großes Reich sich stromabwärts hält,
wird es die Vereinigung der Welt.
Es ist das Weibliche der Welt.
Das Weibliche siegt immer
durch seine Stille über das Männliche.
Durch seine Stille hält es sich unten.
Wenn so das große Reich sich unter das kleine stellt,
so gewinnt es dadurch das kleine Reich.
Wenn das kleine Reich sich unter das große stellt,
so wird es dadurch von dem großen Reich gewonnen.
So wird das eine dadurch, daß es sich unten hält, gewinnen,
und das andere dadurch, daß es sich unten hält, gewonnen.
Das große Reich will nichts anderes
als die Menschen vereinigen und nähren.
Das kleine Reich will nichts anderes
als sich beteiligen am Dienst der Menschen.
So erreicht jedes, was es will;
aber das große muß unten bleiben.

Wilhelm 61

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Alias Daode Jing, Dao De Jing, Tao Te Ching, Tao Teh Ching, le Tao-tö-king, Lao-Tzu Te-Tao Ching, the Laozi, Lao Zi, the Lao Tze, le Lao-tseu, The Book of the Way and its Virtue, the Way and its Power.

The Book of Odes, The Analects, Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Three-characters book, The Book of Changes, The Way and its Power, 300 Tang Poems, The Art of War, Thirty-Six Strategies
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