Laozi · Complete work
Chapter 23
Chapter 23 of 81. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Classical Chinese
希言自然，故飄風不終朝，驟雨不終日。孰為此者？天地。天地尚不能久，而況於人乎？故從事於道者，道者，同於道；德者，同於德；失者，同於失。同於道者，道亦樂得之；同於德者，德亦樂得之；同於失者，失亦樂得之。信不足，焉有不信焉。
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the original source for fidelity, modern clarity, beauty, symbolism, and structure.
Sparse speech is so of itself; thus a whirlwind does not last the whole morning, nor a driving rain the whole day.Who makes them so?Heaven and earth.Even heaven and earth cannot make them last—how much less can human beings?Therefore, one who gives himself to the Way: as a person of the Way, he becomes one with the Way;As a person of virtue, he becomes one with virtue;As a person of loss, he becomes one with loss.One with the Way, he too is gladly received by the Way;One with virtue, he too is gladly received by virtue;One with loss, he too is gladly received by loss.Where trust is insufficient, distrust arises.
OpenTao
Complete CC BY 4.0 translation made directly from the received Chinese text; source line structure preserved.
To speak sparingly is natural: a gale does not blow all morning, nor a sudden downpour last all day.Who brings them about?Heaven and Earth.Even Heaven and Earth cannot sustain such violence for long—how much less can human beings?So those who give themselves to the Way become one with the Way;those who give themselves to inner power become one with that power;those who give themselves to loss become one with loss.The Way gladly welcomes those who are one with the Way;inner power gladly welcomes those who are one with inner power;loss gladly welcomes those who are one with loss.Where trust is lacking, mistrust follows.
James Legge (1891)
Complete public-domain translation made directly from the original source text.
1. Abstaining from speech marks him who is obeying the spontaneity of his nature. A violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last for the whole day. To whom is it that these (two) things are owing? To Heaven and Earth. If Heaven and Earth cannot make such (spasmodic) actings last long, how much less can man!
2. Therefore when one is making the Tao his business, those who are also pursuing it, agree with him in it, and those who are making the manifestation of its course their object agree with him in that; while even those who are failing in both these things agree with him where they fail.
3. Hence, those with whom he agrees as to the Tao have the happiness of attaining to it; those with whom he agrees as to its manifestation have the happiness of attaining to it; and those with whom he agrees in their failure have also the happiness of attaining (to the Tao). (But) when there is not faith sufficient (on his part), a want of faith (in him) ensues (on the part of the others).