Chapter 27

One skilled in traveling leaves no wheel track; one skilled in speaking leaves no flaw for blame;One skilled in counting uses no tally rods;One skilled in closing uses neither bar nor bolt, yet none can open; one skilled in binding uses neither cord nor knot, yet none can loosen.Therefore the sage is always skilled at rescuing people, and so abandons no one;Always skilled at rescuing things, and so abandons nothing.This is called inheriting illumination.Thus the good person is the teacher of the person not good;The person not good is the material of the good person.Not honoring the teacher, not cherishing the material—however wise one may be, this is great delusion; it is called the essential mystery.

The skillful traveler leaves neither rut nor track; the skillful speaker leaves no word open to blame;the skillful reckoner needs neither tally nor counting rod;those skilled at closing use neither bolt nor bar, yet what they shut cannot be opened; those skilled at binding use no cords and tie no knots, yet what they bind cannot be undone.Thus the sage is always skillful at saving people, and abandons no one;always skillful at salvaging things, and discards nothing.This is called keeping the light folded away.Thus the skilled are teachers of the unskilled;the unskilled are material for the skilled to work with.Fail to honor the teacher or cherish the material, and however clever you may be, you are deeply lost. This is called the essential mystery.

1. The skilful traveller leaves no traces of his wheels or footsteps; the skilful speaker says nothing that can be found fault with or blamed; the skilful reckoner uses no tallies; the skilful closer needs no bolts or bars, while to open what he has shut will be impossible; the skilful binder uses no strings or knots, while to unloose what he has bound will be impossible. In the same way the sage is always skilful at saving men, and so he does not cast away any man; he is always skilful at saving things, and so he does not cast away anything. This is called 'Hiding the light of his procedure.'

2. Therefore the man of skill is a master (to be looked up to) by him who has not the skill; and he who has not the skill is the helper of (the reputation of) him who has the skill. If the one did not honour his master, and the other did not rejoice in his helper, an (observer), though intelligent, might greatly err about them. This is called 'The utmost degree of mystery.'