Laozi · Complete work
Chapter 61
Chapter 61 of 81. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Classical Chinese
大國者下流，天下之交，天下之牝。牝常以靜勝牡，以靜為下。故大國以下小國，則取小國；小國以下大國，則取大國。故或下以取，或下而取。大國不過欲兼畜人，小國不過欲入事人。夫兩者各得其所欲，大者宜為下。
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the original source for fidelity, modern clarity, beauty, symbolism, and structure.
A great state is the lower reach, the confluence of all under Heaven, the female of all under Heaven.The female always overcomes the male through stillness; through stillness she takes the lower place.Thus when a great state lowers itself to a small state, it takes in the small state;When a small state lowers itself to a great state, it is taken in by the great state.Thus one lowers itself in order to take in, and the other lowers itself and is taken in.A great state desires no more than to gather and nurture people; a small state desires no more than to enter and serve people.For both to gain what each desires, the greater should take the lower place.
OpenTao
Complete CC BY 4.0 translation made directly from the received Chinese text; source line structure preserved.
A great state is like a river’s lower reaches: the meeting place of all beneath heaven, the female of the world.The female always prevails over the male by stillness; in stillness, she keeps to the lower place.Thus, by placing itself below a small state, a great state wins its allegiance;and by placing itself below a great state, a small state is received by the great.Thus one takes the lower place to win; the other takes the lower place and is won.The great state seeks only to take others under its care; the small state seeks only to enter another’s service.Since both gain what they seek, the greater should take the lower place.
James Legge (1891)
Complete public-domain translation made directly from the original source text.
1. What makes a great state is its being (like) a low-lying, down-flowing (stream);--it becomes the centre to which tend (all the small states) under heaven.
2. (To illustrate from) the case of all females:--the female always overcomes the male by her stillness. Stillness may be considered (a sort of) abasement.
3. Thus it is that a great state, by condescending to small states, gains them for itself; and that small states, by abasing themselves to a great state, win it over to them. In the one case the abasement leads to gaining adherents, in the other case to procuring favour.
4. The great state only wishes to unite men together and nourish them; a small state only wishes to be received by, and to serve, the other. Each gets what it desires, but the great state must learn to abase itself.