Laozi · Complete work
Chapter 65
Chapter 65 of 81. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Classical Chinese
古之善為道者，非以明民，將以愚之。民之難治，以其智多。故以智治國，國之賊；不以智治國，國之福。知此兩者亦𥡴式。常知𥡴式，是謂玄德。玄德深矣，遠矣，與物反矣，然後乃至大順。
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the original source for fidelity, modern clarity, beauty, symbolism, and structure.
Those of old who were good at practicing the Way did not use it to make the people clever, but meant to keep them simple.The people are difficult to govern because they have too much cunning.Thus to govern the state through cunning is the state’s bane;Not to govern the state through cunning is the state’s blessing.To know these two is also the enduring model.Always to know the enduring model is called dark virtue.Dark virtue is deep indeed, far-reaching indeed; it turns back with things, and only then arrives at great accord.
OpenTao
Complete CC BY 4.0 translation made directly from the received Chinese text; source line structure preserved.
The ancients who excelled in the Way did not aim to make the people knowledgeable, but to keep them artless.People are hard to govern when they have too much cunning.So governing a state through cunning is itself a thief, robbing the state;governing it without cunning is the state’s blessing.To know these two is itself the measure and model.To keep this measure steadily in mind is called dark potency.Dark potency is deep indeed, far-reaching indeed, contrary to the usual course of things—and only then does it arrive at the great accord.
James Legge (1891)
Complete public-domain translation made directly from the original source text.
1. The ancients who showed their skill in practising the Tao did so, not to enlighten the people, but rather to make them simple and ignorant.
2. The difficulty in governing the people arises from their having much knowledge. He who (tries to) govern a state by his wisdom is a scourge to it; while he who does not (try to) do so is a blessing.
3. He who knows these two things finds in them also his model and rule. Ability to know this model and rule constitutes what we call the mysterious excellence (of a governor). Deep and far-reaching is such mysterious excellence, showing indeed its possessor as opposite to others, but leading them to a great conformity to him.