Dao De Jing, chapter 8

[lnhammer]

[I’m not supposed to be doing this. I’ve too many other things to do.]

[A person of] highest excellence is like water.
Water’s excellence benefits the ten-thousand things without competing [with them]
And it occupies [low] places that sundry men abhor,
And thus is close to the Way.
[A sage] lives in an excellent place,
Thinks with excellent profundity^[8-1],
Gives with excellent benevolence^[8-2],
Speaks with excellent trustworthiness,
Governs with excellent order,
[Handles] affairs with excellent ability,
Acts with excellent timing.
In regards to which, if [you] don’t compete,
[You]’ll be without fault.

^[8-1] Another text has “clarity”
^[8-2] Another text has “gives with excellent heavenliness,” which is understood based on another passage as giving just enough, the way heaven does

上善若水。
水善利万物而不争
处衆人之所恶，
故几于道。
居善地，
心善渊，
与善仁，
言善信，
正善治，
事善能，
动善时。
夫唯不争，
故无尤。

(Many) people also abhor being humble. The last couplet echoes that of ch.2, which makes me wonder which I’m misunderstanding.

ETA Replaced l.7 based on new understanding. TBH the alternate reading strikes me as much closer to sentiments expressed elsewhere so far -- benevolence is not something Laozi emphasizes.

ETA2 Figured out what I was misunderstanding in last couplet.

---L.

Comments

[sartorias]

on the surface it seems clear, even simple, but that's my ignorance showing

[larryhammer]

Working out those two implied subjects took a little flailing, but the rest was otherwise pretty easy to understand. IOW, it's not your ignorance here. (I'm poking at ch.11 right now, and it's even simpler/easier.)