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Dao De Jing, chapter 27
The skilled traveler has no tracks nor prints;
The skilled speaker has no flaws nor faults;
The skilled counter uses no tokens nor tallies;
The skilled closer has no locks nor bolts, yet [his work] can’t be opened;
The skilled binder has no cords nor knots, yet [his work] can’t be untied.
Because of this, the sage always skillfully saves men, not discards them,
Always skillfully saves creatures, not discards them.[27-1]
This is called Hidden Understanding.
Hence the skilled man is master of the unskilled,
And the unskilled man is a supporter of the skilled.
[He who] doesn’t honor his teacher or love his supporter,
Though he may be wise, is greatly deluded;
This is called [the?] Ultimate Subtlety.
[27-1] Other texts have the line “[As] creatures do not discard wealth.”
善行无辙迹，
善言无瑕讁；
善数不用筹策；
善闭无关楗而不可开；
善结无绳约而不可解。
是以圣人常善救人，故无弃人；
常善救物，故无弃物。
是谓袭明。
故善人者，不善人之师；
不善人者，善人之资。
不贵其师，不爱其资，
虽智大迷；
是谓要妙。
More pedantically, in l.1 it’s “wheel-tracks or footprints,” but poetic phrasing is a higher priority here (which means I really wish I could find a better word than “closer” — “locker”? “sealer”? idk). Disk-shaped tokens and tally-marks were used for inventory management before the invention of the abacus and bookkeeping. “Master” is in the sense of teacher (师 is the shi of shifu) rather than boss or ruler. Same “subtlety” as the last line of chapter 1.
How to render these two new technical terms is giving me fits. Consider those translations more provisional than usual.
---L.
The skilled speaker has no flaws nor faults;
The skilled counter uses no tokens nor tallies;
The skilled closer has no locks nor bolts, yet [his work] can’t be opened;
The skilled binder has no cords nor knots, yet [his work] can’t be untied.
Because of this, the sage always skillfully saves men, not discards them,
Always skillfully saves creatures, not discards them.[27-1]
This is called Hidden Understanding.
Hence the skilled man is master of the unskilled,
And the unskilled man is a supporter of the skilled.
[He who] doesn’t honor his teacher or love his supporter,
Though he may be wise, is greatly deluded;
This is called [the?] Ultimate Subtlety.
[27-1] Other texts have the line “[As] creatures do not discard wealth.”
善行无辙迹，
善言无瑕讁；
善数不用筹策；
善闭无关楗而不可开；
善结无绳约而不可解。
是以圣人常善救人，故无弃人；
常善救物，故无弃物。
是谓袭明。
故善人者，不善人之师；
不善人者，善人之资。
不贵其师，不爱其资，
虽智大迷；
是谓要妙。
More pedantically, in l.1 it’s “wheel-tracks or footprints,” but poetic phrasing is a higher priority here (which means I really wish I could find a better word than “closer” — “locker”? “sealer”? idk). Disk-shaped tokens and tally-marks were used for inventory management before the invention of the abacus and bookkeeping. “Master” is in the sense of teacher (师 is the shi of shifu) rather than boss or ruler. Same “subtlety” as the last line of chapter 1.
How to render these two new technical terms is giving me fits. Consider those translations more provisional than usual.
---L.
no subject
no subject