Tao Te Ching Chapter 22 – 益謙 (道德經 第22章)
Paul PengShare
Tao Te Ching — Chapter 22: The Increase Granted to Humility
道德經 第二十二章 · 益謙 · Lao Tzu · Bilingual Edition with Classical Commentaries
Original Text — 原文
English Translation — James Legge
The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new. He whose desires are few gets them; he whose desires are many goes astray.
Therefore the sage holds in his embrace the one thing of humility, and manifests it to all the world. He is free from self-display, and therefore he shines; from self-assertion, and therefore he is distinguished; from self-boasting, and therefore his merit is acknowledged; from self-complacency, and therefore he acquires superiority. It is because he is thus free from striving that therefore no one in the world is able to strive with him.
That saying of the ancients that ‘the partial becomes complete’ was not vainly spoken: all real completion is comprehended under it.
✦ Key Insight
Chapter 22 is Lao Tzu's paradox of yielding: bend and be whole, yield and be upright, empty yourself and be filled. The sage holds to the One — humility — as the model for all. By not competing, no one can compete with him. This is the essence of Taoist inner cultivation: the soft overcomes the hard, the low receives all.
Classical Commentaries — 古典注释
王弼注 Wang Bi's Commentary
Wang Bi teaches that the crooked becomes whole, the bent becomes straight, the empty becomes full, the worn becomes new. Having little leads to gaining, having much leads to confusion. The sage holds to the One as the model for all. By not displaying himself, he shines; by not asserting, he is distinguished; by not boasting, he has merit; by not being proud, he endures.
河上公注 Heshang Gong's Commentary
Heshang Gong teaches that bending oneself to follow others preserves the body whole. The low place attracts water; the humble person attracts virtue. The sage holds to the One and becomes the model for all. By not seeing only himself, he sees clearly; by not claiming credit, his merit is acknowledged.
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is the curator of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
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