Tao Te Ching Chapter 58 – 順化 (道德經 第58章)
Paul PengShare
Tao Te Ching — Chapter 58: Transformation According to Circumstances
道德经 第五十八章 · 顺化 · Lao Tzu · Bilingual Edition with Classical Commentaries
Original Text — 原文
English Translation — James Legge
The government that seems the most unwise, oft goodness to the people best supplies; that which is meddling, touching everything, will work but ill, and disappointment bring.
Misery! — happiness is to be found by its side! Happiness! — misery lurks beneath it! Who knows what either will come to in the end?
Shall we then dispense with correction? The method of correction shall by a turn become distortion, and the good in it shall by a turn become evil. The delusion of the people on this point has indeed subsisted for a long time. As shown in Chapter 57, the more laws and prohibitions, the more disorder — lenient government is the Dao’s way.
Therefore the sage is like a square which cuts no one with its angles; like a corner which injures no one with its sharpness. He is straightforward, but allows himself no license; he is bright, but does not dazzle.
✦ Key Insight
Chapter 58 opens with one of Lao Tzu’s most memorable paradoxes: lenient government produces honest people; meddlesome government produces discontent. Then comes the great reversal: misery and happiness are intertwined, each hiding within the other. No fixed standard of ‘correct’ exists — correctness turns into distortion, goodness turns into evil. The people have been confused about this for a long time. The sage’s response is not to impose but to embody: square without cutting, sharp without wounding, straight without overstepping, bright without dazzling.
Classical Commentaries — 古典注释
王弼注 Wang Bi's Commentary
Wang Bi describes how indifferent government leads to honest people, while meddlesome government leads to discontent. Misfortune depends on fortune, fortune hides misfortune. The sage is square without cutting, sharp without wounding, straight without overstepping, bright without dazzling.
河上公注 Heshang Gong's Commentary
Heshang Gong says lenient government makes people prosperous and kind. Strict government makes people desperate. Misfortune gives birth to fortune; fortune hides misfortune. The sage is upright without cutting, honest without hurting, bright without dazzling.
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.
Read his full story →
