Tao Te Ching Chapter 60 – 居位 (道德经 第60章)
Paul PengShare
Tao Te Ching — Chapter 60: Governing Like Cooking Small Fish
道德经 第六十章 · 居位 · Lao Tzu · Bilingual Edition with Classical Commentaries
Original Text — 原文
English Translation — James Legge
Governing a great state is like cooking small fish.
Let the kingdom be governed according to the Dao, and the manes of the departed will not manifest their spiritual energy. It is not that those manes have not that spiritual energy, but it will not be employed to hurt men. It is not that it could not hurt men, but neither does the ruling sage hurt them.
When these two do not injuriously affect each other, their good influences converge in the virtue of the Dao. As shown in Chapter 57, the more the ruler interferes, the more disorder arises — and Chapter 59 shows that moderation and non-disturbance are the foundation of lasting rule.
✦ Key Insight
Chapter 60 contains one of the most famous lines in the Tao Te Ching: governing a great state is like cooking small fish — do not over-stir, do not over-season, do not interfere. The chapter then moves to a surprising claim: when the Dao prevails, spirits lose their power to harm. This is not superstition but a statement about the nature of order. When the ruler governs by the Dao, neither spirits nor the sage harm the people. The two non-harming forces converge, and virtue flows back to all.
Classical Commentaries — 古典注释
王弼注 Wang Bi's Commentary
Wang Bi compares governing a great state to cooking small fish — do not disturb it. When the Dao prevails, ghosts lose their power, and the sage does not harm anyone. Since neither harms, their virtue converges.
河上公注 Heshang Gong's Commentary
Heshang Gong says governing a great state is like cooking small fish — do not stir. Similarly, governing with too many rules leads to chaos. When the sage governs by the Dao, spirits dare not harm people, and the sage does not harm them either.
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 →
