Knowing the Male but Keeping to the Female 什么是知雄守雌
Paul PengKnowing the Male but Keeping to the Female
A principle for living in the world put forward by Laozi.
Dao De Jing, Chapter 28:
“Know the masculine, yet keep to the feminine.”
It means: knowing clearly what strength and dominance are, yet willingly abiding in gentleness and weakness.
Knowing the Male but Keeping to the Female
Knowing the Male but Keeping to the FemaleThis principle is characterized by advancing through retreating, and overcoming strength through softness. It reflects the attitude of small, weak property owners in the Spring and Autumn period, who sought to protect themselves amid the struggles of the powerful. It is also the logical result of Laozi’s dialectical understanding of the relationships between strength and weakness, honor and disgrace, firmness and softness in the universe.
The strength of plants and animals often marks the turning point toward decline. For humans, “The violent and forceful do not die a natural death”; “When soldiers are overly strong, they are defeated; when trees are overly hard, they break.”
On the contrary, “Nothing under heaven is softer than water, yet nothing surpasses it in overcoming the hard and strong.”
Thus, by consciously abiding in weakness and preventing it from turning into aggressive strength, one avoids destruction. As is said: “The hard and strong belong to death; the soft and weak belong to life.”
The principle of knowing the masculine and keeping to the feminine has deeply shaped the Chinese national character. It can produce the resilience of overcoming strength through softness, yet may also lead to the worldly attitude of “daring not to be first under heaven.”
