Tao Te Ching Chapter 8
paulpengThe Original Chinese Text
上善若水。水善利万物而不争，处众人之所恶，故几于道。居善地，心善渊，与善仁，言善信，正善治，事善能，动善时。夫唯不争，故无尤。
The highest excellence is like (that of) water.
The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and inits occupying, without striving (to the contrary), the low place which all men dislike.
Hence (its way) is near to (that of)the Dao.
The excellence of a residence is in (the suitability of) the place; that of the mind is in abysmal stillness; that of associations is in their being with the virtuous; that of words is in their trustworthiness; that of government is in its securing good order; that of (the conduct of) affairs is in its ability; and that of (the initiation of) any movement is in its timeliness. And when (one with the highest excellence) doesnot wrangle (about his low position), no one finds fault with him.
【译文】上善的圣人具有水一样的品格。水仁慈而平和，利惠万物却不与之相争，停留在众人不想停留的地方，反而使其更接近于道。上善的圣人像水一样，居处随意而善于顺应地势，心智平和沉静而深邃久远，待人仁慈而充满情感，政令美好而真诚有信，处理政务能力超强而方法得当，处事符合公义而能够发挥所长，行动完美而能够顺应天时。正是因为具有了不争的美德，所以才不会有过失。
The sage of supreme goodness possesses the character of water.
Water is benevolent and peaceful. It benefits all things without contending with them and stays in places where others do not want to stay, which makes it even closer to the Tao.
The sage of supreme goodness is like water. In his dwelling place, he is adaptable and good at conforming to the terrain. His mind is peaceful and calm, profound and far-reaching. He treats others with benevolence and full of affection. His decrees are beautiful, sincere and trustworthy. He has extraordinary ability in handling government affairs and uses appropriate methods. When dealing with matters, he acts in accordance with justice and can give full play to his strengths. His actions are perfect and can conform to the right timing.
It is precisely because of the virtue of not contending that he will not make mistakes.
【注释】上善，处于上位仁慈而平和的圣人，即统治者。
【Annotation】The "supreme goodness" refers to the benevolent and peaceful sage in a superior position, that is, the ruler.
