Nothing under heaven is more soft and weak than water — it becomes round in a circle, square in a square; it stops when blocked, flows when released. Yet in attacking the hard and strong, nothing can overcome it. Water can carry mountains and flood hills, wear away iron and consume copper; nothing can overcome water and achieve success. Because there is nothing that can replace it. Indeed, in attacking the hard and strong, there is nothing easier than water. The weak overcoming the strong: water can extinguish fire, yin can consume yang. The soft overcoming the hard: the tongue is soft and the teeth are hard; yet the teeth fall out first while the tongue remains. No one under heaven does not know — those who understand softness and weakness endure long; those who are rigid and strong break and suffer injury. Yet few can put it into practice. They are ashamed of humility and prefer arrogance and forcefulness. Therefore, the sage says: meaning to be humble in conduct. To bear the disgrace of the state is called being the master of the ancestral temple and state; a ruler who can endure the disgrace and filth of the state, like a river or sea that does not reject small streams, will be able to long preserve his ancestral temple and state, becoming the sovereign of the entire nation. To bear the misfortunes of the state is to become the king of all under heaven. If a ruler can take upon himself blame and misfortune, bearing the ill omens in place of his people, then he may become king over all under heaven. Correct words sound as if they are contrary. This is a straightforward and upright statement, but the people do not understand it; they regard it as paradoxical speech.