Chapter Two Of The Tao Te Ching

30 mars 2025 paulpeng

Original Chinese text with explanatory notes:

天下皆知美之为美，斯恶已。皆知善之为善，斯不善已。故有无相生，难易相成，长短相较，高下相倾，音声相和，前后相随。是以圣人处无为之事，行不言之教；万物作焉而不辞，生而不有。为而不恃，功成而弗居。夫唯弗居，是以不去。

All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful,and in doing this they have(the idea of)what ugliness is;they all know the skill of the skilful,and in doing this they have (the idea of)what the want of skill is.

So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to(the idea of)the other;that difficulty and ease produce the one(the idea of)the other;that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of theother;that(the ideas of)height and lowness arise from the contrast of the one with the other;that the musical notes and tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another;and that being before and behind give the idea of one following another.

Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything,and conveys his instructions without the use of speech.All things spring up,and there is not one which declines to show itself;they grow,and there is no claim made for their ownership;they go through their processes,and there is no expectation (of a reward for the results).The work is accomplished,and there is no resting in it (as an achievement).

The work is done,but how no one can see;

Tis this that makes the power not cease to be.

【译文】天下都知道美作为美的利处，这样恶的弊端也就显现出来了。都知道善作为善的利处，这样不善的弊端就显现出来了。因此，有和无，难和易，长和短，高和下，声和音，前和后在相互对立的比较中依附相生相存。这就是圣人不刻意凸显事物两面性中的一端，而是用一种更宏观的无为(无为，就是不去做打破无绪而平衡状态的事)心态去做事，施行不彰显一端不违背自然教化的原因。万物兴起却不将之作为新的开始，虽然存在却不去占有，虽然有所作为却不自负，虽然使国家安宁却不居功。正是因为不居功，功绩反而不被湮没。

Translation:

The world knows the benefits of calling something beautiful—
and thus the flaws of ugliness become apparent.
It knows the advantages of calling something good—
and thus the shortcomings of the not-good are revealed.

Therefore:

Being and non-being arise in mutual contrast.
Difficulty and ease emerge through comparison.
Long and short take shape in relation to one another.
High and low are defined by their opposition.
Sound and tone harmonize through interplay.
Front and back follow each other in sequence.

This is why the sage does not fixate on either side of duality,
but instead acts with a broader mindset of wu-wei
(Wu-wei means refraining from actions that disrupt the formless, balanced state).

Thus, the sage: