who do wrong； and put them to death； who would dare to do wrong？
There is always One who presides over the infliction death。 He who would inflict death in the room of him who so presides over it may be described as hewing wood instead of a great carpenter。 Seldom is it that he who undertakes the hewing； instead of the great carpenter； does not cut his own hands！
75
The people suffer from famine because of the multitude of taxes consumed by their superiors。 It is through this that they suffer famine。
The people are difficult to govern because of the （excessive） agency of their superiors （in governing them）。 It is through this that they are difficult to govern。
The people make light of dying because of the greatness of their labours in seeking for the means of living。 It is this which makes them think light of dying。 Thus it is that to leave the subject of living altogether out of view is better than to set a high value on it。
76
Man at his birth is supple and weak； at his death； firm and strong。 （So it is with） all things。 Trees and plants； in their early growth； are soft and brittle； at their death； dry and withered。
Thus it is that firmness and strength are the concomitants of death； softness and weakness； the concomitants of life。
Hence he who （relies on） the strength of his forces does not conquer； and a tree which is strong will fill the out…stretched arms； （and thereby invites the feller。）
Therefore the place of what is firm and strong is below； and that of what is soft and weak is above。
77
May not the Way （or Tao） of Heaven be compared to the （method of） bending a bow？ The （part of the bow） which was high is brought low； and what was low is raised up。 （So Heaven） diminishes where there is superabundance； and supplements where there is deficiency。
It is the Way of Heaven to diminish superabundance； and to supplement deficiency。 It is not so with the way of man。 He takes away from those who have not enough to add to his own superabundance。
Who can take his own superabundance and therewith serve all under heaven？ Only he who is in possession of the Tao！
Therefore the （ruling） sage acts without claiming the results as his； he achieves his merit and does not rest （arrogantly） in it：he does not wish to display his superiority。
78
There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water； and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence of it；for there is nothing （so effectual） for which it can be changed。
Every one in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard； and the weak the strong； but no one is able to carry it out in practice。
Therefore a sage has said； 'He who accepts his state's reproach； Is hailed therefore its altars' lord； To him who bears men's direful woes They all the name of King accord。'
Words that are strictly true seem to be paradoxical。
79
When a reconciliation is effected （between two parties） after a great animosity； there is sure to be a grudge remaining （in the mind of the one who was wrong）。 And how can this be beneficial （to the other）？
Therefore （to guard against this）； the sage keeps the left…hand portion of the record of the engagement； and does not； insist on the （speedy） fulfilment of it by the other party。 （So） he who has the attributes （of the Tao） regards （only） the conditions of the engagement； while he who has not those attributes regards only the conditions favourable to himself。
In the Way of Heaven； there is no partiality of love； it is always on the side of the good man。
80
In a little state with a small population； I would so order it； that； though there were individuals with the abilities of ten or a hundred men； there should be no employment of them； I would make the people； while looking on death as a grievous thing； yet not remove elsewhere （to avoid it）。
Though they had boats and carriages； they should have no occasion to ride in them； though they had buff coats and sharp weapons； they should have no occasion to don or use them。
I would make the people return to the use of knotted cords （instead of the written characters）。
They should think their （coarse） food sweet； their （plain） clothes beautiful； their （poor） dwellings places of rest； and their common （simple） ways sources of enjoyment。
There should be a neighbouring state within sight； and the voices of the fowls and dogs should be heard all the way from it to us； but I would make the people to old age； even to death； not have any intercourse with it。
81
Sincere words are not fine； fine words are not sincere。 Those who are skilled （in the Tao） do not dispute （about it）； the disputatious are not skilled in it。 Those who know （the Tao） are not extensively learned； the extensively learned do not know it。
The sage does not accumulate （for himself）。 The more that he expends for others； the more does he possess of his own； the more that he gives to others； the more does he have himself。
With all the sharpness of the Way of Heaven； it injures not； with all the doing in the way of the sage he does not strive。
English_Lin_TTK
Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse
Chinese … English by
Derek Lin
Vorwort/Foreword
Introduction Our Approach and Guiding Principles
There are many Tao Te Ching translations available； and some of them vary wildly in their rendering of the ancient classic。 When we compare these variant renditions side…by…side； they can seem like totally different books。 So how can we know； with a reasonable degree of certainty； what the Tao Te Ching actually says？
This translation is an attempt to address this important question。 We started out by envisioning the ideal Tao Te Ching translation； to see how close we could get to it。 What would such a translation be like？ We came up with the following thoughts：
1） Its translator would be a native speaker of both English and Chinese。 Without this level of fluency； the translation would miss many linguistic subtleties and nuances。 Native command and familiarity is crucial； academic knowledge alone is insufficient。
2） Its translator would be someone who knows ancient Chinese quite well。 The Tao Te Ching originated 2；500 years ago； so some of its words are no longer in modern usage； and some have changed meaning over the centuries。 A lack of understanding in this respect can lead to mistranslation。
3） Its translator would be held accountable on accuracy。 There are very few people with the qualifications cited above； so there is no rigorous peer review of Tao Te Ching translations。 The lack of accountability is a major factor that contributes to a situation where anyone can claim to have the most definitive and authoritative translation； and any challenges or disagreements can be labeled as merely opinions。
4） The ideal translation would be a true translation in that every character in the original can be matched to the nearest equivalent word or phrase in English； and no characters are skipped。 If we were to scrutinize existing translations； we would find a surprising number failing this basic criterion。
5） The ideal translation would also guarantee the reverse： that every English word or phrase in the translation has a corresponding character in the original Chinese。 Again； many translations fail this basic criterion。 They contain extraneous concepts or meanings not found in the source material； because sometimes translators cannot resist the temptation to inject pet notions or personal opinions into their work。
6） The ideal translation would resolve the gender issue。 Chinese is contextual and gender…neutral； so a line that talks about a sage or a ruler makes no assumptions about the subject's gender。 English is gender…specific and forces one to choose male or female pronoun； thereby creating a distortion of the original all…inclusive meaning。 （Some translators use the male gender as a convention for the universal third…person reference； some use the female gender to balance the perceived inequality； some switch arbitrarily between the two； some use 〃his or her〃 in making the inclusiveness explicit。 These are all attempts to resolve the issue。）
A translation that fulfills the six points above； if possible to achieve； would set a higher and unprecedented standard for authenticity and accuracy。 So now the questions become： How close can we come to it？ How realistic is the ideal？We can fulfill the first requirement； but cannot claim to be perfectly qualified for #2 … perhaps no living person can。 However； we do have access to real…life sages who understand the Tao Te Ching better than anyone。 We also have access to commentaries that have been passed down through the generations。 With these two helpful assets； we should be able to handle the demands of the second point。*
Accountability is an issue that； in our case； would take care of itself。 Because the Tao is the way of life for us； and not just an academic subject； we would be extremely interested in preserving the original meaning as much as huma