The meaning of this sentence is: Knowing well what it means to be strong, yet maintaining the position of femininity, willing to be the stream of the world. He knows very well what brightness is, yet he is content with the position of darkness and is willing to set a pattern for the world.
It comes from the "Tao Te Ching" written by the thinker Laozi during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
The original text is as follows:
Knowing the male and guarding the female are the streams of the world. For the world's stream, everlasting virtue will never leave, and return to the baby. Know its whiteness, guard its blackness, it is the way of the world, it is the way of the world, it is always virtuous but not too bad, and it returns to the infinite.
The translation is as follows:
Knowing what it means to be strong, yet maintaining the position of femininity, willing to be the stream of the world. If you are willing to be a stream in the world, your eternal virtue will not be lost and you will return to the state of innocence like a baby. He knows very well what brightness is, yet he is content with the position of darkness and is willing to set a pattern for the world. Willing to be a model for the world, the eternal virtues will not be lost, and the inexhaustible truth will be restored.
Extended information:
The central idea of ??"Tao Te Ching"
"Tao follows nature" is the essence of Laozi's thought in "Tao Te Ching". "Tao", as the most abstract conceptual category in the Tao Te Ching, is the source of power for the creation of all things in the world. "De" is the development and expression of "Tao" in the field of ethics. "Tao" and "law" have similarities at the level of rules and common sense, but they are different from Western natural law. "Dharma" should imitate the way of nature and play its role in the reverse transformation of dialectics.
Background of creation of "Tao Te Ching"
According to literature records, Lao Tzu was meditative, studious and knowledgeable. In the process of teaching knowledge by his teacher Shang Rong, I always inquired about the root cause and was very eager for knowledge. In order to solve his doubts, he often looked up at the sun, moon and stars, thinking about what the sky was, so that he often couldn't sleep. Later, teacher Shang Rong recommended me to study in the capital of Zhou Dynasty.
Documentary records: "Laozi entered the Zhou Dynasty, met with doctors, and entered Taixue. He learned everything from astronomy, geography, and human relations, including "Poetry", "Books", "Yi", "Calendar", "Li" and "Music" "He has read everything, learned all the cultural relics, canons, and history books, and has made great progress in his studies. The doctor also recommended him to be an official in the collection room.
The collection room is the place where the classics of the Zhou Dynasty are collected. Collecting the world's literature and collecting the world's books, there are countless books in the world." Through this experience, Laozi accumulated a wealth of knowledge, which also made him famous far and wide.
Yin Xi, the commander of Hangu Pass, also played a huge role in the completion of the Tao Te Ching. When he was young, he was fond of astronomy, loved reading ancient books, and was deeply cultivated. Sima Qian recorded in "Historical Records of Laozi" that Laozi "lived in the Zhou Dynasty for a long time, and saw the decline of the Zhou Dynasty, so he left. When he arrived at the Pass, Guan (order) Yin Xi said: "The master is about to hide, and he forces me to write a book, so Laozi talks about morality. Five thousand words have gone away, and I don’t know the end.”
Yin Xi moved Laozi, and Laozi used his own life experience and the rise and fall of dynasties and the safety and misfortunes of the people as a guide to trace its origins and wrote two chapters, one and two, totaling five thousand words. , namely "Tao Te Ching".
Baidu Encyclopedia - Tao Te Ching