Chapter 1
[Original text]
The Tao can be Tao (1), but it is not the eternal Tao (2). The name can be given (3), but it is not a permanent name. The nameless ④ is the beginning of all things; the name ⑤ is the mother of all things ⑥. Therefore, if you always have no desire, you can observe what you desire; if you always have desire, you can observe what you desire. Both come from the same place, have different names and the same predicate. Xuanzhi is Xuan, the gate of all eyes.
[Translation]
If "Tao" can be expressed in words, then it is Chang "Tao" ("Tao" can be expressed in words, it is not ordinary "Tao"); "name" if it can be named with words, then it is a regular "name" ("name" can also be explained, it is not an ordinary "name"). "Nothing" can be used to describe the state of the heaven and earth when chaos has not yet opened; and "you" is the name of the origin of the creation of all things in the universe. Therefore, we must always observe and understand the mystery of "Tao" from "nothing"; we must always observe and understand the clues of "Tao" from "being". Nothingness and Being have the same origin but different names. They can both be called mysterious and profound. It is not ordinary mysterious and profound, but mysterious and mysterious, profound and profound. It is the general door to the mystery of the universe, heaven and earth (from the "named" mystery to the invisible mystery, "Tao" is the door to understand all mysterious changes) .
[Note]
①The first "Tao" is a noun, which refers to the origin and essence of the universe, and can be extended to principles, principles, truth, laws, etc. The second "道" is a verb. It refers to the meaning of explanation and expression, and still means "it can be said".
②Heng: ordinary, ordinary.
③The first "name" is a noun, which refers to the form of "Tao". The second "name" is a verb, describing the meaning.
④Nameless: refers to the intangible.
⑤Famous: refers to tangible.
⑥Mother: mother body, root.
⑦Heng: often.
⑧眇(miao): Tongmiao, subtle meaning.
⑨徼(jiao): margin, boundary. Expand the meaning of clues.
⑩ Title: title. This is "reference".
⑾Xuan: deep black, mysterious and profound meaning.
⑿Gate: The gate, the general gateway to all mysterious changes. This is used to metaphorize the gate of the only original "Tao" of all things in the universe.
[Quote]
Laozi proposed the concept of "Tao" for the first time as the core of his philosophical system of thought. Its meaning is broad and profound, and can be understood from a historical perspective, or from a literary perspective, or it can be explored from aesthetic principles, and it should be thought from the dialectics of a philosophical system...
Philosophers There is no complete consensus when interpreting the category of "Tao". Some believe that it is a material thing and an element that constitutes everything in the universe; some believe that it is a spiritual thing and is also responsible for the creation of everything in the universe. of the source. However, in the interpretation of "Tao", scholars also have roughly the same understanding, that is, they believe that it is dynamic and changing, rather than rigid and static; and that all things in the universe, including nature, human society, and human thinking, all move according to It develops and changes according to the laws of "Tao". In short, in this chapter, Lao Tzu said that "Tao" produced everything in the world, but it cannot be explained in words, but is very profound and mysterious, and cannot be easily understood. This requires a person to go from "nothing" to The step-by-step process of "having".
[Commentary]
In this chapter, Laozi focuses on introducing his philosophical category-"Tao". Are the attributes of Tao materialistic or idealistic? This is a problem that has existed for a long time, and it has aroused strong interest among many scholars since ancient times. Historically, Han Feizi lived in an era relatively close to Lao Tzu, and he was the first scholar to annotate the Tao Te Ching. Regarding what Tao is, in "Jie Lao", Han Feizi said this: "Tao is the reason why all things are so. It is also the basis of all principles. Reason is the text that makes things come into being. Tao is the reason why all things are made. That’s why it’s called Tao.” This shows that Han Feizi understood Laozi’s “Tao” from a materialistic perspective. In "Historical Records", Sima Qian listed Laozi and Han Feizi in the same biography (along with Zhuangzi and Shen Buhai), that is, he believed that Han, Zhuang, and Shen "all originated from moral meanings, but Laozi was far-reaching." Wang Chong of the Han Dynasty. In the book "Lunheng", it is also believed that Laozi's "Tao" thought is materialistic. However, from the late Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the situation changed. Some scholars understand the wonderful meaning of Laozi's philosophy that "all things in the world are born from existence, and existence is born from nothingness" and affirm that there is only one "nothing" in the ontology of the universe, which is called metaphysics. Later, Buddhism was introduced to China and gradually prospered. Xuan and Buddhism merged, so the interpretation of "Tao" turned to idealism. Neo-Confucianists in the Song and Ming dynasties also absorbed Buddhist and metaphysical ideas, and still gave an idealist interpretation of Laozi's "Tao". In short, scholars have always had fundamentally different views on whether "Tao" is materialism or idealism.
[Interpretation] The revolutionary and authoritative nature of "Tao"
The philosophical concept of "Tao" was first proposed by Laozi.
This term with Eastern mysticism appears frequently in the book "Laozi". Sometimes it seems to show an extremely huge driving force between the universe and heaven and earth; sometimes it depicts the chaos of heaven and earth in front of us. A piece of the ancient wild state; or it can show the beginning of the separation of heaven and earth, the birth of all things, the vigorous vitality of grass sprouting and trees growing, and so on.
From Lao Tzu's various conceptions of "Tao", we can completely appreciate the origin of his almost pious worship and awe of "Tao". Lao Tzu's respect for "Tao" stems entirely from his integrity to nature and natural laws, which is completely different from the ideological concepts of that era that regarded "Heaven" and "God" as absolute authorities. "Tao", for Laozi, is just a new basis for completely getting rid of religious rule. It is more authoritative than "God".
Laozi’s “Tao” is a unique understanding and profound observation of the universe and life, which is derived from his meticulous observation of nature and a strong mystical intuition. . This kind of careful attention to nature and natural laws is the cornerstone of Laozi's philosophical thought.
Derived from a biological meaning, the relationship between human beings and nature, whether spiritual or material, from ancient times to the present, has been characterized by an almost primitive dependence, like a baby To the mother. An ancient saying goes: "When a person is poor, he turns against his roots." This so-called "base", in a broader sense, refers to "nature", the mother of human beings and all things. Why does Qu Yuan's long poem "Tianwen" raise many questions about the universe, history, mythology and the human world? When he is disappointed with his political future and the dark reality, he will naturally have a return to nature and a desire for help. Out of a kind of dissatisfaction and anxiety about reality, people push their origin and are eager to find the right position for people in front of the mysterious natural force.
Freud's "pleasure principle" theory discusses that while civilization brings material benefits to mankind, it also brings extremely heavy depression to the human spirit. This is one of the great shortcomings of civilization. . However, what he said is human beings' innate pursuit of happiness is based on the harmonious relationship between man and nature. Today, people's "return to nature" trend in terms of life needs and cultural thoughts, doesn't it also explain in a broader sense the reason why ancient scientists tried their best to explore the universe and nature? From this we can also understand the historical reasons why Laozi’s philosophy respects nature, rejects knowledge, pursues the political life of a “small country and few people”, and exaggerates the simple nature and mysterious original power of “Tao”.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the royal power moved upwards, and the accomplices took charge. Dramatic changes took place in political and social relations. And when the clan system in real society constrains the development of history, the old "view of destiny" and "view of heaven" also constrain the development of ideas. Laozi's metaphysical "Tao" was proposed to find theoretical basis for rejecting the "view of destiny" and "view of heaven" from the understanding of natural history. Therefore, it has the revolutionary nature and rationality of the history of ancient Chinese philosophy.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
[Original text]
Everyone in the world knows that beauty is beauty, and evil is already ①; Knowing what is good is not good②. There is the mutual generation of existence and non-being ③, the mutual complementation of difficulty and ease, the mutual punishment of long and short ④, the mutual complementation of high and low ⑤, the harmony of sound and sound ⑥, the succession and constancy of each other. Therefore, the sage lives in doing nothing, doing things without saying anything, doing things without saying anything, 8. doing things without starting, 9. doing things without intending, and achieving success without dwelling on it. If you only live in Ephesus, you will go to Ephesus.
[Translation]
Everyone in the world knows that beauty is beautiful because of the existence of ugliness. We all know that good is good because evil exists. Therefore, existence and non-being transform each other, difficulty and ease form each other, long and short appear each other, high and low enrich each other, sound and sound harmonize each other, front and back follow each other - this is eternal. Therefore, the sage treats world affairs from the perspective of inaction and imparts enlightenment in a silent way: allowing all things to arise naturally without initiating them, doing something without adding his own inclination, and achieving success without taking pride in it. Just because you don’t take credit, there is nothing to lose.
[Note]
①Evil: evil, ugly. Already, pass "矣".
②Si: This.
③Phase: each other.
④Xing: Through "form", this refers to the meaning revealed in comparison and contrast.
⑤Ying: Enrichment, supplementation, dependence.
⑥ Sound: When Zheng Xuan of the Han Dynasty wrote annotations for the "Book of Rites and Music", he said that the musical sound produced by the ensemble is called "yin", and the single sound is called "sound".
⑦The saint lives in inaction: the saint is the highest-level model figure respected by people in ancient times. To live in, to take charge of, to be in charge of. Do nothing, follow nature, do not interfere, do not need to control, and let people do their thing.
⑧: rise, occur, create.
⑨Fu Zhi: Fu, no. Ambition refers to personal ambition, will, and tendency.
[Quote]
The content of this chapter is divided into two levels. The first layer of concentration clearly reflects Laozi’s simple dialectical thinking. Through daily social phenomena and natural phenomena, he explained that all things in the world exist and are interdependent, interrelated, and interactive. He discussed the law of the unity of opposites and confirmed the eternal and universal law of the unity of opposites.
Based on the previous level of meaning, the second level of meaning is developed: How should people treat the objective world in a contradictory and oppositional world? The old man put forward the point of view of "inaction". The "inaction" mentioned here does not mean doing nothing and doing whatever you want, but guiding people's social life based on the principle of dialectics and helping people find laws that conform to nature and follow the objective development of things. He used saints as examples to teach people to do something, but not to do anything arrogantly.
Some people in the academic community believe that the first chapter is the general outline of the whole book; others think that the first two chapters are the introduction of the whole book, and the purpose of the whole book is contained in it.
[Commentary]
No matter how fierce the academic debate is on the nature of "Tao", scholars all agree that Laozi's dialectical thinking is a distinctive feature of his philosophy. Laozi realized that everything in the universe is in a state of change. From birth to death, things have a beginning and an end and are constantly changing. There is nothing eternal in the universe. Lao Tzu points out in this chapter that things have their own opposites, and they all take the opposite aspects as the premise of their existence. Without "being", there is no "nothing", and without "long", there is no "short"; and vice versa. . This is what is called "opposite and complementary" in classical Chinese philosophy. The words "Xiangheng, Xiangcheng, Xiangxiang, Xiangying, Xianghe, Xiangsu" etc. used in this chapter refer to the existence of comparison and the generation of dependence on each other. They are just different verbs used for different opposite concepts.
The word "inaction" appears for the first time in the third sentence. Inaction does not mean doing nothing, but doing things according to the law of "inaction" in nature. Lao Tzu attaches great importance to the opposition and transformation of contradictions. This view of his is just a concrete application of the thought of simple dialectics. He imagined that there were so-called "sages" who could resolve conflicts through inaction and promote the transformation of nature and the development of society in accordance with objective laws. Here, Laozi does not exaggerate the passivity of human beings, but advocates giving full play to human creativity, like "sages", using inactive means to achieve promising goals. Obviously, in Laozi's philosophy, there are positive and enterprising factors that give full play to subjective initiative, contribute one's own strength, and achieve the cause of the masses.
[Interpretation] The Flash of Simple Dialectics
Simple dialectics is the most valuable part of Laozi’s philosophy. In the history of Chinese philosophy, no one has ever revealed the law of the unity of opposites in things as profoundly and systematically as he did. Laozi believes that the development and changes of things occur in a state of contradiction and opposition. The two opposite parties are interdependent, connected to each other, and can transform in opposite directions. And this change, he regarded it as the fundamental nature of nature, "the opposite is the movement of Tao" (Chapter 40). Laozi's dialectics is based on the comprehensive generalization of nature and society, and its purpose is to find a reasonable model of the political system of social life. The series of opposites he proposed can be seen everywhere in human social life, such as good and evil, beauty and ugliness, right and wrong, strength and weakness, success and failure, misfortune and blessing, etc., all of which contain rich dialectical principles. For example, if people do not identify and pursue beautiful things, they will not despise ugly phenomena; when you are still immersed in the joy of happiness or success, perhaps a disaster or misfortune is quietly approaching.
A philosopher once said: What people talk about the most is often what they understand least. People pay attention to partial things and superficial phenomena, and often ignore the whole hidden in the deep, The most essential thing. Su Dongpo, a great poet of the Song Dynasty, wrote in the poem "Inscribed on the West Forest Wall": "I don't know the true face of Mount Lu, just because I am in this mountain." This is a philosophical poem. It expresses the understanding of the relationships between the whole and parts of things, macroscopic and microscopic, phenomena and essences. This enlightening philosophy of life is similar to Laozi's dialectics. If we stand at the height of history, we will find that the progress of human civilization advances in the contradictory struggle between truth and error, beauty and ugliness, progress and backwardness. The rich connotation of dialectics is included in the entire history of human civilization.
Laozi’s simple dialectics has had a profound impact on Chinese culture. There are many categories in traditional literature and art that reflect dialectical thinking, and they have obvious origins and connections with them. For example, "being" and "nothing" come from the philosophy of Lao and Zhuang. "Being and non-being come into being" embodies the dialectical relationship of the unity of opposites in things, and actually also embodies the dialectical relationship of artistic creation. Later generations of writers and artists gradually derived this idea from the philosophy of Lao and Zhuang: Only by entering the deep realm of "silent" and "colorless" art through "vocal" and "colored" art can the ultimate goal be achieved. The realm of beauty. Related to this, the concepts of "virtual" and "real" came into being, and the theory of "virtual and real" has become a unique theory in ancient Chinese art aesthetics.
The pairing categories of "odd" and "righteous" involve the creation and expression methods that combine neatness and change in artistic creation, and are commonly used by ancient Chinese writers and artists. "Normal" refers to normal, formal, orthodox, orderly, and balanced, while "odd" refers to abnormality, weirdness, innovation, unevenness, and change. The two are one of the concrete manifestations of the law of "unity in diversity" in artistic creation. In the view of the creators, it means that there are symmetries, balances, neatness, and unevenness, contradictions, and changes between things or formal factors. They are opposite to each other and complement each other. There is something strange in the right, there is right in the strange, and the strange and the right are mutually reinforcing each other. Therefore, Produce harmonious and novel artistic beauty. If we look for the root cause, "Qi" and "Zheng", as opposing philosophical categories, can be found in Chapter 58 of "Laozi": "Zheng returns to Qi". The application of this pair of categories in literary theory began with Liu Xie's "Wen Xin Diao Long".
It cannot be denied that in the history of the development of dialectics in Chinese philosophy, Laozi’s teachings and their influence deserve a special mention.
Chapter 3
[Original text]
If you are not worthy of being virtuous ①, the people will not fight; if you do not value rare goods ②, the people will not steal ③; There is no desire ④, so that the people will not be in chaos.
Therefore, the rule of the sage is to empty his heart ⑤ and strengthen his belly, weaken his will ⑥ and strengthen his bones, always making the people ignorant and without desires. If the husband knows that he dare not ⑦ or does nothing ⑧, then everything will be cured ⑨.
[Translation]
Not respecting talented people will lead people not to compete with each other; not cherishing rare property will lead people not to steal; not showing off will lead to greed. Things that prevent the people from being confused. Therefore, the sage's governance principles are: emptying the people's minds, filling the people's bellies, weakening the people's competitive intentions, strengthening the people's bones and muscles, often leaving the people without wisdom and desire. Even those who are talented do not dare to do anything rashly. If the saint acts according to the principle of "inaction" and obeys nature, then the genius will not be uneasy.
[Notes]
① Shangxian: Shang, the same as "Shang", that is, admiration and respect. Xian: A person with virtue and talent.
②gui: value, precious. Goods: property.
③Steal: steal property.
④See (xian): through "present", appear, reveal. This means to show off, to show off.
⑤ Make your heart empty: empty, empty. Heart: The ancients believed that the heart governs thinking, which refers to the mind and mind. Empty their hearts and make them feel empty, without thoughts or desires.
⑥Weaken their ambition: Make them weaken their ambition. weaken their competitive intentions.
⑦ Dare: Enterprising.
⑧Fuwei: Same as "inaction"
⑨Zhi: Governance, which means to govern and achieve peace in the world.
[Quotation]
At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period when Lao Tzu lived, the world was in chaos. Countries were fighting and annexing each other. Big countries were hegemonic, small countries were protecting themselves, and rulers were trying to maintain themselves. During his reign, he recruited talents one after another to govern the country and stabilize the country. In the social life at that time, talents were respected everywhere, and many schools and scholars put forward the idea of ??"valuing talents". This was originally for the sake of the country. However, under the banner of Shang Xian, some ambitious people competed for power. Seizing money also has a bad impact on the people. For a time, the people's morale was chaotic, thieves were everywhere, and the society was in a state of turmoil and great changes. In response to the idea of ??"valuing the virtuous" that is highly praised by people in society, Laozi puts forward the view of not valuing the virtuous in the third chapter. At the same time, he also criticizes the desire to pursue material interests caused by "valuing the virtuous".
In this chapter, Laozi advocates "not respecting the virtuous" and "making the people ignorant and desireless". He imagines that people should return to a state of "inaction" without contradiction. However, the material civilization and spiritual civilization of human society must continue to develop and improve, so this idea of ??Lao Tzu is impossible to realize and is negative.
I saw that the reality of ancient society was turbulent and the contradictions were prominent. This was due to the existence of differences. I wanted to reduce or avoid social contradictions by reducing differences, which also had a progressive side.
[Commentary]
In the previous chapter, Laozi proposed the concept of "inaction" and believed that we should comply with the laws of nature and achieve "inaction". In this chapter, Laozi further elaborates on his social and political thoughts. What Lao Tzu calls inaction does not mean not doing anything, but not doing anything rashly or not doing anything wrong. He believed that "saints" who embody "Tao" should govern the people and should not respect talents and talents, so that people will not compete for power, fame, and wealth. As mentioned earlier, in the pre-Qin era, the theory of selecting talents and using talents has become a strong public opinion, and the competition among vassal states to recruit talents has also become an inevitable trend. In this context, it seems inappropriate for Lao Tzu to dare to put forward the point of view of "not respecting the virtuous" and to be in opposition to hundreds of schools of thought. However, Lao Tzu's point of view does not include belittling talents or denying talents. Rather, it means that rulers should not give overly superior status, power and fame to talented people, lest "talented people" become a temptation and cause people to fight for power and gain.
In this chapter, Lao Tzu reveals the starting point of his philosophy of life. He neither talks about the goodness or evil of human nature, but says that human nature is originally pure and simple, like a piece of white paper. If there is a culture of respecting virtue in society, people will certainly not turn a blind eye to it. It will definitely arouse people's possessiveness and pursuit, which will lead to chaos in the world. If people are not shown things to covet, then people can maintain their pure nature of "ignorance and no desire."
To prevent people from being greedy does not mean to deprive people of their right to survive, but to "strengthen their belly" and "strengthen their bones" as much as possible, so that the people can have enough food and clothing in their lives and be healthy. Self-preservation and self-support; in addition, we must "empty our hearts" and "weaken our ambitions" so that the people have no intention of stealing profits and no ambition to compete for power. In doing so, they comply with the laws of nature and achieve the goal of doing nothing. rule. This chapter echoes the previous chapter. From a social perspective, everyone returns to the pure, ignorant and desireless nature. In this way, human affairs are governed according to the laws of nature, and the world can naturally be governed. Laozi's "inaction" thought and doctrine had its progressive side and reasonable factors under the historical conditions at that time. He believes that the development of history has its own natural laws. This law is not arranged or controlled by God, nor is it controlled by human subjective will, but is objective and natural. This view had a certain destructive effect on the concept of respecting heaven and ancestors and some religious superstitious concepts that existed in the ideological circles at that time.