Dao De Jing – 76

The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life.

Dao De Jing – 76

Read vertically from top to bottom and horizontally from right to left. (Desktop view is recommended, but if you're on mobile, please turn to landscape orientation.)

人之生也柔弱其死也堅強
萬物草木之生也柔脆其死也枯槁
故堅強者死之徒柔弱者生之徒
是以兵強則不勝木強則
強大處下柔弱處上

A warning against (trusting in) strength - Version One

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.[1]


A warning against (trusting in) strength - Version Two

A man is born gentle and weak. At his death he is hard and stiff. Green plants are tender and filled with sap. At their death they are withered and dry.

Therefore the stiff and unbending is the disciple of death. The gentle and yielding is the disciple of life.

Thus an army without flexibility never wins a battle. A tree that is unbending is easily broken.

The hard and strong will fall. The soft and weak will overcome.[2]


References

  1. James Legge (1891). Tao Te Ching. Lao Tsu, Chinese Text Project
  2. Gia-Fu Feng (1972). Tao Te Ching. Lao Tsu
Great! Next, complete checkout for full access to Sage Blue.
Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.
You've successfully subscribed to Sage Blue.
Success! Your account is fully activated, you now have access to all content.
Success! Your billing info has been updated.
Your billing was not updated.