The Tao has no beginning or end, but manifests itself all the time. When not recognized, it seems not existent; When perceived, it is there. When something presents itself to humans, its form appears first and then a name is given to match it. What does this mean? This means: If punishment does not match what is punished for, it will harm the authority of the law; if desires are indulged, it will harm the effectiveness of the law; if the name-form agreement principle is not followed, it is a challenge to the Tao. If these three situations appear again and again, one would not be able to secure his own safety, not to mention that of the country.

    When things remain normal, handle them in a normal way; when something abnormal appears, deal with it in an unusual approach: different situations ask for different treatments. The way to cope with change is not to assert for one’s own gains but to accommodate temporary losses if any, not to advance one’s own will but to yield and observe. To initiate arbitrary changes will invite disasters; to find implications from what is appearing will help avoid errors; to observe what is happening can help avoid confusion; to govern by law can help avoid chaos.

    A sage does not anticipate others, nor impose his will, nor plan prematurely, nor seek gains, nor shun good fortune, but takes whatever comes his way from Heaven. Deserting Heaven brings destruction; betraying one’s master invites death; disrespect for one’s superior courts danger.

    What one desires, fulfill with a will; what one wills, fulfill with effort. Therefore, those nesting in trees are sensitive to winds; those dwelling in low lands, to rain: that is because they are aware of the dangers in the environment. Once aware, they accept; once adjusted, they survive for long. Those who do not accept will have nothing to hold onto.

    The minister of an emperor, though minister in name, is actually his teacher; The minister of a king, though minister in name, is actually his friend; The minister of a despot, though minister in name, is actually his attendant; The minister of an exiled king, though minister in name, is actually his orderly.

    One who glorifies himself will be spurned by all; one who bullies others will endanger his own life and die in shame. One should not do anything to court disaster in times of peace, nor give up chances out of despair in adverse circumstances.

    A ruler should not assign jobs to anyone who is not paid official salary; nor demand big sacrifice from anyone who is not richly rewarded. The way of using one’s subordinates is to accommodate their general inborn nature as human beings.

    Do not take official positions with a super power; Do not marry into a family with super wealth; Do not befriend anyone showing super arrogance.

    A sage is not bigoted against nor for the use of military forces. It should be the last resort when all other options are exhausted. A sage knows and follows the way of Heaven and Earth; so he has excellent sagacity and is always at great ease with himself and everything.

    An emperor’s manor is one thousand square li (里)；His vassals’, one hundred: this makes the alliance work. Therefore, the emperor should not be made on a par with his vassals in status; the prince not on a par with his half-brothers; the wife not on a par with her husbands’ concubines. Without difference in rank, people will harm each other; without distinction in order, they will fight each other.
When the time is ripe, one should act promptly without proclaiming it; if not, hide one’s intention and feelings.

    The way of Heaven makes the seasons come and go; that of the Earth determines the high and low; the way of the humans regulates the taking and giving. He who gives and takes properly can be made the king; if not, he will lose his home, his life, and, if already a king, his throne. Heaven has its way of punishing; whoever goes against it cannot escape what he deserves. The human world should not abandon the rule of law and be ruled by someone’s personal will; otherwise, disasters are inevitable.

    When a state is due to survive, nobody can defeat it; if it is due to collapse, nobody can save it. When the time is not ripe, one should retreat into self-cultivation of the awareness of the Tao; when the time is due, spread the awareness with utmost efforts; when the work is accomplished, go back into retreat again as nobody can change the natural course of things.

    A nobleman should not avenge personal humiliation but only work to promote justice. Those who try to win favor and power by resorting to hoodwinking and frame-ups out of jealousy should be demoted and kept at an arm’s length; otherwise, disasters will fall. If one cannot bring about peace in his household, he can have no say in state affairs; if one does not understand daily practical things, he should have no say about affairs on a grand scale.

    Anyone who does not share benefits with others should not be encouraged with double rewards, just as a creature with double horns would not have upper teeth. Only when perfectly justified should one resort to military forces; and he should stop when his goal is reached.

    Full grains attract without flowers; a golden saying does without rhetoric; blissfulness without laughter. That is because the beauty of a flower emanates from the kernel, in which the essence lies.

    There is no left or right without the other; nor female or male: that is the way with Heaven and Earth. Therefore, in doing anything, one should not be self-centered from beginning to end. One should ride on thunders and lightning and fly with the clouds; move when they move and pause when they pause; suit one's actions to surrounding conditions and common people's aspirations. Otherwise, one cannot be viewed as sincere.

    Building too many palaces is not tolerated by Heaven, as most of them will not be inhabited, or, if ever, not for long. It is not allowed to reduce burial clothes and coverings and the thickness of the coffin for the dead; nor to damage the natural environment by large-scale construction work; nor to lay waste forests by abusive logging; nor to drastically change the topography of a region except for channelizing huge floods.

    Do not push for premature growth, nor for premature flowering. Premature growth will lead to early death; premature flowering to no fruition.

    With the sun comes the day; the moon, the night. Night is for rest; day for work. Do not go over the limit set by Heaven; better stop before it is reached.

     The powerful one tends to order others about while the weaker ones have to listen; fare competition only exists between those well-matched in strength.

    A badly behaved father cannot win love from his son; a badly behaved sovereign cannot win respect from his ministers.

    When a clan is rising to power, it is like a river bursting through a dam; when a dynasty is going to collapse, it is like a hilltop tumbling down.

    An upright person may die young, bearing the consequence for his forefathers’ wrong doings; a wicked one may live long thanks to his ancesters’ meritorious accomplishments. That which starts low but upright will grow high; that which towers high but slantways will collapse,

    …[Missing words]…. Whereas tigers and wolves, fierce as they are, are still tamable, human brothers are sadly not able to live in peace: they can neither accommodate nor stay apart from one another. This cuts at the moral root of the country. …[Missing words]… Why not come to admonish the brothers and teach them the right way to treat each other? If brotherly feelings still exist, the situation may still be mended.

    There are three kinds of unnatural deaths: from unrestrained outbreak of fury; from overindulgence of one’s desires; and from fighting against odds.

    Do not lend weapons to thieves; nor food to bandits. Otherwise, the inferior turns superior; the weak strong. The balance of strength will be tipped against oneself.

    Integration is achieved without forcing people or things together; Distinction made without tearing them apart. Once the supreme way is followed, both come about by themselves.

    If a ruler appears benevolent before the public but acts the opposite behind people, actually he is trying to cover up his inner wickedness with an amiable mask. In this case, either internal strife or external threat will be unpreventable. If his kind appearance is matched by a kind heart and fair words by fair deeds, then there would be no internal trouble and foreign enemies would not dare to invade.

    If one reaps benefits from following the Tao, he should not take them as a reward; If he loses, he should not put the blame on it.

    So long as the Heaven shines bright, it does not care if human beings live in the dark, because they can open windows to get lights. Heaven leaves everything to themselves. So long as the earth is rich in resources, it does not care if people live in poverty, because they can cut trees etc. to get their necessities. The earth leaves everybody to themselves.

    When rebellion happens in a vassal state, whoever suppresses it may not be justifiable, and if so, the rebels will rise again. If they cannot win at the time, their descendents will. That is to say: One who subjugates others for unjustifiable reasons will himself be subjugated sooner or later.

    People live in houses and the dead are buried in tombs. Therefore, no decrees should be so formulated as if they are meant for the dead.

    If one turns around as soon as he finds himself going astray, he should not be too far off from the Supreme Way.

    If a minister wields the power of a king, the state must be in danger. If danger is not seen yet, that is because the king is still on the throne. If the king is gone, danger will be imminent. If the state still survives without the king, that is because other ministers are assisting the state. If a son arrogates his father’s authority, the family must be in danger. If danger is not seen yet, that is because the father is still running the show. If the father is gone, danger will be imminent. If the family still survives without the father, that is because other sons are assisting the family.

    If one rejects the assistance of virtuous ministers and the advices of wise sages but relies solely on strong walls, fortresses and military forces for defense, he is actually very vulnerable and in grave danger. He cannot win either on the defensive or offensive.

    When two tigers are fighting each other, an inferior dog gets the prey.

    In governing a state, the ideal situation is one in which the ruler does not have to resort to punishment; the next best is one in which the rule of law is a must and is already installed; and not so ideal is for one to achieve order through disputes and fights; if a ruler fails to bring about order by any means, that is the worst situation. In the ideal situation, the ruler only needs to maintain an originally harmonious social order based on prevailing moral justice; in the next best situation, the ruler aims at distinguishing right from wrong behaviors and punishing the wrong and promoting the right. If the ruler is largely occupied with the task of suppressing social turmoil, it is definitely not good government.