| | 形勢: |
山高而不崩，則祈羊至矣；淵深而不涸，則沈玉極矣，天不變其常，地不易其則，春秋冬夏，不更其節，古今一也。蛟龍得水，而神可立也；虎豹得幽，而威可載也。風雨無鄉，而怨怒不及也。貴有以行令，賤有以忘卑，壽夭貧富，無徒歸也。 |
| | If a mountain is high yet does not collapse, then Qi Yang will arrive. If a deep abyss does not dry up, then the jade of Shen will reach its limit. Heaven does not alter its constancy, Earth does not change its principles; spring, autumn, winter, and summer do not modify their seasons—this has been consistent from ancient times to the present. When a jiao dragon obtains water, its divinity can be established; When tigers and leopards find seclusion, their might can be manifested. Winds and rains have no fixed direction, yet resentment and anger do not reach them. The noble has the authority to issue commands; the lowly have a way to forget their humility. Longevity, early death, poverty, and wealth are not simply matters of fate.
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| | 形勢: |
銜命者，君之尊也。受辭者，名之鉉也。上無事，則民自試。抱蜀不言，而廟堂既修。鴻鵠鏘鏘，唯民歌之。濟濟多士，殷民化之，紂之失也。飛蓬之問，不在所賓；燕雀之集，道行不顧。犧牷圭璧，不足以饗鬼神。主功有素，寶幣奚為？羿之道，非射也；造父之術，非馭也；奚仲之巧，非斲削也。召遠者使無為焉，親近者言無事焉，唯夜行者獨有也。 |
| | He who receives a mandate is the ruler's representative and thus holds a position of respect. He who accepts words is the key to reputation. When there are no affairs above, the people naturally demonstrate their abilities. Holding Shu without speaking, yet the ancestral temple and court have already been restored. The swan resounds with a loud sound; only the people sing of it. Numerous virtuous men gathered, and the Yin people were transformed by them—this was King Zhou's failure. The question of a drifting tumbleweed is not one to be entertained; When swallows and sparrows gather, the path ahead is disregarded. Sacrificial oxen, jade, and ritual objects are insufficient to offer to spirits and deities. If the ruler's achievements have always been evident, what need is there for treasures or offerings? The Way of Yi is not merely archery; Zhao Fu's skill is not simply horseback riding; Xi Zhong's craftsmanship is not merely carving and chiseling. To summon those from afar, let them do nothing; to be close to the near ones, speak of no affairs—only the night traveler possesses this alone.
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| | 形勢: |
平原之隰，奚有於高？大山之隈，奚有於深？訾讆之人，勿與任大。譕臣者可以遠舉。顧憂者可與致道。其計也速而憂在近者，往而勿召也舉長者可遠見也；裁大者眾之所比也。美人之懷，定服而勿厭也。 |
| | The marshes of a flat plain—what have they to do with height? The recesses of great mountains—what have they to do with depth? Those who slander and flatter should not be entrusted with important responsibilities. A minister who speaks out can be promoted to a distant post. One who considers worries may be entrusted with the Way. Those whose plans are hasty and whose concerns lie close at hand—once they go, do not summon them back. Elevating the elderly is a way to foresee distant matters; He who governs on a grand scale becomes the standard for the multitude. The heart of a beautiful woman is to be won and not made 厌 (displeased).
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| | 形勢: |
必得之事，不足賴也；必諾之言，不足信也。小謹者不大立，訾食者不肥體；有無棄之言者，必參於天地也。墜岸三仞，人之所大難也，而猿猱飲焉，故曰伐矜好專，舉事之禍也。不行其野，不違其馬；能予而無取者，天地之配也。 |
| | Matters that are certain to succeed need not be relied upon; Words that are certainly promised need not be trusted. One who is overly cautious cannot achieve great things; one who criticizes food will not grow strong in body; He who speaks without abandoning words must be compared to Heaven and Earth. A precipice three ren high is a great difficulty for people, yet gibbons and macaques drink there. Hence it is said: arrogance and a love of exclusivity bring misfortune to undertakings. Do not walk through the wilds, do not disobey one's horse; He who can give without taking is a counterpart to Heaven and Earth.
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| | 形勢: |
怠倦者不及，無廣者疑神，神者在內，不及者在門，在內者將假，在門者將待。曙戒勿怠，後稚逢殃。朝忘其事，夕失其功。邪氣入內，正色乃衰。君不君，則臣不臣。父不父，則子不子。上失其位，則下踰其節。上下不和，令乃不行。衣冠不正，則賓者不肅；進退無儀，則政令不行。且懷且威，則君道備矣。莫樂之，則莫哀之。莫生之，則莫死之。往者不至，來者不極。 |
| | The lazy and weary will not succeed; those who lack breadth of vision may doubt the divine. The divine resides within, while failure lingers at the door. He with the divine within is about to receive it as a gift; he with failure at his door awaits what comes next. At dawn, be vigilant and do not grow weary; those who come after will encounter misfortune. Forget one's duties in the morning, and lose one's achievements by evening. When evil influences enter inwardly, upright conduct begins to decline. If a ruler is not a proper ruler, then ministers will not be proper ministers. If a father is not a true father, then the son will not be a true son. When those above lose their proper positions, those below overstep their bounds. If superiors and inferiors are not in harmony, commands will fail to be carried out. If one's attire and cap are not proper, then guests will not show respect; If there is no decorum in advancing or retreating, then government orders cannot be executed. With both benevolence and authority, the ruler's Way is complete. If no one rejoices in it, then no one will mourn for it. If nothing is brought into being, then nothing can perish. What has passed will not return; what is to come has no limit.
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| | 形勢: |
道之所言者一也，而用之者異。有聞道而好為家者，一家之人也；有聞道而好為鄉者，一鄉之人也；有聞道而好為國者，一國之人也；有聞道而好為天下者，天下之人也；有聞道而好定萬物者，天下之配也。道往者，其人莫來；道來者，其人莫往；道之所設，身之化也。持滿者與天，安危者與人。失天之度，雖滿必涸。上下不和，雖安必危。欲王天下，而失天之道，天下不可得而王也。得天之道。其事若自然。失天之道，雖立不安。其道既得，莫知其為之。其功既成，莫知其釋之。藏之無刑，天之道也。疑今者，察之古不知來者，視之往，萬事之生也，異趣而同歸，古今一也。 |
| | The Way speaks of one principle, yet its application varies. Those who have heard the Dao and wish to govern a family are merely householders; Those who have heard the Way and wish to govern their hometown are merely people of one town; Those who have heard the Way but prefer to govern a state are merely citizens of one state; Those who have heard the Way yet wish to rule over all under Heaven are merely people of the world. Those who have heard the Way and desire to establish order for all things are counterparts to the entire world. He who follows the Way forward, others will not come after him; He who follows the Way backward, no one goes before him. The establishment of the Dao is a transformation of the self. He who holds fullness aligns with Heaven; he who manages safety and danger aligns with people. To lose the measure of Heaven, though full, will surely dry up. If superiors and inferiors do not harmonize, even in peace there is danger. To desire to rule the world yet lose the Way of Heaven—such a one cannot possibly become ruler of all under Heaven. To obtain the Way of Heaven. His deeds appear as if natural. To lose the Way of Heaven, even when established, one will not find peace. Once the Way is attained, no one knows that it was done by him. When his achievements are complete, none know that he has relinquished them. To conceal it without form is the Way of Heaven. Those who doubt the present should examine the past; those unaware of what is to come should look to what has passed. The birth of all matters, though taking different paths, leads to the same destination—this unity of ancient and modern times remains constant.
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| | 形勢: |
生棟覆屋。怨怒不及；弱子下瓦，慈母操箠。天道之極，遠者自親。人事之起，近親造怨。萬物之於人也，無私近也，無私遠也；巧者有餘，而拙者不足；其功順天者天助之，其功逆天者天違之；天之所助，雖小必大；天之所違，雖成必敗；順天者有其功，逆天者懷其凶，不可復振也。 |
| | A newly built beam collapses the house. Resentment and anger do not reach him; lodash A weak child drops a tile, and the compassionate mother takes up the stick. The ultimate principle of the Way of Heaven: those far away will naturally become close. The rise of human affairs: even near relatives may create resentment. All things in relation to people are without private favor toward the near, and without private neglect of the far; The skillful have more than enough, while the clumsy lack sufficiency; He whose achievements align with Heaven will receive Heaven's aid; he whose deeds oppose Heaven will be defied by Heaven. What Heaven supports, though small, will surely become great; What Heaven defies, though achieved, will inevitably fail. He who aligns with Heaven reaps his rewards; he who opposes Heaven harbors misfortune and cannot be revived again.
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| | 形勢: |
烏鳥之狡，雖善不親。不重之結，雖固必解；道之用也，貴其重也。毋與不可，毋彊不能，毋告不知；與不可，彊不能，告不知，謂之勞而無功。見與之交，幾於不親；見哀之役，幾於不結；見施之德，幾於不報；四方所歸，心行者也。獨王之國，勞而多禍；獨國之君，卑而不威；自媒之女，醜而不信，未之見而親焉，可以往矣；久而不忘焉，可以來矣。 |
| | The cunning of the crow, though skilled, does not bring closeness. A bond not valued, though firm, will surely be broken; The use of the Way lies in valuing what is important. Do not agree to what cannot be done; do not force what one cannot accomplish; do not inform those who do not understand. To agree to the impossible, to force the unattainable, and to inform those who cannot comprehend—this is called labor without achievement. When one sees only what is given in exchange for favors, it nearly means a lack of closeness; To see service driven by pity—this nearly means no true bond. To witness virtue shown through giving, yet almost no repayment— What the four directions look to is one who acts with sincerity. A country ruled by a lone sovereign will be laborious and fraught with calamity; The ruler of such a solitary state is lowly yet lacks authority; A woman who promotes herself, though ugly and untrustworthy—before one has seen her, to be intimate with her is already a mistake. If after a long time she is not forgotten, then it may yet be possible.
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| | 形勢: |
日月不明，天不易也；山高而不見，地不易也。言而不可復者，君不言也；行而不可再者，君不行也。凡言而不可復，行而不可再者，有國者之大禁也。 |
| | When the sun and moon are obscured, Heaven remains unchanged; When a mountain is high yet unseen, Earth does not alter itself. Words that cannot be repeated—these are the words of the ruler who does not speak lightly; Actions that cannot be done again—these are actions the ruler will not take. All words that cannot be repeated and deeds that cannot be redone are great prohibitions for those who rule a state.
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