無為 · 天下神器
Wú Wéi
Classical Chinese Text
将欲取天下而为之，吾见其不得已。天下神器①，不可为也，不可执也。为者败之，执者失之。是以圣人无为，故无败，故无失。 夫物或行或随；或觑或吹；或强或羸；或载或隳。是以圣人去甚、去奢、去泰。
Translation & Meaning
想要靠強力幹預去奪取並操控天下的人，我看他是終究達不到目的的。 天下乃是神聖微妙的生命共同體，不可強行造作，也不可死死把控。強行造作的反而會敗壞它，死死抓牢的反而會失去它。 世間萬物有的前行、有的跟隨，有的輕噓暖氣、有的急吹寒氣，有的剛強、有的柔弱，有的安穩承托、有的傾覆危墜，各有其自然參差之態。 因此聖人摒棄極端偏激（去甚），戒除奢侈浪費（去奢），遠離驕縱過度（去泰）。
Linguistic & Character Analysis
- 将 (jiāng): classical character (jiāng)
- 欲 (yù): intent / desire / craving
- 取 (qǔ): classical character (qǔ)
- 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
- 下 (xià): under / earthly realm / humble
- 而 (ér): yet / and / but
- 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
- 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
- 吾 (wú): I / myself
- 见 (jiàn): see / display / manifest
- 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
- 不 (bù): not / un- / without
- 得 (dé): obtain / acquire / gain
- 已 (yǐ): arises / already / cessation
- 神 (shén): classical character (shén)
- 器 (qì): classical character (qì)
- 可 (kě): can / capable of being
- 也 (yě): [modal particle of assertion]
- 执 (zhí): classical character (zhí)
- 者 (zhě): aspects / those who / things
- 败 (bài): classical character (bài)
- 失 (shī): classical character (shī)
- 是 (shì): this / therefore
- 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
- 圣 (shèng): sage / enlightened one
- 人 (rén): person / human
- 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
- 故 (gù): therefore / thus / consequence
- 夫 (fū): for / indeed / now
- 物 (wù): things / phenomena / forms
- 或 (huò): tangible / perhaps / presence
- 行 (xíng): practice / teach / walk
- 随 (suí): follow / accompany
- 觑 (qù): classical character (qù)
- 吹 (chuī): classical character (chuī)
- 强 (qiáng): strengthen / firm / robust
- 羸 (léi): classical character (léi)
- 载 (zǎi): classical character (zǎi)
- 隳 (huī): classical character (huī)
- 去 (qù): depart / lose / abandon
- 甚 (shèn): classical character (shèn)
- 奢 (shē): classical character (shē)
- 泰 (tài): classical character (tài)
Commentary
青禾散人評注：無論治理組織還是經營關係，「執者失之」皆是鐵律。握沙越緊，流失越快；「去甚、去奢、去泰」，刪去極端與過度，方得從容。