忘知 · 為學日益為道日損
Wàng Zhī
Classical Chinese Text
为学日益，为道日损，损之又损，以至于无为。无为而无不为，取天下常以无事；及其有事，不足以取天下。
Translation & Meaning
求取世俗知識，是每天不斷累加概念與技能；修習生命大道，則是每天不斷減損妄念、成見與執著。 減損之中再加減損，直到滌盡人為造作、臻於純粹自然的「無為」之境。 達到無心妄為，便沒有什麼不能自然成就。贏得天下人心向來靠清靜不擾的「無事」；一旦繁政苛擾、折騰生事，便不足以治理好天下了。
Linguistic & Character Analysis
- 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
- 学 (xué): classical character (xué)
- 日 (rì): classical character (rì)
- 益 (yì): classical character (yì)
- 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak
- 损 (sǔn): classical character (sǔn)
- 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
- 又 (yòu): upon / further / layered
- 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
- 至 (zhì): classical character (zhì)
- 于 (yú): to / at / in
- 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
- 而 (ér): yet / and / but
- 不 (bù): not / un- / without
- 取 (qǔ): classical character (qǔ)
- 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
- 下 (xià): under / earthly realm / humble
- 常 (cháng): constant / dynamic invariable
- 事 (shì): affairs / deeds
- 及 (jí): classical character (jí)
- 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
- 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
- 足 (zú): classical character (zú)
Commentary
青禾散人評注：「為學日益，為道日損」道盡知識與智慧的本質分野：知識做加法，修道做減法。減去偏見、貪求與恐懼，本具的圓滿智慧自然顯露。