圣德 · 知止不殆

Shèng Dé

Classical Chinese Text

道常无名，朴。虽小，天下莫能臣。侯王若能守之，万物将自宾。
天地相合①，以降甘露，民莫之令而自均⑤。
始制有名，名亦既有，夫亦将知止，知止可以不殆⑦。譬道之在天下，犹川谷之于江海

Translation & Meaning

大道永恒无名。那本真的“朴”看似幽微细小，普天之下却没有任何力量能使它臣服支配。侯王若能持守这份纯朴本源，世间万物自会心悦诚服地归附。 天地阴阳和谐交感，自然降下滋润万物的甘露，无需人为号令分配，便能均匀泽被四方。 人类创设制度后便产生了各种名分与概念；既然名分已经设立，就应当懂得适可而止，懂得适可而止才不会陷入危殆。 大道统摄并涵容天下万物，就好比百川溪谷自然汇归于浩瀚江海一样。

Commentary

青禾散人评注：“知止可以不殆。”制度、规章、概念皆是工具，过犹不及；知道在何处停笔与收手，是极高的治理与修身智慧。

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak
  • 常 (cháng): constant / dynamic invariable
  • 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
  • 名 (míng): name / conceptual label / to name
  • 朴 (pǔ): classical character (pǔ)
  • 虽 (suī): classical character (suī)
  • 小 (xiǎo): classical character (xiǎo)
  • 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
  • 下 (xià): under / earthly realm / humble
  • 莫 (mò): classical character (mò)
  • 能 (néng): fruitful / capacity / ability
  • 臣 (chén): classical character (chén)
  • 侯 (hóu): classical character (hóu)
  • 王 (wáng): classical character (wáng)
  • 若 (ruò): classical character (ruò)
  • 守 (shǒu): classical character (shǒu)
  • 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
  • 万 (wàn): ten thousand / myriad / all
  • 物 (wù): things / phenomena / forms
  • 将 (jiāng): classical character (jiāng)
  • 自 (zì): classical character (zì)
  • 宾 (bīn): classical character (bīn)
  • 地 (dì): classical character (dì)
  • 相 (xiāng): mutually / each other
  • 合 (hé): classical character (hé)
  • 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
  • 降 (jiàng): classical character (jiàng)
  • 甘 (gān): classical character (gān)
  • 露 (lù): classical character (lù)
  • 民 (mín): classical character (mín)
  • 令 (lìng): classical character (lìng)
  • 而 (ér): yet / and / but
  • 均 (jūn): classical character (jūn)
  • 始 (shǐ): dawn / primordial origin
  • 制 (zhì): classical character (zhì)
  • 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
  • 亦 (yì): classical character (yì)
  • 既 (jì): classical character (jì)
  • 夫 (fū): for / indeed / now
  • 知 (zhī): know / distinguish / recognize
  • 止 (zhǐ): classical character (zhǐ)
  • 可 (kě): can / capable of being
  • 不 (bù): not / un- / without
  • 殆 (dài): classical character (dài)
  • 譬 (pì): classical character (pì)
  • 在 (zài): classical character (zài)
  • 犹 (yóu): classical character (yóu)
  • 川 (chuān): classical character (chuān)
  • 谷 (gǔ): classical character (gǔ)
  • 于 (yú): to / at / in
  • 江 (jiāng): classical character (jiāng)
  • 海 (hǎi): classical character (hǎi)