守微 · 千里之行始于足下

Shǒu Wēi

Classical Chinese Text

其安易持，其未兆易谋；其脆易泮，其微易散。为之于未有，治之于未乱。合抱之木，生于毫末；九层之台，起于累土；千里之行，始于足下。
为者败之，执者失之。是以圣人无为故无败，无执故无失。民之从事，常于几成而败之。慎终如始，则无败事。是以圣人欲不欲，不贵难得之货，学不学，复众人之所过，以辅万物之自然而不敢为。

Translation & Meaning

局面安定时容易维持，祸端尚未显露苗头时容易图谋化解；事物脆弱时容易消融，隐患微小时容易疏散。要在问题尚未成形之前未雨绸缪，要在动乱尚未爆发之前防微杜渐。 双臂合抱的参天大树，生长于毫毛般细小的萌芽；九层高的巍峨楼台，垒筑于一筐筐泥土；千里之遥的远行，迈步于脚下第一寸土地。 强行妄作的必致败坏，死死执抓的必致失去。因此圣人顺应自然无妄为所以不败，不生执迷把控所以不失。 世人做事，往往在快要成功时因松懈骄躁而功亏一篑。若在收尾时仍能像开端那样审慎敬畏，便不会败事。 因此圣人追求常人所忽略的清静无欲，不看重稀有昂贵的奇货；修习常人所不学的返本之道，补救众人因贪执妄为所犯下的过失，顺势辅助万物依其本性自然生长，而绝不敢妄加干涉。

Commentary

青禾散人评注：“慎终如始，则无败事”与“辅万物之自然而不敢为”相映生辉：既有一步一印的笃实工夫，又有临近功成时不贪不执的敬畏之心。

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
  • 安 (ān): classical character (ān)
  • 易 (yì): easy / simple / change
  • 持 (chí): classical character (chí)
  • 未 (wèi): classical character (wèi)
  • 兆 (zhào): classical character (zhào)
  • 谋 (móu): classical character (móu)
  • 脆 (cuì): classical character (cuì)
  • 泮 (pàn): classical character (pàn)
  • 微 (wēi): classical character (wēi)
  • 散 (sàn): classical character (sàn)
  • 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
  • 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
  • 于 (yú): to / at / in
  • 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
  • 治 (zhì): govern / bring order / rule
  • 乱 (luàn): chaos / disorder / turmoil
  • 合 (hé): classical character (hé)
  • 抱 (bào): classical character (bào)
  • 木 (mù): classical character (mù)
  • 生 (shēng): give birth to / arise
  • 毫 (háo): classical character (háo)
  • 末 (mò): classical character (mò)
  • 九 (jiǔ): classical character (jiǔ)
  • 层 (céng): classical character (céng)
  • 台 (tái): classical character (tái)
  • 起 (qǐ): classical character (qǐ)
  • 累 (lèi): classical character (lèi)
  • 土 (tǔ): classical character (tǔ)
  • 千 (qiān): classical character (qiān)
  • 里 (lǐ): classical character (lǐ)
  • 行 (xíng): practice / teach / walk
  • 始 (shǐ): dawn / primordial origin
  • 足 (zú): classical character (zú)
  • 下 (xià): under / earthly realm / humble
  • 者 (zhě): aspects / those who / things
  • 败 (bài): classical character (bài)
  • 执 (zhí): classical character (zhí)
  • 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
  • 民 (mín): classical character (mín)
  • 从 (cóng): classical character (cóng)
  • 事 (shì): affairs / deeds
  • 常 (cháng): constant / dynamic invariable
  • 几 (jǐ): resembles / close to
  • 成 (chéng): complete / fulfill
  • 而 (ér): yet / and / but
  • 慎 (shèn): classical character (shèn)
  • 终 (zhōng): classical character (zhōng)
  • 如 (rú): classical character (rú)
  • 则 (zé): classical character (zé)
  • 欲 (yù): intent / desire / craving
  • 不 (bù): not / un- / without
  • 贵 (guì): prize / cherish / valuable
  • 难 (nán): difficult / arduous
  • 得 (dé): obtain / acquire / gain
  • 货 (huò): goods / treasure / items
  • 学 (xué): classical character (xué)
  • 复 (fù): classical character (fù)
  • 众 (zhòng): multitude / myriad mass
  • 所 (suǒ): place / frontier / that which
  • 过 (guò): classical character (guò)
  • 辅 (fǔ): classical character (fǔ)
  • 万 (wàn): ten thousand / myriad / all
  • 物 (wù): things / phenomena / forms
  • 自 (zì): classical character (zì)
  • 然 (rán): classical character (rán)
  • 敢 (gǎn): dare / venture forward