The chapter recites what wholeness — 'obtaining the One' — gives each thing: heaven obtained the One and became clear; earth, still; the spirits, potent; the valleys, full; the ten thousand things, alive; rulers, upright leaders of the world. Then the counterfactual thunder: without it, heaven would crack, earth would heave, spirits would fail, valleys run dry, all things perish, and lofty rulers fall. Every excellence is borrowed from an underlying unity none of them owns.
The political middle draws the consequence: nobility has its root in lowliness; height has its foundation in what is below — which is why kings called themselves 'the orphan, the lonely one, the unworthy,' anchoring their height in the low. Then the chapter's shrewdest image: counting the parts of a carriage one by one yields no carriage — the whole is more than its enumerated pieces, and analysis, pushed far enough, loses the very thing it studies. The closing preference seals it: do not wish to be like rare, precious jade — be like common, solid stone.
Key verses
These are the things that from of old have obtained the One: Heaven obtained the One and became clear; earth obtained the One and became still; spirits obtained the One and became potent; the valleys obtained the One and became full; the ten thousand things obtained the One and came to life; rulers obtained the One and became righteous leaders of the world. All these are the results of obtaining the One. Without that One, heaven would crack; earth would heave; spirits would lose their power; valleys would run dry; the ten thousand things would perish; and rulers, however lofty, would fall. Thus nobility has its root in lowliness, and height has its foundation in what is below. For this reason kings and lords call themselves 'the orphan,' 'the lonely one,' 'the unworthy.' Is this not taking lowliness as their root? Counting the parts of a carriage one by one yields no carriage — the whole is more than its enumerated pieces. Do not wish to be like jade, precious and rare — be like stone, solid and common.
Read Chapter 39 in full
Every verse with translation, word meanings, and commentary — free.
ઍપમાં મફત વાંચોપરંપરાઓને પૂછો
એક પ્રશ્ન। પાંચ પરંપરાઓના જવાબ।
એકાઉન્ટ વગર દર 24 કલાકે 2 પ્રશ્નો।