Extensive Interpretation of Tao Te Ching (67) A
道德經演義（六十七）A
The entire world says: my teaching
(Tao) greatly resembles folly.
天下皆謂我道大，似不肖。
Because it is great; therefore it
resembles folly.
夫唯大，故似不肖;
If it did not resemble folly, it would have
long ago become petty indeed.
若肖，久矣其細也夫。
Xianchi’s interpretation of
Tao Te Ching (67) A a。67 A
咸池評述道德經演義（六十七）A a。67 A
1 According to history, Laotse apparently had no well-known students. As to Chuang Tzu, when he came into the world, Laotse had been dead for years. However, from this chapter, Laotse’ theory should prevail
then. Otherwise why did he say that the entire world says: my teaching (Tao) greatly resembles
folly. Most intellects under the sun thought that my Tao
is great but useless and it is something with problem. To let all people in
this world remark it, should let them know it at first. It must have name, so
your things can incur dispute.
根據史料記載，老子好像並沒有什麼有名的學生，至於莊子，則是在老子死後許多年才冒出來的。可是從這篇文章上看，老子的學說在當時應該是已經盛極一時才對。否則，他為什麼會說天下皆謂我道大，似不肖呢？天底下大部分的知識份子都認為我的道是大而無當，是腦袋有問題的東西。而要想天下人皆謂，必須要讓天下人皆知，必須要有名氣，這樣你的東西才會引起爭議。
2 As a small potato, I stay in
this sheet-iron room at sixth floor where it is hot in summer and cold in
winter; what I wrote is at sixes and sevens and cannot interest other, letting
alone discussion.
反觀我這樣的一個小人物，一個人待在這個夏熱冬冷的六樓鐵皮屋裡默默耕耘，我所寫的這些亂七八糟的東西，根本就絲毫引不起別人任何的興趣及討論的。
3 In Chuang Tzu’s works, he often mentioned that
Confucius visited Laotse for consultation. So, we may
affirm that Laotse, in his life, must have been a
heavyweight in academic circle.
在莊子的文章中，經常會提到孔子去拜訪老子，並且向他請教一些問題的故事。所以，從這裡我們可以肯定的說，老子生前在社會上必定已經是學術界的一名重量級的人物了！
4 “Because it is great; therefore it resembles folly.”
We may understand it from two aspects. One is that it is
so profound that all people can’t understand it. You alone give yourself to
studying a thing that nobody knows, so you look silly or foolish. However the
thing is promising, such as the view of Mr. Galileo Galilei ( 1564-1642) on solar system that
was reproached by people. He almost was beheaded.
夫唯大，似不肖，可以分成兩個不同的角度來看。一個是深奧，眾人看你在那裡埋首研究一個大家都看不懂的東西，所以別人說你笨、愚蠢; 可是你所做的東西是具有前瞻性的，比如伽理略對太陽系的看法，在當時就引來大眾的非議，並且還差一點就將他送上斷頭台。
5 The other aspect is that a considerate plan, it has many
details and references which are felt trouble and long-winded to people. For
example,
另一個則是一個周詳的作業計劃，其前置作業繁雜，許多參謀計劃讓人覺得囉唆、麻煩。以長庚醫院想到北京、上海去開設醫院為例，在我們看來，去市區找塊適當的地，蓋家現代化醫院，找些好醫生就完結了。可是長庚醫院的負責人卻不是這麼想，他們事先派出了許多市場調查人員，讓他們舉家駐進北京、上海，然後到所有可能的地點去實際瞭解當地人的生活習慣、開支水準、人口分佈等等钜細靡遺的各項資料。所有這些資料蒐集齊全之後，他們才來決定醫院開設的地點、規模、甚至計價標準等。
6 This plan of large scale, in the opinion of small shop run by a couple, is
foolish and pedantic. The way I run my portfolio also looks as a fool—no one
will hold a stock and does not change it for fifteen years. I remember that my
brother ever told me to consign my stock to him. He promised to help me to
operate. However, if I were not silly and obstinate as they thought, I would
never accumulate my portfolio to this scale and never live a leisure and
worry-free life.
這種大規模的計劃，看在一般夫妻老婆店的經營者眼裡，也是迂腐、愚笨的法子。當初我養羊時，別人也笑我傻瓜，哪有死抱著一個股票十五年不做絲毫調整的。記得大弟就曾經說過，乾脆將你的股票交給我，讓我來幫你操作吧！如果我不是像他們說的那麼笨、那麼固執，我就絕對不可能有機會累積到今天這個規模，足夠讓我悠遊終日而不愁衣食呢！
7 “If it did not
resemble folly, it would have long ago become petty indeed.” This
sentence offers proper interpretation on my investing plan, or shepherd plan.
To people’s surprise, such a good principle is so simple and pure that even a
fool can understand and comply with. However, few can comply with and execute
it. Maybe Laotse would sign for that too!
至於最後一句“若肖，久矣其細也夫”，表現在養羊計劃上真可以說是再恰當不過了。說也奇怪，這麼好的東西卻竟然是這麼的簡單、單純，連笨蛋都會; 然而，能夠將這麼好的道理真正認真執行、奉行的卻又是少之又少。對此，相信老子也有著類似的感慨吧！
Extensive Interpretation of Tao Te Ching (67) B
道德經演義（六十七）B
I have Three
Treasures; guard them and keep them safe:
我有三寶，持而保之。
The first is Kind.
一曰慈，
The second is Restraint.
二曰儉，
The third is Never be the first in the world.
三曰不敢為天下先。
Through Kind, one has no fear.
慈故能勇，
Through restraint, one has
amplitude.
儉故能廣，
Through not presuming to be
the first in the world, one can develop one’s talent and let it mature.
不敢為天下先，故能成器長。
If one forsakes kind and
fearlessness, forsakes restraint and reserve power, forsakes following behind
and rushes in front, He is doomed.
今舍慈且勇;
舍儉且廣;
舍後且先;
死矣。
For kind is victorious in
attack, and invulnerable in defense.
夫慈，以戰則勝，以守則固，
Heaven arms with kind, those it
would not see destroyed.
天將救之，以慈衛之。
Xianchi’s Interpretation of
Tao Te Ching (67) B a。67 B
咸池評述道德經演義（六十七）B a。67 B
1
Kind is to offer good things to others, to console others, and to heal their
wound with a warm heart. Its premise is that he himself must be stable, mature
and independent. He stands steady and reaches out his warm and firm hands to
help others.
慈就是把自己認為最好的東西送給別人，把一顆溫暖熱忱的心拿出來慰藉他人、平撫他人心中的創傷。慈的先決條件是自己本身必須是很穩定、很成熟、很獨立。在自己站穩了腳步之後，將又厚又暖的手伸出去幫助別人。
2 Since he offers
and sends good thing, he surely feels right, dauntless and encouraged. It goes
without saying to do good thing boldly.
也正因為是將好的東西拿出來、送出去，當然就理直氣壯，沒有什麼好懼怕的，或不好意思的; 因此，持著這樣的信念，勇氣十足的去做某些事也就成為理所當然的了。
3
Restraint doesn’t mean empty pocket. A poor guy has no qualification to talk
about restraint. He is poor and can’t afford. Therefore a poor guy’s life is
down-and-out, destitute and shabby. Restraint means that money is spent wisely
and to the point.
儉，並不是說沒有錢，一個窮光蛋他沒有資格談儉，他是沒有錢，他是花費不起、買不起。所以窮光蛋的潦倒生活是指邋遢、貧窮，與儉沒有絲毫關係。儉的真正意思是聰明的用錢，並且將錢支配得恰到好處。
4
When Su Dongpo’s income was less, he divided his
monthly salary into thirty parts, and hung them on a beam of his house. Every
day he took one part for expense. The excessive parts were kept in a barrel.
When friends visit him, he used the money in the barrel to buy wine and meat
for feasting friends. He said that with such arrangement, he never lack money
and felt painful and helpless for poverty. The way Su Dongpo
adopted to arrange money is restraint.
蘇東坡在收入有限時，曾經將一個月的薪俸分成３０份，分別掛在屋樑上。每天取一袋來支應開銷，有剩餘的就存在一個桶子裡。當朋友來訪時，他就利用桶子裡剩餘的錢去買酒買肉來招待朋友。蘇東坡自己說，自從這樣安排後，金錢就再不能威脅他，他也無須再擔心沒錢的痛苦與無助。像蘇東坡這樣的法子就是儉的一種。
5 The best
application of restraint is that I have money but I spend it in need and I have
a sum of money to support life for long time. Pocket money is enough for the
expense of daily activities.
儉最好的運用之方是 "老子" 有錢，可是絕不亂花; 身邊永遠有一筆足以應付極長時期生活所需的金錢。而日常生活的所有活動都是身邊金錢所足以支付的。
6 In my investing
plan, or shepherd plan, slaying sheep for guest is controlled through
restraint. Despite of how large flock of sheep a man has, if he splurged
without restraint, his flock would become exhausted and die soon.
養羊計劃中 “來客宰羊” 就是靠儉來控制的。一個人的羊群不論規模多大，他都必須要知所節制，否則任意揮霍、花費無度的結果，最終是會讓羊群涸竭，不疾而終的。
7 When a man’s
financial situation is controlled well, he won’t lack money. He may roam around
the world. He may use his wealth to fulfill his wishes.
一個人的財務狀況只要掌控的好，他就不會捉襟見肘。他就可以雲遊天下，他也就可以隨心所欲的運用他的財富去完成他的心願。
8 In the
viewpoint of a man of practice, it doesn’t matter if he has high honor or not.
Practice is a private deed. He finds out a tranquil and distraction-free place,
without disturbance, watch, and notice. He practices, paints, learns
calligraphy, reads and writes in silence. Nobody notices his messy article. He
never contest and dispute with others. He freely contrives some principles that
he think they are right himself.
站在一個修行者的立場，能不能成器長，其實並不是那麼重要。修行純粹是個人的行為; 一個人獨自找個閒靜處，既不會有人打擾、也沒人看，獨自一個人靜靜地練功、繪畫、寫字、看書，然後再寫些不三不四的文章; 沒有人會注意，自己也不需要去跟別人競爭，不需要跟別人辯論、爭長道短，就這樣自由自在地醞釀出一些別出心裁的理論。
9 When other
asks, the doer says something. Without being asked, he isn’t bothered to speak.
He doesn’t scramble for fame and interest among others. He just enforces his
subjection conditions little by little, afraid of error and loophole. He
doesn’t care if such life style interests others or not.
當別人問起，行者就大略說說; 別人不問，他也懶得開口。行者是不會走入人群中與人爭名奪利的。他只是每天一磚一瓦地積極鞏固、堅實自己的主觀條件，他只是生怕還有什麼遺漏，有什麼不盡之處。至於行者這樣的生活方式是否會引起別人的興趣，那就更非行者在意的事了。