The Dao is that by which all things are as they are, and the convergence of all particular principles (li). Principles are the patterned order of things; the Dao is the ultimate ground from which all things arise. Hence: “The Dao orders all principles.”
Each thing has its own principle and cannot encroach upon others. Therefore principles serve as constraints for individual things. All things differ in their principles, yet the Dao encompasses them all.
To embrace all‑thing principles, the Dao must transform; being transformable, it has no fixed form. Having no fixed form, it governs life‑death endowment, all forms of wisdom, and the rise‑fall of all affairs.
Heaven attains height through it, Earth attains containment through it, the Big Dipper its majesty, sun and moon their constant radiance, the Five Constants their steady positions, constellations their regular courses, the four seasons their seasonal shifts. Xuanyuan the Yellow Emperor ruled the four quarters through it, Chisongzi endured alongside heaven and earth through it, and sages established institutions through it.
The Dao shares wisdom with Yao and Shun, recklessness with Jie Yu, ruin with Jie and Zhou, and prosperity with Tang and Wu.
Seeming near, it roams the four extremes; seeming far, it dwells always beside us. Seeming dark, it shines bright; seeming bright, it remains hidden. It accomplishes heaven‑earth’s work, harmonizes thunder, and sustains all within the universe.
The Dao’s nature is unforced and formless, yielding to time and matching individual principles. All things live or die by it; all affairs succeed or fail by it.
Compare it to water: too much drinking drowns the drowning, moderate drinking revives the thirsty. Compare it to weapons: fools bring misfortune by using them for rage, sages bring blessing by using them to punish tyranny. Thus by the Dao things may die or live, fail or succeed.
Note
This passage lays out Han Fei‘s philosophical foundation: the Dao is the universal law behind all specific principles. It is neutral and flexible; human success or failure hinges on whether one follows and applies its inherent principles wisely.
Han Fei
Late Warring‑States Legalist philosopher. This passage is from Explaining Laozi (Jie Lao), his foundational commentary on the Dao De Jing. He establishes the famous Dao‑li (universal principle‑specific principle) distinction, merging Daoist metaphysics with Legalist practical governance.
Legendary sage‑king of ancient China, symbol of ideal rule.
Chisongzi (Master Chisong)
Daoist immortal symbolizing longevity and harmony with nature.
Jie Yu
A legendary reclusive madman representing unconventional freedom.
Yao, Shun / Jie, Zhou / Tang, Wu
Classic exemplars of sage‑rulers and tyrants in Chinese political thought.
Dao‑Li Dualism
Han Fei’s core innovation: Dao = universal, formless, ever‑changing cosmic law; Li = concrete, fixed principles governing individual things. All human action must align with li to follow the Dao.
Neutrality of the Dao
The Dao itself has no inherent good or evil; outcomes depend on human application – a Legalist pragmatist reinterpretation of Daoism.
Water‑Weapon Analogies
Classical Chinese philosophical metaphors showing that the same cosmic principle brings life or death based on human use.
Cosmic‑Political Unity
Heaven, earth, stars, seasons and human kings all operate by the same Dao, linking natural order and political order.
道者，萬物之所然也，萬理之所稽也。理者，成物之文也；道者，萬物之所以成也。故曰：「道，理之者也。」物有理不可以相薄，物有理不可以相薄故理之為物之制。萬物各異理，萬物各異理而道盡。稽萬物之理，故不得不化；不得不化，故無常操；無常操，是以死生氣稟焉，萬智斟酌焉，萬事廢興焉。天得之以高，地得之以藏，維斗得之以成其威，日月得之以恆其光，五常得之以常其位，列星得之以端其行，四時得之以御其變氣，軒轅得之以擅四方，赤松得之與天地統，聖人得之以成文章。道與堯、舜俱智，與接輿俱狂，與桀、紂俱滅，與湯、武俱昌。以為近乎，遊於四極；以為遠乎，常在吾側；以為暗乎，其光昭昭；以為明乎，其物冥冥；而功成天地，和化雷霆，宇內之物，恃之以成。凡道之情，不制不形，柔弱隨時，與理相應。萬物得之以死，得之以生；萬事得之以敗，得之以成。道譬諸若水，溺者多飲之即死，渴者適飲之即生。譬之若劍戟，愚人以行忿則禍生，聖人以誅暴則福成。故得之以死，得之以生，得之以敗，得之以成。
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