Human life begins with birth and ends with death. Birth is called emerging; death is called entering. Hence the saying: “Emerging into life, entering into death.”
The human body has three‑hundred‑and‑sixty joints, four limbs, and nine orifices – its major components. The four limbs and nine orifices make thirteen parts. Their movement and stillness all sustain life; sustaining life means belonging to life’s side. Hence: “Thirteen belong to life.”
At death, these thirteen parts all turn toward death, so thirteen also belong to death. Hence: “Thirteen follow life; thirteen follow death.”
Ordinary people live through constant activity. Excessive activity causes depletion; unceasing activity brings unending depletion, exhausting life and leading to death. Thus these thirteen parts all move toward death. Hence: “People live, and living means activity; all activity leads to death‑ground, thirteen in number.”
Therefore sages cherish their spirit and value stillness, which is far more important than avoiding rhinoceros and tiger harm. Rhinoceroses and tigers have fixed territories and seasonal patterns; avoid their ranges and timing, and one escapes injury. People only fear beast claws and horns, yet fail to see all things possess harmful “claws and horns,” so they cannot escape worldly harms.
Why? When timely rain falls and wilderness rests, venturing mountains at dawn or dusk brings harm from wind and dew’s “claws and horns.” Disloyalty to superiors and reckless violation of decrees bring harm from punishment’s “claws and horns.” Unrestrained conduct and immoderate love‑hate bring harm from strife’s “claws and horns.” Boundless desires and unregulated movement bring harm from illness’s “claws and horns.” Reliance on private cleverness and rejection of natural principles bring harm from legal nets’ “claws and horns.”
Beasts have fixed territories, and all harms have sources. Avoid beast territories and block harm sources, and one escapes all injury. Weapons and armor guard against harm. Those who value life enter armies without anger or contention, needing no defensive gear.
This applies not only to battlefield soldiers: sages live without harming others; harming no‑one, they face no harm from others; facing no harm, they need no defense. Hence: “Walking on land, they meet no rhinoceros or tiger.”
Entering armies without relying on armor and weapons for protection, hence: “Entering battle, they need no armor or weapons.”
Far from all harm, hence: “Rhinoceroses find no place to thrust their horns, tigers no place to strike with claws, weapons no place to wield their blades.”
Needing no defense yet remaining unharmed follows heaven‑earth principles. Embodying the Dao of heaven and earth, hence: “No ground for death.”
Moving without danger of death is called “skillfully nurturing life.”
Note
This passage presents a complete self‑preservation philosophy: all worldly harms stem from unrestrained desire and activity; true safety lies in inner stillness, non‑aggression and alignment with natural principles, not external defense.
Late Warring‑States Legalist philosopher. This passage is from Explaining Laozi (Jie Lao), his commentary on the Dao De Jing. He expands Daoist “nurturing life” into a holistic philosophy of self‑preservation, social conduct and political order.
Thirteen Body Parts
Han Fei’s literal physical interpretation of the Daoist numerical metaphor: limbs + nine orifices, linking bodily over‑activity to death.
Universal “Claws and Horns”
A key metaphor: harm comes not only from wild beasts but from natural hazards, legal punishment, social strife, disease and human cleverness.
Skillful Nurturing of Life (Shan‑she‑sheng)
Dao‑Legalist Political Implication
Personal self‑preservation mirrors ideal governance: rulers should be still, non‑contentious and law‑abiding to eliminate social strife and punishment.
人始於生而卒於死。始之謂出，卒之謂入，故曰：「出生入死。」人之身三百六十節，四肢，九竅，其大具也。四肢與九竅十有三者，十有三者之動靜盡屬於生焉。屬之謂徒也，故曰：「生之徒也十有三者。」至死也十有三具者皆還而屬之於死，死之徒亦有十三，故曰：「生之徒，十有三；死之徒，十有三。」凡民之生生而生者固動，動盡則損也，而動不止，是損而不止也，損而不止則生盡，生盡之謂死，則十有三具者皆為死死地也。故曰：「民之生，生而動，動皆之死地，之十有三。」是以聖人愛精神而貴處靜，此甚大於兕虎之害。夫兕虎有域，動靜有時，避其域，省其時，則免其兕虎之害矣。民獨知兕虎之有爪角也，而莫知萬物之盡有爪角也，不免於萬物之害。何以論之？時雨降集，曠野閒靜，而以昏晨犯山川，則風露之爪角害之。事上不忠，輕犯禁令，則刑法之爪角害之。處鄉不節，憎愛無度，則爭鬥之爪角害之。嗜慾無限，動靜不節，則痤疽之爪角害之。好用其私智而棄道理，則網羅之爪角害之。兕虎有域，而萬害有原，避其域，塞其原，則免於諸害矣。凡兵革者，所以備害也。重生者雖入軍無忿爭之心，無忿爭之心則無所用救害之備。此非獨謂野處之軍也，聖人之遊世也無害人之心，無害人之心則必無人害，無人害則不備人，故曰：「陸行不遇兕虎。」入山不恃備以救害，故曰：「入軍不備甲兵。」遠諸害，故曰：「兕無所投其角，虎無所錯其爪，兵無所容其刃。」不設備而必無害，天地之道理也。體天地之道，故曰：「無死地焉。」動無死地，而謂之「善攝生」矣。
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