The governance philosophy discussed here is fundamentally about guiding and transforming people’s hearts. Governance and moral cultivation are two aspects of one whole—they cannot be forcibly separated, opposed, or subjected to double standards.
When governance is mild and unobtrusive, the people are simple and sincere;
when governance is sharp and intrusive, the people become cunning and evasive.Misfortune leans upon good fortune;
good fortune hides within misfortune.Who can know where this cycle ends?
There is no fixed standard:
what is upright may turn strange,
and what is good may turn ominous.People have long been confused by this.
Thus, the sage is square but does not cut;
sharp but does not wound;
straightforward but not overbearing;
bright but not dazzling.
Note
Using gentle methods to nurture hearts may appear superficially ineffective and incapable of producing immediate results, but such an approach fundamentally addresses the essence of issues and serves as a sustainable long-term solution.
Fortune and misfortune are interdependent and mutually transformable. There exist no absolute criteria—they are neither static nor immutable. What appears as a superficial blessing may conceal latent misfortune, and vice versa.
When evaluating matters, people often overemphasize external appearances and outcomes while neglecting the inner essence and root causes.
Wise people are good at dealing with their inner values and external manifestations. They are good at embodying virtues without their extremes, harmonizing strength with gentleness, and balancing integrity with flexibility.
Related Reading
- Chapter 57: This chapter continues and substantiates the idea of “governing the state with rectitude” from Chapter 57. While Chapter 57 outlines the governance framework, this chapter elaborates on the contrasting outcomes of two governance styles—leniency versus scrutiny—through the comparison of “when government is dull and inactive, the people are simple and sincere.”
- Chapter 56: The two chapters are closely connected in terms of personal cultivation. Chapter 56 proposes the state of “mysterious unity” through “blunt its sharpness, untangle its knots, soften its light, and merge with its dust,” while this chapter concludes with “shine without dazzling,” emphasizing that the sage, though radiant, does not glare and maintains a restrained and humble demeanor.
- Chapter 52: They resonate with each other in epistemological approach. Chapter 52 proposes “know the children, yet hold fast to the mother,” while this chapter, through the dialectical observation that “misfortune is what fortune depends upon; fortune is where misfortune hides,” teaches people to see beyond appearances to grasp the ultimate laws governing the transformation of things.
- Chapter 77: Both are core chapters on dialectics. Chapter 77 explains that “the Way of Heaven is to reduce excess and supplement deficiency,” while this chapter, through the transformation of “rectitude reverts to surprise, and goodness reverts to monstrousness,” jointly reveals the profound philosophy of the unity and mutual transformation of opposites.
其政悶悶，其民淳淳；其政察察，其民缺缺。禍兮福之所倚，福兮禍之所伏。孰知其極？其無正。正復為奇，善復為妖。人之迷，其日固久。是以聖人方而不割，廉而不劌，直而不肆，光而不燿。
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