Dao De Jing – Chapter 8

From the very first chapter of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), Laozi establishes the ineffability of the Dao: “The Dao that can be named is not the eternal Dao.”‌ To facilitate understanding, Chapter 8 employs the metaphor of water, whose virtuous behavior embodies the paradigm of the Daoist cultivator.

The highest good is like water.
Water benefits all things yet does not compete;
it dwells in places others disdain—thus it comes close to the Dao.

In dwelling, be good at choosing your ground;
in mind, be deep as a still pool;
in giving, show benevolence;
in speech, maintain trustworthiness;
in governance, practice skillful order;
in action, demonstrate competence;
in movement, act at the right time.

Precisely because it does not compete,
it incurs no blame.

Note

“Water benefits all the beings without contention, residing in places disdained by humans.” Its fluid nature manifests dual wisdom: absence of rivalry and freedom from resentment.‌

Further Reading

Chapter Eight’s statement, “Because they do not contend, they are beyond reproach,” is directly correlated with Chapter Twenty-Two’s concept that “to yield is to be preserved, to be bent is to become straight.” While Chapter Eight introduces the virtue of non-contention, Chapter Twenty-Two employs opposing and transformative notions such as “yielding” and “bending” to illustrate the dialectical principle of the soft overcoming the hard. Together, they reflect the Daoist philosophy of “advancing by retreating.”

Chapter Eight’s phrase, “dwelling in places the multitude shun, thus they are close to the Dao,” (it dwells in places others disdain – thus it comes close to the Dao) directly corresponds to Chapter Sixty-Six’s idea: “The reason rivers and seas can be kings of the hundred valleys is that they excel in staying low.” Chapter Eight uses water’s willingness to occupy low places as a metaphor for humility, while Chapter Sixty-Six further explains, through the imagery of rivers and seas gathering all streams, that humility is the essence of leadership. Both reinforce the Daoist governing principle of “using softness to overcome hardness.”

Chapter Eight’s “Because they do not contend, they are beyond reproach” (because it does not compete, it incurs no blame) echoes Chapter Eighty-One’s statement that “the sage does not accumulate, yet the more they do for others, the more they possess.” Chapter Eight reveals that non-contention avoids resentment, while Chapter Eighty-One elucidates the ultimate wisdom that benefiting others is benefiting oneself through the idea of “the more they do for others, the more they possess.” Together, they complete the Daoist system of dialectics.

上善若水。水善利萬物而不爭，處衆人之所惡，故幾於道。居善地，心善淵，與善仁，言善信，正善治，事善能，動善時。夫唯不爭，故無尤。