Tao Te Ching Chapter 5

The Short of it:

Sound depends on silence to be heard.

5. The use of emptiness.  

Heaven and earth have no special love. They regard all existing beings as sacrificial grass-dogs (figures of grass made for a temporary purpose). The sage has no special love. [They regard] the people as grass-dogs.

The space between heaven and earth may be compared to a bellows. Though empty, it never collapses, and the more it is exercised the more it brings forth. But the [person] of much talk is frequently reduced to silence (exhausted). There is nothing like keeping the inner [person]. 

Lau Tsze. Chalmers, John. The Speculations on Metaphysics, Polity, and Morality, of “the Old Philosopher,” Lau-tsze, Translated from the Chinese, with an Introduction by J. Chalmers. United Kingdom: Trübner, 1868.

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5. ‘the use of emptiness.’

5.1 Heaven and earth do not act from (the impulse of) any wish to be benevolent; they deal with all things as the dogs of grass are dealt with. The sages do not act from (any wish to be) benevolent; they deal with the people as the dogs of grass are dealt with. 

5.2 May not the space between heaven and earth be compared to a bellows?

	’Tis emptied, yet it loses not its power;
	’Tis moved again, and sends forth air the more.
	Much speech to swift exhaustion lead we see;
	Your inner being guard, and keep it free.

Lao-tze. Legge, James. The Sacred Books of China: The Texts of Tâoism. United Kingdom: Clarendon, 1891.

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5. The function of emptiness.

5.1 But for heaven and earth’s humaneness, the ten thousand things are straw dogs. But for the holy [person’s] humaneness, the hundred families are straw dogs.

5.2 Is not the space between heaven and earth like unto a bellows? It is empty; yet it collapses not. It moves, and more and more comes forth. [But]

5.3	“How soon exhausted is 
	A gossip’s fulsome talk!
	And should we not prefer 
	On the middle path to walk?”

Lao-tze. Suzuki, D.T. and Carus, Paul. The Canon of Reason and Virtue: Lao-tze’s Tao Teh King. United States: Open court publishing Company, 1913.

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The long of it:

The Universe created us and we create other things (like sounds), all of which are temporary. Treasure your sound, for it won’t last long.

“The space between Heaven and Earth, is it not just like a bellows or mouth organ (reed pipe)!” (Wang 60-61). This translation is more accurate and creates a closer link between the Universe creating us and our ability to create sound.

-TB

works cited

Laozi. Wang Bi. 1999. The Classic of the Way and VIrtue: A New Translation of the Tao-te ching of Laozi as Interpreted by Wang Bi. Translated by Richard John Lynn. New York: Columbia University Press.