the short of it:
Truth, like water, is paradoxical.
78. Truth to Be Admitted.
Of all the weak things in the world, nothing exceeds water; and yet of those who attack hard and strong things, I know not what is superior to it. Don’t make light of this. The fact that the weak can conquer the strong, and the tender the hard, is known to all the world, yet none can carry it out in practice. Therefore the sage says, “[Those] who [bear] the reproach of [their] country shall be called the [sovereign] of the land. [Those] who [bear] the calamities of [their] country shall be called the [ruler] of the world.”
This is the language of strict truth, though it seems paradoxical.
78. ‘Things to be Believed.’
78.1 There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence of it; -for there is nothing (so effectual) for which it can be changed.
78.2 Every one in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the strong, but no one is able to carry it out in practice.
78.3 Therefore a sage has said,
‘[Those] who [accept] their state’s reproach, Is hailed therefore its altars’ [sovereign]; To [those] who [bear people’s] direful woes They all name of [royal] accord.’
78.4 Words that are strictly true seem to be paradoxical.
78. Trust in Faith.
78.1 In the world nothing is tenderer and more delicate than water. In attacking the hard and the strong nothing will surpass it. There is nothing that herein will surpass it. There is nothing that herein takes its place.
78.2 The weak conquer the strong, the tender conquer the rigid. In the world there is no one who does not know it, but no one will practice it.
78.3 Therefore the holy [person] says:
“[Those] who the country’s sin makes [theirs], we hail as [clergy] at the great sacrifice. [Those] who the curse bears of the country’s failing. As [ruler] of the empire we are hailing.
78.4 True words seem paradoxical.
the long of it:
To understand Chapter 78 of the Tao Te Ching, we need to include other, more accurate translations of the third stanza. None of the above translators included the important reference to agriculture:
“…[those] who [sustain] disgrace on behalf of the state is referred to as the master of altars dedicated to the soil and grain (its rightful ruler)…” (Wang 187).
“One who takes on [themselves] the humiliation of the state/ Is called a ruler worthy of offering sacrifices to the gods of earth and millet” (Lau 140).
Henricks also translates it as “earth and grain” (Henricks 182), and Pine, “soil and grain” (Pine 156).
This translation detail is crucial, because Lao Tsu just finished describing the power of water (see also Chap 8). The first stanza contains at least two repetitive statements about how weak-but-strong water is.
The most successful rulers act like water, accepting responsibility and sacrifice. These are the paradoxical tenets required to nourish the dry lands of shifting blame and self-interest.
Any potential candidate who might use the soft to overcome the hard is not only willing to sacrifice their reputation (reproach, humiliation, disgrace), but also their success (calamities, direful woes, misfortune). Each translator uses different descriptions.
But this advice is just a by-product of the larger truth, paradox. Like water, truth is paradoxical. It conquers by acceptance. It penetrates by yielding.
-TB
works cited
Lao-tzu. Lau, D.C. Tao Te Ching. United Kingdom: Penguin Publishing Group, 1963.
Lao Tzu. Pine, Red. Lao-tzu’s Taoteching. United States: Mercury House, 1996.
