The short of it:
Words cannot describe things.
2. The cultivation of the Person.
When in the world beauty is recognized to be beautiful, straightway there is ugliness. When in the world goodness is recognized to be good, straightway there is evil.
And thus, in like manner, existence and non-existence mutually originate (or suggest) each other; so also difficulty and ease, long and short, high and low, treble and bass, before and after.
The sage accordingly confines [themselves] to what is without effort (not demonstrative).
[They carry] on teaching without words; and everything works without hinderance. [They produce] without holding possession. [They act] without presuming on the result. [They complete their] work and [assume] no position for [themselves]. And, since [they assume] no position, [they] never [lose] any.
2. ‘The Nourishment of the Person.’
2.1. All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skillful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is.
2.2. So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other; that (the ideas of) height and lowness arise from the contrast of the one with the other; that the musical notes and tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another; and that being before and behind give the idea of following another.
2.3. Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys [their] instructions without the use of speech.
2.4. All things spring up, and there is not one which declines to show itself; they grow, and there is no claim made for their ownership; they go through their processes, and there is no expectation (of a reward for the results). The work is accomplished, and there is no resting in it (as an achievement).
The work is done, but how no one can see; ’Tis this that makes the power not cease to be.
2. Self-culture.
2.1 Everywhere it is obvious that if beauty makes a display of beauty, it is sheer ugliness. It is obvious that if goodness makes a display of goodness, it is sheer badness. For:
2.2 “To be and not to be are mutually conditioned. The difficult, the easy, are mutually definitioned. The long, the short, are mutually exhibitioned. Above, below, are mutually cognitioned. The sound, the voice, are mutually coalitioned. Before and after are mutually positioned.”
2.3 Therefore:
The holy [Person] abides by non-assertion in [their] affairs and conveys by silence [their] instruction. When the ten thousand things arise, verily, [they refuse] them not. [They quicken but own] not. [They act but claim] not. Merit [they accomplish], but [they do] not dwell on it.
“Since he does not dwell on it It will never leave [them].”
the long of it:
Words are subjective labels and, ironically, cannot describe the true nature of things. Wise people show preference for things with their actions rather than their words. This keeps them from mislabeling things, or from being misunderstood.
-TB
