Thus the noble man travels the entire day, And does not stray from his wagon. He is serious, even though glorious sights and feasts exist; He lives above them, like this. So how could one be the master of ten thousand chariots, And conduct his self frivolously in the world? Be frivolous, then lose the source. Be restless, then lose the rulership. ♦Serious{heavy} serves as the source of frivolous{light}. ♦Stillness serves as the ruler of restlessnessA. Thus2 the noble man2*B travels the entire day, And does not stray from his wagon. [leave,depart,separate] He is seriousC, even though glorious sights and feasts exist; He lives above them, like thisD. [transcend,jump over] [So] how2 could [one be] the master of ten thousand chariots,E And conduct his self F frivolously{lightly} in the world2? [use] Be frivolous{light}, then lose the source. ♦Be restless, then lose the rulership. Notes A : this symbol also means impatience, agitation, anxiety, etc; “stillness” and “restlessness” are presumably referring to inner, mental/emotional qualities B : Only WB and HSG changed “noble man” to the non-Confucian term “sage” C : traditionally, the first symbol of this sentence is considered to be the last symbol of the previous sentence (“heavy wagon”); but because the MWD’s have “fields” instead of “wagon” at the end of the previous sentence, and “heavy fields” makes no sense, it is parsed this way D : presumably, by being serious and still E : someone very important, such as the supreme ruler of a large nation (one with 10,000 chariots) F : this is written in this awkward manner to emphasize that it is the personality or sense-of-self that is being talked about (in the translator’s opinion – see the Introduction and cross-references below) Cross-references stillness : #15, #16, #37, #45, #57, #61 stillness and restlessness : #45 noble man : #31 self : #7, #9, #13, #16, #44, #52, #54, #66 Chapter Twenty Seven 善 行 無 轍 迹 善 言 無 瑕 謫 善 數 不 用 籌 策 善 閉 無 關 楗 而 不 可 開 • 善 結 無 纆 約 而 不 可 解 • 是 以 聖 人 常 善 救 人 故 無 棄 人 常 善 救 物 故 無 棄 物 • 是 謂 襲 明 (•)故 善 人 者 不 善 人 之 師 不 善 人 者 善 人 之 資 • 不 貴 其 師 不 愛 其 資 雖 智 大 迷 是 謂 要 妙 A good traveler is without wagon track or footprint. A good speaker is without flaw or disgrace. A good accountant does not use counting tokens. A good barrier is without bar or lock, yet can not be opened. A good binding is without cord or restraint, yet can not be loosened. Thus the sage : Is always good at helping people,