Comes towards you, and meeting with no harm, There is the greatest peace and calm. Music together with good food make passing guests stay, But Dao’s words are bland! They are without flavor. Look for it, there is not enough to see. Listen for it, there is not enough to hear. Use it, there is not enough to exhaust. ♦Holding fast to the great image, ♦The [entire] world2 comes towards you. ♦Comes towards you, and [meeting with]A no harm, There is the greatest peace and calm2. [peace,calm calm,peace] Music together with good food make passing guests stay, [cakes] But Dao ’s words2 are bland !B ♦They are without flavor. ♦Look for it, there is not enough to see. ♦Listen for it, there is not enough to hear. Use it, there is not enough to exhaust°. Notes A : “doing” could just as easily be used here, but since the sage is the one who does no harm in #58, #60, and #66, “meeting with” is used B : the sentence-as-a-whole can be interpreted in two different ways (see the Introduction) : “speaking about Dao” or “the words that come out of Dao” (which is used here); also note that in the majority of the sources this line is a statement, not a question Cross-references no harm : #56, #58, #60, #66, #81 look, not seen and listen, not heard : #14 use does not exhaust : #4, #5 Chapter Thirty Six 將 欲 歙 之 必 固 張 之 將 欲 弱 之 必 固 強 之 將 欲 廢 之 必 固 興 之 • 將 欲 奪 之 必 固 與 之 是 謂 微 明 • 柔 弱 勝 剛 強 魚 不 可 脫 於 淵 國 之 利 器 不 可 以 示 人 • When you are about to gather something, You must have originally spread it out. When you are about to weaken something, You must have originally strengthened it. When you are about to abandon something, You must have originally been interested in it. When you are about to seize something, You must have originally given it. This is called subtle and obscure insight. What is soft and weak conquers what is hard and strong. Fish can not escape from the deep; The sharp tools of the nation Can not be shown to the people. When you are about to2 gather A something, [inhale] [it] You must have originally spread it out. ♦When you are about to2 weaken something, [it] You must have originally strengthened it. When you are about to2 abandon something, [it] You must have originally been interested in it. ♦When you are about to2 seize something, [it] You must have originally given it.