29. The Sacred Vessel
Text
English translation
Original Chinese text
将欲取天下而为之，吾见其不得已。
English translation
If someone seeks to seize all under heaven and manipulate it, I see that the attempt will not succeed.
The world is not an object to be controlled at will. Taking possession by force and imposing a private design tend to produce the opposite result.
Original Chinese text
天下神器，不可为也，为者败之，执者失之。
English translation
All under heaven is a precious whole and cannot be handled at whim. Those who force it spoil it; those who clutch it lose it.
The phrase “precious whole” points to an order more complex than any ruler's plan. Coercion damages it, while possessiveness defeats its own aim.
Original Chinese text
故物或行或随；或歔或吹；或强或羸；或挫或隳。
English translation
Thus, among things, some lead and some follow; some breathe gently and some blow hard; some are strong and some frail; some are checked and some fall away.
Things differ in condition and pace, and these conditions can change. Sound governance does not force them into one pattern but responds to their differences.
Original Chinese text
是以圣人去甚，去奢，去泰。
English translation
Therefore the sage avoids excess, extravagance, and arrogance.
In a varied and changing world, wise action stays within measure: it neither feeds desire through display nor overreaches through self-importance.