77. The Bow of Heaven｜Tao Te Ching

天（tiān）之（zhī）道（dào），（）其（qí）犹（yóu）张（zhāng）弓（gōng）与（yǔ）？（）

Is the way of heaven not like drawing a bow?

Drawing a bow requires adjustments of height and tension. The image introduces nature's tendency toward balance.

高（gāo）者（zhě）抑（yì）之（zhī），（）下（xià）者（zhě）举（jǔ）之（zhī）；（）有（yǒu）余（yú）者（zhě）损（sǔn）之（zhī），（）不（bù）足（zú）者（zhě）补（bǔ）之（zhī）。（）

What is high is lowered, and what is low is raised; what has too much is reduced, and what lacks is supplied.

Adjusting the bow illustrates a living balance: excess is diminished and deficiency supported so the whole comes into alignment.

天（tiān）之（zhī）道（dào），（）损（sǔn）有（yǒu）余（yú）而（ér）补（bǔ）不（bù）足（zú）。（）

The way of heaven reduces what has too much and supplies what does not have enough.

This sums up the bow image: natural processes ease imbalance by adjusting both excess and lack.

人（rén）之（zhī）道（dào），（）则（zé）不（bù）然（rán），（）损（sǔn）不（bù）足（zú）以（yǐ）奉（fèng）有（yǒu）余（yú）。（）

The way people act is different: they take from those who lack in order to serve those who already have more than enough.

The passage criticizes an unequal social order in which resources flow from the needy toward those already well supplied.

孰（shú）能（néng）有（yǒu）余（yú）以（yǐ）奉（fèng）天（tiān）下（xià），（）唯（wéi）有（yǒu）道（dào）者（zhě）。（）

Who can use what they have in excess to serve all under heaven? Only one who follows the Way.

A person aligned with the Way does not hoard abundance, but uses it to answer the wider world's needs.

是（shì）以（yǐ）圣（shèng）人（rén）为（wéi）而（ér）不（bù）恃（shì），（）功（gōng）成（chéng）而（ér）不（bù）处（chù），（）其（qí）不（bù）欲（yù）见（jiàn）贤（xián）。（）

Therefore the sage acts without relying on the achievement, and completes the work without claiming it, not wishing to display personal excellence.

By refusing to turn results into personal status, the sage keeps action directed toward the good of others.

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