Governing people and serving Heaven, are like nothing more than econom

守道 · Shǒu Dào

Classical Chinese Text

治人事天，莫若啬。夫唯啬，是谓早服；早服谓之重积德；重积德则无不克；无不克则莫知其极，莫知其极，可以有国；有国之母，可以长久。是谓根深固柢，长生久视之道。

Translation & Meaning

Governing people and serving Heaven, are like nothing more than economization. The so-called economization, is to intake early; intake early is to heavily accumulate virtues. Those who heavily accumulate virtues are invincible; with invincibility no one knows her limit, with no one knowing her limit, she can have a country; with the mother of countries, (it) can last long. This is called deep-rooted and solid-based, the way of prolonged living and extended observation.

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 治 (zhì): govern / bring order / rule
  • 人 (rén): person / human
  • 事 (shì): affairs / deeds
  • 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
  • 莫 (mò): classical character (mò)
  • 若 (ruò): classical character (ruò)
  • 啬 (sè): classical character (sè)
  • 夫 (fū): for / indeed / now
  • 唯 (wéi): only / precisely because
  • 是 (shì): this / therefore
  • 谓 (wèi): called / named / designated
  • 早 (zǎo): classical character (zǎo)
  • 服 (fú): classical character (fú)
  • 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
  • 重 (zhòng): classical character (zhòng)
  • 积 (jī): classical character (jī)
  • 德 (dé): Intrinsic Virtue / inner power
  • 则 (zé): classical character (zé)
  • 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
  • 不 (bù): not / un- / without
  • 克 (kè): classical character (kè)
  • 知 (zhī): know / distinguish / recognize
  • 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
  • 极 (jí): classical character (jí)
  • 可 (kě): can / capable of being
  • 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
  • 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
  • 国 (guó): classical character (guó)
  • 母 (mǔ): mother / generative root
  • 长 (cháng): long / enduring / grow
  • 久 (jiǔ): classical character (jiǔ)
  • 根 (gēn): classical character (gēn)
  • 深 (shēn): classical character (shēn)
  • 固 (gù): classical character (gù)
  • 柢 (dǐ): classical character (dǐ)
  • 生 (shēng): give birth to / arise
  • 视 (shì): classical character (shì)
  • 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak