Reconciling great resentment, there will always be some resentment lef
任契 · Rèn Qì
Classical Chinese Text
和大怨，必有余怨；报怨以德，安可以为善？是以圣人执左契，而不责于人。有德司契，无德司彻。天道无亲，常与善人。
Translation & Meaning
Reconciling great resentment, there will always be some resentment left unreconciled, repay resentment with virtues, is this an act of kindness? This is why a sage with kindness is like a creditor who never collects the debt from the debtor. Those ones with virtues are like this sage who doesn't collect what is owed to her, those ones with no virtues are like a tax collector who is after what is owed rigorously. The Tao of Heaven has no bias, but it favors the kind.
Linguistic & Character Analysis
- 和 (hé): accord / harmonize
- 大 (dà): classical character (dà)
- 怨 (yuàn): classical character (yuàn)
- 必 (bì): classical character (bì)
- 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
- 余 (yú): classical character (yú)
- 报 (bào): classical character (bào)
- 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
- 德 (dé): Intrinsic Virtue / inner power
- 安 (ān): classical character (ān)
- 可 (kě): can / capable of being
- 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
- 善 (shàn): goodness / skillful / kind
- 是 (shì): this / therefore
- 圣 (shèng): sage / enlightened one
- 人 (rén): person / human
- 执 (zhí): classical character (zhí)
- 左 (zuǒ): classical character (zuǒ)
- 契 (qì): classical character (qì)
- 而 (ér): yet / and / but
- 不 (bù): not / un- / without
- 责 (zé): classical character (zé)
- 于 (yú): to / at / in
- 司 (sī): classical character (sī)
- 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
- 彻 (chè): classical character (chè)
- 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
- 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak
- 亲 (qīn): classical character (qīn)
- 常 (cháng): constant / dynamic invariable
- 与 (yǔ): classical character (yǔ)