還淳 · 見素抱樸

Huán Chún

Classical Chinese Text

绝圣弃智，民利百倍；绝仁弃义，民复孝慈；绝巧弃利，盗贼无有。
此三者以为文不足，故令有所属；见素抱朴，少私寡欲；绝学无忧。

Translation & Meaning

摒棄自以為是的聰明巧智，百姓反而獲益百倍；放下矯揉造作的仁義標榜，百姓自然恢復天性的孝順慈愛；斷絕投機取巧與暴利鑽營，盜賊便會自然消弭。 以上三條若只停留在外在文飾仍不夠根本，所以要使人心有所歸屬：顯露如未染生絲般的純潔（見素），懷抱如未雕原木般的質樸（抱樸），減少私心雜念，節制外逐貪欲，放下世俗偽學之累便能自在無憂。

Commentary

青禾散人評注：「見素抱樸，少私寡欲」八字，道盡生命減法之真諦。素者未染之絲，樸者未雕之木；卸下層層社會面具，生命方得輕安無憂。

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 绝 (jué): classical character (jué)
  • 圣 (shèng): sage / enlightened one
  • 弃 (qì): classical character (qì)
  • 智 (zhì): classical character (zhì)
  • 民 (mín): classical character (mín)
  • 利 (lì): benefits / nourishes
  • 百 (bǎi): classical character (bǎi)
  • 倍 (bèi): classical character (bèi)
  • 仁 (rén): benevolence / kindness
  • 义 (yì): classical character (yì)
  • 复 (fù): classical character (fù)
  • 孝 (xiào): classical character (xiào)
  • 慈 (cí): classical character (cí)
  • 巧 (qiǎo): classical character (qiǎo)
  • 盗 (dào): steal / thieves / plunder
  • 贼 (zéi): classical character (zéi)
  • 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
  • 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
  • 此 (cǐ): classical character (cǐ)
  • 三 (sān): classical character (sān)
  • 者 (zhě): aspects / those who / things
  • 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
  • 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
  • 文 (wén): classical character (wén)
  • 不 (bù): not / un- / without
  • 足 (zú): classical character (zú)
  • 故 (gù): therefore / thus / consequence
  • 令 (lìng): classical character (lìng)
  • 所 (suǒ): place / frontier / that which
  • 属 (shǔ): classical character (shǔ)
  • 见 (jiàn): see / display / manifest
  • 素 (sù): classical character (sù)
  • 抱 (bào): classical character (bào)
  • 朴 (pǔ): classical character (pǔ)
  • 少 (shǎo): classical character (shǎo)
  • 私 (sī): classical character (sī)
  • 寡 (guǎ): classical character (guǎ)
  • 欲 (yù): intent / desire / craving
  • 学 (xué): classical character (xué)
  • 忧 (yōu): classical character (yōu)