恩始 · 圖難於其易

Ēn Shǐ

Classical Chinese Text

为无为，事无事，味无味。大小多少。报怨以德。图难于其易，为大于其细；天下难事，必作于易；天下大事，必作于细。
是以圣人终不为大，故能成其大。夫轻诺必寡信，多易必多难。是以圣人犹难之，故终无难矣。

Translation & Meaning

以順應自然的無為態度去行事，以清靜不擾的方式去處理世務，去品味那平淡質樸中的本真至味。 洞察小可化大、少可積多的轉化之理，用寬厚坦蕩的德行去化解人世間的怨懟。 籌劃困難之事，要從它尚屬容易的階段著手；成就宏大事業，要從它細微之處做起。天下的難事，必定起始於容易之處；天下的大事，必定發端於細微之點。 因此聖人從不好大喜功去貪求浮名大事，反而紮紮實實成就了偉大的功業。 輕易許諾的人必定難以守信，把事情看得太容易的人必定遭遇重重困難。因此聖人凡事都保持審慎敬畏、視同難事來細緻對待，所以最終反而沒有任何危難。

Commentary

青禾散人評注：無為絕非懶散躺平，而是「圖難於其易，為大於其細」——在最微小、最容易處靜心深耕，水到渠成而不費強力。

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
  • 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
  • 事 (shì): affairs / deeds
  • 味 (wèi): classical character (wèi)
  • 大 (dà): classical character (dà)
  • 小 (xiǎo): classical character (xiǎo)
  • 多 (duō): classical character (duō)
  • 少 (shǎo): classical character (shǎo)
  • 报 (bào): classical character (bào)
  • 怨 (yuàn): classical character (yuàn)
  • 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
  • 德 (dé): Intrinsic Virtue / inner power
  • 图 (tú): classical character (tú)
  • 难 (nán): difficult / arduous
  • 于 (yú): to / at / in
  • 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
  • 易 (yì): easy / simple / change
  • 细 (xì): classical character (xì)
  • 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
  • 下 (xià): under / earthly realm / humble
  • 必 (bì): classical character (bì)
  • 作 (zuò): move / arise / operate
  • 是 (shì): this / therefore
  • 圣 (shèng): sage / enlightened one
  • 人 (rén): person / human
  • 终 (zhōng): classical character (zhōng)
  • 不 (bù): not / un- / without
  • 故 (gù): therefore / thus / consequence
  • 能 (néng): fruitful / capacity / ability
  • 成 (chéng): complete / fulfill
  • 夫 (fū): for / indeed / now
  • 轻 (qīng): classical character (qīng)
  • 诺 (nuò): classical character (nuò)
  • 寡 (guǎ): classical character (guǎ)
  • 信 (xìn): truth / fidelity / honesty
  • 犹 (yóu): classical character (yóu)
  • 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
  • 矣 (yǐ): [modal particle of realization]