为政 · 无为而无不为
Wéi Zhèng
Classical Chinese Text
道常无为而无不为。侯王若能守之，万物将自化。化而欲作，吾将镇之以无名之朴，镇之以无名之朴，夫将不欲。不欲以静，天下将自定。
Translation & Meaning
大道恒常顺任自然而不妄加干预，却没有什么事情不是由它自然成就的。侯王若能坚守这一原则，世间万物便会依循本性自我化育。 如果在化育生长的过程中萌生了躁动贪欲，我就用那超越名相的本真纯朴去安定它。用无名之朴涵化人心，贪欲妄念便会渐渐平息。 不生妄欲而归于宁静，天下自然而然就会安定太平。
Linguistic & Character Analysis
- 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak
- 常 (cháng): constant / dynamic invariable
- 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
- 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
- 而 (ér): yet / and / but
- 不 (bù): not / un- / without
- 侯 (hóu): classical character (hóu)
- 王 (wáng): classical character (wáng)
- 若 (ruò): classical character (ruò)
- 能 (néng): fruitful / capacity / ability
- 守 (shǒu): classical character (shǒu)
- 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
- 万 (wàn): ten thousand / myriad / all
- 物 (wù): things / phenomena / forms
- 将 (jiāng): classical character (jiāng)
- 自 (zì): classical character (zì)
- 化 (huà): classical character (huà)
- 欲 (yù): intent / desire / craving
- 作 (zuò): move / arise / operate
- 吾 (wú): I / myself
- 镇 (zhèn): classical character (zhèn)
- 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
- 名 (míng): name / conceptual label / to name
- 朴 (pǔ): classical character (pǔ)
- 夫 (fū): for / indeed / now
- 静 (jìng): classical character (jìng)
- 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
- 下 (xià): under / earthly realm / humble
- 定 (dìng): classical character (dìng)
Commentary
青禾散人评注：《道经》三十七章以此收束：“不欲以静，天下将自定。”外在秩序的安定，终究源于内在贪欲的止息与纯朴的回归。