运夷 · 功遂身退

Yùn Yí

Classical Chinese Text

持而盈之，不如其已；揣而锐之，不可长保。
金玉满堂，莫之能守；富贵而骄，自遗其咎。
功成身退，天之道①也。

Translation & Meaning

端着器皿一味注水求满，不如适时停止；反复锤炼刀锋使其尖锐无比，终究难以长久保持不折。 金玉财宝堆满厅堂，没有人能够永久守住；身居富贵便骄纵自满，等于自己给自己埋下祸患。 大功告成之后懂得敛藏身退，这才是合乎自然运行的天道。

Commentary

青禾散人评注：月盈则亏，水满则溢。“功遂身退”不是消极逃避，而是在事功巅峰时不恋栈权位与虚名，让心神重归自由与清净。

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 持 (chí): classical character (chí)
  • 而 (ér): yet / and / but
  • 盈 (yíng): fulfill / overflow
  • 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
  • 不 (bù): not / un- / without
  • 如 (rú): classical character (rú)
  • 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
  • 已 (yǐ): arises / already / cessation
  • 揣 (chuāi): classical character (chuāi)
  • 锐 (ruì): classical character (ruì)
  • 可 (kě): can / capable of being
  • 长 (cháng): long / enduring / grow
  • 保 (bǎo): classical character (bǎo)
  • 金 (jīn): classical character (jīn)
  • 玉 (yù): classical character (yù)
  • 满 (mǎn): classical character (mǎn)
  • 堂 (táng): classical character (táng)
  • 莫 (mò): classical character (mò)
  • 能 (néng): fruitful / capacity / ability
  • 守 (shǒu): classical character (shǒu)
  • 富 (fù): classical character (fù)
  • 贵 (guì): prize / cherish / valuable
  • 骄 (jiāo): classical character (jiāo)
  • 自 (zì): classical character (zì)
  • 遗 (yí): classical character (yí)
  • 咎 (jiù): classical character (jiù)
  • 功 (gōng): achievement / merit
  • 成 (chéng): complete / fulfill
  • 身 (shēn): classical character (shēn)
  • 退 (tuì): classical character (tuì)
  • 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
  • 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak
  • 也 (yě): [modal particle of assertion]