Chapter 3: Quieting desire

CHINESE ORIGINAL

不尚贤，使民不争；不贵难得之货，使民不为盗；不见可欲，使民心不乱。

是以圣人之治，虚其心，实其腹，弱其志，强其骨。

常使民无知无欲。

使夫智者不敢为也。

为无为，则无不治。

ENGLISH · JAMES LEGGE, 1891

Not to value and employ men of superior ability is the way to keep the people from rivalry among themselves; not to prize articles which are difficult to procure is the way to keep them from becoming thieves; not to show them what is likely to excite their desires is the way to keep their minds from disorder.

Therefore the sage, in the exercise of his government, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bones.

He constantly (tries to) keep them without knowledge and without desire, and where there are those who have knowledge, to keep them from presuming to act (on it). When there is this abstinence from action, good order is universal.

Legge’s translation uses nineteenth-century English. Parentheses are the translator’s; English chapter headings are editorial reading aids. Sources & method ↗

A CONTEMPORARY READING

Modern English reading

Do not exalt the wise, so that the people will not contend; do not value rare goods, so that the people will not steal; do not display desirable things, so that the people's hearts will not be chaotic. Therefore, the sage's governance is to empty the people's minds, fill their bellies, weaken their will, and strengthen their bones. Always make the people have no knowledge and no desire. Make the wise not dare to act. By taking no action, everything will be governed.

Modern English readings and commentary translations are AI-assisted study aids, not a published critical translation. Compare the Chinese source when wording matters.

Modern Chinese reading

不推崇有才德的人，导使老百姓不互相争夺；不珍爱难得的财物，导使老百姓不去偷窃；不显耀足以引起贪欲的事物，导使民心不被迷乱。因此，圣人的治理原则是：排空百姓的心机，填饱百姓的肚腹，减弱百姓的竞争意图，增强百姓的筋骨。经常使老百姓没有伪诈的心智，没有争欲的念头。使那些自作聪明的人也不敢妄为造事。实行无为之治，天下就没有治理不好的。

READ ACROSS TRADITIONS

Historical commentaries

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang 唐玄宗

Imperial commentary

ENGLISH STUDY TRANSLATION

Exalting worthies leaves traces; pursuing those traces arouses contention. Let worthy and unworthy each occupy their proper lot, and they will not contend.

'Goods hard to obtain' means what is absent from one's allotted nature. Seeking it cannot bring it, hence 'hard to obtain.' If one is dissatisfied with one's original lot and hopes to imitate what one lacks, one has already lost one's natural allotment: is this not theft? Let things follow their nature and tasks match their abilities. Then goods hard to obtain will not be prized, and the genuine condition of one's nature and life will not be stolen away.

Without traces of exalting worthies or pursuit of goods hard to obtain, there is no displayed object of desire, and the heart is not confused or disturbed.

When desirable things do not disturb the heart, it is empty.

When the Way and virtue fill one inwardly, there is no boasting or pursuit, just as one stops eating on being satisfied and develops no greedy demands.

An empty heart makes ambition weak.

A full belly makes the bones strong.

Always keep the people without knowledge of rivalry and exaltation, and without desire for greedy seeking.

Transform people through clarity and stillness, until all are without such knowledge and desire. Should someone with clever knowledge appear, make that person not dare to act.

Through practicing nonaction, people attain their own nature, and a transformation toward simplicity becomes trustworthy.

Chinese commentary

尚贤则有迹，徇迹则争兴。使贤不肖各当其分，则不争矣。

难得之货，谓性分所无者，求不可得，故云难得。夫不安本分，希效所无，既失性分，宁非盗窃？欲使物任其性，事称其能，则难得之货不贵，性命之情不为盗矣。

既无尚贤之迹，不求难得之货，是无可见之欲，而心不惑乱也。

心不为可欲所乱，则虚矣。

道德内充，则无矜徇，亦如属厌而止，不生贪求。

心虚则志弱。

腹实则骨强。

常使民无争尚之知，无贪求之欲也。

清静化人，尽无知欲。适有知者，令不敢为也。

于为无为，人得其性，则淳化有孚矣。

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Manuscripts and variants

Differences are computed from transcribed Chinese characters, with punctuation excluded. ∅ marks an insertion or omission; highlights do not establish which reading is earlier.

Mawangdui silk manuscript 81% similarity · 13 changed spans