Daodejing Translation: Chapter 46 — Chapter 50
Here is my new English translation of Chapter 46 to Chapter 50 of the Daodejing together with links to commentaries and breakdowns of each chapter.
Daodejing Chapter 46
《老子道德經》第四十六章
When the Dao prevails
Over all-under-heaven.
The finest steeds
Fertilise the fields.
When the Dao
Does not prevail
Over all-under-heaven,
Warhorses are bred
Just outside the city walls.
No calamity is greater
Than discontent.
No mistake is greater
Than greed.
Knowing when
Enough is enough
Is true contentment.
「天下有道，卻走馬以糞；天下無道，戎馬生於郊；禍莫大於不知足，咎莫大於欲得；故知足之足，常足矣！」
Daodejing Chapter 46: true contentment
Daodejing Chapter 46 breakdown: the finest steeds
Daodejing Chapter 47
《老子道德經》第四十七章
You do not have to
Step outside your door,
To know all-under-heaven.
You do not have to
Look out your window,
To see the Dao of heaven.
The further you go,
The less you know.
The Daoist knows
Without traveling around,
Understands without seeing,
Accomplishes without action.
「不出戶，知天下；不窺牖，見天道；其出彌遠，其知彌少；是以聖人不行而知，不見而名，不為而成。」
Daodejing Chapter 47: the further you go, the less you know
Daodejing Chapter 47 breakdown: the Daoist knows without travelling around
Daodejing Chapter 48
《老子道德經》第四十八章
Learning requires
Increasing every day.
The Dao requires
Decreasing every day.
Decrease and decrease again,
Until you attain
Effortless action.
With effortless action
Nothing is left undone.
All-under-heaven is won
Without interfering.
Interfering never wins
All-under-heaven.
「為學日益，為道日損，損之又損，以至於無為；無為而無不為。取天下常以無事，及其有事，不足以取天下。」
Daodejing Chapter 48: decrease and decrease again
Daodejing Chapter 48 breakdown: nothing is left undone
Daodejing Chapter 49
《老子道德經》第四十九章
The Daoist has no heart-and-mind.
He takes the heart-and-mind
Of the common people as his own.
I treat the good as good.
I also treat the not good as good.
This is the power of goodness.
I trust the trustworthy.
I also trust the untrustworthy.
This is the power of trust.
In all-under-heaven,
The Daoist is humble and cautious,
Blurs his heart-and-mind,
For the benefit
Of all-under-heaven
The common people fix
Their ears and eyes on him.
The Daoist treats them all as children.
「聖人常無心，以百姓心為心。善者吾善之，不善者吾亦善之，德善。信者吾信之，不信者吾亦信之，德信。聖人在天下，歙歙為天下渾其心。百姓皆注其耳目，聖人皆孩之。」
Daodejing Chapter 49: the Daoist has no heart-and-mind
Daodejing Chapter 49 breakdown: humble and cautious
《老子道德經》第五十章
Daodejing Chapter 50
Everyone passes
From birth to death,
One third are companions of life.
One third are companions of death.
One third cling so tightly to life,
That they enter the field of death.
Why is this so?
Because they set
Too much store by life.
It is said:
People who know how to live properly,
Travel the earth without
Encountering a rhinoceros or a tiger,
Go into battle without
Donning armour or weapons.
The rhinoceros finds no spot
To gore them with its horns.
The tiger finds no spot
To sink its claws into them.
The weapon finds no spot
To pierce them with its blade.
Why is this so?
Because they are not
In the field of death.
「出生入死，生之徒，十有三；死之徒，十有三；人之生，動之死地，亦十有三。夫何故？以其生生之厚。蓋聞善攝生者，陸行不遇兕虎，入軍不被甲兵，兕無所投其角，虎無所措其爪，兵無所容其刃，夫何故？以其無死地！」
Daodejing Chapter 50: life and death
Daodejing Chapter 50 breakdown: the field of death
