Source

以正治國，以奇用兵，以無事取天下。吾何以知其然哉？以此：天下多忌諱，而民彌貧；民多利器，國家滋昏；人多伎巧，奇物滋起；法令滋彰，盜賊多有。故聖人云：我無為，而民自化；我好靜，而民自正；我無事，而民自富；我無欲，而民自樸。

Glossary

奇

unorthodox methods

正

rectitude

滋

increasingly

忌諱

taboos

無事

non-interference

自化

transform naturally

Translation Notes

1. "Governing a state with the orthodox, using troops with the unorthodox, and taking All-under-Heaven through non-interference" (以正治國，以奇用兵，以無事取天下) — Alternatives considered: “Govern with correctness, fight with surprise, and seize the world by doing nothing” · “Use regular governance, employ irregular tactics, and win under Heaven without meddling” · Chose present rendering because The chosen wording keeps the paradoxical logic: (1) regular governance and irregular military methods are framed as compatible, and (2) the decisive factor is non-interference (無事), not proactive coercion.
2. "—how do I know that this is so? By this:" (吾何以知其然哉？以此) — Alternatives considered: “How could I know it is so? With this…” · “By what means would I know it is so? (The answer is:) …” · Chose present rendering because “By this” signals the immediate evidential transition and preserves the compactness of the original.
3. "wherever there are more prohibitions under heaven, the people grow the poorer" (天下多忌諱，而民彌貧) — Alternatives considered: “wherever there are more taboos beneath Heaven, the people become ever poorer” · Chose present rendering because “Prohibitions” better captures the governmental thrust of the line.
4. "wherever the people have more sharp instruments, the state grows the more benighted" (民多利器，國家滋昏) — Alternatives considered: “wherever the people possess more weapons, the state becomes more confused” · “wherever tools of advantage increase, the polity grows clouded” · Chose present rendering because The English phrase aims to preserve the Daoist logic of moral-political causation rather than narrow the terms to a purely military category.
5. "wherever people have more crafty skill, stranger contrivances arise" (人多伎巧，奇物滋起) — Alternatives considered: “wherever people grow more clever, strange things proliferate” · Chose present rendering because “Crafty” foregrounds the moral tone of “clever contrivance” rather than neutral competence.
6. "wherever laws and commands are made more manifest, thieves and bandits are the more plentiful" (法令滋彰，盜賊多有) — Alternatives considered: “wherever ordinances proliferate, theft and banditry increase” · Chose present rendering because The choice aims to preserve the clause’s emphasis on explicitness/proliferation (滋彰).
7. "Therefore the Sage says: I practice non-action, and the people transform themselves… I have no desire, and the people become plain and uncarved of themselves." (故聖人云：我無為，而民自化；我好靜，而民自正；我無事，而民自富；我無欲，而民自樸) — Alternatives considered: “The sage teaches: without doing, the people change on their own…” · “I desire nothing, and the people return to simplicity” · Chose present rendering because “Uncarved” preserves the metaphorical texture that is central to Daoist readings of 樸.

Footnotes

1. "All-under-Heaven" (天下) — “All-under-Heaven” translates 天下 (tiānxià), a classical term for the entire political-cultural world under Heaven’s rule, not simply “the world” in a modern sense. In early political discourse it denotes the domain of kingship and moral order; in Daoist texts it often serves as the total field within which governance and natural self-ordering are imagined to operate. For background on the semantic range of 天下, see standard lexicographic discussions (e.g., Hanyu cidian) and comparative usage in Warring States political writing.
2. "non-interference" (無事／無為) — “Non-interference” renders 無事/無為 (here linked through the subsequent “I practice non-action” and “I do not stir up affairs”). In Daoist political thought, 無為 does not mean inertness or doing nothing; rather it denotes governing (or acting) without coercive manipulation and without forcing affairs against their natural tendency (ziran 自然). See the widely agreed Daoist interpretation that 無為 is “non-forcing” (不強) and that it yields spontaneous order. Du Yu (杜預) and later exegetes generally treat 無為 as a technique of rule through restraint rather than abdication.
3. "orthodox" (正) — “Orthodox” renders 正 (zhèng), here paired with 奇 (qí) to contrast “proper/correct” methods with “unorthodox/extraordinary” ones. In early Chinese usage 正 can mean correctness and rectification; in strategic and administrative contexts it implies regular, straightforward, and norm-governed practice. Kong Yingda treats 正 in this pairing as the “proper” or “right” approach, while the juxtaposition highlights that effective rule also requires flexible deviation in military matters.
4. "unorthodox" (奇) — “Unorthodox” renders 奇 (qí), a key term with strategic and military connotations, contrasting with 正. While modern intuition may read 奇 as “strange” or “odd,” in classical military discourse 奇 indicates “extraordinary” or “indirect/surprising” methods that supplement the orthodox. This is why the present translation avoids neutral “strange” and instead uses “unorthodox,” preserving the strategic contrast embedded in the triadic formula.
5. "how do I know that this is so?" (吾何以知其然哉？以此) — The rhetorical question 吾何以知其然哉？以此 (“How would I know it is so? By this…”) is a Daoist argumentative pivot: it does not express real doubt, but signals that the ensuing list provides the grounds for the claim. The compressed formula “以此” (yǐ cǐ) functions like “by this reason” or “the following demonstrates it.” Treating it as a genuine uncertainty weakens the text’s gnomic logic.
6. "prohibitions" (忌諱) — “Prohibitions” translates 忌諱 (jìhuì), a term referring to taboos/avoidances and especially restrictive prohibitory regimes. In Warring States and early imperial contexts, multiplying state taboos and interdictions is plausibly connected with a broader pattern of increasing bureaucratic control and codification, which the Daoist critique frames as socially counterproductive. The received commentarial tradition commonly understands 忌諱 here as governmental prohibitions rather than purely private cultural taboo.
7. "benighted" (昏) — “Benighted” renders 昏 (hūn), which can indicate confusion, dullness, disorder, and loss of clarity. Here it follows 國家滋昏: as the state proliferates weapons/advantages (利器), it becomes increasingly confused/disordered. Several commentators interpret 昏 with moral-administrative coloration—suggesting that the state’s orientation becomes clouded and unstable, not merely lacking enlightenment in a strictly intellectual sense.
8. "sharp instruments" (利器) — “Sharp instruments” renders 利器. The phrase can mean “sharp weapons” (a literal military sense), but Daoist political critique often reads it more broadly as “advantageous/efficacious devices,” including technologies and institutional tools that increase coercive capacity. The immediate causal sequence (weapons/tools → state becomes confused/disordered; clever skill → strange contrivances) supports a combined literal-metaphorical reading: the proliferation of instrumental advantage enables competitive scheming and undermines natural order.
9. "crafty skill" (伎巧) — “Crafty skill” renders 伎巧 (jìqiǎo). The term often carries a pejorative edge: not merely manual skill, but artificial cleverness and techniques that enable contrivance and opportunism. The subsequent clause “奇物滋起” (stranger contrivances arise) suggests that such skill generates more “奇” (extraordinary/unorthodox) novelties and luxuries, rather than benign competence.
10. "stranger contrivances arise" (奇物滋起) — “Stranger contrivances” renders 奇物滋起. 奇物 (qíwù) refers to unusual devices/things—often products of contrivance, luxury novelty, or ingenious artifacts. The causative structure “滋起” (zīqǐ) intensifies: the more X proliferates, the more Y emerges. The translation’s phrase “stranger contrivances” attempts to capture both (i) 奇’s “extraordinary/unorthodox” value and (ii) 物’s objecthood (concrete things/novelties), while maintaining the proliferative (滋) logic.
11. "laws and commands are made more manifest" (法令滋彰) — The clause 法令滋彰, 盜賊多有 criticizes the proliferation and conspicuous display of regulations and prohibitions. 彰 (zhāng) includes meanings such as “to manifest,” “to become prominent,” and “to be displayed.” Translating 彰 as “made more manifest” preserves that sense of law becoming increasingly explicit and public, rather than merely existing. The sequence then states that thieves and bandits (盜賊) become more numerous.
12. "thieves and bandits" (盜賊) — 盜賊 (dào zéi) typically means “thieves and bandits.” While it can be taken literally in a policing/military sense, Daoist political critique often uses the crime vocabulary as an emblem for social predation and disorder in general. Thus, the phrase need not be restricted to banditry alone; it can represent a broader breakdown of moral-administrative order resulting from excessive prohibitions and contrivance.
13. "the Sage" (聖人) — “The Sage” renders 聖人 (shèngrén), a Daoist idealized figure—often the sage-ruler—whose governance embodies the Way. In the received Dao De Jing tradition, 聖人 introduces authoritative doctrinal speech, frequently using the formula “故聖人云” (“Therefore the sage says…”). The self-citation indicates that the following clauses are not mere observation but exemplary instruction.
14. "I practice non-action" (無為) — This renders 我無為. In Daoist political theory, 無為 (wúwéi) is often paraphrased as “non-forcing action” or “governing without coercive interference.” It is not a doctrine of passivity, but of aligning governance with natural processes (ziran) so that order arises without compelled manipulation. The repetition of 我 and 自-clauses later emphasizes the ruler’s restrained method and the people’s spontaneous response.
15. "transform themselves" (自化) — “Transform themselves” renders 民自化. The structure 民自… (the people themselves…) with 自 (zì) is crucial: it indicates that change/settling comes from within the populace under restrained governance, rather than from external coercion. 化 (huà) denotes transformation and development—often including moral-social self-adjustment. Some translations render 化 as “become civilized” or “undergo transformation”; the present wording follows the Daoist emphasis on spontaneous self-cultivation rather than externally imposed education.
16. "rectify themselves" (自正) — “Rectify themselves” renders 民自正. 正 here retains the sense of correct/orderly rectification: under still governance, the people correct their own conduct and align with proper norms. The translation choices attempt to preserve the contrast to the earlier orthodox/unorthodox pairing: here “orthodoxy” is achieved not by intervention but by self-rectification. The repetition of 自 indicates spontaneity; it is not the ruler imposing “rightness.”
17. "stillness" (好靜) — “Stillness” renders 好靜. 靜 (jìng) is not merely physical quiet but a mode of restraint and non-interference. The pairing 我好靜 (I prize stillness) signals the ruler’s preference for quiet governance rather than restless activism. This aligns with the Daoist critique in the preceding clauses: excessive interference (legal display, weaponization, contrivance) produces disorder, whereas stillness permits the people to become orderly.
18. "I do not stir up affairs" (無事) — “I do not stir up affairs” renders 我無事. While earlier the text employs 無事 as a governing paradox, the phrase should not be read as “nothing happens” but as “no stirring/meddling” (no forced activity). The English “stir up affairs” captures that the ruler refrains from initiatives that generate administrative turbulence.
19. "enrich themselves" (自富) — “Enrich themselves” renders 民自富. 富 (fù) typically denotes material sufficiency and prosperity. In Daoist anti-intervention rhetoric, enrichment is not the product of economic programs imposed from above but arises when governance ceases to create distortion and predation. Keeping 富 concrete (material sufficiency) helps avoid making the passage purely moralistic.
20. "plain and uncarved of themselves" (樸) — “Plain and uncarved” renders 民自樸. 樸 (pǔ) is one of the most important metaphors in Daoist thought: the uncarved block (樸) that is plain, natural, and not artificially shaped by carving/decoration. The phrase uncarved draws attention to the etymological and conceptual contrast with artificiality and contrivance. Here, 樸 describes a natural simplicity that emerges spontaneously when the ruler has no acquisitive desire (我無欲). Some commentators render 樸 as “simplicity/uncut” rather than mere “simplicity” so as to keep the material metaphor.

Glossary References

天下(tiānxià)

All-under-Heaven · Political-cosmic totality: the entire domain under Heaven’s governance; not simply “the world.”

無為(wúwéi)

non-action / non-forcing · Daoist governance by restraint and non-coercive non-interference; not literal passivity.

無事(wúshì)

non-interference · In this context: absence of forced meddling or activist “stirring up” of affairs.

正(zhèng)

orthodox / correct / rectitude · Proper governance/rectification contrasted with 奇; retains moral-administrative sense.

奇(qí)

unorthodox / extraordinary · Strategic term contrasting with 正; indicates indirect/surprising methods.

忌諱(jìhuì)

prohibitions / taboos · Restrictive avoidances and interdictions; here, likely governmental prohibitions.

樸(pǔ)

uncarved plainness (natural simplicity) · Daoist metaphor for unadorned natural state, contrasted with artificial carving and contrivance. ---

Context

This passage is from the received text of the Dao De Jing (Laozi), conventionally chapter 57. The work is traditionally attributed to Laozi, but modern scholarship generally treats it as a composite text formed during the late Spring and Autumn to Warring States period, roughly the 4th to 3rd centuries BCE. Its political thought responds to an age of interstate warfare, expanding bureaucratic control, legal codification, military innovation, and intense debate over how to govern effectively. In that context, the passage offers a distinctly Daoist critique of activist statecraft: excessive prohibitions, weaponization, clever contrivance, and proliferating laws do not secure order but generate poverty, confusion, artificiality, and crime. The chapter contrasts orthodox political administration, irregular military strategy, and the paradoxical idea that the world can be won through non-interference, a formulation that engages broader Warring States discussions also seen in Legalist, Confucian, and military texts.

Several key political and philosophical concepts in the passage are deeply rooted in early Chinese culture. "國" and "天下" are not simple equivalents: "國" refers to an individual polity or state, whereas "天下" means "All-under-Heaven," the entire human and political world conceived as a moral and cosmic totality. "無為" does not mean mere passivity in a modern colloquial sense; it denotes non-coercive, non-forcing action aligned with the natural course of things, a central Daoist ideal. "正" and "奇" reflect early strategic vocabulary: "正" suggests regular, orthodox, straightforward methods, while "奇" indicates extraordinary, indirect, or surprising means, especially in military affairs. The passage also reflects suspicion toward heavy lawmaking and technological or artisanal sophistication, ideas that arose amid increasing state centralization, registration, regulation, and military buildup in the Warring States era. The "聖人" here is the Daoist sage-ruler, an idealized figure who governs by minimizing interference so that the people spontaneously transform themselves.

Themes

1. Non-action as political principle The core doctrine is that the best ruler governs through "無為" and restraint rather than through active manipulation. The people then transform, rectify, enrich, and simplify themselves spontaneously.
2. Critique of overgovernment The passage argues that multiplying taboos, regulations, weapons, technical cleverness, and explicit laws produces the very social disorders the state seeks to eliminate.
3. Paradox in governance and power The text is structured around paradox: one governs a state with "正," uses troops with "奇," yet gains "天下" through "無事." Effective rule emerges from apparent non-intervention.
4. Spontaneous social order Human communities are presented as capable of self-ordering when not distorted by intrusive governance. The repeated "民自..." formulas stress organic, unforced development.
5. Simplicity versus artificiality The final line, "我無欲，而民自樸," contrasts desirelessness with the uncarved simplicity of the people. Artificial desires and clever devices are portrayed as socially corrosive.
6. Moral-political causation The chapter presents a chain of causal claims: more prohibitions lead to poverty, more weapons to disorder, more cleverness to contrived novelties, and more laws to theft. Political causes generate social effects.

Idioms

1. 以正治國，以奇用兵，以無事取天下 A famous triadic maxim from the Laozi. It juxtaposes regular governance, irregular military strategy, and the paradoxical conquest of "All-under-Heaven" through non-interference. It is often cited in discussions of Daoist political philosophy and early Chinese strategy.
2. 無為而治 Although the exact four-character expression does not appear here in full, this passage is one of its classic scriptural bases. It signifies rule through non-coercive, non-forcing action rather than inertness or abdication.
3. 我無為，而民自化 One of the best-known formulations of Daoist government. The ruler's lack of coercive action allows the people to transform themselves. It has become a canonical statement of spontaneous order.
4. 我好靜，而民自正 A compact statement linking the ruler's stillness or quietism with the people's self-rectification. "靜" carries both political restraint and inner composure.
5. 我無事，而民自富 A memorable expression of the idea that reducing governmental meddling allows material sufficiency to arise naturally. "無事" here means not stirring up affairs, not busy activism.
6. 我無欲，而民自樸 This line links the ruler's freedom from acquisitive desire to the people's return to "樸," the plain, uncarved, unadorned state prized in Daoist thought. It is philosophically dense and often quoted.
7. 法令滋彰，盜賊多有 A widely cited critique of legal proliferation. The more laws are displayed and elaborated, the more thieves and bandits appear. It encapsulates a major Daoist objection to punitive legalism.

Literary Devices

1. Triadic opening parallelism The first sentence presents three balanced clauses: governing a state, using troops, and taking the world. The rhythm establishes authority and compresses a complex political doctrine into a gnomic form.
2. Rhetorical question with self-answer "吾何以知其然哉？以此" introduces the argument by posing a question and immediately answering it. This device gives the claim dialectical force while preserving aphoristic brevity.
3. Enumerative causal sequence The four clauses beginning "天下多忌諱" build a sequence of social diagnoses. Each follows the pattern "the more X, the more Y," creating cumulative argumentative pressure.
4. Anaphora Repetition of "民多...", "滋...", and especially "我...，而民自..." creates both sonic coherence and conceptual emphasis. The repeated structures embody the regularity of the causal claims.
5. Antithetical paradox The passage repeatedly advances truths that appear contrary to common political assumptions: less action yields more order; fewer laws yield less crime; less desire yields greater simplicity.
6. Sage-speech framing The phrase "故聖人云" introduces direct authoritative speech. This lends the final maxims the status of exemplary doctrinal utterance rather than merely descriptive observation.
7. Climactic closure through tetracolon The final four first-person declarations form a balanced four-part climax. They move from transformation and rectification to wealth and simplicity, ending on the deeply Daoist ideal of "樸."

Translation Challenges

1. 以正治國，以奇用兵，以無事取天下 — "正" and "奇" are technical terms with a strategic history; simple equivalents like "normal" and "strange" are too flat. "取天下" can mean "gain," "win," or "take control of All-under-Heaven"; "conquer the world" may sound too militaristic if detached from the paradox of "無事." "無事" does not mean literally "nothing happens"; it suggests non-interference, not stirring up affairs, or refraining from activist governance.
2. 吾何以知其然哉？以此 — The rhetorical force should be preserved: it is not genuine uncertainty but a formal self-interrogation leading into proof. "以此" is highly compressed and may need expansion in English as "By this" or "For this reason," without losing terseness.
3. 天下多忌諱，而民彌貧 — "忌諱" can mean taboos, prohibitions, avoidances, or restrictive interdictions; the translator must decide whether the focus is moral taboo or governmental prohibition. "彌" means increasingly, all the more, or ever more; its intensifying force should be conveyed.
4. 民多利器，國家滋昏 — "利器" may refer to sharp weapons, effective tools, or powerful instruments more broadly. In context, many read it politically or militarily, but some allow wider technological implications. "國家" in premodern usage means the state or polity, not the modern nation-state. "昏" may mean benighted, confused, disordered, or unstable; the translator must choose between moral and administrative coloration.
5. 人多伎巧，奇物滋起 — "伎巧" can be skill, craftiness, ingenuity, or cunning artifices; the term may be pejorative rather than neutral. "奇物" may mean rare contrivances, luxury novelties, ingenious devices, or strange products; no single English phrase captures all nuances.
6. 法令滋彰，盜賊多有 — "彰" can mean manifest, conspicuous, prominent, or elaborately displayed. The issue may be proliferation, publicity, or explicitness of law. "盜賊" can mean thieves and bandits specifically, but may also imply wider criminality and social predation.
7. 我無為，而民自化；我好靜，而民自正；我無事，而民自富；我無欲，而民自樸 — The repeated first-person pronoun "我" refers to the sage-ruler; the translator must decide whether to keep the direct "I" or recast it more abstractly. "自" is crucial in all four clauses: it signals spontaneity, self-so, and unforced development. This should not be weakened. "化" can be transform, be transformed, or be civilized; context favors spontaneous transformation but alternatives exist. "正" may mean become upright, become orderly, or rectify themselves. "富" may mean materially prosperous or simply sufficiently provided for. "樸" is especially difficult: plain, simple, unhewn, uncarved, and guileless are all partial renderings. It carries a major Daoist metaphor that may require a note.

Allusions

1. 聖人云 — Tao Te Ching Chapter 57 (internal self-citation)

Technical Terms

1. 無為 (Taoist philosophy): Non-action, effortless action, or non-forced governance - Translation: Central Taoist concept; maintain capitalization as 'Non-action' or use italics
2. 自樸 (Taoist philosophy): Natural simplicity, unadorned state of being - Translation: Contrasts with artificial complexity; translate as 'natural simplicity'

Ambiguous Terms

1. 利器 — 85% confidence - Possible meanings: `sharp weapons` · `clever tools` · `advantageous instruments` - Resolution: Metaphorical reading as 'clever devices' that create social complexity
2. 伎巧 — 90% confidence - Possible meanings: `skills and techniques` · `crafty methods` · `artificial cleverness` - Resolution: Negative connotation of excessive ingenuity; 'crafty techniques' preferred

Glossing Notes

Chapter 57 of Tao Te Ching demonstrating paradoxes of governance. Requires careful handling of: 1. Parallel structures (以...以...以...) 2. Cause-effect chains (多...滋...) 3. Final aphorisms with 自... patterns

Translation Principles

1. Preserve the passage's parallel architecture, especially the opening triad and the final four "我...，而民自..." clauses; balanced English syntax is essential.
2. Do not flatten key Daoist terms: render "無為," "無事," and "樸" with great care, and consider brief annotation if a single English equivalent cannot carry the philosophical weight.
3. Maintain the paradoxical force of the argument. The text deliberately challenges common assumptions about law, administration, military power, and political efficacy.
4. Translate "天下" context-sensitively as "All-under-Heaven" or an equivalent that preserves its classical political-cosmic scope; avoid anachronistically modern notions of "the world" if they erase this nuance.
5. Keep the rhetorical question concise and forceful. "吾何以知其然哉？以此" should read as a compact argumentative pivot, not as extended discursive explanation.
6. Avoid overly modern bureaucratic language. Terms like "國家," "法令," and "盜賊" should sound political and classical, not like contemporary policy jargon.
7. If translating for general readers, consider signaling where terms such as "正" and "奇" have technical strategic meanings, especially in the opening line.

Segmentation

1. 以正治國 `clause`
2. 以奇用兵 `clause`
3. 以無事取天下 `clause`
4. 以正治國，以奇用兵，以無事取天下。 `sentence` `ambiguous`
5. 吾何以知其然哉？ `sentence`
6. 以此：天下多忌諱，而民彌貧 `clause` `ambiguous`
7. 天下多忌諱 `clause`
8. 而民彌貧 `clause` `ambiguous`
9. 民多利器，國家滋昏 `clause` `ambiguous`
10. 民多利器 `clause`
11. 國家滋昏 `clause` `ambiguous`
12. 人多伎巧，奇物滋起 `clause` `ambiguous`
13. 人多伎巧 `clause`
14. 奇物滋起 `clause` `ambiguous`
15. 法令滋彰，盜賊多有 `clause` `ambiguous`
16. 法令滋彰 `clause`
17. 盜賊多有 `clause`
18. 故聖人云 `clause`
19. 我無為，而民自化 `clause` `ambiguous`
20. 我無為 `clause`
21. 而民自化 `clause` `ambiguous`
22. 我好靜，而民自正 `clause` `ambiguous`
23. 我好靜 `clause`
24. 而民自正 `clause` `ambiguous`
25. 我無事，而民自富 `clause` `ambiguous`
26. 我無事 `clause`
27. 而民自富 `clause` `ambiguous`
28. 我無欲，而民自樸 `clause` `ambiguous`
29. 我無欲 `clause`
30. 而民自樸 `clause` `ambiguous`
31. 以此：天下多忌諱，而民彌貧；民多利器，國家滋昏；人多伎巧，奇物滋起；法令滋彰，盜賊多有。 `sentence` `ambiguous`
32. 故聖人云：我無為，而民自化；我好靜，而民自正；我無事，而民自富；我無欲，而民自樸。 `sentence` `ambiguous`

Segmentation Notes

Segmentation is guided by 虛詞 and structural operators: 哉 for interrogative boundary; 故 for logical transition; 云 + colon for quoted frame; 以 (means/cause) as a preposed clause marker; 而 for linking stance-to-result or contrasting consequence; 自 for spontaneous result. Main ambiguities arise where classical texts rely on punctuation for visual separation rather than explicit clause-final particles, so some sentence-level boundaries are inferred from completeness and parallelism.

Tone & Style

The tone is aphoristic, authoritative, and paradoxical. It opens with terse doctrinal assertion, shifts into a pointed diagnostic critique of social and political disorder, and concludes in calm, assured sage-speech. The middle section carries a sharper, almost admonitory edge, while the final four lines are serene and exemplary in tone.

Compressed Classical Chinese philosophical prose in the gnomic style associated with the Dao De Jing. The register is elevated but spare, relying on parallel syntax, semantic density, repetition, and paradox rather than explicit exposition. The prose is highly quotable and formulaic, with minimal connective tissue and maximal conceptual compression.

None

Terminology

正

rectitude

奇

unorthodox methods

無事

non-interference

忌諱

taboos

滋

proliferates

自化

transform naturally

聖人云

Therefore the Sage says

利器

clever devices

伎巧

crafty techniques

Terminography Notes

This chunk hinges on a technical opposition set: (1) “正” vs. “奇” in governance and military tactics, (2) wuwei-style non-interference expressed by “無事,” and (3) negative causal proliferation expressed by repeated “多…而…滋…/滋…起/滋彰.” To prevent downstream inconsistency, render the cause-effect chain with consistently evaluative English verbs (e.g., “proliferates” for 滋 in its negative proliferative sense) and preserve the final parallel aphorisms’ spontaneous-development logic: “我無為…民自化 / 我好靜…民自正 / 我無事…民自富 / 我無欲…民自樸.”