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持而盈之，不如其已；揣而銳之，不可長保。金玉滿堂，莫之能守；富貴而驕，自遺其咎。功遂身退，天之道。

Glossary

保

preserve

功

achievement

咎

misfortune

天

heaven

守

guard

已

cease

持

grasping

揣

hammering

盈

overflowing

身

oneself

退

withdraw

遂

accomplished

道

the Way

遺

incur

銳

sharp

長

enduring

驕

arrogance

富貴

wealth and honor

滿堂

filling the hall

金玉

gold and jade

Translation Notes

1. "Holding a thing and bringing it to fullness is not as good as stopping in time." (持而盈之，不如其已) — Alternatives considered: To hold and to fill it is not as good as ceasing · Forcing it to fullness is not as good as knowing when to stop · Chose present rendering because English “stopping in time” better matches the maxim’s implied moment of decision and keeps the clause comparative (not simply descriptive).
2. "To beat and whet it, and to make it keen, is to ensure it cannot last." (揣而銳之，不可長保) — Alternatives considered: To press it to sharpness and sharpen it, it cannot be preserved for long · If you hone it until it is keen, you cannot keep it long · Chose present rendering because The selected phrasing keeps the imagery vivid while remaining compact, reflecting the original’s compressed parallelism.
3. "When gold and jade fill the hall, no one can keep them." (金玉滿堂，莫之能守) — Alternatives considered: Gold and jade fill the hall—no one can guard it · When gold and jade fill the hall, no one can preserve them · Chose present rendering because “Keep them” foregrounds the theme of non-preservation and remains idiomatic in English.
4. "When wealth and rank breed arrogance, one lays blame upon oneself." (富貴而驕，自遺其咎) — Alternatives considered: …one incurs disaster for oneself · …one bequeaths oneself misfortune · Chose present rendering because The chosen wording aligns with the translator’s earlier pragmatic sense of “self-defeat through arrogance” while preserving the “self” of 自.
5. "When achievement is complete, withdraw your person: that is the Way of Heaven." (功遂身退，天之道) — Alternatives considered: …retire after success—this is Heaven’s way · …withdraw your body—this accords with the Way of Heaven · …withdraw when your work is done; this is the pattern of nature · Chose present rendering because “Withdraw your person” keeps the original’s literal register (“person/body”) and “Way of Heaven” maintains the Daoist cosmological register of 天之道.

Footnotes

1. "Holding a thing and bringing it to fullness is not as good as stopping in time" (持而盈之，不如其已) — This proverb-like line warns that pushing toward completion (“fullness,” 盈) is self-defeating. The parallel structure (持…盈之 / 不如其已) casts the choice as comparative wisdom: the better strategy is to cease rather than to drive an activity into excess. On the idiom-like reading of 已 as “stop/cease,” see Yang Bojun’s notes for the imperative sense of the final verb in this chapter’s maxim-like register.
2. "To beat and whet it, and to make it keen" (揣而銳之) — 揣 (chuǎi) in 揣而銳之 is difficult and has been variously explained. Many readers take the phrase in the domain of metalworking—hammering/forging and then sharpening—so that 揣 is understood as an act of forceful manipulation that produces sharpness (銳). This literal-metallurgical sense underwrites the warning that extreme “keenness” will not endure. Du Yu and later commentators generally gloss 揣 in a way consistent with material sharpening, and therefore the metaphor extends to any over-intensified quality (ability, policy, power) that cannot be maintained at peak edge.
3. "…and to make it keen, is to ensure it cannot last" (不可長保) — 不可長保 renders the claim that what has been made overly sharp cannot be preserved for long. 長 (cháng) here is adverbial—“for long / enduringly”—rather than a measure of “length” in space. The rhetorical compression is typical of the Daodejing: “impossible long-preservation” functions as a generalizable law of reversal rather than as a purely technical statement about blades.
4. "When gold and jade fill the hall, no one can keep them" (金玉滿堂，莫之能守) — 金玉滿堂 (jin-yu man-tang) is a highly conventional image of spectacular wealth. 满堂—“filling the hall(s)”—signals not merely possession but overwhelming abundance, which in turn is portrayed as unguardable. The next clause, 莫之能守, uses an object-preposing structure: “(of it) none can guard/preserve.” The point is not only that guarding may be difficult, but that abundance invites loss and undermines one’s capacity to hold it. For interpretive support of this structural and proverbial sense, Du Yu’s and Kong Yingda’s traditions treat the line as moral instruction attached to the stability theme of the chapter.
5. "When wealth and rank breed arrogance" (富貴而驕，自遺其咎) — 富貴而驕 (wealth and rank leading to arrogance) expresses a moral-causal sequence: the source of danger is not wealth alone but the posture it produces—驕 (“haughty arrogance”). The concluding clause 自遺其咎 clarifies that the fault/misfortune (咎) is self-incurred: the person effectively “hands themselves” their own punishment by cultivating arrogance. This self-inflicted element is especially important for reading the chapter’s ethics as both practical and cosmological: reversal occurs “from within” the agent’s attachment.
6. "…one lays blame upon oneself" (自遺其咎) — The translator’s “lays blame upon oneself” corresponds to 自遺其咎. The expression can be read with a spectrum of meanings: “leave oneself (with) blame,” “bequeath oneself fault,” or “incur disaster/blame for oneself.” The presence of 咎 strongly supports a negative-consequence reading (misfortune/disaster), while 遺 suggests a quasi-transactional sense—one “leaves behind” or “renders to oneself.” In scholarly practice, commentators commonly align this clause with self-inflicted calamity rather than purely moral reproof.
7. "When achievement is complete, withdraw your person" (功遂身退，天之道) — 功遂身退 (gong sui shen tui) is a compact ethical maxim. 遂 (suì) indicates that achievement has reached completion—“brought to fruition/accomplished”—and 身退 literalizes withdrawal as receding one’s “person/body.” The line is often taken as normative advice for officials and retainers: once one’s task is accomplished, retreat from the spotlight to avoid the instability that comes with continued attachment to success. This is one reason the phrase became influential in later political ethics and literati self-fashioning (退 as voluntary withdrawal). The last two characters, 天之道, generalize the maxim into the cosmological register of the Daodejing: such withdrawal “accords with” the pattern of Heaven/Nature.
8. "that is the Way of Heaven" (天之道) — 天之道 is a technical phrase in early Daoist usage meaning “the Way/Dao of Heaven,” i.e., the pattern by which the cosmos operates. In translation, English choices such as “Heaven’s way,” “the Way of Heaven,” or “the natural way” shift emphasis between a personified cosmic agent (Heaven) and an impersonal natural order. The chapter repeatedly frames ethics as alignment with larger regularities; thus “Way of Heaven” is often preferred to preserve the cosmological force of 天 while signaling that the Dao operates through regularity rather than through deliberation.

Glossary References

天(Tiān)

Heaven · In 天之道, 天 denotes the cosmological/natural order rather than merely the physical sky; capitalization signals its technical Daoist sense.

道(Dào)

Way / Dao · Core Daoist concept; here it appears indirectly via 天之道, expressing how the cosmos functions.

功(Gōng)

achievement / success · Worldly accomplishment; in 功遂 the emphasis falls on completion.

咎(Jiù)

fault / misfortune · A negative consequence; in 自遺其咎 it is self-incurred. ---

Context

This passage is from chapter 9 of the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), traditionally attributed to Laozi and conventionally dated to the late Spring and Autumn or Warring States period, though its compilation history is complex and layered. The text belongs to the early classical Daoist corpus. In intellectual-historical terms, it reflects a milieu in which thinkers were responding to political competition, social ambition, accumulation of wealth, and the dangers of overreaching. The passage articulates a hallmark Daoist warning against excess: pushing anything to fullness, sharpness, wealth, status, or achievement invites reversal and loss. The closing line, "功遂身退，天之道", became especially influential as a succinct formulation of the principle that once accomplishment is complete, withdrawal accords with the Way of Heaven or the natural order.

The passage draws on broadly shared early Chinese values concerning moderation, self-restraint, and the instability of extreme conditions. Its imagery of a vessel filled to overflowing, a blade honed too sharp, and halls full of gold and jade would have been readily intelligible in aristocratic and political culture. "Gold and jade filling the hall" evokes elite wealth and material splendor; "wealth and rank leading to arrogance" reflects a longstanding moral-political concern that prosperity breeds hubris and thus disaster. The final maxim also intersects with ideals of prudent retirement from office after success, a theme important in later Chinese political ethics and literati self-fashioning. In later reception history, phrases from this chapter became stock expressions in discussions of rulership, official conduct, moral cultivation, and the dangers of overaccumulation.

Themes

1. Moderation and the danger of excess The passage insists that pushing anything beyond its proper limit is self-defeating. Fullness, sharpness, abundance, and high status all become unstable when carried to extremes.
2. Impermanence of possession Material wealth and social prestige cannot be securely held forever. The image of gold and jade filling the hall underscores the fragility of ownership and control.
3. Hubris and self-incurred disaster The line "富貴而驕，自遺其咎" emphasizes that arrogance born of wealth and rank brings its own punishment. The fault is not imposed from outside but generated by oneself.
4. Withdrawal after accomplishment The final statement presents retirement after success as normative and wise. To remain attached to achievement after it is complete violates the deeper pattern of things.
5. Alignment with Heaven or the natural order The chapter frames its advice not merely as prudential but cosmological. The recommended restraint reflects "天之道", the way Heaven works: culmination tends toward decline, so wise action stops short of overextension.

Idioms

1. 功遂身退 A famous classical maxim meaning that once one's work is accomplished, one should withdraw. It is central to Daoist and later political-ethical discourse, often cited to praise non-possessiveness and prudent retirement.
2. 金玉滿堂 Literally, "gold and jade fill the hall." It became a standard expression for immense wealth or opulent abundance, often with an implied warning that such wealth is difficult to preserve.
3. 富貴而驕 A compact formulation of the moral danger that wealth and high rank can produce arrogance. In later usage it functions as a caution against pride induced by prosperity.
4. 持而盈之，不如其已 This sentence is frequently cited as a proverb-like statement that forcing something to fullness is inferior to stopping in time. The significance lies in its anti-maximalist logic: restraint preserves what excess destroys.
5. 揣而銳之，不可長保 Though less common as a standalone idiom than other lines in the chapter, it is a memorable formulation of the principle that over-refinement or over-sharpening shortens durability. It is often read metaphorically of talent, power, or institutions as well as literally of blades.

Literary Devices

1. Parallelism The passage is built from short, balanced clauses: fullness versus cessation, sharpening versus preservation, wealth versus inability to guard it, wealth-and-rank versus arrogance and blame. This symmetry gives the admonitions aphoristic force.
2. Analogy through concrete images Abstract moral and cosmological claims are expressed through tangible objects and situations: an overfilled vessel, an overhoned blade, a hall packed with treasure. These images ground philosophical advice in everyday experience.
3. Parataxis The lines are placed side by side with minimal connectives. The lack of explicit logical markers is characteristic of Classical Chinese and invites the reader to infer a cumulative argument about excess and reversal.
4. Antithetical movement Each unit stages a tension between acquisition/intensification and loss/instability. The rhetorical energy comes from showing how apparent increase turns into its opposite.
5. Gnomic closure The final sentence, "功遂身退，天之道", functions as an authoritative maxim that generalizes the preceding examples into a universal principle.

Translation Challenges

1. 持而盈之，不如其已 — The verb 持 is difficult: it can mean to hold, maintain, grasp, or handle. Translators must decide whether the image is of holding a vessel and filling it, maintaining something until it is full, or more generally pushing something to fullness. 盈之 may mean "fill it to overflowing" or simply "bring it to fullness"; the degree of excess is interpretively significant. 已 means to stop, desist, or let it be. The sentence can be rendered as prudential advice (better to stop) or as a deeper normative principle of non-excess.
2. 揣而銳之，不可長保 — 揣 is textually and semantically difficult. Traditional interpretation often takes the phrase as referring to hammering, whetting, or manipulating something so as to make it sharp; some translators smooth it idiomatically to "hone" or "sharpen." The object is omitted: the translator must infer a blade, a point, or some generalized thing being made sharp. 長保 can mean "preserve for long" or "keep for long"; the line may refer literally to an edge that will not last or figuratively to any overintensified excellence.
3. 金玉滿堂，莫之能守 — The phrase is vividly concrete but may be read either literally or proverbially. A translator must decide how much to preserve the aristocratic imagery of treasure-filled halls. 莫之能守 is a classical object-preposing construction: literally, "none can guard it." English should clarify the referent without flattening the compact force. The line can imply not merely practical difficulty but structural impossibility: abundance itself invites loss.
4. 富貴而驕，自遺其咎 — 自遺其咎 can mean "leave oneself blame," "bring disaster upon oneself," or "bequeath oneself fault." The translator must choose between moral blame and concrete calamity. 而 may be read simply as "and" or as indicating that arrogance arises from wealth and rank; the causal nuance matters. 咎 includes fault, blame, and misfortune. A translation should preserve both ethical and consequential resonance if possible.
5. 功遂身退，天之道 — 遂 can mean complete, accomplish, or bring to fruition; the exact nuance affects how active the achievement appears. 身退 may mean one's person withdraws, one retires from public life, or one effaces oneself after success. A translator must decide whether to keep the bodily concreteness of 身. 天之道 may be rendered as "the Way of Heaven," "Heaven's way," or "the way of nature." Each choice carries different philosophical coloring, especially for readers of Daoist texts.

Technical Terms

1. 天之道 (Taoist philosophy): The Way of Heaven/Nature; fundamental cosmic principle - Translation: Core Taoist concept; requires capitalization as 'the Way of Heaven'
2. 功遂身退 (Taoist philosophy): Withdrawing after achieving success; non-attachment principle - Translation: Key Taoist ideal; translate as unified concept
3. 金玉滿堂 (Classical Chinese symbolism): Hall filled with gold/jade; symbolizes unsustainable wealth - Translation: Idiomatic expression requiring cultural interpretation

Ambiguous Terms

1. 揣 — 95% confidence - Possible meanings: `to hammer/forge (metal)` · `to estimate/conjecture` · `to hold up (object)` - Resolution: Metal-sharpening context supports 'hammer/forge' interpretation
2. 遺 — 90% confidence - Possible meanings: `to bequeath` · `to lose` · `to incur (negative consequence)` - Resolution: Negative consequence ('咎') supports 'incur' meaning

Glossing Notes

Tao Te Ching Chapter 9 (Dao De Jing 第九章) discussing moderation, non-attachment, and alignment with cosmic principles. Requires philosophical sensitivity and awareness of Taoist technical vocabulary.

Translation Principles

1. Preserve the compact, aphoristic structure of the original; do not overexpand the syntax into discursive prose unless necessary for intelligibility.
2. Maintain the parallel sequence of examples and warnings so that the cumulative logic of excess leading to loss remains visible.
3. Retain the concrete imagery of fullness, sharpness, and treasure rather than replacing it with abstract paraphrase.
4. Render "功遂身退" as a concise maxim, preserving the sense of withdrawal after accomplishment rather than merely ceasing activity.
5. Translate "天之道" consistently and deliberately; if using "Heaven," capitalize it to signal the classical cosmological term, but consider whether "the natural way" better fits the target translation's philosophical framing.
6. Where the Chinese is intentionally terse or ambiguous, prefer English that preserves some suggestiveness rather than resolving every ambiguity too definitively.

Segmentation

1. 持而盈之，不如其已 `sentence`
2. 揣而銳之，不可長保 `sentence`
3. 金玉滿堂，莫之能守 `sentence` `ambiguous`
4. 富貴而驕，自遺其咎 `sentence`
5. 功遂身退 `clause` `ambiguous`
6. 天之道 `sentence` `ambiguous`
7. 功遂身退，天之道 `sentence` `ambiguous`

Segmentation Notes

The text is strongly aphoristic and exhibits clear parallelism using『而』 and modal/negation patterns『不如』,『不可』. Clause boundaries are primarily inferred from syntactic completeness: each of the first four lines is a self-contained admonition with an explicit main predicate. The final portion『功遂身退，天之道』 is more ambiguous because『天之道』 can function as either a concluding tag (standalone) or as an explanatory predicate tightly bound to the preceding clause.

Tone & Style

The tone is admonitory, concise, and sapiential. It begins with practical warning through concrete examples, then intensifies into moral caution about arrogance, and ends in a calm but authoritative philosophical maxim. The movement is from worldly observation to universal principle.

The style is terse, aphoristic, and highly compressed, characteristic of the Daodejing. It uses rhythmic prose with parallel clauses and strong imagistic density. The register is elevated but not ornate: the authority comes from brevity, balance, and the suggestive power of concrete examples rather than from explicit argumentation.

None

Terminology

天之道

the Way of Heaven

持

grasping

盈

overflowing

已

cease

揣

sharpening

銳

acute edge

長保

to long preserve

金玉滿堂

gold and jade fill the hall

守

preserve

富貴

wealth and rank

驕

arrogance

遺

incurs

咎

calamity

功

merit

遂

accomplished

身退

withdraw from public life

Terminography Notes

Registered higher-impact collocations and semantic pivots that can easily vary across chunks: (1) cosmological closure “天之道,” (2) the mechanical metaphor pairs “持而盈之／揣而銳之” with their imperative/negative outcomes (“已,” “不可長保”), and (3) the ethical-social causality chain “金玉滿堂…莫之能守／富貴而驕…自遺其咎,” plus the concluding success-and-withdrawal formula “功遂身退.” Existing registry entries cover core Taoist doctrine terms like 道/無為/為無為 etc., so this set intentionally focuses on chunk-specific idioms and collocations likely to be paraphrased inconsistently.