一孔录The video for this chapter is still in production. For now this page gives the original text, the facsimile page, a working translation and the commentary; the full reading follows when the video is out.
治大國若烹小鮮。以道蒞天下，其鬼不神。非其鬼不神，其神不傷人；非其神不傷人，聖人亦不傷人。夫兩不相傷，故德交歸焉。Governing a great state is like cooking a small fish. When the Way is used to oversee the world, ghosts lose their spirit power. It is not that the ghosts lose their power, but that their power does not harm people; it is not only that their power does not harm people, the sage also does not harm people. Since neither harms the other, their virtue flows back to the people together.
白Plain Chinese
治理大国，就像煎小鱼一样不要乱翻。用道来治理天下，鬼怪也不起作用。不是鬼怪不起作用，而是它的作用伤害不了人；不仅它的作用伤害不了人，圣人也不伤害人。鬼神和圣人两方面都不伤害人，所以德就归于百姓。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Wang Bi; it will be checked when the chapter is taught.
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