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.
其安易持，其未兆易謀，其脆易泮，其微易散。為之於未有，治之於未亂。合抱之木，生於毫末；九層之臺，起於累土；千里之行，始於足下。為者敗之，執者失之。是以聖人無為故無敗，無執故無失。民之從事，常於幾成而敗之。慎終如始，則無敗事。是以聖人欲不欲，不貴難得之貨；學不學，復衆人之所過，以輔萬物之自然而不敢為。What is at rest is easy to hold; what has not yet shown signs is easy to plan for; what is brittle is easy to break; what is minute is easy to scatter. Deal with it before it exists; put it in order before disorder arises. A tree as wide as a man's embrace grows from a tiny shoot; a terrace of nine stories rises from a heap of earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet. Whoever works on it ruins it; whoever grasps it loses it. Therefore the sage does not contrive and so does not fail; does not grasp and so does not lose. People in their undertakings often fail when they are on the verge of success. Be as careful at the end as at the beginning, and there will be no failure. Therefore the sage desires not to desire and does not prize goods hard to get; learns not to learn and brings people back from where they went too far. He helps the ten thousand things to be as they are of themselves and does not dare to contrive.
What this chapter says
一孔按：无为，不是什么都不做。该做的事，在它还小、还没出事的时候就做了；快成的时候，还要像开头那样小心。常有人问：“无为”是叫人什么都别做吗？上面是一孔录的回答。
Yikonglu's reading of this chapter is in Chinese for now; the English version comes with the video.
白Plain Chinese
局面安定时容易持守，事情还没有征兆时容易谋划，东西脆弱时容易破开，东西细微时容易散失。要在事情还没发生时去处理，要在祸乱还没出现时去治理。合抱的大树，从细小的萌芽生长；九层的高台，从一筐筐泥土筑起；千里的远行，从脚下第一步开始。强行作为的就会失败，强行把持的就会失去。所以圣人不妄为所以不失败，不把持所以不失去。百姓做事，常在快要成功时失败。到最后还像开始时一样谨慎，就不会失败。所以圣人以没有欲望为欲望，不看重难得的财货；以不学为学，补救众人的过失，辅助万物自然生长而不敢妄为。
Draft plain-Chinese rendering following Wang Bi; it will be checked when the chapter is taught.
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