Chapter 57 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching is a chapter that once again emphasizes the specific methods and effects of 'governance through Wu Wei' (無為之治), which is based on the principles of the Tao presented in chapters like 3 and 37. It points out that the imposition of artificial laws, systems, and knowledge throws the people into confusion and distances them from the path of the Tao. It paradoxically asserts the ideal of Wu Wei governance: when a ruler minimizes interference and naturally guides the people to reduce their desires, they can find peace, become upright, and achieve prosperity on their own.
📜 Original Text (原文)
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
民多利器而國家滋昏
人多伎巧而奇物滋起
法令滋彰而盜賊多有
故聖人曰
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
📃 Meaning of the Original Text
Govern a country with uprightness (正), command an army with surprise tactics (奇), and win the world through non-interference (無事).
How do I know this is so?
By this:
The more taboos and prohibitions there are in the world, the poorer the people become.
The more sharp tools the people have, the more chaotic the state becomes.
The more clever and crafty people are, the more strange things arise.
The more prominent the laws and statutes, the more thieves and bandits there are.
Therefore the Sage says:
"I practice Wu Wei (non-action), and the people transform themselves.
I love stillness, and the people correct themselves.
I seek no affairs, and the people enrich themselves.
I have no desires, and the people return to simplicity."
🌲 Line-by-Line Translation
以正治國 以奇用兵 以無事取天下 (yǐ zhèng zhì guó, yǐ qí yòng bīng, yǐ wú shì qǔ tiān xià)
Govern a country with uprightness (正), command an army with surprise tactics (奇), and win the world through non-interference (無事).
吾何以知其然哉 以此 天下多忌諱而民彌貧 民多利器而國家滋昏 人多伎巧而奇物滋起 法令滋彰而盜賊多有 (wú hé yǐ zhī qí rán zāi, yǐ cǐ. tiān xià duō jì huì ér mín mí pín, mín duō lì qì ér guó jiā zī hūn, rén duō jì qiǎo ér qí wù zī qǐ, fǎ lìng zī zhāng ér dào zéi duō yǒu)
How do I know this is so? By this: The more taboos and prohibitions there are in the world, the poorer the people become. The more sharp tools the people have, the more chaotic the state becomes. The more clever and crafty people are, the more strange things arise. The more prominent the laws and statutes, the more thieves and bandits there are.
故聖人曰 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 (gù shèng rén yuē: wǒ wú wéi ér mín zì huà, wǒ hào jìng ér mín zì zhèng, wǒ wú shì ér mín zì fù, wǒ wú yù ér mín zì pǔ)
Therefore the Sage says: "I practice Wu Wei (non-action), and the people transform themselves. I love stillness, and the people correct themselves. I seek no affairs, and the people enrich themselves. I have no desires, and the people return to simplicity."
💧 Verse-by-Verse Commentary and Interpretation (逐句解說與解釋)
1. 以正治國 以奇用兵 以無事取天下 (yǐ zhèng zhì guó, yǐ qí yòng bīng, yǐ wú shì qǔ tiān xià)
o Literal Meaning: With uprightness, govern the country. With surprise, wage war. With non-interference, win the world.
o Commentary: These are three modes of governance or action.
- 以正治國 (yǐ zhèng zhì guó): 'With (以) uprightness/the standard (正), govern (治) the country (國)'. It states that the basic principle of governing a country is to follow just and correct norms or principles. (This can be linked to the Confucian concept of 'correct governance,' but from a Taoist perspective, '正' can also mean uprightness that aligns with the natural order.)
- 以奇用兵 (yǐ qí yòng bīng): 'With (以) surprise/the unorthodox/deception (奇), use (用) troops/war (兵)'. This states that warfare relies on unconventional means like surprise attacks or deception rather than straightforwardness, implying the unnatural character of war (connecting to the criticism of weapons in Chapters 30 and 31).
- 以無事取天下 (yǐ wú shì qǔ tiān xià): 'With (以) no affairs/non-interference (無事), win/govern (取) the world (天下)'. This is the core principle of Wu Wei governance (無為之治), stating that the world is naturally stabilized and governed when the people are left alone without artificial interference (see Chapters 3, 17, 48).
o Interpretation: While this verse seems to present different principles for different domains (governance, war, world peace), its core emphasis is on the final phrase, '以無事取天下'. Although the basic principle of governing a state may be uprightness, and warfare relies on unorthodox means like deception, the ultimate way to truly stabilize and win the world is through the Taoist principle of 'non-interference' (無事, Wu Wei).
2. 吾何以知其然哉 以此 天下多忌諱而民彌貧 民多利器而國家滋昏 人多伎巧而奇物滋起 法令滋彰而盜賊多有 (wú hé yǐ zhī qí rán zāi, yǐ cǐ. tiān xià duō jì huì ér mín mí pín, mín duō lì qì ér guó jiā zī hūn, rén duō jì qiǎo ér qí wù zī qǐ, fǎ lìng zī zhāng ér dào zéi duō yǒu)
o Literal Meaning: How do I know this is so? By this: The more taboos and prohibitions there are in the world, the poorer the people become. The more sharp tools the people have, the more chaotic the state becomes. The more clever and crafty people are, the more strange things arise. The more prominent the laws and statutes, the more thieves and bandits there are.
o Commentary: '吾何以知其然哉' (wú hé yǐ zhī qí rán zāi) is the question: 'How (何以) do I (吾) know (知) that this (其, the principle of '以無事取天下') is so (然)?' (Similar to Chapter 54). '以此' (yǐ cǐ) is the answer, 'By this,' referring to the four descriptions of the state of the world that follow.
- 天下多忌諱而民彌貧 (tiān xià duō jì huì ér mín mí pín): 'The more (多) taboos and prohibitions (忌諱) in the world, the poorer (貧) the people (民) become (彌)'. This means that as artificial laws and regulations increase, the people's free economic activity is stifled, leading to poverty.
- 民多利器而國家滋昏 (mín duō lì qì ér guó jiā zī hūn): 'The more (多) sharp tools (利器, weapons or assets) the people have, the more (滋) chaotic (昏) the state (國家) becomes'. This means when people compete for weapons or wealth out of desire, the nation falls into chaos (see Chapter 3, 'Do not value goods that are hard to come by').
- 人多伎巧而奇物滋起 (rén duō jì qiǎo ér qí wù zī qǐ): 'The more (多) cleverness/craft/skill (伎巧) people have, the more (滋) strange things/artificial objects/chaos (奇物) arise (起)'. This means that the pursuit of artificial technology and cleverness creates more unnatural things and causes disorder (see Chapter 19, 'Banish skill, discard profit').
- 法令滋彰而盜賊多有 (fǎ lìng zī zhāng ér dào zéi duō yǒu): 'The more (滋) prominent and clear (彰) the laws and statutes (法令) become, the more (多有) thieves and bandits (盜賊) there are'. This means that as laws and systems become stricter and more detailed, it paradoxically leads to more deception and crime (thieves and bandits) to evade them (connects to Chapter 18, 'When wisdom and knowledge appear, there is great hypocrisy').
o Interpretation: Laozi knows that 'non-interference' (無事) is the way to govern the world because he has witnessed the reality that artificial regulations, popular desires, technological advancements, and strict laws actually make society poorer, more chaotic, more unnatural, and more crime-ridden. These are concrete examples demonstrating the failure and harm of governance by action (有為, You Wei).
3. 故聖人曰 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 (gù shèng rén yuē: wǒ wú wéi ér mín zì huà, wǒ hào jìng ér mín zì zhèng, wǒ wú shì ér mín zì fù, wǒ wú yù ér mín zì pǔ)
o Literal Meaning: Therefore the Sage says: "I practice Wu Wei (non-action), and the people transform themselves. I love stillness, and the people correct themselves. I seek no affairs, and the people enrich themselves. I have no desires, and the people return to simplicity."
o Commentary: '故聖人曰' (gù shèng rén yuē) means 'Therefore the Sage says,' a formula used to present the specific principles of Wu Wei governance through the voice of the Sage. The pattern '我...而民自...' (wǒ...ér mín zì...) repeats four times. '我' (wǒ) is the Sage as the ruler. '而民自~' (ér mín zì~) means 'and (而) the people (民) of their own accord (自) become ~'.
- 我無為而民自化 (wǒ wú wéi ér mín zì huà): 'I practice Wu Wei (無為)', 'and the people transform themselves (自化)'. Without artificial commands or interference, the people naturally change and develop according to their own nature (see Chapter 37).
- 我好靜而民自正 (wǒ hào jìng ér mín zì zhèng): 'I love stillness (好靜)', 'and the people correct themselves (自正)'. As the ruler maintains inner tranquility and empties desire, the people also naturally find stability and restore order.
- 我無事而民自富 (wǒ wú shì ér mín zì fù): 'I have no affairs (無事)', 'and the people enrich themselves (自富)'. By not initiating artificial policies, tax collections, or complex projects, and by not interfering with the people, they engage in productive activities and become prosperous on their own (see Chapters 3, 48).
- 我無欲而民自樸 (wǒ wú yù ér mín zì pǔ): 'I have no desires (無欲)', 'and the people return to simplicity (自樸)'. As the ruler abandons personal greed and pursues simplicity, the people also naturally shed their desires and return to their original, simple state (樸, pǔ) (see Chapter 19 'have few desires', and Chapter 32 'the nameless uncarved block').
o Interpretation: Through their own internal and external attitudes of 'non-action,' 'stillness,' 'non-interference,' and 'desirelessness,' the Sage enables the people to reach an ideal state where they 'transform themselves,' 'correct themselves,' 'enrich themselves,' and 'return to simplicity.' This concisely presents the core principle of Wu Wei governance: the non-action of the ruler leads to the autonomous development and harmony of the people.
🌳 Overall Interpretation
The fifty-seventh chapter discusses the best way to govern a country.
While governing a country should be based on 'uprightness' and waging war requires 'surprise tactics,' the ultimate way to truly govern and win the world is through 'non-interference' (無事), by minimizing artificial intervention.
How do I know this principle is correct? I know it by looking at the state of the world. The more artificial laws and prohibitions there are, the poorer the people become. The more weapons and assets the people have, the more the state descends into chaos from their disputes. The more artificial skills and cleverness people possess, the more unnatural things and disorder arise. And the stricter and clearer the laws become, the more 'thieves and bandits' there are who try to evade them.
Therefore, the enlightened Sage says this: "I do not interfere, and the people transform and develop on their own." "I love inner stillness, and the people find their own stability and become upright." "I do not create artificial projects (policies) or interfere, and the people become prosperous through their own work." "I abandon personal greed and have no desires, and the people return on their own to their original, pure and simple state."
🌟 The Meaning and Importance of Chapter 57
Chapter 57 presents the following core ideas:
- The Justification of Wu Wei Governance (無為之治): It contrasts the basic principle of governance (正) and the special nature of war (奇) to emphasize that the ultimate method for winning the world is 'non-interference' (無事, Wu Wei).
- The Harm of Action-based (有為) Governance: It specifically points out that artificial laws and regulations (忌諱), popular greed/weaponry (利器), artificial skills (伎巧), and strict statutes (法令) are the causes that lead society into poverty, chaos, unnaturalness, and crime, thus paradoxically proving the failure of governance by action.
- The Sage's Principle of Wu Wei and the People's Self-Transformation: It presents the ruler's (the Sage's) internal and external attitudes of Wu Wei (無為, 好靜, 無事, 無欲) as the direct cause that leads to the people's autonomous positive transformation (自化, 自正, 自富, 自樸). It shows that the state of the leader influences the people.
- The Relationship Between Simplicity (樸) and Prosperity (富): It states that the ruler's desirelessness (無欲) leads to the people's simplicity (自樸), and the ruler's non-interference (無事) leads to the people's prosperity (自富). This suggests that in Taoist thought, simplicity and desirelessness are not about material deprivation but are the source of true abundance.
Chapter 57 is one of the clearest and most persuasive presentations of Taoist political philosophy. It criticizes the harm of complex and artificial governance by action and strongly argues that when a ruler empties the self and lets go of artificial interference, an ideal society—where the people are self-harmonizing, peaceful, and prosperous (自化, 自正, 自富, 自樸)—can be realized.
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