Tao Te Ching 45

In this particular day I shall interpret a verse from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, namely verse 45.  In A Source Book In Chinese Philosophy, Wing Tsit Chan presents the verse:

“45. What is most perfect seems to be incomplete;

But its utility is unimpaired.

What is most full seems to be empty;

But its usefulness is inexhaustible.

What is most straight seems to be crooked.

The greatest skills seems to be clumsy.

The greatest eloquence seems to stutter.

Hasty movement overcomes cold,

(But) tranquility overcomes heat.

By being greatly tranquil,

One is qualified to be the ruler of the world”. ¹

Firstly, let us discuss the theme of the verse.  The theme of the verse revolves around the nature of opposites.  Lao Tzu sees the opposites as complementing pairs.   Theses opposites represent the Tao, for it is observed that Nature does not only have either good or bad.  It is in the existence of both good and bad which depicts the Tao or Nature.  The movement of such complementary pair can be described as reversing.  This reversal however, does not make the individual to move backward.  Rather, it makes the individual realize that it is in the recognition of the opposites as complementary and not contradictory that he can be able to live a happier life.

Let us observe this as we go over the verse.   Let us go over the first five lines in the verse.

“What is most perfect seems to be incomplete;

But its utility is unimpaired.

What is most full seems to be empty;

But its usefulness is inexhaustible.

What is most straight seems to be crooked.”

It can be observed from these lines that being able to recognize the opposites in things makes one appreciate both the good and bad things in life.  It is common to people to be more inclined to good things and shun away from bad things in life.   An example is in appreciating people.   Usually, people who are beautiful are well-appreciated while those who are not are set aside.   It must be noted that without the two, the sense of “beauty” cannot be understood by people.  Say, if all people in this world are fair, then no one can actually have a conception of “being beautiful”.  Recognizing the good and the bad in life helps one understand more and appreciate more the essence of all things.   Being one-sided about a certain event or person injures oneself.   He injures himself by making up a superficial distinction between good and bad.  The harm is done when the person becomes too stiff that he closes his mind on the possibility of failure, or even the appreciation of people that are not “good”.  Having a closed mind makes one rigid in his actions, which in turn negates his own nature.  This is the reason why recognizing the opposites are important.  Recognizing the opposites helps one understand ourselves and the world.  It is in this recognition that he is able to see that perfection is not about a one-time elegant execution of talent.  It is in making it easier to do, which entails efficiency that hails true perfection.  It makes him see that it is not in dumping every information or skill in oneself that can make him happy or useful.  It is in acquiring what is enough for his self can give him greater happiness and usefulness.  Being rigid and overworking can only make one’s life crooked because of the delusions of grandeur set by one’s desire and ego.

Now we will proceed to the remaining lines.

“The greatest skills seems to be clumsy.

The greatest eloquence seems to stutter.

Hasty movement overcomes cold,

(But) tranquility overcomes heat.

By being greatly tranquil,

One is qualified to be the ruler of the world.”

It can be known from these lines that overdoing things can lead one into not accomplishing anything at all.  Having to do everything at an instant can make one clumsy because of the many things needed to be done.  This notion can also be observed in forcing oneself to learn every move related to a sport.  Forcing one to learn the fundamentals in just a day can make one be clumsy, for there are some moves that require the fundamentals as prerequisites.  Forcing one’s way into learning without mastering the fundamentals could only make one look illogical.

Another example would be in terms of speaking.  Having to speak too much breaks the possibility of effective communication for the listener cannot catch up with the speaker.  This happens when one rushes his statement to the other, which then causes misunderstanding between the two of them.  Another way of looking at this is using words that are either too vague or too inappropriate at the moment.  An example of this would be speaking using professional terms instead of simple words to a person not of one’s course.   This breaks the possibility of communicating one’s message to the other.  One must keep it simple and straight so that the other can understand.  It is in being straightforward and simple that one can make his message clear. 

It can be said, that recognizing the opposites is important at this point.  This is because in knowing these complementary pairs, one can prevent himself from being rigid.  He can prevent himself from overdoing, for he can have a gauge to make him do things naturally.   In terms of communication, if one can see that the other is his opposite, like not having knowledge about professional terms, he modifies his way of speaking.  He makes it simpler so that his message is easier to grasp.  It can be observed then, that it is in the appreciation of the opposites that one can see the natural way of doing things. 

The nature of the opposites makes one realize that there are both negatives and positives in life.  These two, however, do not exist to contradict each other.  Rather, these two exist as a complementary pair.  It can make one realize that it is in the recognition of these two that he will be able to live happily.

Life is a combination of opposites.  This gives more meaning to one in his search for true happiness.  The opposites, such as day and night, good and evil, happiness and sadness, success and failure and so on are pathways by which one can design his life towards peace and happiness.  These opposites symbolize balance.  One can be more authentic when confronted with various opposites of life’s realities.  In fact, values and virtues are truly realized through one’s going through successfully with the opposites.  It is in this way that one realizes the natural way.

Source:

  1.       Wing Tsit Chan, “The Natural Way of Lao Tzu”, (United States: Princeton University Press, 1963), In A Source Book In Chinese Philosophy, 161.