lipu Nasin la: kasi nanpa 28 pi lipu Nasin Pona
| 知其雄 |
Know the Masculine, cleave to the Feminine | |
| 为天下溪 | Be a valley for everyone. | |
| 为天下溪 | Being a valley for everyone[,] | |
| 常德不离 | You are always in virtue without lapse | |
| 复归于婴儿 | And you return to infancy. | |
| 知其白 |
Know the White, but cleave to the Black. 1 | |
| 为天下式 | Be a model for everyone. | |
| 为天下式 | Being a model for everyone[,] | |
| 常德不忒 | You are always in virtue and free from error | |
| 复归于无极 | You return to limitlessness. | |
| 知其荣 |
Know Glory but cleave to Humiliation | |
| 为天下谷 | Be the valley for everyone. | |
| 为天下谷 | [Being the valley for everyone, and] | |
| 常德乃足 | When your constancy in virtue is complete | |
| 复归于朴 | You return to the state of the “uncarved block.” | |
| 朴散则为器 | The block is cut into implements. | |
| 圣人用之 |
If the sage uses it, he ends up being an official. | |
| 故大制不割 | Therefore the great tailor does not cut. |
Sitelen Sitelen Renderer by Olaf Janssen.
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[Miller:] The “black” is the deep, religious, mystic part of our experience. The “white” is our involvement in mundane affairs. We should well understand how the conventional world operates, but our priority should lie in adhering to deeper principles. ↩