The Fear of Death, The Executioner, Carpenter, Killing, Worries, Overcoming
Delusions,
Avoid Inappropriate Occupations, Having Relevant Skills at Work, Safety,
Criminals,
Capital Punishment, Professions 制惑
"The people do not fear death,
Why threaten them with death?
Suppose the people always fear death,
One who does strange things (ch'i),
I shall seize and kill,
Then who dares [to do strange things]?
Killing is carried out by the executioner.
To replace the executioner and kill,
Is like chopping wood in place of the master carpenter.
To chop wood in place of the master carpenter,
Rarely one does not hurt one's own hand."
- Translation by
Ellen M. Chen,
Chapter 74
"If people don't love life, they won't fear death, and
threatening them with it won't work.
If people have lives worth living, then the threat of death is meaningful, and
they'll do what is right to avoid it.
But killing itself should be the province of the great executioner alone.
Trying to take his place and kill is like cutting wood in the place of the
master carpenter:
The odds are you'll hurt your own hand."
- Translation by
Brian Walker,
Chapter 74
"If people are not afraid of death,
how can they be threatened by it?
But if they always live in fear of death,
and still continue in their lawlessness,
we can arrest and kill them.
Who then would dare?
And yet there is a Lord of Death whose charge it is to kill.
To take his place and kill would be like carving wood in place of the master
carpenter.
Few would escape without injuring their hands."
- Translated by
Tim Chilcott,
2005, Chapter 74
By Alexander Simkins. 
By Derek Lin.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
By Benjamin Hoff.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
Translated by Thomas Cleary.
"If people do not fear death
How can you threaten them with it?
If people live in constant fear of death,
Because those who break the law are seized and killed,
Who would dare to break the law?
There has always been an officia executioner.
If you take the law into your own hands
And try to take his place,
It is like trying to take the place of a
master carpenter
In which case you would probably hurt your hands."
- Translated by
John R. Mabry,
Chapter 74
"If the people do not stand in awe of death,
What is the point of threatening them with the death penalty?
But even suppose the people were in constant fear of death,
Who would dare to seize the evil-doers and slaughter them?
Leave killing to the Great Slayer.
He who usurps the place of the Great Slayer
Is like one who seeks to assist a master joiner with an axe.
Now he who assists a master joiner with an axe
Rarely fails to injure his own hands."
- Translated by
Herman Ould, 1946,
Chapter 74
"If you do not fear death,
then how can it intimidate you?
If you aren't afraid of dying,
there is nothing you can not do.
Those who harm others are like inexperienced boys trying to take the place of a
great lumberjack.
Trying to fill his shoes will only get them seriously hurt."
- Translated by
John H. McDonald,
Chapter 74
By Hu Xuzehi
Annotated translation by Victor Mair 
By Ha Poong Kim
By Hans-Georg Moeller 
By Roger T. Ames and David T. Hall
By Wes Burgess
By Arthur Waley
"If the people do not fear death, how can one frighten
them with death?
If we teach people to fear death, then when one rebels he can be seized and
executed; after that who will dare to rebel?
There is always an officer to execute a murderer, but if one takes the place of
the executioner, it is like taking the place of a skilled carpenter at his
hewing.
If one takes the place of the skilled carpenter he is liable to cut himself.
Therefore do not interfere with Tao."
- Translated by
Dwight Goddard,
1919, Chapter 74
When the people are not afraid of death, why threaten
them with death sentences?
Even supposing the people are constantly afraid of death and we can seize and
kill those who are unruly or vicious, who would dare to slay them?
There's always the master executioner.
To kill in his stead is like thrusting oneself into he master-carpenter's place
and doing his chipping for him.
"He who tries it is lucky if he doesn't cut his hand," they say.
To undertake executions for the master executioner is like hewing wood for him.
It rarely happens you escape injuring your own hands.
Now, often it happens as well that the executioner is killed.
And to take the place of the executioner is in part like handling the hatchet
for the master carpenter.
He who handles the hatchet for the master carpenter seldom escapes injury to his
hands.
- Translated by
Tormond Byrd,
1997, Chapter 74
"If the people are not afraid to die,
How can you threaten them with death?
If the people are kept in constant fear of death,
And if it were possible to arrest and put to death the law-breakers,
Who would dare do this?
It is the master executioner who does the killing.
To assume the role of the master executioner and do the killing for oneself
Is like carving wood for oneself
Instead of leaving it to the master carpenter.
Those who carve wood for themselves
Instead of leaving it to the master carpenter
Rarely escape without cutting their own hands."
- Translated by
Keith H. Seddon, Chapter 74
Translation and elucidation by Hua Ching Ni
Translated by Brian Walker
Translated by Arthur Waley
Translated by Lionel and and Herbert Giles
By Eva Wong
"If people have no fear of death
It's pointless to threaten them with it.
If people were in constant fear of death,
And if anyone acting deviously
Were to be seized and executed,
Who would dare to do so?
The Master Executioner is always there to kill.
If you attempt to play his role
It is like trying to do the work of a master lumberjack.
The one who has no skill to do this work
Seldom escapes with his hands unhurt."
- Translated by
Angieszka Solska,
2005, Chapter 74
If there is someone who doesn't fear death, why threaten
to kill them?
If people did fear death and one were to capture and kill the devious few, who
would dare to be devious?:
Iff the people are always at risk of execution, there will never lack an
executioner.
Now, to kill like an executioner is like-hacking at wood.
Instead of masterful carpentry, few are there who can escape cutting their own
hands!"
- Translated by
Jerry C. Welch,
1998, Chapter 74
Dao Te Ching by Laozi, Posts to the Cloud Hands Blog
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching
Translated by Livia Kohn
Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way
"If people are not afraid to die, how death can be used to threaten them?
If we make people afraid of death, and execute a few extreme offenders, who
would dare to offend again?
It is normal to have executioners who kill.
Substituting an executioner in killing is like substituting a master lumberjack
in chopping trees.
Chopping trees by non-professionals rarely results in no hand injuries."
- Translated by
Thomas Z. Zhang,
Chapter 74
"If people were content with their own deaths
You could not use force on them; they would be immune
But this is not the way the world is
If you threaten them with death to make them behave
You must assign someone to kill them, or do it yourself
Who, then, kills: you, or the executioner, or the state?
Someone must take the responsibility
Whoever is responsible for death has put his way above the tao
Yet though he can end a life, the tao will by its nature find a way to return
Any sane man would find in that cause for worry."
- Translated by
Ted Wrigley,
Chapter 74
"When the people are not afraid of death, wherefore
frighten them with death?
Were the people always afraid of death, and were I able to arrest and put to
death those who innovate, then who would dare?
There is a regular executioner whose charge it is to kill.
To kill on behalf of the executioner is what is described as chopping wood on
behalf of the master carpenter.
In chopping wood on behalf of the master carpenter, there are few who escape
hurting their own hands instead."
- Translated by
D. C. Lau, 1963,
Chapter 74
Translated by Eva Wong 
Translated by Philip Ivahoe
By James Miller
Translated by Stephen Bokencamp
By Alexander and Annellen Simpkins
Translated by Thomas Cleary
By Livia Kohn
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