The Way of Heaven, The Bow, Supplement Deficiency, Don't Brag, Excesses and
Deficiencies,
Releasing, Humility, Archery, Tao of Heaven, 天道
"The way of heaven,
Is it not like stretching a bow?
What is high up is pressed down,
What is low down is lifted up;
What has surplus (yu yü) is reduced,
What is deficient (pu tsu) is supplemented.
The way of heaven,
It reduces those who have surpluses,
To supplement those who are deficient.
The human way is just not so.
It reduces those who are deficient,
To offer those who have surpluses.
Who can offer his surpluses to the world?
Only a person of Tao.
Therefore the sage works (wei) without holding on to,
Accomplishes without claiming credit.
Is it not because he does not want to show off his merits?"
- Translated by
Ellen M. Chen,
Chapter 77
"The Tao of Heaven resembles a drawn bow.
It brings down the high and exalts the lowly; it takes from those who have
superfluity, and gives to those who have not enough. The Tao of Heaven abstracts
where there is too much, and supplements where there is deficiency.
The Tao of men does not so.
It takes away from what is already deficient in order to bestow on those who
have a superfluity.
Who is able to devote his surplus to the needs of others?
Only he who is possessed of Tao.
Thus it is that the Sage acts, yet does not plume himself; achieves works of
merit, yet does not hold to them.
He has no wish to make a display of his worthiness."
- Translated by
Frederic H. Balfour,
1884, Chapter 77
"Heaven's Way is like the stringing of a bow: It pulls
down what is high it lifts up what is low it takes away from what has an
abundance to give to what has not enough.
Heaven's Way: Take away from what has an abundance help along what has not
enough.
People's way is not like this: Take away from what has not enough to offer it to
what has an abundance.
Who can have an abundance to offer the world?
Only the one who has Tao.
And so the Wise Person: Works but does not rely on this achieves successes but
does not dwell in them has no desire to show off his worth."
- Translated by
Michael LaFargue,
1992, Chapter 77
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
"Is not God's Way much like a bow well bent?
The upper part has been disturbed, pressed down;
The lower part is raised up from its place;
The slack is taken up; the slender width
Is broader drawn; for thus the Way of God
Cuts people down when they have had too much,
And fills the bowls of those who are in want.
But not the way of man will work like this:
The people who have not enough are spoiled
For tribute to the rich and surfeited.
Who can benefit the world
From stored abundance of his own?
He alone who has the Way,
The Wise Man who can act apart
And not depend on others' whims;
But not because of his high rank
Will he succeed; he does not wish
To flaunt superiority."
- Translated by
Raymond B. Blakney,
1955, Chapter 77
"Bend the bow and embrace the tiger
to emulate the way of heave
drawn with resoluteness
the bow changes length and width
turning in on itself
released with resoluteness
the bow projects its arrow fixedly to a target
by equalizing itself
the bow can shoot up or down as needed
always seeking to balance out
flexibility and cohesion
always seeking to resolve
excesses of energy and deficiencies of energy
equalizing and balancing out and resolving
are the ways of heaven
but the ways of man
make things unequal
imbalanced and unresolved
cutting man off from heaven and earth
only a sage wise man humbly cultivating the tao
way of life
can entreat heaven on man's behalf
asking heaven
to reestablish the natural order
by not asking heaven
when he is successful
he does not dwell on it
displaying his skill at emulating the way of heaven
he simply smiles
and moves on to the next task."
- Translated by
John Bright-Fey,
Chapter 77
By Alexander Simkins. 
By Derek Lin.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
By Benjamin Hoff.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
Translated by Thomas Cleary.
"Nature's way is like bending a great bow:
The top comes down, and the bottom comes up.
Length is shortened, and width is expanded.
Nature's way is to take from the too-much, and give to the not-enough.
Man's way is usually the opposite.
Who has enough to offer the world?"
- Translated by
Ned Lund, Chapter
77
"The Way of Heaven is like the drawing of a bow.
What is high is brought lower, and what is low is brought higher.
What is too long is shortened;
What is too short is lengthened.
The Way of Heaven is to take away from what is excessive
And to replenish what is deficient.
But the Way of Man is different:
It takes away from those who have little,
And gives to those who already have plenty.
Who is able to offer the world whatever he has in excess?
Only the man of Tao.
Therefore the Sage works without claiming reward,
Accomplishes without taking credit.
He has no desire to display his excellence."
- Translated by
Keith H. Seddon,
Chapter 77
Cloud Hands Blog, January 21, 2012: Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chapter 77
Dao
Te Ching by Lao Tsu, Posts to the Cloud Hands Blog
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
"The Way of Heaven is like the bending of a bow.
The upper is lowered, while the lower is raised.
The too long is shortened, while the too short is lengthened.
The Way of Heaven is the way of balance:
Take from that which has more
and give to that which has less.
The way of man is different:
Take from those who have less
and give to those who have more.
Who is so abundant that he can continue to give to the world?
Only the man who embodies the Tao and is thus inexhaustible.
Therefore, the sage, being the fulcrum of the world,
Benefits his people without proclaiming it,
Accomplishes his task without dwelling on it,
Enlightens his world without flaunting his wisdom."
- Translated by
Yasuhiko Genku Kimura,
Chapter 77
"The Way of Heaven—its similarity to stretching a bow?
That which is high—[it] pulls it down.
That which is low—[it] lifts it up.
That which has excess—[it] reduces it.
That which is lacking—[it] adds to it.
The Way of Heaven
Takes away [where] there is excess
And adds to [where there is] lack.
The way of people
Necessarily different
Takes away [where there is] lack
In order to offer to [that which] has excess.
Who can have surplus by means of offering [it] to the world?
Only those who have the Tao.
Therefore, the sages
Act but do not presume
Achieve goals but do not dwell [on them].
They do not desire to be seen as praiseworthy or despicable."
- Translated by
Aalar Fex, Chapter
77
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching
Translated by Livia Kohn
Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way
"Heaven's Way is indeed like the bending of a bow.
When (the string) is high, bring it down.
When it is low, raise it up.
When it is excessive, reduce it.
When it is insufficient, supplement it.
The Way of Heaven reduces whatever is excessive and supplements whatever in
insufficient.
The way of man is different.
It reduces the insufficient to offer to the excessive.
Who is able to have excess to offer to the world?
Only the man of Tao.
Therefore the sage acts, but does not rely on his own ability.
He accomplishes his task, but does not claim credit for it.
He has no desire to display his excellence."
- Translated by
Wing-Tsit Chan, 1963, Chapter 77
"How the Way is like stringing a bow!
The upper end is brought down.
The lower end is lifted.
All excess is reduced.
All deficit is restored.
With all parts in balance, it is fit for use.
In nature, any surplus flows
to those without from those with more.
Men instead reverse the flow
from those without to those with more.
Only one with integrity has abundance
and shares it with the world.
The person of integrity
works, expecting no return,
completes his task, not dwelling on it,
and rests, content unto himself."
- Translated by
Douglas Allchin,
2002, Chapter 77
"Heaven’s Way, like unto a bow full-drawn –
Low end raised, top bent down –
Subtracts from the have-mores
And supplies those in want.
Heaven’s Way – to supply who wants
By taking from the have-mores –
Is not the Way of men,
Who take from those in need
To serve those who have more.
Who will use the surplus to serve this world below?
None but men of the Way.
Wise rulers for this reason
Act without self-satisfaction,
For their deeds shun recognition
To conceal their contribution."
- Translated by
Moss Roberts,
2001, Chapter 77
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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