Meeting Your Obligations, Keeping Promises, Making Agreements, Recognizing
Agreements,
Patience in Collecting Debts, Disputes, Grudges, Perfection,
任契
"Patching up a great hatred is sure to leave some hatred
behind.
How can this be regarded as satisfactory?
Therefore the Sage holds the left tally,
And does not put the guilt on the other party.
the virtuous man is for patching up;
The vicious is for fixing guilt.
But "the way of Heaven is impartial;
It sides only with the good man.""
- Translated by
Lin Yutang, 1955,
Chapter 79
"harmonizing great resentments and injuries
requires a soft but steady equilibrium
but even in a gentle balancing of the scales
some friction and pain will always remain
harmony can still be reached
if the sage wise man doesn't push
for complete unity
the sage wise man come to understand that flawless justice
is impossible
so he holds an even temperament instead
great knowledge comes from the left hand
holding something broken an flawed
accept the small inequities
a bodymind embracing the tao way of life
doesn't need perfection
a bodymind rejects the tao way of life
striving for perfection
remember
heaven lends its strength to thos who
follow the natural laws of the universe."
- Translated by
John Bright-Fey, Chapter 79
"When enemies are reconciled, some resentment invariably
remains.
How can this be healed?
Therefore the Sage makes good on his half of the deal
And demands nothing of others.
One who is truly good will keep his promise.
One who is not good will take what he can.
Heaven doesn't choose sides
It is always with the good people."
- Translated by
John R. Mabry,
Chapter 79
By Alexander Simkins. 
By Derek Lin.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
By Benjamin Hoff.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
Translated by Thomas Cleary.
"When a reconciliation is effected (between two parties)
after a great animosity, there is sure to be a grudge remaining (in the mind of
the one who was wrong). And how can this be beneficial (to the other)?
Therefore (to guard against this), the sage keeps the left-hand portion of the
record of the engagement, and does not, insist on the (speedy) fulfilment of it
by the other party. (So) he who has the attributes (of the Tao) regards (only)
the conditions of the engagement, while he who has not those attributes regards
only the conditions favourable to himself.
In the Way of Heaven, there is no partiality of love; it is always on the side
of the good man."
- Translated by
James Legge, 1981,
Chapter 79
"There's little good in making peace
If resentment lingers
You'll never see an end to blame
If everyone is pointing fingers
It's better to be pointing
At the peaceful and creative place
Where you see naught but emptiness
And others say they see your face."
- Translated by Jim
Clalfelter, 2000,
Chapter 79
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
"Settling a massive resentment
Necessarily some resentment will be left-over.
How can such be deemed as worth?
Using this: Sages grasp the left side of the agreement.
And don't demand from others.
Have virtuosity in supervising agreements.
Lack virtuosity in supervising taxation.
The natural guide has no kin.
It constants being with worthy people."
- Translated by
Chad Hansen,
Chapter 79
"When reconciliation follows a great grievance,
How often there is a residue of grievance!
That can scarcely be called a settlement!
Therefore, the Sage, while himself fulfilling the harder part of a bargain,
Does not claim his due from the other.
He who uses the Virtue of the Tao, keeps to his bond;
He who does not use the Virtue of the Tao drives a hard bargain.
The Tao is no respecter of persons:
Its abundance is always at the service of the good."
- Translated by
Herman Ould, 1946,
Chapter 79
"At the conclusion of a serious dispute,
It is rare that some resentment not remain behind.
To restore harmony, the Sage,
Keeping to the letter of the agreement with regard to his own obligations,
Never compels the other to fulfill his responsibilities.
Having Te, one would attend to obligations.
Without Te, one would press claims.
While it is the nature of Tao to be free of partiality,
Holding to the essence of the Tao,
The truly virtuous find the Tao abiding within."
- Translated by
Alan Taplow, 1982,
Chapter 79
Cloud Hands Blog, January 6, 2012: Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Chapter 79
Dao
Te Ching by Lao Tsu, Posts to the Cloud Hands Blog
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
"When there is peace between great enemies
There is bound to be lingering resentment.
How can this be considered virtuous?
So the wise become creditors
But exact no payment from the people.
The virtuous keep the tally,
Those without virtue exact it.
The Way of heaven shows no favoritism.
It merely supports the good."
- Translated by
A. S. Kline, 2003,
Chapter 79
"Though a great grievance may be appeased there is sure
to remain some grievance.
How can one stand well with others?
By requiting grievances with Virtue.
Therefore the Saint, although he holds the left-hand tally, does not serve a
summons on people.
He who has Virtue, controls the tally; he who has no Virtue, controls the
levying.
The Way of heaven ahs no favouritism; it always gives (the opportunity of)
standing well with people."
- Translated by
J. J. L. Duyvendak, Chapter 79
"After the settlement of a big case,
someone could breach the agreement.
What can one do about it?
The sage keeps his half of the bargain, and not blame the others.
A man of Virtue performs his part,
A man without Virtue requires others to fulfill their obligations.
The Tao of heaven is impartial.
It awards virtuous men all the time."
- Translated by
Tienzen Gong,
Chapter 79
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching
Translated by Livia Kohn
Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way
"When a bad grudge is settled,
Some enmity is bound to remain.
How can this be considered acceptable?
Therefore the Sage keeps to his side of the contract
But does not hold the other party to their promise.
He who has Virtue will honour the contract,
Whilst he who is without Virtue expects others to meet their obligations.
It is the Way of Heaven to be impartial;
It stays always with the good man."
- Translated by
Keith Seddon,
Chapter 79
"Settling a great dispute leaves some hatred behind.
Can this be good?
Therefore the truly wise defend the weak and do not seek vengeance.
The man with Teh fosters reconciliation; the man without Teh fosters raction.
And so it is truly said: ”While Tao is impartial, it permeates good men.”
- Translated by
Frank MacHovec,
Chapter 79
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
Next Chapter of the Tao Te Ching #80
Previous Chapter of the Tao Te Ching #78
Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching
Tao Te Ching
Commentary, Interpretations, Research Tools, Resources
Chapter 79
Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition
Yellow Bridge
Dao De Jing Comparison Table, Chapter 79 Provides side by side comparisons of translations of the Tao Te
Ching by James Legge,
D. T. Suzuki, and Dwight Goddard. Chinese characters for each paragraph in
the Chapter are on the left; place your cursor over the Chinese characters to
see the Pinyin romanization of the Chinese character and a list of meanings.
Center Tao.
Includes a commentary on each Chapter.
The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching & Hua Hu Ching
Tao Te Ching Commentaries - Google Search
Translators'
Index, Tao Te Ching Translators Sorted Alphabetically by Translator, Links
to Books and Online Versions
Tao Te Ching: A
Bibliography and Index of Translations on the Web
Chapter 79 in the
Rambling
Taoist Commentaries by Trey Smith. The
Rambling Taoists are Trey Smith and Scott Bradley.
By Hans-Georg Moeller. Columbia University Press, 2006, 176 pages.
Valley Spirit, Gu Shen,
Concept, Chapter 6
Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse
The largest collection of very nicely formatted complete versions of the Tao
Te Ching. The
collection includes 209 complete versions in 27 languages,
plus 28 Chinese versions. There are 112 English language
versions of the
Tao Te Ching available at this website. A variety of search methods and comparison methods are provided, as well a a detailed
index.
Lao-tzu's Taoteching
Reading Lao Tzu: A Companion to the Tao Te Ching with a New Translation
Ripening Peaches: Taoist
Studies and Practices
Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation
Thematic Index to the
81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu: Te-Tao Ching - A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered Ma-wang-tui
Texts (Classics of Ancient China)
Revealing the Tao Te Ching: In Depth Commentaries on an Ancient Classic.
By Hu Huezhi. Edited by Jesse Lee Parker. Seven Star Communications,
2006. 240 pages.
Cloud Hands Blog
Mike Garofalo writes about Taoism, Gardening, Taijiquan, Walking, Mysticism,
Qigong, and the Eight Ways.
Tao Te
Ching: A New Translation and Commentary. By Ellen Chen. Paragon
House, 1998. 274 pages.
The Tao
and Method: A Reasoned Approach to the Tao Te Ching. By Michael
Lafargue. New York, SUNY Press, 1994. 660 pages.
The
Whole Heart of Tao: The Complete Teachings from the Oral Tradition of Lao-Tzu.
By John Bright-Fey. Crane Hill Publishers, 2006. 376 pages.
Gushen Grove Notebooks for the Tao Te Ching
Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Grove, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Red Bluff, California
This webpage was last updated on January 8, 2011.
This webpage was first distributed online on February 2, 2011
Brief Biography of Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.
Valley Spirit Grove, Red Bluff, California
Weekend Qigong Workshops with Mike Garofalo in Beautiful Red Bluff, California
Ripening Peaches: Daoist Studies and Practices
Taoist Perspectives: My Reading List
One Old Druid's Final Journey: Notebooks of the Librarian of Gushen Grove
Index to Translators of the Tao Te Ching
The Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) circa 500 BCE