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德 Teh
Chapter 46

1. When the Tâo prevails in the world, they send back their swift horses to (draw) the dung-carts. When the Tâo is disregarded in the world, the war-horses breed in the border lands.

2. There is no guilt greater than to sanction ambition; no calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot; no fault greater than the wish to be getting. Therefore the sufficiency of contentment is an enduring and unchanging sufficiency.

四 十 六 章

天 下 有 道 , 卻 走 馬 以 ○ ;
天 下 無 道 , 戎 馬 生 於 郊 。
罪 莫 大 於 可 欲 , 禍 莫 大 於 不 知 足 , ○ 莫 大 於 欲 得 。
故 知 足 之 足 , 常 足 。

Notes

###, 'The Moderating of Desire or Ambition.' The chapter shows how the practice of the Tâo must conduce to contentment and happiness.

In translating par. 1 I have, after Wû Khäng, admitted a ### after the ###, his chief authority for doing so being that it is so found in a poetical piece by Kang Häng (A. D. 78-139). Kû Hsî also adopted this reading (###, XVIII, 7 a). In par. 2 Han Ying has a tempting variation of ### for ###, but I have not adopted it because the same phrase occurs elsewhere.