Ratmachines.com

道 Tâo
Chapter 31

1. Now arms, however beautiful, are instruments of evil omen, hateful, it may be said, to all creatures. Therefore they who have the Tâo do not like to employ them.

2. The superior man ordinarily considers the left hand the most honourable place, but in time of war the right hand. Those sharp weapons are instruments of evil omen, and not the instruments of the superior man;—he uses them only on the compulsion of necessity. Calm and repose are what he prizes; victory (by force of arms) is to him undesirable. To consider this desirable would be to delight in the slaughter of men; and he who delights in the slaughter of men cannot get his will in the kingdom.

3. On occasions of festivity to be on the left hand is the prized position; on occasions of mourning, the right hand. The second in command of the army has his place on the left; the general commanding in chief has his on the right;—his place, that is, is assigned to him as in the rites of mourning. He who has killed multitudes of men should weep for them with the bitterest grief; and the victor in battle has his place (rightly) according to those rites.

三 十 一 章

夫 佳 兵 者 , 不 祥 之 器 ,
物 或 惡 之 , 故 有 道 不 處 。
君 子 居 則 貴 左 , 用 兵 則 貴 右 。
兵 者 不 祥 之 器 , 非 君 子 之 器 , 不 得 已 而 用 之 ,
恬 惔 為 上 ,
故 不 美 , 若 美 之 , 是 樂 ○ 人 。
夫 樂 ○ 者 , 不 可 得 意 於 天 下 。
故 吉 事 尚 左 , 凶 事 尚 右 。
是 以 偏 將 軍 居 左 , 上 將 軍 居右 。
○ 人 眾 多 , 以 悲 哀 泣 之 ;
戰 勝 , 以 哀 禮 處 之 。

Key Terms

Observations and Comments

Legge Translation Notes

###, 'Stilling War.' The chapter continues the subject of the preceding. The imperially- appointed editors of Wang Pî's Text and Commentary (1765) say that from the beginning of par. 2 to the end, there is the appearance of text and commentary being mixed together; but they make no alteration in the text as it is found in Ho-shang Kung, and in all other ancient copies.

The concluding sentence will suggest to some readers the words of the Duke of Wellington, that to gain a battle was the saddest thing next to losing it.