第五十七章  无欲而兴

以正治国，以奇用兵，以无事取天下。吾何以知其然哉？以此：
天下多忌讳，而民弥贫；人多利器，国家滋昏；人多伎巧，奇物滋起；法令滋彰，盗贼多有。 故圣人云：我无为而民自化，我好静而民自正，我无事而民自富，我无欲而民自朴。

Prospering in Simplisity

Rule a kingdom by the by justice from the universal intelligence,

Fight a battle by (abnormal) tactics of surprise. Win the worldby following the natural laws. How do I know that this should be so? Throughthis:

Howdo I know this? Through the following observation:

The more restrictions there are, the poorer the people. The moresharp weapons, the more trouble in the state.

The more clever and crafty the men, The oftener strange things happen.The more articulate the laws and ordinances, The more robbers and thievesarise.

Therefore the wise say, "Do not interfere, and peopletransform themselves. Love peace, and people do what is right.

Do not intervene, and people prosper. Have no desires, andpeople live simply."

[译文]

以清净之宇宙正道来治理天下，以奇诡的方法用兵征战，以不扰民达到吉祥昌盛。怎么会知道此理呢？根据就在我们眼见的事实。 天下禁忌避讳越多，百姓越深陷贫困；利器越多，国家越陷于混乱。智巧越多，奇物势必惑乱民心；法令越严苛，各种偷盗越猖獗。