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Texte chinois
以道作人主者，不以兵强天下，其事好还：师之所处，荆棘生。
故善者果而已，不以取强。
果而勿骄，果而勿矜，果而勿伐，果而不得已，是果而勿强。
物牡则老，谓之非道，非道早已。
Traduction
One who aids the ruler of men with the Tao does not subjugate the empire by force of arms.
Whatever one does to men, they will repay in kind.
Wherever the troops camp, thorns and brambles grow.
After great wars, there must be years of famine.
The virtuous man strikes a decisive blow and stops. He dare not subjugate the empire by force of arms.
He strikes a decisive blow and does not boast.
He strikes a decisive blow and does not glorify himself.
He strikes a decisive blow and does not become proud.
He strikes a decisive blow and only fights out of necessity.
He strikes a decisive blow and does not wish to appear strong.
When beings reach the fullness of their strength, they age.
This is called not following the Tao. He who does not follow the Tao will soon perish.
Notes
The master of men must practice non-action; but usually those who assist him (his ministers) engage in action.
Weapons are instruments of misfortune. One must only use them when unavoidable, for example, to frighten those who oppress or slaughter the people.
This sentence has the same meaning as the following (see Meng-tseu, Book I, p. 38): 'What you send out will return to you'; that is, men will repay you good or ill according to what you do to them. If you delight in killing men, men will in turn kill you.
War is the greatest calamity that can befall the empire. He who takes life, ruins states, invites the wrath of the people and the hatred of spirits. He will surely face punishments that his actions deserve.
When soldiers stay long in the fields without leaving, agricultural work is neglected, and thorns grow abundantly.
He fights a decisive battle and stops; he dare not seek to become the master of the empire by force. The word 果 guǒ (to decide, to strike a decisive blow) means to defeat 'enemies.' If someone kills his prince and incites rebellion, the sage cannot refrain from being the instrument of heaven to put him to death. If someone invades the borders and troubles the people, he cannot refrain from taking up arms to stop him. But he is content to show his invincible might once and ends the struggle at once.
He dare not pursue the course of his successes, nor rely on the masses, to become the master of the empire by force.
After punishing the guilty and restoring peace, he must not boast of his skill nor glorify his exploits.
If he relies on the superiority of his power to consolidate the kingdom, one could not say he 'aids the ruler of men with the Tao.' He who has conquered will necessarily be subjugated in turn; what flourishes is sure to decay. Such is the nature of things.
It is because the Tao is soft and weak that it can endure long. Thus, when beings (for example, trees) reach the highest degree of their strength, they begin to wither.
From this, it can be seen that he who has become powerful through weapons cannot endure long. Therefore, he who knows how to wage war must (in the occasion) take a decisive course; but he must not seek to dominate by force of arms.
If man relies on his strength, it is called opposing the Tao (which advocates being soft and weak). He who opposes the Tao will soon perish.
