Chapter 39 of the Laozi

苏辙 Sū Zhé : Unity is the Tao. It is from the Tao that all beings have obtained what constitutes their nature. The men of the empire see the beings and forget the Tao; they are content to know that the sky is pure, that the earth is at rest, that the spirits are endowed with divine intelligence; that the valleys are capable of being filled, that the ten thousand things are born, that the princes and kings are the models of the world. But they ignore that it is from the Tao that they have obtained these qualities. The greatness of the sky and the earth, the nobility of the princes and kings, it is Unity that has produced them. But what then is Unity? You look at it and cannot see it; you want to touch it and do not reach it. One sees that it is the most subtle thing in the world.

I have rendered the word 贞 zhēn by 'model'. E: The princes and kings are placed above men. The empire venerates them and takes them as models. H explains it by 长 zhǎng, 'superior, chief'.

E: The expression 天无以清 tiān wú yǐ qīng, literally 'if the sky had no purity', means 'if the sky lost its Unity', that is to say what constitutes its nature.

H: The sky, the earth, and all beings draw their origin from the essence of the Tao. It is because the sky has obtained this Unity, this essence, that it is pure and rises as ether above our heads, etc. If the sky did not possess this Unity, that is to say if it did not hold from the Tao this purity that constitutes its nature, it would cleave asunder and could not round itself into a vault. If the earth did not possess this Unity, it would be carried away by rapid movement (several interpreters explain the word '发' by 'to move') and could not remain at rest to support beings; if men did not possess it, their means of living would be exhausted, and they could not perpetuate themselves endlessly in their sons and grandsons. If the ten thousand (that is to say all) beings did not possess it, they would perish and cease to exist. If the princes and kings did not possess it, they would be overthrown, and could not remain at peace on their noble and elevated throne. It is on this last point that Laozi particularly insists, because he desires that the kings hold to the Tao and govern by non-action.

In general, any man who is subject to others and acts only according to their orders is called 下贱 xiàjiàn, 'base and abject'. This is a comparison that applies to the Tao. The Tao is without name and all beings in the world can make use of it, just as one uses a man of low and abject condition. If the princes and kings remained on their noble and elevated throne without possessing the Tao, they would soon be overthrown. Is it not evident that the Tao is their foundation and root?

Several editions have: 侯王无以为贞 hóu wáng wú yǐ wéi zhēn, 'If the princes and kings ceased being the models of the world and took pride in their nobility and elevation...'. The construction that I have adopted, according to the gloss of 刘歆 Liú Xīn, seemed to me more regular and logical. 'To be noble (says this interpreter) and to forget one's nobility, to be elevated and to forget one's elevation, that is the way to be the model of the empire and not be dethroned'.

E: In the order of nature, princes and kings are of the same species as the humble man of the people. If the people submit to them, from mere commoners that they were, they become princes and kings. If the people abandon them, from princes and kings that they were, they descend into the class of mere commoners. Thus, it is seen that the nobility and elevation of princes and kings have as their basis the abject and plebeian class of the people. When princes and kings call themselves by humility orphans, men of little merit, men devoid of virtue, they use the designations that serve to designate the poor people and people of a low and ignoble condition. If they designate themselves thus, instead of using pompous titles, it is because they have not forgotten their humble origin.

According to 谢灵运 Xiè Língyùn, the meaning of the word 致 zhì has not yet been explained satisfactorily; he considers it redundant.

B and 谢灵运 Xiè Língyùn: With a multitude of materials, you form a chariot. Chariot is a collective name for the different materials of which a chariot is composed. If you count them one by one (if you dismantle the chariot), you will have a hub, wheels, spokes, an axle, a pole, etc. If you give these different parts their respective names, the name of chariot will disappear; if you abstract them, there will no longer be a chariot.

Similarly, it is the gathering and the totality of the people that make a prince or a king. Prince, king, are collective names of people. If you abstract from the people, there will be neither prince nor king. However beautiful a chariot may be, it has become so only by the gathering of a multitude of small materials. However noble a prince or king may be, he has been able to become so only by the gathering of a crowd of men of low condition.

It is therefore to be desired that princes and kings know how to humble themselves amidst their honors, and become simple and humble like the Tao. Once a prince possesses the Tao, it is not in the power of men to exalt or to humiliate him. He does not want to be valued like jade, nor despised like stone. Now, if princes and kings lose their people, it is because they have lost the Unity (the Tao). If they lose the Unity, it is because, proud of their nobility and elevation, they abandon themselves on the throne to the most guilty excesses. Laozi here explains the cause of nobility and elevation, to turn men away from seeking them.