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Chinese Text
信言不美，美言不信。
善者不辩，辩者不善。
知者不博，博者不知。
圣人不积，既以为人己愈有，既以与人己愈多。
天之道，利而不害。
圣人之道，为而不争。
Translation
Sincere words are not elegant; elegant words are not sincere.
The virtuous man is not eloquent; the eloquent man is not virtuous.
He who knows (the Tao) is not learned; he who is learned does not know it.
The Sage does not accumulate (wealth).
The more he uses (his virtue) for the benefit of men, the more it increases.
The more he gives to men, the more he enriches himself.
Such is the way of Heaven: it benefits beings and does them no harm.
Such is the way of the Sage: he acts and does not dispute.
Notes
E: True words need no borrowed embellishments.
E: He who does good (A: who practices the Tao) does not study to speak with skill.
E: He who possesses the essence (literally "the summary") of what needs to be known does not need to acquire much knowledge.
E: The Sage uses his Tao for the benefit of men. He gives men all his riches (literally: "his profit," the word riches is taken figuratively here). Although he spreads them (his Tao and his riches) over all the men of the empire and bequeaths them to future generations, his Tao increases more and more and remains inexhaustible; his riches grow more and more and suffer no decrease.
A thinks that this refers to actual wealth. "When he has spread the influence of his virtue for the benefit of men, his virtue becomes all the more abundant. When he has spread his riches in charity, his riches become all the more flourishing."
E: Heaven nourishes all beings; it is useful to them and does them no harm (or evil).
E: The Sage helps the empire through the Tao; when his merits are accomplished, he does not cling to them (and withdraws to the sidelines).
A: He does not dispute merit or glory. Cf. chap. II, IX.
