道德经英文版 The Tao-te Ching Chapter 58

1. The government that seems the most unwise,

Oft goodness to the people best supplies;

That which is meddling1, touching2 everything,

Will work but ill, and disappointment bring. Misery3!--happiness is to be found by its side! Happiness!--misery lurks4 beneath it! Who knows what either will come to in the end?

2. Shall we then dispense5 with correction? The (method of) correction shall by a turn become distortion, and the good in it shall by a turn become evil. The delusion6 of the people (on this point) has indeed subsisted7 for a long time.

3. Therefore the sage8 is (like) a square which cuts no one (with its angles); (like) a corner which injures no one (with its sharpness). He is straightforward9, but allows himself no license10; he is bright, but does not dazzle.

其政闷闷，其民淳淳;

其政察察，其民缺缺。

祸兮，福之所倚;

福兮，祸之所伏。

孰知其极?其无正也。

正复为奇，善复为妖。

人之迷，其日固久。

是以圣人方而不割，廉而不刿，直而不肆，光而不耀。

【译文】

为政随和散漫，人民反而喜乐淳和;为政勤紧利索，人民反而怨愤飘零。灾祸呵，福祥的亲密伴侣;福祥呵，灾祸的藏身之地。谁知道它们迁延嬗变的准则呢?那是没有一个定准的。合格正常会变得出格反常，良善祥和会变得妖异险恶。人们对这迁延不居的动荡感到无所适从，由来已久。因此，圣人方正而不孤立，突棱而不伤人，率直而不放肆，光明而不耀眼。

1 meddling        

v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

He denounced all "meddling" attempts to promote a negotiation. 他斥责了一切“干预”促成谈判的企图。 来自辞典例句

They liked this field because it was never visited by meddling strangers. 她们喜欢这块田野，因为好事的陌生人从来不到那里去。 来自辞典例句

2 touching        

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。

His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

3 misery        

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。

He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

4 lurks        

n.潜在，潜伏；（lurk的复数形式）vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

Behind his cool exterior lurks a reckless and frustrated person. 在冷酷的外表背后，他是一个鲁莽又不得志的人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

Good fortune lies within Bad, Bad fortune lurks within good. 福兮祸所倚，祸兮福所伏。 来自互联网

5 dispense        

vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施

参考例句：

Let us dispense the food.咱们来分发这食物。

The charity has been given a large sum of money to dispense as it sees fit.这个慈善机构获得一大笔钱，可自行适当分配。

6 delusion        

n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑

参考例句：

He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症，认为自己是拿破仑。

I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。

7 subsisted        

v.（靠很少的钱或食物）维持生活，生存下去( subsist的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

Before liberation he subsisted on wild potatoes. 解放前他靠吃野薯度日。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

Survivors of the air crash subsisted on wild fruits. 空难事件的幸存者以野果维持生命。 来自辞典例句

8 sage        

n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的

参考例句：

I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。

The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。

9 straightforward        

adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的

参考例句：

A straightforward talk is better than a flowery speech.巧言不如直说。

I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

10 license        

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。

The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。