『道德經 第十九章 』（見素抱樸，少私寡欲，絕學無憂）

 道德經上篇：《道經》

 

 第十九章

 

【原文】

絕聖棄智①，民利百倍；絕仁棄義，民複孝慈；絕巧棄利，盜賊無有；此三者以為文不足②。故令有所屬，見素抱樸，少私寡欲，絕學無憂。

 

【注釋】　　

①聖：此處是指一種智能而言，不同於“聖人”的聖。

②文：文飾，浮文。

 

【譯文】

拋卻聰明和智巧，人民可以得到百倍的好處；杜絕仁慈，拋棄道義，人民才會回複到孝慈的本性；拋棄伎巧和獲利，就不會有盜賊產生。“聖智、仁義、巧利”這三者全是巧飾，不足以治理天下。所以要讓人民的思想認識有所歸屬。保持純潔質樸的本性，減少私欲雜念，拋棄“聖智禮法”的學問，就沒有憂患了。

 

English Translation

Version 1：by Daniel Baida Su and Shangyu Chen

 

Discard accomplishment and wisdom,
And people will benefit a hundredfold.
Discard humanity and justice,
And people will return to filial piety and compassion.
Discard cleverness and profit,
And robbers and thieves will disappear.
It is not enough to have these three rules.
People's hearts must return to where they belong，
Knowing and embracing the source of life.
Then the self can become smaller and smaller,
And desires can become fewer and fewer.
Discard [human] learning.
Be free of cares.

 

Version 2：by John C. H. Wu

[穩穩]

注：“絕學”兩個字顯得特別重要。不學拙劣的東西，對於正確的東西還是要學的。
或者“絕學無憂”應該譯成：“這就是崇高而快樂無憂的學問”？