{"id":17387,"date":"2025-04-13T17:22:50","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T21:22:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/?p=17387"},"modified":"2025-05-07T13:22:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T17:22:11","slug":"principle-and-action-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/?p=17387","title":{"rendered":"Principle and Action 22"},"content":{"rendered":"

We continue today the translation of Evola’s 1959 edition and commentary on the Tao Te Ching<\/em>, published under the title Il Libro del Principio e della sua Azione<\/em> [The Book of the Principle and its Action].<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2190 Chapters 20-21<\/a><\/p>\n

Chapter 22<\/h2>\n

To be whole in the fragment
\nStraight in the curved
\nFull in the void
\nIntact in corruption.
\nGathered, one succeeds
\nScattered, one fails
\nTherefore: the True Man preserves the original One
\nHe thus becomes a model for the world
\nHe does not put himself in the light, and so he shines
\nBy not affirming himself, he imposes himself
\nFree of complacency, he becomes great
\nBecause he does not contend
\nNo one can attack him.
\n\u201cTo be whole in the fragment\u201d,
\nThis ancient saying,
\nCould it be meaningless?
\nNo: in the Way it is the truth.<\/p>\n

Commentary<\/h2>\n

The saying from the first line, repeated in the third-to-last \u2014 ch\u2019u tse ch\u2019\u00fcan<\/em> \u2014 can be interpreted both in a normative sense (“to be whole in the fragment”) and in an ontological sense (the wholeness of the fragment). Ontologically, it means that in the Way the fragment (the part) is the whole (just as the curved is the straight, the empty is the full, etc.). It is the idea of the “partial perfections” that, in their own way, reflect the Principle.<\/p>\n

It must not be understood (as various translators have done) that the fragment will become the whole, etc., materially, through transformation or development; rather, it already is the whole, if seen in the light of the Way.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, in the normative sense, that maxim (“to be whole in the fragment”) refers to a specific Far Eastern concept of perfection: to carry out each thing precisely and perfectly, with a natural concentration and without effort. Then, whatever activity is performed, one is in the Way.<\/p>\n

Cf. in Chuang-tzu (XIX, 3): “Unify the intentions; have only one, which merges with vital energy” (cf. XIX, 10, 12). There is a connection between this idea and the one already explained, of the “original simplicity,” even in its “magical” aspect.<\/p>\n

Chinese text and literal translation<\/h2>\n

Chapter 22 (\u7b2c\u4e8c\u5341\u4e8c\u7ae0)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n

\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u66f2\u5247\u5168\uff0c
\u6789\u5247\u76f4\uff0c
\u7aaa\u5247\u76c8\uff0c
\u655d\u5247\u65b0\uff0c
\u5c11\u5247\u5f97\uff0c
\u591a\u5247\u60d1\u3002<\/p>\n

\u662f\u4ee5\u8056\u4eba\u62b1\u4e00\u70ba\u5929\u4e0b\u5f0f\u3002<\/p>\n

\u4e0d\u81ea\u898b\uff0c\u6545\u660e\uff1b
\u4e0d\u81ea\u662f\uff0c\u6545\u5f70\uff1b
\u4e0d\u81ea\u4f10\uff0c\u6545\u6709\u529f\uff1b
\u4e0d\u81ea\u77dc\uff0c\u6545\u9577\u3002<\/p>\n

\u592b\u552f\u4e0d\u722d\uff0c\u6545\u5929\u4e0b\u83ab\u80fd\u8207\u4e4b\u722d\u3002<\/p>\n

\u53e4\u4e4b\u6240\u8b02\u300c\u66f2\u5247\u5168\u300d\u8005\uff0c\u8c48\u865b\u8a00\u54c9\uff1f\u8aa0\u5168\u800c\u6b78\u4e4b\u3002<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n

\n
\n

Bent, therefore whole.
Crooked, therefore straight.
Hollowed, therefore full.
Worn, therefore new.
Few, therefore gain.
Many, therefore confused.<\/p>\n

Therefore, the Sage embraces the One and becomes the model for the world.<\/p>\n

He does not display himself \u2014 therefore he is seen clearly.
He does not affirm himself , therefore he shines.
He does not boast, therefore he accomplishes.
He does not pride himself, therefore he endures.<\/p>\n

It is precisely because he does not contend,
that none in the world can contend with him.<\/p>\n

The ancients who said, \u201cBent, therefore whole\u201d,
were these empty words?
No, they are truly whole and return to it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We continue today the translation of Evola’s 1959 edition and commentary on the Tao Te Ching, published under the title Il Libro del Principio e della sua Azione [The Book of the Principle and its Action]. \u2190 Chapters 20-21 Chapter 22 To be whole in the fragment Straight in the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":227,"featured_media":17392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1266],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-evola","category-tao-te-ching"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/227"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17387"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17387\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17393,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17387\/revisions\/17393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gornahoor.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}