Chapter 79 How to fulfil the contract.
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(Version and commentary of He Shanggong in Chinese)


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79. 1  
大怨,殺人者死,傷人者刑,以相和報。必有餘怨,任刑者失人情,必有餘怨及於良人也。安可以為善?言一人,則先天心,安可以和怨為善?是以聖人執左契而不責於人。古者聖人執左契,合符信也。無文書法律,刻契合符以為信也。但刻契為信,不責人以他事也。有德司契,有德之君,司察契信而已。無德司徹。無德之君,背其契信,司人所失。天道無親,常與善人。天道無有親疏,唯與善人,則與司契同也。
- Chinese :

《道德經》: 和大怨,必有餘怨;安可以為善?是以聖人執左契,而不責於人。有德司契,無德司徹。天道無親,常與善人

《老子河上公章句·任契》: 和大怨,必有餘怨,安可以為善?是以聖人執左契而不責於人。有德司契,無德司徹。天道無親,常與善人

《馬王堆·老子乙德經》: 禾大□□□□□□□□為善?是以聖人執左芥,而不以責於人。故又德司芥,無德司徹。□□□□□□□□。
(Ⅰ)
- He Shanggong (English) :

When great hatred is reconciled,

Who kills somebody, will die. Who hurts somebody, will be mutilated. Thereby adequate requital is given.

There will surely be a remnant of hatred.

Who relies on punishments will lose the inclinations of men. Certainly there will be a remnant of hatred against good people.

How can this be made good?

This means: If a man sighs, he will lose the heart of heaven. How could this be made good by reconciliation of hatred ?

Therefore a saint takes the left tally,

The saints of antiquity took the left tally to complete the contract. They had neither written books nor laws. If the notched tally corresponded to the contract, this was the credential.

but makes no claims on others.

They only took the tally for a credential and wanted nothing else from others.

Therefore he who has Te examines the tally.

A prince who has Te examines the legitimation by the tally and examines what the people lose.

It is the way of heaven to know no nepotism and always to assist the good man.

It is the way of heaven to have no relations. It only gives to the good man, and then together with the legitimation it gives the tally.

(Ⅱ)

- Wing-Tsit Chan (1963) :

To patch up great hatred is surely to leave some hatred behind. How can this be regarded as good?
Therefore the sage keeps the left-hand portion (obligation) of a contract And does not blame the other party.
Virtuous people attend to their left-hand portions, While those without virtue attend to other people's mistakes.
"The Way of Heaven has not favourites. It is always with the good man."
(Ⅲ)
- Ellen Marie Chen (1989) :

In reconciling a great injury (yüan),
There is sure to have some injury left.
How can this be good?
Therefore the sage holds the left tally,
He does not blame others.
One who has te is in charge of the tally,
One who has no te is in charge of the tax law.
The Tao of heaven has no partiality (ch'in),
It is always with the good people. (Ⅳ)
- Ch'u Ta-Kao (1904) :

Return love for great hatred.
Otherwise, when a great hatred is reconciled, some of it will surely remain.
How can this end in goodness?
Therefore the Sage holds to the left half of an agreement, but does not exact what the other holder ought to do.
The virtuous resort to agreement.
The virtueless resort to exaction.
The Tao of heaven shows no partiality;
It abides always with good men.
(Ⅴ)
- World by world translation :

Traditional // simplified // pinyin // definition // dictionary
和 // 和 // hé // ① et ② avec ③ harmonie ④ paix ⑤ union // Chinese-French
和 // 和 // hé // ① surname He ② Japanese (food, clothes etc) // CC-CEDICT
和 // 和 // hé // "① and ② together with ③ with ④ sum ⑤ union ⑥ peace ⑦ harmony ⑧ Taiwan pr. [han4] when it means ""and"" or ""with""" // CC-CEDICT
咊 // 和 // hé // ① old variant of 和[he2] // CC-CEDICT
龢 // 和 // hé // ① old variant of 和[he2] ② harmonious // CC-CEDICT
和 // 和 // hè // ① poésie // Chinese-French
和 // 和 // hè // ① to compose a poem in reply (to sb's poem) using the same rhyme sequence ② to join in the singing ③ to chime in with others // CC-CEDICT
和 // 和 // hú // ① to complete a set in mahjong or playing cards // CC-CEDICT
和 // 和 // huó // ① doux // Chinese-French
和 // 和 // huó // ① to combine a powdery substance (flour, plaster etc) with water ② Taiwan pr. [huo4] // CC-CEDICT
和 // 和 // huò // ① pétrir ② mêler // Chinese-French
和 // 和 // huò // ① to mix (ingredients) together ② to blend ③ classifier for rinses of clothes ④ classifier for boilings of medicinal herbs // CC-CEDICT
大 // 大 // dà // ① grand ② massif // Chinese-French
大 // 大 // dà // ① big ② huge ③ large ④ major ⑤ great ⑥ wide ⑦ deep ⑧ older (than) ⑨ oldest ⑩ eldest ⑪ greatly ⑫ very much ⑬ (dialect) father ⑭ father's elder or younger brother // CC-CEDICT
大 // 大 // dài // ① docteur ② médecin // Chinese-French
大 // 大 // dài // ① see 大夫[dai4 fu5] // CC-CEDICT
怨 // 怨 // yuàn // ① rancune ② plainte ③ reprocher ④ se plaindre de ⑤ en vouloir // Chinese-French
怨 // 怨 // yuàn // ① to blame ② to complain // CC-CEDICT
必 // 必 // bì // ① nécessairement ② certainement ③ falloir ④ devoir // Chinese-French
必 // 必 // bì // ① certainly ② must ③ will ④ necessarily // CC-CEDICT
有餘 // 有余 // yǒu yú // ① avoir assez de ② avoir de l'excédent // Chinese-French
有餘 // 有余 // yǒu yú // ① to have an abundance // CC-CEDICT
怨 // 怨 // yuàn // ① rancune ② plainte ③ reprocher ④ se plaindre de ⑤ en vouloir // Chinese-French
怨 // 怨 // yuàn // ① to blame ② to complain // CC-CEDICT
安可 // 安可 // ān kě // ① Rappel (concert) // Chinese-French
安可 // 安可 // ān kě // ① encore (loanword) // CC-CEDICT
以為 // 以为 // yǐ wéi // ① croire ② penser ③ s'imaginer // Chinese-French
以為 // 以为 // yǐ wéi // ① to believe ② to think ③ to consider ④ to be under the impression // CC-CEDICT
善 // 善 // shàn // ① bon ② bienveillant ③ habile // Chinese-French
善 // 善 // shàn // ① good (virtuous) ② benevolent ③ well-disposed ④ good at sth ⑤ to improve or perfect // CC-CEDICT
是以 // 是以 // shì yǐ // ① par conséquent ② donc // Chinese-French
是以 // 是以 // shì yǐ // ① therefore ② thus ③ so // CC-CEDICT
聖人 // 圣人 // shèng rén // ① saint // Chinese-French
聖人 // 圣人 // shèng rén // ① saint ② sage ③ refers to Confucius 孔子[Kong3 zi3] ④ the current reigning Emperor // CC-CEDICT
執 // 执 // zhí // ① tenir ② persister ③ appliquer ④ exécuter // Chinese-French
執 // 执 // zhí // ① to execute (a plan) ② to grasp // CC-CEDICT
左 // 左 // zuǒ // ① gauche ② opposé // Chinese-French
左 // 左 // zuǒ // ① surname Zuo // CC-CEDICT
左 // 左 // zuǒ // ① left ② the Left (politics) ③ east ④ unorthodox ⑤ queer ⑥ wrong ⑦ differing ⑧ opposite ⑨ variant of 佐[zuo3] // CC-CEDICT
契 // 契 // qì // ① contrat // Chinese-French
契 // 契 // qì // ① to carve ② carved words ③ to agree ④ a contract ⑤ a deed // CC-CEDICT
而 // 而 // ér // ① et ② mais ③ tandis que ④ alors que // Chinese-French
而 // 而 // ér // ① and ② as well as ③ and so ④ but (not) ⑤ yet (not) ⑥ (indicates causal relation) ⑦ (indicates change of state) ⑧ (indicates contrast) // CC-CEDICT
不 // 不 // bù // ① ne... pas ② non ③ (pour former une question placé à la fin d'une phrase, pour indiquer l'indifférence avec shen me ④ pour indiquer une alternative avec jiu) // Chinese-French
不 // 不 // bù // ① (negative prefix) ② not ③ no // CC-CEDICT
責 // 责 // zé // ① demander ② reprocher ③ responsabilité // Chinese-French
責 // 责 // zé // ① duty ② responsibility ③ to reproach ④ to blame // CC-CEDICT
於 // 于 // yú // ① dans ② à ③ de ④ par ⑤ que // Chinese-French
於 // 于 // yú // ① in ② at ③ to ④ from ⑤ by ⑥ than ⑦ out of // CC-CEDICT
於 // 於 // wū // ① en ② dans ③ pour ④ par // Chinese-French
於 // 於 // wū // ① (literary) Oh! ② Ah! // CC-CEDICT
於 // 於 // yū // ① surname Yu ② Taiwan pr. [Yu2] // CC-CEDICT
人 // 人 // rén // ① une personne ② être humain ③ homo sapiens // Chinese-French
人 // 人 // rén // ① man ② person ③ people ④ CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4] // CC-CEDICT
有 // 有 // yǒu // ① avoir ② posséder ③ il y a ④ exister // Chinese-French
有 // 有 // yǒu // ① to have ② there is ③ there are ④ to exist ⑤ to be // CC-CEDICT
德 // 德 // dé // ① vertu ② moralité ③ volonté ④ coeur ⑤ bonté ⑥ bienveillance ⑦ (abréviation d'Allemagne) // Chinese-French
德 // 德 // dé // ① Germany ② German ③ abbr. for 德國|德国[De2 guo2] // CC-CEDICT
德 // 德 // dé // ① virtue ② goodness ③ morality ④ ethics ⑤ kindness ⑥ favor ⑦ character ⑧ kind // CC-CEDICT
悳 // 德 // dé // ① variant of 德[de2] // CC-CEDICT
惪 // 德 // dé // ① variant of 德[de2] // CC-CEDICT
司 // 司 // sī // ① diriger ② se charger de ③ département // Chinese-French
司 // 司 // sī // ① surname Si // CC-CEDICT
司 // 司 // sī // ① to take charge of ② to manage ③ department (under a ministry) // CC-CEDICT
契 // 契 // qì // ① contrat // Chinese-French
契 // 契 // qì // ① to carve ② carved words ③ to agree ④ a contract ⑤ a deed // CC-CEDICT
無 // 无 // wú // ① non ② 71e radical // Chinese-French
無 // 无 // wú // ① not to have ② no ③ none ④ not ⑤ to lack ⑥ un- ⑦ -less // CC-CEDICT
德 // 德 // dé // ① vertu ② moralité ③ volonté ④ coeur ⑤ bonté ⑥ bienveillance ⑦ (abréviation d'Allemagne) // Chinese-French
德 // 德 // dé // ① Germany ② German ③ abbr. for 德國|德国[De2 guo2] // CC-CEDICT
德 // 德 // dé // ① virtue ② goodness ③ morality ④ ethics ⑤ kindness ⑥ favor ⑦ character ⑧ kind // CC-CEDICT
悳 // 德 // dé // ① variant of 德[de2] // CC-CEDICT
惪 // 德 // dé // ① variant of 德[de2] // CC-CEDICT
司 // 司 // sī // ① diriger ② se charger de ③ département // Chinese-French
司 // 司 // sī // ① surname Si // CC-CEDICT
司 // 司 // sī // ① to take charge of ② to manage ③ department (under a ministry) // CC-CEDICT
徹 // 彻 // chè // ① profond ② complet // Chinese-French
徹 // 彻 // chè // ① thorough ② penetrating ③ to pervade ④ to pass through // CC-CEDICT
天道 // 天道 // tiān dào // ① loi naturelle ② loi céleste ③ météorologie (dialecte) // Chinese-French
天道 // 天道 // tiān dào // ① natural law ② heavenly law ③ weather (dialect) // CC-CEDICT
無 // 无 // wú // ① non ② 71e radical // Chinese-French
無 // 无 // wú // ① not to have ② no ③ none ④ not ⑤ to lack ⑥ un- ⑦ -less // CC-CEDICT
親 // 亲 // qīn // ① parent ② proche ③ embrasser ④ de sang ⑤ intime ⑥ en personne // Chinese-French
親 // 亲 // qīn // ① parent ② one's own (flesh and blood) ③ relative ④ related ⑤ marriage ⑥ bride ⑦ close ⑧ intimate ⑨ in person ⑩ first-hand ⑪ in favor of ⑫ pro- ⑬ to kiss ⑭ (Internet slang) dear // CC-CEDICT
親 // 亲 // qìng // ① parents-in-law of one's offspring // CC-CEDICT
常 // 常 // cháng // ① souvent ② fréquemment ③ ordinaire ④ commun ⑤ constant ⑥ invariable // Chinese-French
常 // 常 // cháng // ① surname Chang // CC-CEDICT
常 // 常 // cháng // ① always ② ever ③ often ④ frequently ⑤ common ⑥ general ⑦ constant // CC-CEDICT
與 // 与 // yú // ① (particule exprimant le doute) // Chinese-French
與 // 与 // yú // ① variant of 歟|欤[yu2] // CC-CEDICT
與 // 与 // yǔ // ① et ② s'allier ③ offrir ④ donner // Chinese-French
與 // 与 // yǔ // ① and ② to give ③ together with // CC-CEDICT
與 // 与 // yù // ① prendre part à // Chinese-French
與 // 与 // yù // ① to take part in // CC-CEDICT
善人 // 善人 // shàn rén // ① philanthrope ② personne charitable ③ bienfaiteur // Chinese-French
善人 // 善人 // shàn rén // ① philanthropist ② charitable person ③ well-doer // CC-CEDICT (Ⅵ)
- Yi Wu (1989) :

Suppression of an uprising does not eliminate the revolt.
How can one solve the problem by suppressing?
The wise person prefers to be the owner of debts
Who gives for ever but presses for no paying back.
The wise contractor gives but does not take.
The poor contractor takes but does not give.
The way of Heaven favors none.
It gives all the time and only the good ones can receive. (Ⅶ)
- Lynn (2004) :

Bring harmony to great resentment, and some resentment is sure to remain.
How could this be considered good?
This is why the sage holds the left half of the tally
And does not place blame on the other party.
A person of virtue concerns himself with his contracts,
And the person of no virtue concerns himself with scrutinizing others.
The Dao of Heaven has no favorites but is always with the good man. (Ⅷ)


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