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Tao Te Ching · 28 of 81
Chapter 28
Who knows his manhood’s strength,
Yet still his female feebleness maintains;
As to one channel flow the many drains,
All come to him, yea, all beneath the sky.
Thus he the constant excellence retains;
The simple child again, free from all stains.
Who knows how white attracts,
Yet always keeps himself within black’s shade,
The pattern of humility displayed,
Displayed in view of all beneath the sky;
He in the unchanging excellence arrayed,
Endless return to man’s first state has made.
Who knows how glory shines,
Yet loves disgrace, nor e’er for it is pale;
Behold his presence in a spacious vale,
To which men come from all beneath the sky.
The unchanging excellence completes its tale;
The simple infant man in him we hail.
The unwrought material, when divided and distributed, forms
vessels. The sage, when employed, becomes the Head of all the
Officers (of government); and in his greatest regulations he employs
no violent measures.
Asked of Guide
Why does Lao Tzu praise keeping
Lao Tzu praises keeping both strengths—“manhood’s strength”—and weaknesses—“female feebleness”—because the sage preserves a single, undivided source that attracts all “beneath the sky.” The chapter shows the sage staying humble and simple, like “the simple child again,” so power draws others without force.
He uses paired images—white and black, glory and disgrace—to show the sage practices restraint while remaining effective: people come to him “from all beneath the sky.” This echoes Chuang Tzu’s warnings about ruling by spirit rather than by coercion and Rumi’s counsel against striving; leadership flows from stillness, not strife.
Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.