第十章

Can you keep the unquiet physical-soul from straying, hold fast to the Unity, and never quit it?
Can you, when concentrating your breath, make it soft like that of a little child?
Can you wipe and cleanse your vision of the Mystery till all is without blur?
Can you love the people and rule the land, yet remain unknown?
Can you in opening and shutting the heavenly gates play always the female part?
Can your mind penetrate every corner of the land but you yourself never interfere?

此六能之問有助於悟能。可長問之，我現在還記得小時候看亞視版《八仙過海》，張果老和藍采和喃喃自問：什麼是無為？

stray 迷，用不迷來譯載營魄抱一，挺好。
專氣致柔，直接用chi來譯，似比breath好。 wipe and cleanse your vision of the Mystery滌除玄覽，挺好；without blur無疵，尚可。我是找不出更合適的英文，此有點金剛經中見相非相的意思，故此用無相的英文來譯可能更好。
天門開闔，能為雌乎的female part屬於直譯，不知西方人能否理解何為female part。要把地勢坤，安忍不動的意思表達出更好一些。想起多年前一個老外，說曾到中國旅遊，拍了厚德載物四個字的照片，問我啥意思，我說就跟大地一樣。
penetrate every corner 滲透每一個角落，明白四達，挺好。

Rear them, then, feed them,
Rear them, but do not lay claim to them.
Control them, but never lean upon them;
Be chief among them, but do not manage them.
This is called the Mysterious Power.

挺好。看到德字的翻譯，為power。

第十一章

We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel;
But it is on the space where there is nothing that the usefulness of the wheel depends.

spoke: each of the bars or wire rods connecting the center of a wheel to its outer edge.輻

We turn clay to make a vessel;
But it is on the space where there is nothing that the usefulness of the vessel depends.

vessel： a hollow container, especially one used to hold liquid, such as a bowl or cask. 除船外還有容器之意

We pierce doors and windows to make a house;
And it is on these spaces where there is nothing that the usefulness of the house depends.

pierce doors and windows 挺奇怪的語句。

Therefore just as we take advantage of what is, we should recognize the usefulness of what is not.

advantage利usefulness用

第十二章

The fives colours confuse the eye,
The fives sounds dull the ear,
The five tastes spoil the palate.

spoil the palate.破壞味覺

Excess of hunting and chasing
Makes minds go mad.
Products that are hard to get
Impede their owner’s movements.

Impede：delay or prevent (someone or something) by obstructing them; hinder. 阻礙 obstructing：block (an opening, path, road, etc.); be or get in the way of. hinder:create difficulties for (someone or something), resulting in delay or obstruction.

Therefore the Sage
Considers the belly not the eye.
Truly, “he rejects that but takes this”.

直譯

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