ChiDragon

Only if you don't have a choice.

Well, let nature take its course.

No problem. I love it. in this scenario, you have no intention to kill the frog, therefore, you are still Wu Wei. Intention is the keyword here. If you have an intention to kill the frog, then, you didn't let nature take its course. You are safe here. Let's put is this way, Wu Wei do not give you credit for good behavior. Only if you did something that cause harm to nature, then you get blame for it. So to speak.

Sorry, I had left out something in the definition. In the scenario, saving an animal was not causing harm to nature. However, if you killed the animal, then you are not Wu Wei.

I think you spoke too soon. Please read Chapter 51 above. 動態平衡道士

Chapter 51 - 玄德的無為 1.道生之， 2.德畜之， 3.物形之， 4.勢成之。 5.是以萬物莫不尊道而貴德。 6.道之尊， 7.德之貴， 8.夫莫之命而常自然。 9.故, 10.道生之， 11.德畜之。 12.長之育之。 13.亭之毒之。 14.養之覆之。 15.生而不有， 16.為而不恃， 17.長而不宰。 18.是謂玄德。 Chapter 51 The Divine Virtue of Wu Wei 1. Tao engenders it, 2. Te rears it. 3. Matter forms it, 4. Environment grows it. 5. Hence, all things respect Tao and honor Te. 6. The dignity of Tao, 7. The value of Te. 8. They do not interfere but let them be natural. 9. Therefore, 10. Tao engenders it, 11. Te rears it. 12. Grow it and nourish it, 13. Let it grow to maturity, 14. To foster it and protect it. 15. Engenders it but not possess it. 16. For it but not restraining it, 17. Raise it but not controlling it, 18. It was called divine virtue.

The concept was originate from the term of Wu Wei well defined in Chapter 51 by Laotze in his TTC. It was practiced by the cultivation of the xing(mind).

I just want to make myself clear, I didn't say Wu Wei, "do nothing" is the correct translation! The correct translation is let nature take its course without interfering by humans. Something one don't understand need to be explained. This is why we are having this discussionr. We should not have the attitude that a new thing didn't learn before is not acceptable. After we have ironed things out, then something new has been learned. What do you think?

I think you are confused with the concept of Confucian's 道德. This is a compound character that means morality. The 道德 in 道德經 are two different entities. They are separated as 道 and 德, not compounded. The 道 here is the principle. 德 is the virtue was credited to those who follow the principle of Tao. Thus it is 道德(compound) known as having the virtue for following the principle of Tao. Didn't we have the same discussion before from here and there, over and over?

Many religions use the term Wu Wei. To a Buddhist, Wu Wei are the taboos as rules that monks are forbidden to do. To a Taoist, Wu Wei in the only thing Taoist do not do to cause interruption of any kind against nature.

As you wish!

Ok you won on this one. But Loatze still did not use any poetic style writing for the TTC as you had claimed. You may see some lines as quatrains but it was just a coincidence.

I don't mind taken your challenge of "the mission impossible." Do you know how much I went through in a book with the Chinese interpretation of each phrase in the TTC line by line. Each line was interpreted in the native language with lots of annotation. Even the term Wu Wei had a lot of explaining to do. Do you think just by saying "do nothing," you will accept that it is the principle of Wu Wei. It is because you understood the English translation of "do nothing" is the principle of Wu Wei. Come on, my friend Steve.

Yes, when we say "the sky is falling" doesn't mean "heaven is falling.

Wu Wei is the name of the principle. We don't judge the book by its jacket. You know! Do you know 無为 is elusive? Do you know why nobody understand it? It is because nobody in the world writes like Loatze. His style was so elusive, even nowadays, no ordinary person could understand it. Do you think that the people who translated the TTC really understand them. You think in one sentence will explain it all without any tedious annotation. The whole concept in the TTC was all about Wu Wei, 無为. It was Laorze's philosopher advocating all along. I don't see any translator had figure it out to mention it. It was because they were too busy translating the individual characters to write a book for sale. There are few Chapters emphasized on Wu Wei. Instead of translating by saying "do nothing," "non doing," or "non action," there were no place that anyone of the translators have explained what Wu Wei was. What have you learn from them about the concept of Wu Wei? Did you learn anything from their translation about the true meaning of Wu Wei?

As I recall, my argument was that Laotze did not use any special poetic style of writing.

Wasn't that after Laozte's time?

@steve 長得長, 長長, 長長, 長長 長1(zhabg): to grow 長2(chang): long in length 長3(chang): long in time 長1得長2(zhang de chang): It grows long 長3長2(chang chang): always long 長3長1(chang zhang): always growing 長3長2: always long 一行行, 行行行 Yi hang xing, hang hang xing 行1(hang): occupation 行2(xing): successful; OK If one occupation is successful, then all occupations will be successful.

Even you think so too. That was what the Taoist used for the Taoist cannon.

However, for a non-native English speaker, I had to read it five times to figure it out. Do you think that I got it figured out? It wasn't easy!

Yes, finally, with the help of AI I have found two. 1. 長得長長長長長長長 2. 一行行行行行 @DynamicEquilibrium Please help me to translate these two lines. Thanks!

Accurate has to satisfy both sides, since it is not, I would say it's acceptable. I would put it this way "heaven/sky" in the sentence.

Yes, my original translation was Therefore, when it is always not there(常無), one would observe its subtlety. Then, I had changed to read: 5. Hence, when Tao is always invisible, one would grok its quale. Does the logic change? Yes, there is a difference between "always not there" and "always invisible". "Always not there" could imply that it has never ever been existed. Where "always invisible" implies that it exists but just not visible. Do you follow the logic? Don't you think that the mystery in line 5 falls into the mystery in Lines 7 to 8? 7. 此兩者同出而異名，8. 同謂之玄。玄之又玄，9. 眾妙之門。 7. These two come from one origin but differ in name,8. Both are regarded as unfathomable, the most occult and profound;9. The gate of all subtleties.

Chapter 21 Manifestation of the virtue of Tao 1. 孔德之容 2. 惟道是從。 3. 道之為物 4. 惟恍惟惚。 5. 惚兮恍兮 6. 其中有象。 7. 恍兮惚兮 8. 其中有物。 9. 窈兮冥兮 10. 其中有精。 11.其精甚真。 12.其中有信。 13.自古及今， 14.其名不去。 15.以閱眾甫。 16.吾何以知眾甫之狀哉！ 17.以此。 1. The appearance of great virtue; 2. Only trails Tao. 3. This thing, Tao, 4. It's dull and hazy. 5. It’s dullness and haziness, 6. It has images. 7. It’s haziness and dullness, 8. It has things. 9. It’s profusion and dimness, 10. It has the essence. 11. Its essence is real, 12. And promising. 13. From present to ancient, 14. Its name does not vanish. 15. Using it to observe the origin of all things. 16. I can recognize the original state of all things! 17. From it(Tao).

Chapter 14 The invisible Tao 1. 視之不見,名曰夷。 2. 聽之不聞,名曰希。 3. 摶之不得,名曰微。 4. 此三者不可致詰， 5. 故混而為一。­ 6. 其上不皦， 7. 其下不昧， 8. 繩繩不可名， 9. 復歸於無物。 10.是謂無狀之狀， 11.無物之象， 12.是謂惚恍。 13.迎之不見其首， 14.隨之不見其後。 15.執古之道以御今之有。 16.能知古始， 17.是謂道紀。 Translated in terse English... 1. View it couldn't see, name and call it Colorless. 2. Listen to it couldn't hear, name and call it Soundless. 3. Touch it couldn't feel, name and call it Formless. 4. These three are inseparable 5. These three objects blended in one. 6. Its top is not brilliant. 7. Its bottom is not dim. 8. Its continuance is unnameable. 9. Returned to being formless(state of invisibility), 10. Is called a form of no form. 11. An image of formless, 12. Is called obscure. 13. Greet it cannot see its head. 14. Follow it cannot see its back. 15. Grasp the presence of Tao to see all existing things, 16. Able to understand the ancient origin, 17. It's called the Principles of Tao.