第76章 · 原文
现代白话译文
人活着的时候身体是柔软的，死后就变得僵硬。草木活着的时候是柔软脆弱的，死后就变得干枯坚硬。所以坚强的东西属于死亡的一类，柔弱的东西属于生存的一类。因此军队逞强就会被消灭，树木逞强就会被折断。强大的处于下位，柔弱的处于上位。
英文译本 / English Translations
D.C. Lau
A man is supple and weak when living, but hard and stiff when dead. Grass and trees are pliant and fragile when living, but dried and shrivelled when dead. Thus the hard and the strong are the comrades of death; The supple and the weak are the comrades of life. Therefore a weapon that is strong will not vanquish; A tree that is strong will suffer the axe. The strong and big takes the lower position, The supple and weak takes the higher position.
Robert Henricks
1. When people are born, they're supple and soft; 2. Whey they die, they end up stretched out firm and rigid; 3. When the ten thousand things and grasses and trees are alive, they're supple and pliant; 4. When they're dead, they're withered and dried out. 5. Therefore we say that the firm and rigid are compassions of death, 6. While the supple, the soft, the weak, and the delicate are compassions of life. 7. If a soldier is rigid, he won't win; 8. If a tree is rigid, it will come to its end. 9. Rigidity and power occupy the inferior position; 10. Suppleness, softness, weakness, and delicateness occupy the superior position.
Addiss & Lombardo
When people are born they are soft and weak. When they die they are hard and stiff. When plants are alive they are soft and fragile. When they die they are withered and dry. Therefore the hard and stiff are followers of death. The soft and weak are followers of life. Therefore if the army is strong, it will not win. If the tree is stiff, it will break. The strong and big are below, the soft and weak are above.
Arthur Waley
When he is born, man is soft and weak; In death he becomes stiff and hard. The ten thousand creatures and all plants And trees while they are alive are supple and soft, But when and dead they become brittle and dry. Truly, what is stiff and hard is a "companion of death"; What is soft and weak is a "companion of life". Therefore "the weapon that is too hard will be broken, The tree that has the hardest wood will be cut down". Truly, the hard and mighty are cast down; The soft and weak set on high.
林语堂
This version is not yet available.
Stephen Mitchell
Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.