解老 Explanation of the Laozi
德者，内也。得者，外也。“上德不德”，言其神不淫于外也。Virtue lies within, while attainment is external. "The highest virtue does not show itself as virtue" means that the spirit does not indulge in external things.
神不淫于外，则身全。身全之谓德。德者，得身也。When the spirit does not indulge in external things, the body remains intact. The state of the body being intact is called virtue. Virtue is the attainment of self-preservation.
凡德者，以无为集，以无欲成，以不思安，以不用固。All virtue is accumulated through non-action, accomplished through non-desire, stabilized through non-thinking, and consolidated through non - use.
为之欲之，则德无舍；德无舍，则不全。If one acts and desires, then virtue has no place to abide; if virtue has no place to abide, then the body is not whole.
用之思之，则不固；不固，则无功；无功，则生于德。If one uses and thinks, then it is not stable; if it is not stable, then there is no achievement; if there is no achievement, then it stems from the state of virtue.
德则无德，不德则有德。故曰：“上德不德，是以有德。”When virtue is forced, it loses its true nature; when it does not show itself as forced virtue, then true virtue exists. Therefore, it is said, "The highest virtue does not show itself as virtue, and thus it has virtue."
所以贵无为无思为虚者，谓其意无所制也。The reason why non - action and non-thinking, regarded as emptiness, are valued is that the mind is not restricted.
夫无术者，故以无为无思为虚也。Those without the right methods consider non-action and non-thinking as emptiness.
夫故以无为无思为虚者，其意常不忘虚，是制于为虚也。Those who deliberately take non-action and non-thinking as emptiness often keep the concept of emptiness in mind. In fact, their minds are restricted by the idea of emptiness.
虚者，谓其意无所制也。今制于为虚，是不虚也。Emptiness means that the mind is unrestricted. Now, if it is restricted by the concept of emptiness, it is not truly empty.
虚者之无为也，不以无为为有常。The non-action of the truly empty-minded does not take non-action as a fixed pattern.
不以无为为有常，则虚；虚，则德盛；德盛之为上德。Not taking non-action as a fixed pattern means being truly empty; being empty means having abundant virtue; and abundant virtue is the highest virtue.
故曰：“上德无为而无不为也。”Therefore, it is said, "The highest virtue is non-action yet everything is done."
仁者，谓其中心欣然爱人也；其喜人之有福，而恶人之有祸也；Benevolence means that one wholeheartedly loves others from the bottom of the heart. One rejoices in others' good fortune and deplores others' misfortunes.
生心之所不能已也，非求其报也。This is an innate feeling that cannot be stopped, not for the sake of seeking rewards.
故曰：“上仁为之而无以为也。”Therefore, it is said, "The highest benevolence acts but not for any ulterior motives."
义者，君臣上下之事，父子贵贱之差也，知交朋友之接也，亲疏内外之分也。Righteousness concerns the relationships between the sovereign and the subjects, between the superior and the inferior, between father and son, between the noble and the humble, among friends, and the distinctions between the close and the distant, the inner and the outer.
臣事君宜，下怀上宜，子事父宜，贱敬贵宜，知交朋友之相助也宜，亲者内而疏者外宜。It is appropriate for the subjects to serve the sovereign, for the inferior to respect the superior, for the son to serve the father, for the humble to respect the noble, for friends to help each other, and for the close to be treated more intimately and the distant more distantly.
义者，谓其宜也，宜而为之。Righteousness means doing what is appropriate, and one acts when it is appropriate.
故曰：“上义为之而有以为也。”Therefore, it is said, "The highest righteousness acts with a sense of purpose."
礼者，所以貌情也，群义之文章也，君臣父子之交也，贵贱贤不肖之所以别也。Propriety is to express emotions, the manifestation of various righteousness, the bond between the sovereign and the subjects, father and son, and the means to distinguish between the noble and the humble, the worthy and the unworthy.
中心怀而不谕，故疾趋卑拜而明之；实心爱而不知，故好言繁辞以信之。When the sincere feelings in the heart cannot be expressed, one hurries forward and bows deeply to make them clear. When true love is not understood, one uses kind words and elaborate expressions to convey it.
礼者，外饰之所以谕内也。故曰：礼以貌情也。Propriety is the external adornment to express the inner feelings. Therefore, it is said that propriety is to express emotions.
凡人之为外物动也，不知其为身之礼也。When people are stirred by external things, they do not realize that it is the propriety of the body.
众人之为礼也，以尊他人也，故时劝时衰。Most people practice propriety to show respect to others, so their performance of propriety sometimes waxes and sometimes wanes.
君子之为礼，以为其身；以为其身，故神之为上礼；A gentleman practices propriety for himself. Because it is for himself, his sincere performance is the highest propriety.
上礼神而众人贰，故不能相应；不能相应，故曰：“上礼为之而莫之应。”The highest propriety is sincere, while most people are insincere, so they cannot respond in kind. Since they cannot respond in kind, it is said, "The highest propriety acts but finds no response."
众人虽贰，圣人之复恭敬尽手足之礼也不衰。故曰：“攘臂而仍之。”Although most people are insincere, the sage still maintains respect and fully performs the proper gestures of propriety without decline. Therefore, it is said, "Roll up one's sleeves and persevere."
道有积而积有功；德者，道之功。The Way accumulates, and this accumulation has its effects. Virtue is the effect of the Way.
功有实而实有光；仁者，德之光。The effect has its substance, and the substance has its radiance. Benevolence is the radiance of virtue.
光有泽而泽有事；义者，仁之事也。The radiance has its influence, and the influence gives rise to actions. Righteousness is the action of benevolence.
事有礼而礼有文；礼者，义之文也。Actions have their propriety, and propriety has its form. Propriety is the form of righteousness.
故曰：“失道而后失德，失德而后失仁，失仁而后失义，失义而后失礼。”Therefore, it is said, "When the Way is lost, then virtue is lost; when virtue is lost, then benevolence is lost; when benevolence is lost, then righteousness is lost; when righteousness is lost, then propriety is lost."
