《道德经》英译（第五十章）

出生入死，

生之徒十有三，

死之徒十有三。

人之生，动之于死地亦十有三。

夫何故？

以其生生之厚。

盖闻善摄生者，

陆行不遇凶虎，

入军不被甲兵。

兕无所投其角。

虎无所用其爪。

兵无所容其刃。

夫何故？

以其无死地。

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Chapter 50

 

When given to birth men live

And when being buried they die.

One third of them are long-lived;

One third of them are short-lived;

One third of them die

from their own choices

though they could have lived longer;

Why in such cases?

Because they are too eager to live longer.

It is heard

that he who is good at preserving his life

Does not meet with the rhinoceros or tiger when traveling on land,

Nor is he wounded in war,

So the rhinoceros had no use for its horns

And the tiger has no use for its claws;

The weapons have no use for their blades.

Why in such cases?

Because there is no realm of death for him to enter.