Chapter 1 – Sentence 3

Giles:

The Moral Law causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger.

 

Goldwater:

The Dao leads the people to be of one will with their ruler, such that they are willing to live or die with him, in spite of any danger.

 

Traditional Chinese

道者，令民與上同意，
可與之死，可與之生，而不畏危也。

 

Simplified Chinese

道者，令民于上同意，可与之死，
可与之生，而不畏危也。

 

Pin Yin

dào zhě, lìng mín yǔ shàng tóng yì,
kě yǔ zhī sǐ, kě yǔ zhī shēng,
ér bù wèi wēi yě.

 

道者，令民與上同意，可與之死，可與之生，而不畏危也。
Dao, leads people together ruler same will,
can together die, can together live, and not fear danger.

 

道 者，
Dao

 

令 民 與 上 同 意，
leads people together ruler same will,

 

可 與 之 死，
can together die,

 

可 與 之 生，
can together live,

 

而 不 畏 危 也。
and not fear danger .

 

(The) Dao leads (the) people together (with) (their) ruler (to be of the) same will, (such that they are willing to) die together (with him), (or to) live together (with him), and not (to) fear danger.

The Dao leads the people to be of one will with their ruler, such that they are willing to live or die with him, in spite of any danger.

Comments:

1. Many translations of the word Dao have something to do with ‘moral’, such as ‘moral law’, as with the Giles translation. Such translations are not useful, in my opinion. The book by Laozi is called the DaoDeJing. Jing means book. Dao means the Dao. De means morality. The book was an attempt to describe the Dao, and since everything follows the pattern of nature that is the Dao, a main goal of the book was an attempt to describe how people should model their behavior in accord with the way that everything else in the world works. Therefore, the DaoDeJing does concern morality, but only in the sense that it discusses De (morality) in the context of the Dao. While morality is one application of the Dao, the Dao is not specifically about morality. The Dao is about unity and harmony.

2. The notion of the Dao is about unity and harmony. If a ruler and his people are in harmony, then they will work as one, and the people will share the goals of the ruler. If they are not in harmony, then the people will not act as one with the ruler; they will not share his goals and they will not face danger to achieve them.