Tao Te Ching Ch.13: Favour and Disgrace — Chinese, Pinyin and English

宠chǒng辱rǔ若ruò惊jīng，贵guì大dà患huàn若ruò身shēn。

1Favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared; honour and great calamity, to be regarded as personal conditions (of the same kind).

何hé谓wèi宠chǒng辱rǔ若ruò惊jīng？

2What is meant by speaking thus of favour and disgrace?

宠chǒng为wéi下xià，得dé之zhī若ruò惊jīng，失shī之zhī若ruò惊jīng，是shì谓wèi宠chǒng辱rǔ若ruò惊jīng。

3Disgrace is being in a low position (after the enjoyment of favour).

何hé谓wèi贵guì大dà患huàn若ruò身shēn？

4The getting that (favour) leads to the apprehension (of losing it), and the losing it leads to the fear of (still greater calamity):--this is what is meant by saying that favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared.

吾wú所suǒ以yǐ有yǒu大dà患huàn者zhě，为wéi吾wú有yǒu身shēn，及jí吾wú无wú身shēn，吾wú有yǒu何hé患huàn。

5And what is meant by saying that honour and great calamity are to be (similarly) regarded as personal conditions?

故gù贵guì以yǐ身shēn为wéi天tiān下xià，若ruò可kě寄jì天tiān下xià。

6What makes me liable to great calamity is my having the body (which I call myself); if I had not the body, what great calamity could come to me?

爱ài以yǐ身shēn为wéi天tiān下xià，若ruò可kě托tuō天tiān下xià。

7Therefore he who would administer the kingdom, honouring it as he honours his own person, may be employed to govern it, and he who would administer it with the love which he bears to his own person may be entrusted with it.