Its security is easy to hold, its uneconceptions are easy to plot, its brittleness is easy to break (1), and its micro is easy to scatter. For the sake of the unheard, the cure is not chaotic. The wood of the embrace is born at the end of the millimeter (2); the platform of the ninth floor, which begins in the soil (3); the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Those who do lose, and those who persist lose. It is the saint who is undefeated for nothing; undefeated without attachment. The people's work is often defeated by a few successes. If you are cautious in the end, you will not be defeated. It is the saints who do not want to, and the goods that are not expensive and rare; learning (4) not learning, and restoring the sins of all. To supplement the nature of all things, and dare not do. ——64
【Notes】
(1) Its brittleness is easy to break: broken, scattered, solution. Fragile items are easy to dissolve.
(2) Millimeter: small buds.
(3) Tired soil: pile soil.
(4) Learning: This refers to the lesson that there are mistakes in doing things.
【Summary】
This chapter is also a dialectic of the development and change of things. Lao Tzu believes that big things always start with small things to develop and grow, and the emergence of any thing always has a process of its own generation, change and development, and people should understand this process, pay special attention to the links in this process where things may be plagued, and put an end to its appearance. Proceeding from the viewpoint of "the big is born of the small", Lao Tzu further expounded the law of the development and change of things, explaining that the lofty things of "the wood of the embrace", the "platform of the nine layers", and the "journey of a thousand miles" all started from "born at the end of the millennia", "from the tired soil", and "starting from the foot", which vividly proved that the big things all develop from the small things. At the same time, it also warns people that no matter what they do, they must have strong perseverance, start from small things, and have a beginning and an end, in order to achieve great causes.
【Understanding】
In this chapter, Lao Tzu is still talking about his attitude towards life, about the dialectic of the development and change of things. Since it is read in connection with the previous chapter, it can also be said that it returns to the truth of "doing nothing, doing nothing, and tasting tasteless". Lao Tzu believes that big things always start from small things and develop, the emergence of any thing, there is always a process of its own generation, change and development, people should understand this process, pay special attention to the links in this process where things may have disasters, and put an end to its appearance. Proceeding from the viewpoint of "the big is born of the small", Lao Tzu further expounded the law of the development and change of things, explaining that the lofty things of "the wood of the embrace", the "platform of the nine layers", and the "journey of a thousand miles" all started from "born at the end of the millennia", "from the tired soil", and "starting from the foot", which vividly proved that the big things all develop from the small things. At the same time, it also warns people that no matter what they do, they must have strong perseverance and start from small things to achieve great things. Whether it is the easiest thing in the world or the hardest thing in the world, the word "persistence" is indispensable. Without perseverance, the easiest things become difficult; with perseverance, the most difficult things become easier. Based on his experience of life and his insight into all things, Lao Tzu pointed out that "the people's work is often achieved and defeated." "A lot of people can't persevere and always fail when things are about to succeed. What is the reason for this? Lao Tzu believes that the main reason is that when it is about to be done, people are not cautious enough, they begin to slacken off, they do not maintain the enthusiasm that they had at the beginning of things, they lack resilience, and if they can achieve "prudence at the beginning, then there is no failure." Lao Tzu believed that one should exert one's best state of intelligence or skill, and can only be done in a natural state of psychological calm. In short, be as cautious as you were at the beginning at the last minute, and there will be no failures. Lao Tzu's advocacy of "doing nothing" and "no attachment" actually allows people to act in accordance with the laws of nature, establish confidence in victory and strong perseverance, and patiently complete it bit by bit, and a little slackness will often lead to the end of abandoning previous achievements and failing in achievements. Raindrops penetrate the stone, not by fierce force, but by persistent dripping; the journey of a thousand miles is not a day to arrive, but the result of a step by step perseverance. Therefore, we must rely on the natural laws of the avenue, do not force it, as long as we insist on prudence, we can shake hands with glory. Persistence is the key to success. Peng Duanshu told such a story in "For Learning": There are two monks in the remote areas of Sichuan, rich and poor, both want to make a pilgrimage to the South China Sea, and the rich monk has been planning to hire a boat to go down the river to the South China Sea for several years but has not finally succeeded; the poor monk has reached the South China Sea on foot with a bottle of water and a bowl begging for food, and returned triumphantly. Why did the rich and the poor monks in adversity finally arrive in the South China Sea? The fundamental reason is that the poor monk has perseverance and perseverance, and a firm belief in not giving up until he reaches his goal. Without this subjective initiative, without this perseverance and conviction, the rich monks would not be able to reach the South China Sea, and the poor monks would not be able to reach the South China Sea. Yugong moving mountains is also a good example. Yu Gong dug the mountain more and more every day, and Zhi Shu smiled at him and stopped laughing. Yu Gong insisted on hard work and finally dug up the two Heavenly Mountains of Taihang and Wang Wu. It can be seen that foolishness is not foolishness, and wisdom is not wise. The reason why he is stupid is not stupid is because he understands that only by persevering can he achieve the purpose of changing heaven and earth. Even if you are really stupid, as long as you persist, you can succeed. Zhang Pu of China's Ming Dynasty, he was very "stupid" when he was a child, and what others can memorize after reading for a while, he often has to read dozens of times to memorize it. However, he was not discouraged, and every time he got an article, he first copied it carefully, proofread it, read it aloud again, then burned it, and then copied it again. In this way, an article is often copied six or seven times. Later, he gradually became quick-witted and exported. At the age of 26, he wrote the famous "Tombstone of the Five". On the contrary, Wang Anshi's Zhongyong can write poetry at the age of 5, which can be described as talented. However, his father actually took him around all day to write poems to show off, and Zhongyong no longer thought about making progress and did not study seriously. When he grew up, he became mediocre and "invisible"!
There is a saying in Sima Qian's "Biography of The Chronicle of Le Yi": "There are many people who start well, and those who die well are widowed." "I am also testing this meaning, there are many people who can start, but most people can't stick to the end, and very few people can stick to the end."
In everything we do, we must be cautious and consistent with the beginning, in order to be undefeated.