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See related posts: Finding Order in the Timeless Flow of the Dao.
Category 1. What the Dao Is.
Category 2. Virtual and being.
Category 3. Harmonious rule.
Category 4: Dao Applied to Military Affairs and Conflict (30, 31, 36, 68, 69, 73)
These chapters form the Dao De Jing’s reflection on war, power, and the paradox of strength — how the violent pursuit of dominance contradicts the Dao and ultimately destroys itself. Laozi presents a philosophy of restraint, humility, and indirect action, in which the sage’s strength lies not in force but in alignment with the deeper, self-balancing rhythm of Heaven and Earth.
- The Futility of Force and the Cost of Victory
Chapters 30 and 31 are among the most explicit anti-war passages in world philosophy. Laozi declares that the ruler who governs by Dao “does not use force to dominate the world,” for violence rebounds upon its wielder — “its affair returns.” Wherever armies pass, the land grows thorns and famine follows. Even victory is misfortune: to rejoice in conquest is to delight in killing.
Weapons are “ominous tools,” not instruments of virtue. The sage uses them only when unavoidable, and even then, with mourning rather than pride. War is a failure of harmony — a sign that the natural order has already been violated. The moral measure of the victor is not glory but sorrow. True strength, Laozi insists, lies in not forcing outcomes, for all things that overextend themselves — individuals, armies, or empires — “grow old before their time.”
- The Law of Reversal and the Subtle Art of Restraint
Chapter 36 reveals a core Daoist paradox: to contract, one must first expand; to weaken something, first strengthen it; to take, first give. The Dao operates through reversal — soft overcoming hard, emptiness prevailing over fullness. This insight becomes a political and ethical principle: the hidden, flexible, and patient surpass the visible and forceful. Hence Laozi warns that a nation’s “sharp weapons” — its power and secrets — must never be exposed. Transparency of strength invites imbalance; concealment preserves harmony.
- The Nonviolent Virtue of the True Warrior
In chapter 68, Laozi sketches the Daoist ideal of leadership and martial skill:
“The best warrior is not warlike; the best fighter is never angry; the best conqueror does not contend.”
Victory through harmony, not hostility, reflects the “virtue of non-contention” (buzheng zhi de). Such mastery comes from humility — the capacity to yield, to take the lower position, and thus to harness the strength of others. Laozi sees this as the highest human alignment with Heaven’s order: using human strength without violating cosmic balance.
- The Tactics of the Soft and the Patient
Chapter 69 extends this logic into strategy. The sage general acts defensively, not aggressively: “I dare not be the host but prefer to be the guest.” To advance, he first withdraws; to conquer, he avoids direct confrontation. This is the warfare of non-war — the art of winning by not opposing, of disarming by humility. The greatest danger, Laozi warns, is underestimating the opponent; arrogance destroys awareness, and with it, the connection to Dao. In any conflict, the side that fights with sorrow and necessity — not joy or pride — holds moral and spiritual victory: “When armies clash, the one who grieves wins.”
- The Power of Heaven’s Non-Contending Way
Chapter 73 concludes the reflection by expanding from human courage to cosmic law. There are two kinds of bravery: the courage to dare, which leads to death, and the courage to refrain, which leads to life. Heaven’s Way does not compete yet always prevails, does not speak yet always responds, does not summon yet all things come, does not plan yet all unfolds perfectly. Its net — vast and loose — never fails to catch what must be caught.
In this, Laozi reveals the deepest paradox: true victory arises from yielding; true power comes from not contending. The sage, like Heaven, acts without aggression and thus accomplishes what warriors cannot.
Essence Summarized
Together, these chapters dismantle the myth of heroic violence and replace it with a philosophy of quiet strength, moral restraint, and cosmic patience. Laozi’s “art of war” is the art of peace — to act only when compelled, to win without pride, to remain still until harmony returns.
For him, the ultimate general is one who fights within himself, not against others — who conquers arrogance, tempers desire, and trusts that the Dao, vast and impartial, will redress all imbalance in its own time.
Summary of Verses
合兵頌
以道佐人主，
不以兵强天下。
兵者，不祥之器，
不得已而用之。
胜而不美，果而勿伐，
果而勿矜，果而不得已。
师之所处，荆棘生焉；
大战之后，凶年随之。
物壮则老，是谓不道，不道早已。
将欲歙之，必固张之；
将欲弱之，必固强之；
将欲夺之，必固与之。
柔弱胜刚强，
国之利器，不可以示人。
善为士者不武，
善战者不怒，
善胜敌者不与，
善用人者为之下。
是谓不争之德，
是谓用人之力，
是谓配天之极。
用兵有言：
吾不敢为主而为客，
不敢进寸而退尺。
行无行，攘无臂，
扔无敌，执无兵。
祸莫大于轻敌，
轻敌几丧吾宝。
抗兵相加，哀者胜矣。
勇于敢则杀，
勇于不敢则活。
天之道，不争而善胜，
不言而善应，
不召而自来，繟然而善谋。
天网恢恢，疏而不失。
The Way of Martial Harmony
Aid the ruler with the Way,
Not by force of arms.
Weapons are instruments of misfortune;
Only when unavoidable should they be used.
Win without glory,
Act without pride,
Achieve without boasting,
And fight only when there is no choice.
Where armies march, thorns grow;
After great wars, barren years follow.
What is strong soon grows old—
Such is not the Way,
And what is not the Way quickly perishes.
To contract, one must first extend;
To weaken, first strengthen;
To take, first give.
The soft and yielding overcome the hard and strong.
The sharp tools of the state
Should not be shown to the people.
The true warrior is not warlike,
The best fighter shows no anger,
The true victor does not contend,
The wise leader places himself below.
This is the virtue of non-contention,
The power that serves all,
The highest harmony beneath Heaven.
In the art of war it is said:
I dare not be the host but the guest,
Dare not advance an inch but retreat a foot.
Move without leaving a trace,
Wield no arms yet overcome all foes.
No calamity is greater than despising an enemy;
In arrogance lies the loss of one’s treasure.
When forces clash,
It is the one who grieves that prevails.
Courage that dares kills;
Courage that yields preserves life.
Heaven’s Way conquers without striving,
Responds without words,
Summons without call,
And plans with serene subtlety.
Heaven’s net is vast and wide—
Though its mesh is loose,
Nothing escapes its reach.
Original Verses
【第三十章】以道佐人主者，不以兵强天下，其事好（hào）还。师之所处，荆棘生焉。大军之后，必有凶年。善有果而已，不敢以取强。果而勿矜，果而勿伐，果而勿骄，果而不得已，果而勿强。物壮则老，是谓不道，不道早已。
Chapter 30 — The Restraint of Force
He who assists a ruler with the Dao does not subdue the world by force of arms,
For such things rebound.
Where troops have camped, thorns and brambles grow.
After great wars, years of famine follow.
The skillful achieve their purpose and then stop—
They dare not rely on force.
They achieve their aim but do not boast,
Achieve their aim but do not glory,
Achieve their aim but are not proud,
Achieve their aim because they must,
Achieve their aim but do not coerce.
When things grow strong, they age—
This is contrary to the Dao,
And what is contrary to the Dao soon perishes.
【第三十一章】夫佳兵者，不祥之器。物或恶（wù）之，故有道者不处（chǔ）。君子居则贵左，用兵则贵右。兵者，不祥之器，非君子之器。不得已而用之，恬淡为上，胜而不美。而美之者，是乐(yào)杀人。夫乐(yào)杀人者，则不可以得志于天下矣。吉事尚左，凶事尚右。偏将军居左，上将军居右，言以丧（sāng）礼处之。杀人之众，以哀悲泣之，战胜，以丧礼处之。
Chapter 31 — Weapons Are Ill-Omened Tools
Fine weapons are instruments of misfortune;
All things may detest them.
Therefore one who follows the Dao does not dwell upon them.
The noble man, at home, values the left;
In war, he values the right.
Weapons are instruments of misfortune,
Not the tools of a noble man.
He uses them only when he must,
And calm restraint is best.
Victory is not beautiful;
To delight in it is to delight in killing.
He who delights in killing will not achieve his will in the world.
In joyous affairs, the left is honored;
In mourning, the right.
The lieutenant stands on the left,
The general on the right—
It is as if conducting a funeral.
When many are slain, let them be mourned with sorrow;
When victory is won, let it be honored with funeral rites.
【第三十六章】将欲歙（xī）之，必固张之；将欲弱之，必固强之；将欲废之，必固兴之；将欲夺之，必固与之，是谓微明。柔弱胜刚强。鱼不可脱于渊，国之利器不可以示人。
Chapter 36 — The Subtle Strategy of the Sage
If you wish to shrink something,
You must first expand it.
If you wish to weaken something,
You must first strengthen it.
If you wish to abolish something,
You must first promote it.
If you wish to take something,
You must first give it.
This is called subtle clarity.
The soft and weak overcome the hard and strong.
Fish must not be taken from the deep;
The state’s sharp weapons must not be displayed to the people. 【第六十八章】善为士者不武，善战者不怒，善胜敌者不与，善用人者为之下。是谓不争之德，是谓用人之力，是谓配天古之极。 Chapter 68 — The Virtue of Non-Contention
The best warrior is not warlike.
The best fighter is not angry.
The best conqueror does not engage in conflict.
The best leader of men humbles himself below them.
This is called the virtue of not contending,
The strength of using others,
The alignment with Heaven’s ancient principle.
【第六十九章】用兵有言，吾不敢为主而为客，不敢进寸而退尺。是谓行（xíng）无行（háng），攘(rǎng)无臂，扔无敌，执无兵。祸莫大于轻敌，轻敌几丧吾宝。故抗兵相加，哀者胜矣。
Chapter 69 — The Wisdom of Restraint
There is a saying on the use of arms:
“I dare not be the host but prefer to be the guest;
I dare not advance an inch but retreat a foot.”
This is called marching without marching,
Rolling up one’s sleeves without baring one’s arms,
Confronting the foe without facing him,
Holding weapons without wielding them.
No calamity is greater than underestimating the enemy;
To underestimate the enemy nearly costs one the treasure (the self).
Therefore, when two armies meet,
The one that grieves will win.
【第七十三章】勇于敢则杀，勇于不敢则活。此两者，或利或害。天之所恶（wù），孰知其故？是以圣人犹难之。天之道，不争而善胜，不言而善应，不召而自来，繟（chǎn）然而善谋。天网恢恢，疏而不失。
Chapter 73 — The Courage of Heaven’s Way
He who is bold in daring will die;
He who is bold in not daring will live.
Of these two, one is beneficial, the other harmful.
Who knows Heaven’s reasons?
This is why the sage finds it hard to decide.
Heaven’s Way does not strive, yet conquers well;
Does not speak, yet responds well;
Does not summon, yet things come by themselves;
Is vast and plans well.
Heaven’s net is wide,
Its meshes are coarse,
Yet nothing slips through.
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