道卅六 - Tao Chapter 36

将欲拾之 必古张之

将欲弱之 必古强之

将欲去之 必古与之

将欲夺之 必古予之

是胃微明

友弱胜强 鱼不可脱于潚 邦利器不可以视人

要把东西从地上捡起来，必须先把手张开；想要弱化对象特定的方面，对象的这个方面必须先有一定的强度；想要远离特定的对象，必须事先参与对方；想要剥夺对象特定的东西，必须先让对方提前拥有的。 这就是一点微小的亮光就可以带来光明（事物发展源起于微毫）道理。 在（对方）弱小的时候就交好对方远胜于等到对方强大了（再去结交）；就像鱼离不开幽深而清澈的水源（自然而然、视而不见）一样，有效治理国邦的工具并不需要时时审察民众。

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To pick something up from the ground, you must first open your hand; to weaken a specific aspect of an object, that aspect of the object must first have a certain strength; to stay away from a specific object, you must first participate with it; to deprive an object of something specific, you must first let the object possess it beforehand.

This is the principle that a small amount of light can bring light (things develop from the smallest things).

When the other party is weak, it is better to make friends with them than to wait until the other party becomes strong; just like fish cannot leave the deep and clear water source (it is natural and unseen), the tools for effectively governing a country and people do not need to be constantly examined.