Muddy Water, Left Still, Clears
The Text
古之善为士者，微妙玄通，深不可识。夫唯不可识，故强为之容：豫兮若冬涉川；犹兮若畏四邻；俨兮其若客；涣兮若冰之将释；敦兮其若朴；旷兮其若谷；混兮其若浊。孰能浊以静之徐清？孰能安以久动之徐生？保此道者不欲盈。夫唯不盈，故能敝而新成。
The masters of old were subtle beyond comprehension — too deep to know. Reluctant, like crossing a winter stream; wary, like neighbours on all sides; courteous, like a guest; yielding, like ice about to melt; plain, like uncarved wood; open, like a valley; murky, like troubled water. Who can wait for mud to settle and the water to clear by itself? Who can stay still long enough for movement to rise on its own? They who keep to this way do not seek fullness — and so can wear away and be renewed.
Reading it
Seven similes, none of them about action. The only verbs that matter are wait and settle: clarity is what muddy water does when you stop stirring it. The refusal of fullness at the end is what makes renewal possible.
七个比喻，没有一个是关于行动的。真正要紧的动词只有两个：等、澄清。浑水停搅会自己清——末句的「不欲盈」正是能够更新的前提。
Next time a situation muddies, do nothing for one full day. Watch whether it clarifies without you.
下次局面浑了，整整一天什么都不做。看它是否不靠你也澄清了。