The Heavy Is the Root of the Light
The Text
重为轻根，静为躁君。是以圣人终日行不离辎重。虽有荣观，燕处超然。奈何万乘之主，而以身轻天下？轻则失根，躁则失君。
The heavy is the root of the light; stillness is the master of restlessness. So the wise, travelling all day, never leave the loaded wagon — however splendid the view, they sit calmly, detached. How can a lord of ten thousand chariots treat his own body more lightly than the realm? The light loses its root; the restless loses its master.
Reading it
The loaded wagon is the things that cannot be dropped: health, family, the long work. Splendour is what you see from the road. The chapter’s warning is aimed precisely at people whose position makes them feel they can afford to travel light.
辎重是那些丢不掉的东西：健康、家人、长期的工作。荣观是路上看到的风景。本章的警告精准指向那些位子让自己觉得可以轻装旅行的人。
Name the heavy thing in your life you have been treating lightly. Give it one hour this week.
说出你生活里被你轻慢的那件重事。这周给它一小时。