Hold the Great Image
The Text
执大象，天下往。往而不害，安平泰。乐与饵，过客止。道之出口，淡乎其无味，视之不足见，听之不足闻，用之不足既。
Hold the great image, and the world comes — coming, it meets no harm, only safety, peace, ease. Music and dainties stop a passing guest. But words spoken of the way — bland, without flavour. Look at them, not enough; listen, not enough; yet used, they do not run out.
Reading it
The contrast is hospitality: what stops the traveller is sweet and finishes; what holds the world is bland and does not. Blandness here is not weakness but the taste of something with no agenda — which is why it lasts past the point where entertainment has been fully consumed.
对比是待客：留住过客的东西甜、且会完结；握住世界的东西淡、且不会。淡不是弱，是无议程者的味道——所以它在娱乐被消费完之后还在。
Offer someone one plain, useful truth this week with no dressing on it. Watch whether it is still remembered in a month.
这周给人一个不加包装的、平淡而有用的事实。看一个月后是否还被记得。