These Things of Old Gained the One
The Text
昔之得一者：天得一以清；地得一以宁；神得一以灵；谷得一以盈；万物得一以生；侯王得一以为天下正。其致之也，谓天无以清，将恐裂；地无以宁，将恐废；侯王无以正，将恐蹶。故贵以贱为本，高以下为基。是以侯王自谓孤、寡、不谷。此非以贱为本邪？非乎？故至誉无誉。是故不欲琭琭如玉，珞珞如石。
Of old, these gained the one: heaven by it is clear; earth by it is steady; spirits by it have power; valleys by it are full; the ten thousand things by it live; lords and kings by it are the standard of the people. Each is what it is by that. Heaven without clarity to hold it fast might crack; earth without steadiness might quake; the people without a standard might stumble — nobility must take the low as root, the high must take the low as base. So lords call themselves orphan, needy, unworthy. Is this not taking the low as root? Hence the finest carriage has no carriage. Do not shine like jade; wear down like stone.
Reading it
A single noun — the one — does the work of a whole metaphysics: whatever each thing is consists in holding its particular share of unity. The aristocratic humility at the end is not courtesy; it is accurate bookkeeping about where standing actually comes from. Stone, not jade: less to crack.
一个名词——「一」——做了一整部形而上学的工作：每样东西之所以是它，在于守住它那份整一。末尾的侯王自谦不是客套，是对「位从何来」的准确记账。石不如玉美，但更难裂。
Find the lowest position your high position rests on. Thank it this week.
找出你的高位所立足的最低处。这周谢谢它。