Chapter 54
IndexOne who embodies profound virtue is comparable to a newborn child.
Bees, scorpions, vipers, and snakes do not sting; fierce beasts do not seize; birds of prey do not strike.
Bones weak, tendons soft, yet the grasp is firm.
Not yet knowing the union of female and male, yet fully formed - this is the utmost essence.
Crying all day without becoming hoarse - this is perfect harmony.
To know harmony is to know the constant; to know the constant is to be enlightened; to force the growth of life is to invite calamity.
When the mind controls the vital energy, it is called forceful.
When things reach their prime, they age. This is called not following the Dao. What does not follow the Dao ends early.