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Weapons are not auspicious tools some things are simply bad thus the Taoist shuns them in peace the ruler honors the left in war he honors the right weapons are not auspicious tools he wields them when he has no choice dispassion is the best thus he doesn’t praise them those who praise their use enjoy killing others those who enjoy killing others achieve no worldly rule thus we honor the left for happiness we honor the right for sorrow the left is where the adjutant stands the commander on the right which means as at a funeral when you kill another honor him with your tears when the battle is won treat it as a wake

HO-SHANG KUNG says, “In times of decadence and disorder, we use weapons to defend the people.”

SU CH’E says, “We take up weapons to rescue the distressed and not as a matter of course.”

SUNG CH’ANG-HSING says, “The system of ritual devised by the ancient kings treated the right as superior and the left as inferior. Being superior, the right represented the Way of Victory. Being inferior, the left represented the Way of Humility. But victory entails death and destruction. Hence, those on the right were in charge of sad occasions, while those on the left were in charge of happy events.”

JEN FA-JUNG says, “‘Left’ refers to the east and the power of creation, while ‘right’ refers to the west and the power of destruction.”

HSUAN-TSUNG says, “When Tibetans, Huns, or other tribes invade our borders, the ruler has no choice but to respond. But he responds as he would to a gnat. He does not act in anger. The greatest victory involves no fighting. Hence, dispassion is the best policy.”

LI HSI-CHAI says, “Sun-tzu discussed in detail the use of strengths and weaknesses and of direction and indirection in warfare. But he did not understand their basis (Suntzu Pingfa: 5–6). Lao-tzu says dispassion is the best policy, because it secures victory without a display. This might seem odd, but dispassion means to rest, and rest is the root of victory. Meanwhile, passion means to act, and action is the basis of defeat.”

KING HSIANG OF LIANG asked Mencius, “How can the kingdom be pacified?” Mencius answered, “The kingdom can be pacified by uniting it.” King Hsiang asked, “But who can unite it?” Mencius answered, “One who does not delight in killing others can unite it” (Mencius: 1A.6).

LI JUNG says, “The ancients used weapons with compassion. They honored them for their virtue and disdained them as tools. Once the enemy was defeated, the general put on plain, undyed clothes, presided over a funeral ceremony, and received the mourners.”

In the first line, I have followed the arguments of Wang Nien-sun and Cheng Liang-shu in reading chia (fine), which precedes ping (weapons) in the standard editions, as a mistake for the grammatical particle wei, which carries no meaning, only emphasis. Lines two and three also appear in verse 24, although my translation of them there is not the same. The first three lines are missing from the Kuotien texts, as is line seven. For line ten, I have followed the wording of the Fuyi and Mawangtui texts, which the standard versions render “victory is not praised.”