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A great state is a watershed the confluence of the world the female of the world the female uses stillness to overcome the male in order to be still she needs to be lower the great state that lowers itself before the small state governs the small state the small state that lowers itself before the great state is governed by the great state some lower themselves to govern some lower themselves to be governed the great state’s one desire is to unite and lead others the small state’s one desire is to join and serve others for both to fulfill their desires whichever is greater needs to be lower

LAO-TZU says, “The reason the sea can govern a hundred rivers / is because it has mastered being lower” (Taoteching: 66).

HO-SHANG KUNG says, “To lead a great state, we should be like the sea. We should be at the bottom of a watershed and not fight even the smallest current. A great state is the meeting place of the high and the low. The female refers to everything yin, everything that is weak, humble, yielding — what doesn’t lead.”

TS’AO TAO-CH’UNG says, “The female is the mother. All creatures revere their mother. The sage recognizes the male but upholds the female. Hence, all creatures turn to the sage.”

SU CH’E says, “The world turns to a great state just as rivers flow downstream. If a great state can lower itself, small states will attach themselves to it. If a small state can lower itself, a great state will take it under its care. A great state lowers itself to govern others. A small state lowers itself to be governed by others.”

WU CH’ENG says, “The female doesn’t make the first move. It is always the male who makes the first move. But to act means to lose the advantage. To wait means to gain the advantage. To act means to be higher. To wait means to be lower. The great state that doesn’t presume on its superiority gains the voluntary support of the small state. The small state that is content with its inferiority enjoys the generosity of the great state. The small state doesn’t have to worry about being lower, but the great state does. Hence, the great state needs to be lower.”

WANG AN-SHIH says, “To serve someone greater is easy. To serve someone smaller is hard. Because it is hard, Lao-tzu says, ‘whichever is greater needs to be lower.’”

MENCIUS says, “Only a virtuous ruler is able to serve a smaller state. Only a wise ruler is able to serve a greater state” (Mencius: 1B.3).

WANG PI says, “By cultivating humility, each gets what it wants. When the small state cultivates humility, it preserves itself, but that is all. It can’t make the world turn to it. The world turns to the great state that cultivates humility. Thus, each gets what it wants. But it is the great state that needs to be more humble.”

The Fuyi edition adds t’ien-hsia-chih (of the world) to line one, and the Mawangtui texts invert lines two and three. I have decided against both variants. However, I have followed the Mawangtui texts in their wording of lines five and six and have followed them again, along with the Fuyi text, in their addition of the particle yu (by) to line ten. This variant clarifies a relationship between great and small that was previously ambiguous and easily misinterpreted.