Chapter 71 How to know sickness.
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71. 1  
Not knowing that one knows is best;
Thinking that one knows when one does not know is sickness.
Only when one becomes sick of the sickness can one be free from sickness.
The sage is never sick; because he is sick of this sickness, therefore he is not sick.
- Chinese :

《道德經》: 知不知上；不知知病。夫唯病病，是以不病。聖人不病，以其病病，是以不病

《老子河上公章句·知病》: 知不知上，不知知病。夫唯病病，是以不病。聖人不病，以其病病，是以不病

《馬王堆·老子甲德經》: 知不知，尚矣；不知不知，病矣。是以聖人之不病，以其□□□□□□

《馬王堆·老子乙德經》: 知不知尚矣，不知知，病矣。是以聖人之不□也，以其病病也，是以不病。 (Ⅰ)
- He Shanggong (English) :

To know the unknowable is exalted.

To know Tao is called non-knowledge. Therefore it is superior Te.

Not to know the knowable is sickness.

Not to know Tao is called knowledge. This is a want of Te.

Now because one is sick of sickness, therefore one is not sick.

Now because somebody may be sick of suffering, all want to know his sickness. Then he himself is not sick.

The saint is not sick because he is sick of sickness. Therefore he is not sick.

The saint does not want to know this. He is sick of this eternal suffering. All men have this sickness. Therefore he pities men. Thereby he is not sick himself. Now the saint conceals penetrating wisdom. He communicates it to the ignorant. He wants to make the world real and simple, loyal and just. Everybody ought to keep his simple nature. The vulgar do not know the intentions of Tao and lose the [right] behaviour. They want to know about affairs. By displaying themselves they internally hurt the spirits. They shorten their lives and diminish their years.

(Ⅱ)

- He Shanggong (Chinese) :

知不知上，知道言不知，是乃德之上。，不知知病。不知道言知，是乃德之病。夫唯病病，是以不病。夫唯能病苦眾人有強知之病，是以不自病也。聖人不病，以其病病，是以不病。聖人無此強知之病者，以其常苦眾人有此病，以此非人，故不自病。 夫聖人懷通達之知，託於不知者，欲使天下質朴忠正，各守純性。小人不知道意，而妄行強知之事以自顯著，內傷精神，減壽消年也。 (Ⅲ)
- Wing-Tsit Chan (1963) :

To know that you do not know is the best. To pretend to know when you do not know is a disease. Only when one recognizes this disease as a disease can one be free from the disease.
The sage is free from the disease. Because he recognizes this disease to be disease, he is free from it. (Ⅳ)
- Ellen Marie Chen (1989) :

From knowing to not knowing (chih, pu chih),
This is superior.
From not knowing to knowing (pu chih, chih),
This is sickness.
It is by being sick of sickness,
That one is not sick.
The sage is not sick.
Because he is sick of sickness,
Therefore he is not sick. (Ⅴ)
- World by world translation :

Traditional // simplified // pinyin // definition // dictionary
知 // 知 // zhī // ① savoir ② connaître ③ connaissances // Chinese-French
知 // 知 // zhī // ① to know ② to be aware // CC-CEDICT
不知 // 不知 // bù zhī // ① ne pas savoir ② ne pas comprendre // Chinese-French
不知 // 不知 // bù zhī // ① not to know ② unaware ③ unknowingly ④ fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) // CC-CEDICT
上 // 上 // shàng // ① monter ② grimper ③ partir pour ④ mettre ⑤ fixer ⑥ appliquer (un remède) ⑦ supérieur ⑧ haut ⑨ premier ⑩ précédent // Chinese-French
上 // 上 // shàng // ① on top ② upon ③ above ④ upper ⑤ previous ⑥ first (of multiple parts) ⑦ to climb ⑧ to get onto ⑨ to go up ⑩ to attend (class or university) // CC-CEDICT
上 // 上 // shǎng // ① see 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] // CC-CEDICT
不知 // 不知 // bù zhī // ① ne pas savoir ② ne pas comprendre // Chinese-French
不知 // 不知 // bù zhī // ① not to know ② unaware ③ unknowingly ④ fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) // CC-CEDICT
知 // 知 // zhī // ① savoir ② connaître ③ connaissances // Chinese-French
知 // 知 // zhī // ① to know ② to be aware // CC-CEDICT
病 // 病 // bìng // ① tomber malade ② maladie ③ défaut ④ faute // Chinese-French
病 // 病 // bìng // ① illness ② CL:場|场[chang2] ③ disease ④ to fall ill ⑤ defect // CC-CEDICT
夫 // 夫 // fū // ① mari // Chinese-French
夫 // 夫 // fū // ① husband ② man ③ manual worker ④ conscripted laborer (old) // CC-CEDICT
夫 // 夫 // fú // ① (classical) this, that ② he, she, they ③ (exclamatory final particle) ④ (initial particle, introduces an opinion) // CC-CEDICT
唯 // 唯 // wéi // ① seulement // Chinese-French
唯 // 唯 // wéi // ① -ism ② only ③ alone // CC-CEDICT
唯 // 唯 // wěi // ① consentir // Chinese-French
唯 // 唯 // wěi // ① yes // CC-CEDICT
病 // 病 // bìng // ① tomber malade ② maladie ③ défaut ④ faute // Chinese-French
病 // 病 // bìng // ① illness ② CL:場|场[chang2] ③ disease ④ to fall ill ⑤ defect // CC-CEDICT
病 // 病 // bìng // ① tomber malade ② maladie ③ défaut ④ faute // Chinese-French
病 // 病 // bìng // ① illness ② CL:場|场[chang2] ③ disease ④ to fall ill ⑤ defect // CC-CEDICT
是以 // 是以 // shì yǐ // ① par conséquent ② donc // Chinese-French
是以 // 是以 // shì yǐ // ① therefore ② thus ③ so // CC-CEDICT
不 // 不 // bù // ① ne... pas ② non ③ (pour former une question placé à la fin d'une phrase, pour indiquer l'indifférence avec shen me ④ pour indiquer une alternative avec jiu) // Chinese-French
不 // 不 // bù // ① (negative prefix) ② not ③ no // CC-CEDICT
病 // 病 // bìng // ① tomber malade ② maladie ③ défaut ④ faute // Chinese-French
病 // 病 // bìng // ① illness ② CL:場|场[chang2] ③ disease ④ to fall ill ⑤ defect // CC-CEDICT
聖人 // 圣人 // shèng rén // ① saint // Chinese-French
聖人 // 圣人 // shèng rén // ① saint ② sage ③ refers to Confucius 孔子[Kong3 zi3] ④ the current reigning Emperor // CC-CEDICT
不 // 不 // bù // ① ne... pas ② non ③ (pour former une question placé à la fin d'une phrase, pour indiquer l'indifférence avec shen me ④ pour indiquer une alternative avec jiu) // Chinese-French
不 // 不 // bù // ① (negative prefix) ② not ③ no // CC-CEDICT
病 // 病 // bìng // ① tomber malade ② maladie ③ défaut ④ faute // Chinese-French
病 // 病 // bìng // ① illness ② CL:場|场[chang2] ③ disease ④ to fall ill ⑤ defect // CC-CEDICT
以 // 以 // yǐ // ① prendre ② utiliser ③ selon ④ à cause de ⑤ pour // Chinese-French
以 // 以 // yǐ // ① abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yi3 se4 lie4] // CC-CEDICT
以 // 以 // yǐ // ① to use ② by means of ③ according to ④ in order to ⑤ because of ⑥ at (a certain date or place) // CC-CEDICT
㕥 // 以 // yǐ // ① old variant of 以[yi3] // CC-CEDICT
㠯 // 以 // yǐ // ① old variant of 以[yi3] // CC-CEDICT
其 // 其 // qí // ① son ② sa ③ ses ④ leur ⑤ leurs ⑥ il(s) ⑦ elle(s) ⑧ ceci ⑨ cela // Chinese-French
其 // 其 // qí // ① his ② her ③ its ④ their ⑤ that ⑥ such ⑦ it (refers to sth preceding it) // CC-CEDICT
病 // 病 // bìng // ① tomber malade ② maladie ③ défaut ④ faute // Chinese-French
病 // 病 // bìng // ① illness ② CL:場|场[chang2] ③ disease ④ to fall ill ⑤ defect // CC-CEDICT
病 // 病 // bìng // ① tomber malade ② maladie ③ défaut ④ faute // Chinese-French
病 // 病 // bìng // ① illness ② CL:場|场[chang2] ③ disease ④ to fall ill ⑤ defect // CC-CEDICT
是以 // 是以 // shì yǐ // ① par conséquent ② donc // Chinese-French
是以 // 是以 // shì yǐ // ① therefore ② thus ③ so // CC-CEDICT
不 // 不 // bù // ① ne... pas ② non ③ (pour former une question placé à la fin d'une phrase, pour indiquer l'indifférence avec shen me ④ pour indiquer une alternative avec jiu) // Chinese-French
不 // 不 // bù // ① (negative prefix) ② not ③ no // CC-CEDICT (Ⅵ)
- Yi Wu (1989) :

The best knower knows how to know.
The worst knower knows that he/she knows.
The wise person knows how poor knowers stray
And can therefore keep himself/herself on the right path. (Ⅶ)
- Lynn (2004) :

To regard not knowing as knowing is the highest;
not to regard knowing as knowing is harmful.
It is only by regarding harm as harm that one suffers no harm.
That the sage suffers no harm is because he regards harm as harm, and this is why he suffers no harm. (Ⅷ)


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