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Tao Te Ching · 60 of 81

Chapter 60

Governing a great state is like cooking small fish.

Let the kingdom be governed according to the Tao, and the manes of the departed will not manifest their spiritual energy. It is not that those manes have not that spiritual energy, but it will not be employed to hurt men. It is not that it could not hurt men, but neither does the ruling sage hurt them.

When these two do not injuriously affect each other, their good influences converge in the virtue (of the Tao).

Asked of Guide

Why does Lao Tzu compare ruling a great state to cooking small fish?

Lao Tzu uses the image to warn that heavy-handed governance spoils delicate things; “cooking small fish” requires a light touch. The chapter says a ruler who governs according to the Tao prevents the departed manes from manifesting harm because the sage’s rule “will not hurt them.”

By keeping ruler and the unseen forces from injuring each other, their “good influences converge in the virtue (of the Tao).” This matches Chuang Tzu’s advice that great states should “unite men together and nourish them,” implying governance that preserves balance rather than imposes force.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.

Echoes elsewhere

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