《道德经》中“处无为之事,行不言之教”新解

A New Explanation of "Experiences without abstraction,accomplishes without action" from Tao Te Ching

《道德经》第二章中的“圣人处无为之事,行不言之教”一句,是本章的中心论点,也是该书的灵魂,以后各章的论述都是围绕着“无为之治”和“不言之教”这一辩证法的基本原理而展开的。在阅读“是以圣人处无为之事行不言之教”这一句时,许多文本均断为“是以圣人处无为之事,行不言之教”。均将“处”、“行”二字当做动词,这样理解不能算错,但断句为“是以圣人:处,无为之事;行,不言之教”,将“处”、“行”二字视为名词,强调了圣人的行为本身就是不言之教,更为妥当,更能体现老子所要表达的思想。

In the second chapter of Tao Te Ching, the sentence, “The sage experiences without abstraction, and accomplishes without action”is not only the central point of the chapter but also the soul of the book. All other discussions in later chapters are peripheral points around the basic dialectic principle of “if no action is taken, harmony remains” and “experience without abstraction”. In reading the sentence of “The sage experiences without abstraction, and accomplishes without action”, many versions make pauses in reading the unpunctuated ancient writings as “The sage： experiences, without abstraction, and accomplishes without action”. Although it is not a mistake, the above one may embody Lao Zi＇s （Lao Tsu＇s） thought better.