絕聖棄智 民利百負
[jue2] [sheng4] [qi4] [zhi4] [min2] [li4] [bai3] [fu4]
Refuse sainthood and abandon wisdom, [and] the people benefit 100 fold
絕聖棄智，民利百倍﹔
[jue2] [sheng4] [qi4] [zhi4]， [min2] [li4] [bai3] [bei4]﹔
Refuse sainthood and abandon wisdom, [and] the people benefit 100 fold
This follows on from Chapter 18 (and can in some ways be argued to be the cycle from Chapter 17). Refuse the standard idealization of sainthood and the general concept of wisdom, and the people will benefit. This isn’t to say that sainthood or wisdom should be thrown out, just that they should be something which comes naturally rather than something which is sought out.
負~倍
絕仁棄義 民復畜慈
[jue2] [ren2] [qi4] [yi4] [min2] [fu4] [xu4] [ci2]
Refuse benevolence and abandon justice, [and] the people will return to filial piety and [parental] love
絕仁棄義，民復孝慈﹔
[jue2] [ren2] [qi4] [yi4]， [min2] [fu4] [xiao4] [ci2]﹔
Refuse benevolence and abandon justice, [and] the people will return to filial piety and [parental] love
This section continues the previous section. By refusing benevolence and abandoning justice, the people can return to the natural state of their relationships as detailed in Chapter 18. Though the phrasing is a bit harsh, it is like the previous section.
Give up the pretense of benevolence and justice, and then nature should take its course. Benevolence which is forced is unnatural and loses its purpose. Justice is used as an excuse for many atrocities. By giving up the pretense of doing things to be benevolent and giving up the pretense of justice, society shifts towards filial piety and healthy relationships which spread out to the rest of society.
絕巧棄利 盜賊无有
[jue2] [qiao3] [qi4] [li4] [dao4] [zei2] [wu2] [you3]
Refuse skill and abandon profit, [and] thieves and robbers will cease to exist
絕巧棄利，盜賊無有。
[jue2] [qiao3] [qi4] [li4]， [dao4] [zei2] [wu2] [you3]。
Refuse skill and abandon profit, [and] thieves and robbers will cease to exist
This section hammers back down on Chapter 3. When the polar of skill and profit ceases to be the focus, people lose sight of it as being important. It can still happen in the context of focusing on the growth of society, but by it not being the sole focus and just something which happens in the pursuit of the greater good, thieves and robbers struggle to have a purpose.
A healthy society focused on growth and security does not have the insecurity that makes the risk associated with theft and robbery as attractive. As society gets more and more in line with the Dao, it naturally becomes more and more Utopian to the point crime ceases as a function of society and becomes more ephemeral.
此三言也 以爲文未足 故令之有所屬
[ci3] [san1] [yan2] [ye3] [yi3] [wei2] [wen2] [wei4] [zu2] [gu4] [ling4] [zhi1] [you3] [suo3] [shu3]
These 3 phrases make civilization, but are not enough, therefore lead them [the people] to have a place to belong
此三者，以為文不足。故令有所屬：
[ci3] [san1] [zhe3]， [yi3] [wei2] [wen2] [bu4] zu2]。 [gu4] [ling4] [you3] [suo3] [shu3]：
These 3 [statements] make civilization, but are not enough, therefore lead them [the people] to have a place to belong
Our previous sections focused on what civilization consists of, but they are not enough. They are goals without definition or ways to implement them. People need to be able to belong. The average person needs a place to live, food to eat, water to drink, and a purpose. A healthy society provides all of these but cannot just focus on the ideals alone. It has to take into account the individuals and their needs in order to have any hope of transcending base needs.
見素抱樸 少私而寡欲 絕學无憂
[jian4] [su4] [bao4] [pu3] [shao3] [si1] [er2] [gua3] [yu4] [jue2] [xue2] [wu2] [you1]
See the elements, embrace the raw nature, lessen the self, reduce desire, refuse learning without care
見素抱朴，少私寡欲。
[jian4] [su4] [bao4] [pu3]， [shao3] [si1] [gua3] [yu4]。
See the elements, embrace the raw nature, lessen the self, reduce desire
There is a phrase absent in the second translation which is both helpful and understandable as to why it was removed. The rest is the same though.
In order to create a place to belong, one must be able to see the elements and embrace the raw nature of things. One cannot change things if one cannot see what they are made of and what their nature is. The primary element of a society is the individual. By understanding the pattern between the pieces and the whole, a good ruler can use the nature created by the combination of elements in order to create a place the people can belong to and which fits their needs.
This does require the individual to lessen their self and reduce their desires. Ego gets in the way of this process. By focusing on one’s context in the whole, one can fulfill the other pieces in order to create a place the people can belong.
The very last bit on the first translation says to refuse learning without care. This statement means to not focus on just learning useless information which does not contribute to advancement. This isn’t to say one cannot learn for the sake of learning, but it must be understood as such. Don’t learn ancient history and say you’re doing so to work in a hospital.