Original Text
One who is deeply rooted in virtue is like an innocent infant. Poisonous insects do not sting him, fierce beasts do not attack him, and predatory birds do not strike him. Though his bones are weak and his sinews soft, his grip is firm. Though he knows nothing of the union of male and female, his reproductive organ is aroused, for his essence is abundant. Though he cries all day, his throat does not become hoarse, for his vital energy is pure. To understand this harmony is called constancy; to know constancy is called enlightenment. Indulging desires brings calamity. Letting the mind command the essence is called forcing. When things reach their prime, they begin to age, which is contrary to the Way; what is contrary to the Way soon perishes.
Guide
Only those with profound moral cultivation can remain as pure, simple, and free from desire as a newborn, untouched by any external disturbance. Laozi warns people to maintain a state of spiritual cohesion and harmony, for indulging in desires and clinging to life, or forcing one's breath and showing off strength, will lead to an early demise.Analysis
This chapter focuses on the optimal state of a person. The optimal state of a person is the highest realm one can achieve by cultivating the Great Way of non-action to its utmost, which is to enter the infant-like state of selflessness. In this chapter, Laozi uses an extremely exaggerated approach to compare a person who has attained the Way to an infant, because the infant is selfless, non-active, and desireless, harming nothing and thus inviting no harm from external things.
"He who possesses virtue in abundance is like a newborn infant." A newborn baby has no knowledge or desires, unaware of the world it lives in. In fact, an infant does not even know who it is; beyond satisfying instinctual needs, it has no idea what it wants, thus it has no greed or desires. In earlier chapters, Laozi said that true wealth lies in having no wants or demands, so in this sense, the state of an infant can be considered the richest state.
To reach the state of an infant is no easy task. Generally speaking, adults find it difficult to attain this state; only those who have cultivated the Way can be like an infant, free from desires and distractions.
"Poisonous insects do not sting, fierce beasts do not seize, birds of prey do not strike." Laozi believed that for those who have attained the Way, even poisonous insects, fierce beasts, and predatory birds cannot harm them.
"Bones weak, sinews soft, yet the grip is firm." Though an infant has no desires or demands, it is not weak and will not be bullied. If we carefully observe an infant's behavior, its little hands, though very soft, are surprisingly strong; when grasping something, it holds on so tightly that it is difficult to pry them open.
"He knows not the union of male and female yet his little penis is fully erect — this is the perfection of essence." The union of male and female refers to sexual intercourse. "Essence" means the vital core, and here it signifies life vitality.
"Crying all day without becoming hoarse is the ultimate harmony." Next, Laozi describes the physiological characteristics of an infant. He says that adults become dry-mouthed and hoarse after speaking a few sentences, whereas an infant does not become dry-mouthed or hoarse even after crying loudly for a long time. What is the reason for this?
According to Laozi, this is primarily because the vitality of an infant is extremely strong. The reason a newborn has such strong vitality is that it remains in a state of non-action. Although this state may appear weak, it is a sign of tenacious vitality and a symbol of abundant harmonious energy within the body. Therefore, Laozi calls this state the ideal state of existence. This ideal state of existence is not attainable by everyone; only by diligently cultivating the Great Way and aligning one's actions with it can one reach the optimal state of existence.
However, it is impossible for people to remain in the state of a pure infant forever; one must inevitably grow up, which is an unchangeable objective law: we grow day by day, reproduce, age, and ultimately face death; we step into society and interact with all kinds of people, so the desireless and carefree state of an infant is difficult to maintain.
Although we yearn for innocence, we must abandon the natural way of being to survive. No one is perfect; everyone has flaws. If we cannot correct our shortcomings or restrain our desires, we become arrogant and irritable, lacking only the innate harmony we were born with.
"Knowing harmony is called constancy, knowing constancy is called enlightenment; to augment life is called inauspicious, the mind forcing the breath is called violence." Harmony refers to the balance of yin and yang. In the human body, only when yin and yang are balanced can one be healthy; an excess of yin leads to cold ailments, while an excess of yang leads to heat ailments. Constancy is the natural law of human nature. Augmenting life means indulging desires and clinging to life.
"When things reach their prime, they begin to age; this is called being contrary to the Way, and what is contrary to the Way will soon come to an end." In the final part of this chapter, Laozi says, "When things become overly strong, they tend to decline; this is called violating the law of the Way, and not following the constant Way will lead to rapid perishment." This statement reveals an objective law: we know that when anything develops to its extreme, it will transform into its opposite, which is commonly known as "things turn into their opposites when they reach the extreme." How to understand Laozi's words? When things reach the stage of strength, because they cannot abide by the infant's harmonious Way, they gradually move toward decline and death. In Laozi's view, the example of humans is the most powerful evidence: in the infant stage, people know nothing and thus have no desires or cravings. Because infants are without desires and do not harm anything, they are not harmed by anything, remaining in absolute safety. However, as age increases, people gradually develop their own thoughts and consciousness, giving rise to selfish desires and becoming greedy. If these are not restrained, they become suspicious and anxious about gains and losses, and various negative emotions follow. At this point, pain and worry rob people of the courage to live, inevitably leading to premature decline and death.
The theory of "reversal upon reaching extremes" in this chapter suggests that the development of everything has a limit; once exceeded, it will transform into its opposite, and when something reaches its peak of strength, it inevitably declines. Therefore, in everything we do, we must maintain a proper measure and know when to stop, or else we will face the opposite outcome.