Original Text
If the people are not afraid of death, why threaten them with death? If the people truly feared death, we could seize and execute those who do evil, and then who would dare to do evil? There is always a designated executioner to carry out the task of killing; to substitute for the executioner in killing is like substituting for a master carpenter in cutting wood—those who substitute for the master carpenter rarely avoid injuring their own hands.
Guide
If the people are not afraid of death, why threaten them with it? Laozi warns rulers not to intimidate the people with harsh punishments or death, nor to arbitrarily decide their life and death, lest they suffer the consequences themselves.Analysis
Laozi opposed the use of severe punishment, especially the method of maintaining rule through indiscriminate killing. The power over life and death belongs to heaven and earth, and only the "great craftsman" who can perceive the way of heaven and earth may use it; ordinary people who abuse the power of killing will bring punishment upon themselves.
"When the people are not afraid of death, why threaten them with it?" The state where people fear rebellion and tolerate injustice and tyranny is unnatural, because humans are born with the moral courage to resist tyranny. No matter what means rulers use to suppress the people, their moral courage will naturally manifest and can never be completely eradicated. Therefore, once the people no longer fear death, the nation's harsh laws and severe punishments become ineffective, or lose their deterrent power. As a result, those who commit crimes become even more reckless, the nation inevitably falls into greater chaos, and rulers face the danger of being overthrown.
For each of us, life has meaning, but in Laozi's era, society was turbulent and rulers were corrupt and incompetent; they not only imposed harsh governance on the people but also treated human lives like grass, harming them to satisfy their own desires, leaving the people in dire suffering with lives hanging by a thread. In the people's eyes, life was painful, and death was the best release, so they no longer feared it. For those unafraid of death, what point is there in threatening them with it? Thus, Laozi posed the question, "When the people are not afraid of death, why threaten them with it?" The purpose of threatening with death was to suppress rebellion. Here, Laozi says the people do not fear death, actually warning rulers not to intimidate them with it, reflecting his indignation and fully embodying his benevolence and compassion for the people.
"If the people always fear death, and those who act perversely, I can seize and kill them, who would dare?" Here, "people" is linked with "perverse," referring to law-abiding citizens. "Those who act perversely" means evil individuals who do not fear death. In this sentence, Laozi follows the previous "the people do not fear death" with an opposite hypothesis: if the people fear death, then the ruler can punish criminals according to law, and who would dare to act recklessly afterward? Laozi always advocates benevolence, opposes war, and does not promote killing, but here he advocates making an example of one to warn a hundred, which seems contradictory. In reality, Laozi advocates killing only those who act lawlessly and commit crimes, not ordinary people. Only by punishing evil individuals can the country be stable and the people live happily.
Therefore, a ruler must prioritize the people's interests, ensuring they have ample food and clothing and a secure place to live, so that the people will naturally cherish their own lives and no longer take risks or commit wrongdoing. When the people abide by the law, the world will be at peace, and the ruler's position will be secure. The sage understands the value of life, never imposes excessive punishment, and promotes moral and legal teachings to the people, making them fear death while understanding the authority of the law; only in this way can the world be well-governed.
"There is always a master executioner who kills. To kill in place of the master executioner is like cutting in place of the master carpenter. Few who cut in place of the master carpenter avoid injuring their own hands." As a whole, this is Laozi's advice to rulers regarding chaotic state order. In Laozi's view, officials should fulfill their respective duties and avoid any overstepping of roles, otherwise they will harm the state and also injure themselves.