Original Text
Make the state small, make the people few. Even if there are various tools and implements, they are not used; make the people value death and not migrate far away. Though there are boats and carriages, there is no need to ride them; though there are weapons and armor, there is no opportunity to deploy them in battle; make the people return to the natural state of knotting ropes for record-keeping. Let the people have sweet and delicious food, beautiful and splendid clothes, safe and stable dwellings, and joyful customs. Neighboring states see each other, and the sounds of roosters and dogs are heard, yet the people, from birth to death, do not interact with one another.
Guide
Laozi's utopia is a pastoral idyll of rural happiness, a paradise where people live in peace and contentment: when governance reaches its pinnacle, the people find sweetness in their food, beauty in their clothing, comfort in their dwellings, and contentment in their simple customs.Analysis
In this chapter, Laozi presents his own model of an "ideal state"—a small country with few people. In Laozi's "ideal state," there is no war, the people live in peace and contentment, they do not use intelligence, and they find joy in their own way. Laozi believes that an ideal country should not be too large, nor should its population be too numerous.
A small state with few people. They make use of various tools but do not employ them; they value their lives and do not migrate far. Though there are boats and carriages, no one rides them; though there are armor and weapons, no one displays them. They return to the use of knotted ropes for record-keeping. Here, "a small state with few people" refers to being content with limited territory and population, without attempting to expand through force. "Shi" and "bo" are ancient military unit names: "shi" is a unit of ten soldiers, equivalent to a modern squad; "bo" is a unit of one hundred soldiers, equivalent to two modern platoons. "Valuing life" means not taking life lightly, not gambling with it. Only by cherishing one's own life can one avoid harming others.
From the preceding chapters, we can understand the characteristics of the era in which Laozi lived: war, oppression, poverty, hunger, debauchery, greed... Faced with such an era, Laozi designed a model of an "ideal state" for us: the state is very small, like a quiet village; the people in the state are few, but everyone is prosperous, life is stable, and all kinds of utensils are available, yet people do not use them; the ruler is pure-hearted and has few desires, never imposing his will on the people, nor interfering in their lives, making the people value their own lives. Furthermore, the people in the state do not migrate to distant places; although they have means of transportation like boats and carts, they never ride them but walk on the roads; the world is peaceful, and even with a powerful army, there is no place to use it; the people are returned to the primitive natural state of using knotted ropes for recording events. What was the era of knotted ropes like? That era had no wars; people were free, lived in harmony, and all led natural and simple lives. This kind of pure and simple society makes everyone yearn for it. Even today, more than two thousand years later, we can still feel the beauty of Laozi's "small state with few people." So, can a small state with few people be realized? In fact, such a society existed in human history for a considerable period, only that the level of social development at that time was still relatively low, far from the prosperity Laozi described.
"They savor their food, admire their clothing, feel secure in their dwellings, and delight in their customs." "Customs" refers to the entirety of a people's actual way of life, encompassing the sum of their social, political, moral, legal, economic, social, cultural, and daily existence. Here, Laozi uses a series of parallel phrases to depict his ideal.
The vision of an ideal society: in this society, there is sweet and delicious food to eat, beautiful and comfortable clothes to wear, peaceful dwellings to live in, and delightful customs to enjoy. To ordinary people, these are extremely simple necessities of life, but Laozi once said that true abundance lies in knowing contentment, so such simple life needs can elevate and sublimate the value of human life.
"Neighboring states see each other, hear each other's roosters and dogs, yet their people grow old and die without ever visiting one another." This concludes the chapter, where Laozi, by depicting the life and interactions of people in a "small state," reveals his worldview and attitude toward life. Laozi believed that people in neighboring states should "grow old and die without interacting." However, this stance is not without purpose; as we know, Laozi always opposed "excessive cleverness," arguing that too much cunning and ingenuity among the people would lead to chaos, so he did not advocate for frequent interactions.