第三十章  物壮则老

以道佐人主者，不以兵强天下，其事好还。师之所处，荆棘生焉。大军之后，必有凶年。善有果而已，不敢以取强。果而勿矜，果而勿伐，果而勿骄，果而不得已，果而勿强。物壮则老，是谓不道，不道早已。

Extremes fall apart

Whoever advises aleader according to the Tao opposes conquest by force of arms. The use of forcetends to rebound.

Where armies march,thorns and brambles grow. After a great war, scarcity and famine follow.

Those wha are skillful of governing

Succed and then stop.

They dare not hold on with force.

A good general achieveshis purpose and stops, He dares not rely upon the strength of arms to take furtheradvantage of a victory.

They achieve theirpurposes, but do not glory in them. They achieve their purposes, but do notcelebrate them. They achieve their purposes, but do not take pride in them.They achieve their purpose but only as an unavoidable measure. He achieves hispurpose but does not aim to dominate.

Things reach theirprime and then decline, which means being contrary to the flourishing of Tao.  Whatever is not fitted to the pattern of Tao will soon end.

 [译文]

用道来辅佐君王的人，不用兵器强行于天下。这样才可以获得善报，回归天道。战争的经验告诉我们，军队驻扎过的地方，田地里必然会荆棘丛生，大战之后，必有荒年。悟道而善用兵者，迫不得已而用兵且适可而止，绝不因为兵力强大而耀武扬威。达到用兵目的而不自大，不夸耀，不骄傲，战胜出于不得已而为之，有功成而不逞强。

一味地追求强盛之极限，是不符合道的，不符合道就会过早衰亡。