第三十七章
无为自正
原文道常无为而无不为。侯王若能守之，万物将自化。化而欲作，吾将镇之以无名之朴。镇之以无名之朴，夫将不欲。不欲以静，天下将自正。
英译Without Interference, the World Will Be Peaceful
The divine law always follows nature and does nothing,
but there is nothing it cannot do.
If a ruler can govern the people
in accordance with the principle of the divine law,
everything will be developed fully
by self-cultivation, self-reliance and self-destruction.
When greed arises from self-growth,
I will use the divine law to control it.
If you overcome it with the simplicity of the divine law,
there will be no greed.
If there is no greed in all things,
the world will naturally become stable and peaceful.
说明1、“万物将自化”的英译
此句中，“自化”的意思是自我化育、自生自长。许渊冲简单译成“everything will be done by itself.”未能充分表达此意。Arthur Waley译成“The ten thousand creatures would at once be transformed(转变；改造).”也未能点出“自化”的精髓所在。辜正坤译成“All creatures will grow and develop naturally”符合原意，很不错。我们则译成了“Everything will be developed fully by self-cultivation（自我教化）, self-reliance（自力更生） and self-destruction(自我毁灭).”以求更完整表达“自化”之意。
2、“镇”的英译
“镇”的意思之一是“以武力维持安定，如镇压、镇服”。但“镇”在本文中的意思不是用“武力”而是用“无名之朴”（道）来压服。该字对应的英文，辜正坤译成“suppress（镇压）”，其英文解释是“to stop people from opposing the government, especially by using force”，Arthur Waley用的“restrain”的解释是“to stop someone from doing something, often by using physical force）”。许渊冲译成“control（控制）”，其英文解释为“make somebody/something do what you want”。这不正是老子所向往的吗？所以我们也用了“control”一词；更为美妙的是，第二次提到该词时，我们更换成“overcome”，是不是锦上添花，更好地阐释了“镇之以无名之朴，夫将不欲”？
3、“正”的英译
“正”在这里的意思是“稳定、安宁”。许渊冲和辜正坤分别译成“peaceful”、“at peace”，侧重的是“平静、安静”。Arthur Waley用的“at rest”的意思是“静止”，有点差强人意。我们则译成“stable（稳定的）and peaceful”，兼顾了“安宁、稳定”。
