第六十六章

善下成王

A Ruler Takes a Lower Position

Seas can become the king of all rivers

because they are in low places.

If the sage wants to take the lead,

he must show humility to the people when he talks,

and put his own interests behind theirs.

Therefore,

although the sage with the divine law is ranked above the people,

they do not feel a burden;

although he leads and rules the people,

they do not feel victimized.

People all over the world are pleased to support such a leader

because he does not contend with them,

and as a result, no one in the world can contend with him.

1. “欲先民，必以身后之”的英译

对“欲先民，必以身后之”的英译存在着直译和意译之分。许渊冲采用直译手法，译作“If you want to before them, you must learn to stay behind in person.”。辜正坤的译本“if one wants to be the ruler of the people, one must put himself behind the people”，即“如果你想统治人民，必须将自己置身在人民后面”，前半部分意译，后半部分直译。Arthur Waley译作“In order to guide them, he must put himself behind them.”，译制手法和辜正坤相似。我们的译本则完全采用意译法，让读者直接准确把握译文的意思---“if the sage wants to take the lead, he must put his own interests behind theirs”。即“如果圣人想要领导人民，他必须将自己的利益置于人民的利益之后”。

2. “是以圣人处上而民不重”的英译

我们对这句话的理解是“有道的圣人虽然地位居于人民之上，而人民并不感到负担沉重”，因此译作“although the sage with the divine law is ranked above the people, the people do not feel a burden”。许渊冲的译作“when the sage is high above, the people do not feel his weight. ”，即“圣人高高在上，人民感觉不到他的重量”。辜正坤译作“Thus the sage, though being placed high over the people, never burdens the people.”，即“尽管圣人高高在民之上，却从不给民负担”。Arthur Waley译作“Only thus can the Sage be on top and the people not be crushed by his weight.”，即“只有这样圣人才能高于人民之上，而人民不会被圣人的重力压垮”。四个译本在意义理解上基本一致，翻译手法上有所不同。