第四十三章

无为之益

The Benefits of Doing Nothing

The softest travels through the hardest,

and invisible forces can penetrate things without gaps,

so I realize the benefits of doing nothing.

However, few people in the world can teach others by saying nothing

and benefit others by doing nothing.

1、“无有入无间”的英译

此句的意思是“无形的力量能够穿透没有间隙的东西”。无有是指不见形象的东西。许渊冲译成“There is no space but the matterless can enter.”；辜正坤译成“what consists of no substance can enter what has no crevices( 裂缝).”；Arthur Waley译成“Being substanceless it can enter even where is no space.”。三位译者的译文符合原意，但读起来总感觉令人费解，倒不如我们的译文“Invisible forces can penetrate things without gaps”。译文直接了当，易于理解。

2、“不言之教，无为之益，天下希及之”的英译

此句的意思是“这种无言的教化，无为的益处，天下很少有人能够做得到”。许渊冲：“The teaching by saying nothing and the utility of doing nothing are seldom known to the world.”；Arthur Waley:“But that there can be teaching without words, value in action that is actionless, few indeed can understand.”；辜正坤：“Teaching without words, the benefit of inaction, are what few people in the world can perform and obtain.”。对于“不言之教，无为之益”的翻译，各位译者相差无几，只是对“及”的理解不同，相对应的翻译有“know”、“understand”和“perform and obtain”。我们则把整句话译成了“However, few people in the world can teach others by saying nothing and benefit others by doing nothing.”。理解与辜正坤基本相似，但表达更简洁。