Chapter 31

A soldier is an ominous tool or object, and thus should not be dealt with by those who follow the right path. A gentleman values the left when living and the right when in war. A soldier is an ominous weapon, not a gentleman's weapon. It is used when there is no alternative. Serenity is the best. Victory is not beautiful, but beauty lies in the pleasure of killing. Those who take pleasure in killing others will not be able to succeed in the world. Good fortune favors the left, while bad fortune favors the right. General Bian is on the left and General Shang is on the right. It is said that it should be dealt with at a funeral. For those who kill, treat them with grief; for those who defeat them, deal with them with a funeral. Weapons, they are ominous things. People all detest them, so those with the "Way" do not use them. A gentleman values the left side in his daily life and the right side in military affairs. Weapons, this ominous thing, are not what a gentleman would use. If one has no choice but to use them, it is best to remain calm and composed. Even if one wins, one should not be complacent. If one thinks highly of oneself, then one is just fond of killing. Anyone who likes to kill can never succeed in the world. For auspicious matters, the left side is considered the best, while for ominous ones, the right side is the best. The general in charge is on the left, and the general in charge is on the right. This means that military affairs should be handled through funeral rituals. In war, many people are killed. We should participate with a heart full of grief. Even if we win a battle, we should treat the deceased with the ceremony of a funeral. [Note] 1. "Fu Bing Zhe" : One book reads "Fu Jia Bing Zhe". "Soldier" refers to weapons. "Husband, as a starting word." 2. Object or evil: Object refers to a person. It means something that is detested or hated by others. 3. Valuing the left: Ancient people regarded the left as Yang and the right as Yin. Yang generates while Yin kills. Respecting the left, respecting the right, staying on the left and staying on the right were all ancient etiquette. 4. Tranquility: Quiet and composed. 5. Sorrow: One book reads "Grief and sorrow". 6. Arrive: To reach or be present. [Quotation] This chapter still discusses the way of war and is a continuation and development of the previous one. The previous chapter focused on the consequences, while this chapter uses ancient etiquette as a metaphor. According to ancient Chinese etiquette, the host should stay on the right and the guest on the left. Therefore, staying on the left implies modesty and yielding. "A gentleman values the left when living and the right when in war." Laozi believed that although weapons and warfare are not auspicious things, as a gentleman, one should still use war as a means to achieve one's goals when there is no alternative. However, when achieving victory, one should not show off strength with troops or use them to kill people at will. On the contrary, for those who died in the war, one should sincerely express grief and sorrow, and properly arrange for the deceased through funerals. [Commentary] It is well known that war brings great disasters to mankind. Ren Jiyu believed that the Tao Te Ching "is also opposed to war." In this chapter, Laozi said, "A military force is not a tool for a gentleman; it is an inauspicious one." Clearly, there is no intention of using troops for main battles here. However, Laozi also said that war should be "used only when there is no alternative", which indicates that while Laozi was cursing war, he still admitted that it was necessary to adopt it when there was no alternative. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, wars were widespread. States attacked each other, and the scale of wars expanded day by day. Tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of troops were often engaged in wars, resulting in extremely heavy casualties. Among those who suffered the most during the wars were ordinary people. Every time there is a war, people, with their elderly and children, leave their hometowns and flee everywhere, seriously disrupting the normal production of society and causing instability in social order. War is indeed something that brings disaster. When a gentleman resorts to war as a last resort, it is for the purpose of eliminating violence and saving the people. There is no other purpose than this. Even so, the military personnel should "remain calm and composed". Even if they win, they should not be complacent or self-righteous; otherwise, they would just like to kill by force. This sentence is a warning to those who like to engage in endless military campaigns. Therefore, we believe that the Tao Te Ching is not a military treatise, nor is it for studying war issues, especially not for offering advice to military strategists. Laozi talked about the issue of war with the aim of opposing it.