Chapter 64: The Definition of 無為

Chinese Text

其安易持，其未兆易謀。其脆易泮，其微易散。為之於未有，治之於未亂。合抱之木，生於毫末；九層之臺，起於累土；千里之行，始於足下。為者敗之，執者失之。是以聖人無為故無敗，無執故無失。民之從事，常於幾成而敗之。慎終如慎始，則無敗事。是以聖人欲不欲，不貴難得之貨；學不學，復眾人之所過。以輔萬物之自然，而不敢為。

Translation

其安易持，其未兆易謀。其脆易泮，其微易散。 What is settled is easy to hold. What has not yet shown signs is easy to address. What is brittle is easy to dissolve. What is subtle is easy to scatter.

為之於未有，治之於未亂。 Act on it in the not-yet-existing. Order it in the not-yet-disordered.

合抱之木，生於毫末；九層之臺，起於累土；千里之行，始於足下。 A tree that fills the arms grows from a hair-tip. A nine-story tower rises from piled earth. A thousand-mile journey begins beneath the feet.

為者敗之，執者失之。 Those who act (on the already-existing) ruin it. Those who grasp (onto it) lose it.

是以聖人無為故無敗，無執故無失。 Therefore the sage: non-acting, hence no ruin; non-grasping, hence no loss.

民之從事，常於幾成而敗之。 In people’s undertakings, they constantly ruin them at the near-completion point.

慎終如慎始，則無敗事。 Careful at the end as careful at the beginning—then no ruined affairs.

是以聖人欲不欲，不貴難得之貨；學不學，復眾人之所過。 Therefore the sage desires non-desire, doesn’t prize rare goods; learns non-learning, returns to what the multitude passes by.

以輔萬物之自然，而不敢為。 Thereby assisting all things’ self-so-ness, yet not daring to act.

Key Terms

Character	Pinyin	Structural Reading
未有	wèi yǒu	not-yet-existing (optimal intervention point)
未兆	wèi zhào	not-yet-showing-signs (pre-manifest)
為	wéi	act on, impose upon
執	zhí	grasp, cling to, hold onto
幾成	jī chéng	almost-complete (vulnerability point)
慎	shèn	careful, attentive
輔	fǔ	assist, support alongside (≠ 為)
自然	zì rán	self-so, naturally-so (not “nature”)
不敢為	bù gǎn wéi	doesn’t dare act/impose

The Core Definition

無為 ≠ inaction, passivity, doing nothing

無為 = 輔萬物之自然，而不敢為
     = assist all things' self-so-ness
     + not daring to impose

What it’s NOT	What it IS
Inaction	Assisting without imposing
Passivity	Supporting self-organization
Doing nothing	Not overriding natural process

The Scale Principle

State	Property	Intervention	Ease
安 (settled)	stability	持 (hold)	易 (easy)
未兆 (pre-sign)	pre-manifest	謀 (address)	易 (easy)
脆 (brittle)	fragility	泮 (dissolve)	易 (easy)
微 (subtle)	minuteness	散 (scatter)	易 (easy)

Optimal intervention: 於未有, 於未亂 (before existence, before disorder)

The Failure Mechanism

為 at 未有 → works (prevention)
為 at 已有 → ruins (imposition)

為者 → 敗之 (actors → ruin)
執者 → 失之 (graspers → lose)

無為 → 無敗 (no acting → no ruin)
無執 → 無失 (no grasping → no loss)

Completion Vulnerability

民之從事，常於幾成而敗之
(In undertakings, constantly ruin at near-completion)

Why: Attention drops when "almost done"

Solution:
慎終如慎始 → 無敗事
(careful-end as careful-beginning → no ruined affairs)

Guodian Validation

Slip Bundle A + C (~300 BCE) confirms:

輔萬物之自然而弗敢為
為之者敗之 / 執之者失之
人之敗也，恆於其且成也敗之

Structure predates received text. This is the definitive 無為 statement.

其安易持