莊子 Zhuangzi · Chapter 11
Let It Be, Leave It Alone
Letting the World Be
聞在宥天下，不聞治天下也。在之也者，恐天下之淫其性也；宥之也者，恐天下之遷其德也。天下不淫其性，不遷其德，有治天下者哉？
I have heard of letting the world be and leaving it alone; I have never heard of governing the world. Letting it be — for fear of corrupting the nature of the world. Leaving it alone — for fear of diverting the virtue of the world. If the nature of the world is not corrupted and its virtue is not diverted, what need is there to govern the world?
Guangchengzi on the Ultimate Way
廣成子蹶然而起，曰："善哉問乎！來，吾語女至道：至道之精，窈窈冥冥；至道之極，昏昏默默。無視無聽，抱神以靜，形將自正。必靜必清，無勞女形，無搖女精，乃可以長生。目無所見，耳無所聞，心無所知，女神將守形，形乃長生。慎女內，閉女外，多知為敗。"
Guangchengzi sprang up and said: 'An excellent question! Come, I will tell you the ultimate Way. The essence of the ultimate Way is dark and obscure. The extreme of the ultimate Way is dim and silent. Do not look, do not listen. Embrace your spirit in stillness, and the body will right itself. Be still, be pure. Do not weary your body, do not agitate your essence, and you may live long. Let nothing be seen by the eyes, nothing heard by the ears, nothing known by the heart-mind, and your spirit will guard the body, and the body will live long. Guard your inner being, shut out the external world. Much knowledge leads to ruin.'
Notes
Guangchengzi (廣成子) is a legendary Daoist master who lived on Mount Kongtong. In this passage, he instructs the Yellow Emperor in longevity cultivation — a theme that bridges philosophical Daoism and later Daoist body-cultivation practices.