守正
原文
治人事天莫若啬。夫唯啬，是谓早服；早服谓之重积德；重积德则无不克；无不克则莫知其极；莫知其极，可以有国；有国之母，可以长久；是谓深根固柢，长生久视之道。
王弼注
治人事天，莫若啬。莫若，犹莫过也。啬，农夫，农人之治田务，去其殊类，归于齐一也。全其自然，不急其荒病，除其所以荒病，上承天命，下绥百姓，莫过于此。夫唯啬，是谓早服；早服，常也。早服谓之重积德；唯重积德不欲锐速，然后乃能使早服其常，故曰早服谓之重积德者也。重积德则无不克，无不克则莫知其极；道无穷也。莫知其极，可以有国；以有穷而莅国，非能有国也。有国之母，可以长久；国之所以安谓之母，重积德是唯图其根，然后营末，乃得其终也。是谓深根固柢，长生久视之道。
英文 · James Legge
(Guarding the Dao) For regulating the human (in our constitution) and rendering the (proper) service to the heavenly, there is nothing like moderation. It is only by this moderation that there is effected an early return (to man's normal state). That early return is what I call the repeated accumulation of the attributes (of the Dao). With that repeated accumulation of those attributes, there comes the subjugation (of every obstacle to such return). Of this subjugation we know not what shall be the limit; and when one knows not what the limit shall be, he may be the ruler of a state. He who possesses the mother of the state may continue long. His case is like that (of the plant) of which we say that its roots are deep and its flower stalks firm: - this is the way to secure that its enduring life shall long be seen.