# VIII explained — Tao Te Ching

> Chapter companion for Tao Te Ching by Laozi.

## What happens

This chapter compares the highest excellence to water, which benefits all things without striving and occupies the low place that all men dislike, thus being near to the Tao. It extends this metaphor to various aspects of life—residence, mind, associations, government, affairs, and movement—emphasizing timeliness and non-contention, concluding that one who does not wrangle avoids blame.

## Themes in this chapter

### Wu Wei (Non-Action or Effortless Action)

Water's effortless benefiting of all things and its lack of striving exemplify wu wei.

### The Soft Overcoming the Hard

Water's softness and lowliness are presented as the highest excellence, near to the Tao, implying the soft overcomes the hard.

## Key lines

> The highest excellence is like (that of) water. The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying, without striving (to the contrary), the low place which all men dislike.

The best quality is like water: it helps everything without effort and stays in the lowly position others avoid.

_Water's humility and non-striving are held up as the ideal._

> And when (one with the highest excellence) does not wrangle (about his low position), no one finds fault with him.

When a person of highest excellence does not argue about being lowly, no one criticizes him.

_Non-contention leads to harmony and avoids blame._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tao_te_ching_se/chapters/part-i-viii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tao_te_ching_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/tao_te_ching_se/chapters