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Why Are Laozi’s Easy Words So Hard to Understand and Act On?
Chapter 70 calls Laozi’s words easy, then says the world cannot understand or act on them. Wang Bi locates a difficulty in desire and reputation.
Hearing the words may be only the beginning
Chapter 70 begins with a tension: the words are very easy to understand and act on, yet the world cannot understand or act on them. A quick reading might turn this into an author's complaint that everyone else is foolish. Wang Bi's commentary directs attention elsewhere, toward the desires and choices that shape a person's actions.
He connects easy understanding with knowledge that does not require looking outside, and easy action with accomplishment through nonaction. He then explains failure to understand through restless desire, and failure to act through attachment to honor and advantage. On this reading, the obstacle is not merely missing a definition. Someone may repeat the words correctly while continuing to choose according to ambition or the demand for recognition. A short sentence can be easy to remember while a change of orientation remains difficult.
Words and actions have a governing root
The chapter next says that words have a root and affairs have a ruler. Wang Bi explains these in relation to the root and master of the many things. They should not be reduced to instructions to honor one's ancestors or obey a particular political ruler. Within this reading, the point is that the sayings and actions proceed from a governing foundation.
That creates a problem for reading ancient books through isolated quotations. “Nonaction” on a wall may become permission to neglect a task. “Holding jade” on a personal profile may become an assertion of unseen talent. Without the connections inside the chapter, interpretation easily returns to what a reader already wanted to believe. Wang Bi provides one route through the text. Following that route does not make every detail of his commentary the only possible reading of every edition.
Coarse clothes and what is held within
The chapter ends with the sage wearing coarse clothing and holding jade. Wang Bi connects the clothing with sharing the dust of ordinary life, and the jade with treasuring what is true. His emphasis is on remaining among ordinary circumstances without abandoning what one values. This is more than a story about an expensive stone hidden inside inexpensive clothing.
But the image has a limit in personal use. Other people failing to understand you does not establish that you possess something precious. A description of the sage's difficulty of being recognized is not a certificate of superior insight for every rejected proposal. An explanation, a plan, or a claim to competence still needs evidence. Disagreement cannot simply be assigned to the chapter's category of people who do not understand.
Leave room for correction
As a hypothetical illustration, imagine someone who endorses letting go of empty reputation but always needs the final word in a discussion. The phrase is familiar; the choice still follows a need for recognition. This can help distinguish having heard a saying from understanding and practicing it. It is not a diagnosis of the person's character, and it does not imply that every strongly defended opinion is vanity.
Nor should an author use the simplicity of a principle as an excuse to omit necessary conditions or explanations. The difficulty discussed by Wang Bi and the adequacy of a modern explanation are separate questions. A weak explanation should be improved. A factual mistake should be corrected. Allowing a claim to face questions protects it better than interpreting every skeptical response as another person's confusion.
Ease does not cancel careful work
The word “easy” can suggest that one secret insight will remove the need for checking, practice, and reflection. The chapter makes no such promise. Wang Bi also connects the scarcity of understanding with depth. We do not need to force ease and depth into identical meanings. Their tension is part of what deserves patient reading.
A contemporary reader can ask where an asserted understanding actually appears, and whether it survives a change in incentives or reputation. These questions arise from the text; they are not judgments on everyone else. The force of holding jade lies in preserving what is valued. It cannot be established simply by pointing out that an audience has failed to see it.
Sources and further reading
A reading of the Chinese text and Wang Bi commentary preserved on Wikisource. English renderings and contemporary examples are supplied for this article.