Chapter 44

1. Or fame or life,
Which do you hold more dear?
Or life or wealth,
To which would you adhere¹?
Keep life and lose those other things;
Keep them and lose your life:--which brings
Sorrow and pain more near?

2. Thus we may see,
Who cleaves² to fame
Rejects what is more great;
Who loves large stores
Gives up the richer state.

3. Who is content
Needs fear no shame.
Who knows to stop
Incurs³ no blame.
From danger free
Long live shall he.

       名与身孰亲？
       身与货孰多？
       得与亡孰病？
       甚爱必大费，多藏必厚亡。
       故知足不辱，知止不殆，可以长久。

【译文】
       声名与身家哪个更为切己？身家与财货哪个更为重要？得失损益如何把持得定？过分的贪欲必然连接着庞大的破费，过多的持藏必然导向沉重的损失。所以，懂得自我满足就不会有挫折，懂得适可而止就不会有危险，可以长久行进。

1 adhere   

vi.粘附，附着，遵守，坚持，追随，支持

参考例句：

• Most people adhere to the church of their parents.多数人都依附于父母的教会。
• They failed to adhere to our original agreement.他们未能遵守我们原定的协议。

2 cleaves   

v.劈开，剁开，割开( cleave的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This wood cleaves easily. 这木材好劈。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The water cleaves the banks away like a knife. 河水象一把刀似的，把两岸削掉。 来自辞典例句

3 incurs   

遭受，招致，引起( incur的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She falls in love and incurs the wrath of her father. 她恋爱了，这引起了父亲的愤怒。
• A judge incurs no civil liability for judicial acts, even if guilty of fraud and corruption. 法官不得因其司法行为而承担民事责任，即使犯有诈欺与贪污罪。 来自口语例句