A Dialectical Analysis of the Tripartite Qualities of 'Dao' in the Guanzi: Intricacy, Expansion, and Solidity

Chapter 14: "Regarding food, it is best not to overeat; regarding thought, it is best not to push it to the extreme. When moderation and appropriateness are in harmony, they will naturally arrive." — The Way of Moderation and Natural Arrival

I. "Regarding food, it is best not to overeat." (食莫若無飽) — Moderation in Diet

"Regarding food, it is best not to overeat" means one should not overeat when consuming food.

Why start with diet$40 Because eating is the most basic physiological need and the most easily excessive desire. If a Dao cultivator cannot control their diet, how can they cultivate their mind-Qi$41

"Not overeat" does not mean not to eat, but not to eat to excess. This reflects a crucial principle in pre-Qin thought—the Middle Way (中道, zhōngdào), moderation. It is not asceticism but moderation of desires; not abstaining from food but avoiding overeating.

Laozi, Chapter Twelve, states "the five flavors numb the palate"—excessive eating (pursuing the five flavors) can lead to dulled taste buds and bodily imbalance.

Guanzi, Neiye, offers more detailed discussion elsewhere: "The Way of eating, in general: If overly full, it injures the body and the form does not retain nourishment; if overly sparse, the bones become dry and the blood stagnant. Between fullness and sparsity lies harmony and completion. Where essence resides, wisdom arises. If fullness and hunger deviate from the norm, then one makes plans accordingly. When full, one should move vigorously; when hungry, one should broaden one's thoughts; when old, one should think long-term. If not moving vigorously when full, Qi does not reach the extremities. If not broadening thoughts when hungry, one does not waste energy. If not thinking long-term when old, one will quickly collapse when distressed."

This passage elaborates on the moderation of diet: excessive fullness harms the body, and excessive hunger dries the bones and blood. Achieving a balance between fullness and sparsity is the optimal state for essence-Qi to reside and wisdom to arise. Furthermore, one should move vigorously when full, broaden thoughts when hungry, and think long-term when old—different states require different responses.

II. "Regarding thought, it is best not to push it to the extreme." (思莫若勿致) — Moderation in Thought

"Zhi" (致) means extremity, arrival, or exhaustion. "Wu zhi" (勿致) means not to push to the extreme. "Regarding thought, it is best not to push it to the extreme" means thoughts should not be pushed to the extreme.

This forms a subtle triangular relationship with the earlier phrases "Ponder it, ponder it again, and ponder it anew" and "Pondering without ceasing leads to internal confinement and external isolation":

• "Ponder it, ponder it again, and ponder it anew"—encourages deep contemplation (positive).
• "Pondering without ceasing leads to internal confinement and external isolation"—warns against excessive pondering (negative).
• "Regarding thought, it is best not to push it to the extreme"—summarizes the principle: thought should have moderation, not pushed to the extreme.

Taken together, these form a complete dialectic: one should think, but not excessively; one should delve deeply, but not become attached; one should use the mind, but not exhaust the mind.

This dialectical approach permeates all of pre-Qin Daoist thought. Laozi, Chapter Seventy-Seven, states: "The Dao of Heaven is like drawing a bow! It lowers the high, raises the low, diminishes the abundant, and supplements the deficient. The Dao of Heaven diminishes the abundant and supplements the deficient." The operation of the Dao of Heaven is continuous balancing—reducing the excessive and increasing the deficient. Cultivating the Dao is also like this—if deficient, increase (ponder repeatedly); if excessive, decrease (do not push to the extreme).

III. "When moderation and appropriateness are in harmony" (节适之齐) — The Unity of Moderation and Appropriateness

"Jie" (节) means restraint. "Shi" (适) means appropriate. "Qi" (齐) means orderly or harmonious. "Jie shi zhi qi" (节适之齐) means the harmonious unity of moderation and appropriateness.

"Moderation" emphasizes limits—not exceeding a certain degree. "Appropriateness" emphasizes being just right—being at the optimal point. The unity of the two means being neither insufficient nor excessive, achieving a perfect state.

Laozi, Chapter Twenty-Nine, states: "Therefore, the sage avoids extremity, avoids extravagance, avoids arrogance." Avoiding extremity, extravagance, and arrogance is "moderation and appropriateness in harmony."

IV. "They will naturally arrive." (彼将自至) — The Ultimate Realm of Natural Arrival

"Bi" (彼) refers to the Dao, all things, and everything pursued through cultivation. "Jiang zi zhi" (将自至) means will naturally arrive.

"They will naturally arrive" is the final conclusion of the entire passage and the ultimate destination of all its thought—you do not need to pursue them deliberately; simply achieve harmony between moderation and appropriateness, and the Dao will naturally come.

This echoes the earlier question, "Can you obtain it from yourself without seeking it from others$42"—do not seek externally, but obtain from within oneself; do not pursue deliberately, but let it arrive naturally.

Why does "moderation and appropriateness in harmony" lead the Dao to "naturally arrive"$43 Because the Dao is already everywhere—"The Dao exists between Heaven and Earth; its greatness has no outside, its smallness has no inside" (Guanzi, Xinshu Shang). The Dao is not something far away in the heavens but fills Heaven and Earth, present at all times. The reason people do not perceive the Dao is not because the Dao is absent but because of their own excesses—excessive desires, excessive pondering, excessive actions—which obscure the manifestation of the Dao. When these excesses are restrained to an appropriate degree, the obscurations are removed, and the Dao naturally manifests—this is "they will naturally arrive."

Laozi, Chapter Forty-Eight, states: "In learning, strive for more each day; in practicing the Dao, strive for less each day. Strive for less and less, until you arrive at non-action. Through non-action, nothing is left undone." Practicing the Dao means continuous reduction—reducing the excessive parts. Reducing to the extreme ("moderation and appropriateness in harmony") leads to a state of non-action. In non-action, the Dao naturally arrives—"Through non-action, nothing is left undone."

V. Ancient Perspective: Observation of the Naturalness of the Dao of Heaven

The idea of "they will naturally arrive" originates from ancient peoples' observation of the operations of the Dao of Heaven.

The operations of Heaven and Earth require no external force for propulsion—the sun naturally rises and sets, the moon naturally waxes and wanes, the seasons naturally cycle, and all things naturally grow and store. All of this "arrives naturally"—arrives spontaneously.

I Ching, "Commentary on the Hexagram Fu," asks: "Does Fu reveal the heart of Heaven and Earth$44" Heaven and Earth have a "heart"—their operations are not blind or random but have direction, rhythm, and regularity. The sum of this direction, rhythm, and regularity is the "heart of Heaven and Earth."

From this, ancient peoples understood: human cultivation should emulate the naturalness of Heaven and Earth—do not force, do not deliberately strive, do not be excessive. When the appropriate state is reached, the Dao naturally manifests—just as flowers naturally bloom when spring arrives.

The Book of Documents, "The Canon of Yao," describes Emperor Yao's governance: "He commanded Xi and He to respectfully observe the Vast Heaven, to chart the sun, moon, and stars, and to respectfully present the seasons to the people." Emperor Yao did not seek to transform Heaven and Earth but "respectfully observed" the Dao of Heaven, observed the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, and arranged human affairs according to the seasons—this is precisely the manifestation of "moderation and appropriateness in harmony, they will naturally arrive" on the level of state governance.