Line by Line - Verse 2, Line 4

that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Difficult and easy complement each other.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Difficult and easy bring about each other
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

If no task is difficult, then no task is easy.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

As we can see, all 4 of the above are in basic agreement. Difficulty and ease go hand in hand.

In many ways, this line reflects the visual message of the yin-yang symbol. When you look at said symbol, it's readily apparent that the dark contains the light and the light contains the dark. Both blend into the other. So it goes with any skill that we try to master.

At the outset, the steps or procedures may be difficult. We must constantly think of each step as it is applied. "Okay, I do this, then that and then finish with that other thing." At times, we may wonder if we will ever get the protocol down pat.

Somewhere along the way the tide slowly begins to turn. Some aspects continue to be difficult, but others now come more easily. If we persevere, there usually will come a time when we no longer have to think about what we're doing -- We just do it and it gets done.

Where did difficulty turn into ease? We rarely can pinpoint a specific time. It often happens so gradually -- one flowing into the other -- that we never notice the change at all.

To view the Index page for this series to see what you may have missed or would like to read again, go here.