The superior man ordinarily considers the left hand the most honourable place,In all honesty, the first few times I read the TTC I didn't really understand the phrasing in this verse of the left and the right. I guessed that Lao Tzu was making arbitrary distinctions to underscore differences of approach.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~
The wise man prefers the left.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~
Honorable gentlemen, while at home, value the left
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~
(No corresponding line)
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~
I later realized that the left signifies yin and the right signifies yang. It was like one those Duh! moments.
Consequently, sages lean toward passivity, wu wei and seeking the low places -- just like Tao.
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Moreover, from the I Ching, left symbolizes the east, wood nature, like bushes sprouting in the spring, something auspicious (yang rising). The right is west and metal, like withered bushes in autumn, a bad omen, something beyond its prime (yin).
ReplyDeleteI think you may have the yin/yang-right/left mixed up. At least for men, yang is associated with the left. I have been taught that yang rises from the left, yin rises to the right. (Rise is not quite the right word.) Contemplate the clockwise revolving taiji.
My real point is that this interpretation is more complicated than just yin and yang.