Line by Line - Verse 31, Line 13

The second in command of the army has his place on the left;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

In the army the general stands on the left,
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

The lieutenant general is positioned to 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 ~

According to Derek Lin,

The lieutenant general, responsible for the peacetime training of the military, is situated to the left of the emperor.

I suppose that, in modern times, we could liken the instructors at the armed forces academies to the lieutenant general.

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