Line by Line - Verse 36, Lines 3-4

when he is going to weaken another, he will first strengthen him;
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

That which fails
Must first be strong.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

If one wishes to weaken it
One must first strengthen it
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

To make something weak,
you must recognize its strength.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

I really like the way Derek Lin puts these lines into a modern perspective.

The classic example of this process is "pride goeth before the fall." Consider what happens when a promising actor is surrounded by sycophants. They expand and strengthen his ego with endless flattery. He becomes disconnected from reality and believes he can do no wrong. Soon the bubble bursts and his projects collapse. His spectacular failures shrink and weaken his ego. In the meantime, another rising star assembles an entourage, and the process starts all over again.

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