Line by Line - Verse 69, Line 7

advancing against the enemy where there is no enemy.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

Being armed without weapons.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Holding weapons without weapons
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

When you defend yourself without any show of force,
you give your opponent nothing to fight.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Again, I will turn to John Lash because I think he makes a very astute point!

If you know absolutely nothing about self-defense and you are attacked by someone, your only recourse is to use a weapon. The less you know, the more violent you have to be. Being prepared and able to use your body and flexibility makes weapons and violence unnecessary.

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