Chapter LXI
(Chapter 61)

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Ko Yuen Translation

The Modesty of the Teh
1. A state becometh powerful when it resembleth a great river, deep-seated; to it tend all the small streams under Heaven.
2. It is as with the female, that conquereth the male by her Silence.  Silence is a form of Gravity.
3. Thus a great state attracteth small states by meeting their views, and small states attract the great state by revering its eminence.  In the first case this Silence gaineth supporters; in the second, favour.
4. The great state uniteth men and nurtureth them; the small state wisheth the good will of the great, and offereth service; thus each gaineth its advantage.  But the great state must keep Silence.

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S. Mitchell Translation
When a country obtains great power,
it becomes like the sea:
all streams run downward into it.
The more powerful it grows,
the greater the need for humility.
Humility means trusting the Tao,
thus never needing to be defensive.

A great nation is like a great man:
When he makes a mistake, he realizes it.
Having realized it, he admits it.
Having admitted it, he corrects it.
He considers those who point out his faults
as his most benevolent teachers.
He thinks of his enemy
as the shadow that he himself casts.

If a nation is centered in the Tao,
if it nourishes its own people
and doesn't meddle in the affairs of others,
it will be a light to all nations in the world.

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James Legge Translation
1. What makes a great state is its being (like) a low-lying, down-flowing (stream); it becomes the centre to which tend (all the small states) under heaven.
2. (To illustrate from) the case of all females:  the female always overcomes the male by her stillness.  Stillness may be considered (a sort of) abasement.
3. Thus it is that a great state, by condescending to small states, gains them for itself; and that small states, by abasing themselves to a great state, win it over to them.  In the one case the abasement leads to gaining adherents, in the other case to procuring favour.
4. The great state only wishes to unite men together and nourish them; a small state only wishes to be received by, and to serve, the other.  Each gets what it desires, but the great state must learn to abase itself.

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GNL not Lao Interpolation

Submission
A nation is like a hierarchy, a marketplace, and a maiden.
A maiden wins her husband by submitting to his advances;
Submission is a means of union.

So when a large country submits to a small country
It will adopt the small country;
When a small country submits to a large country
It will be adopted by the large country;
The one submits and adopts;
The other submits and is adopted.

It is in the interest of a large country to unite and gain service,
And in the interest of a small country to unite and gain patronage;
If both would serve their interests,
Both must submit.

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Ko Yuen Commentary
It is not that there is any "virtue" in humility; it is simply that all lines converge at the center of the Web.

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