Chapter 42

道生一，一生二，二生三，三生萬物。
萬物負陰而抱陽，沖氣以為和。
人之所惡，唯孤、寡、不穀，而王公以為稱。
故物或損之而益，或益之而損。
人之所教，我亦教之。
強梁者不得其死，吾將以為教父。

The Way gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, three gives birth to the ten thousand things.
The ten thousand things carry yin on their backs and hold yang in their arms, and the empty breath brings them into harmony.
What people hate is to be orphaned, lacking, and unworthy, yet kings and dukes take these as their titles.
So things are sometimes added to by being taken from, and sometimes taken from by being added to.
What others teach, I teach too.
“The violent do not die a natural death”: this I take as the father of my teaching.