第七章
天長地久。Heaven long earth lasting.
天地所以能長且久者，
Heaven Earth reason for able to long and lasting thing,
以其不自生，
For they not self live,
故能長生。
Thus able to long live.
是以聖人後其身，
Therefore sage person put behind his self,
而身先，
But self in front,
外其身，
Exclude his self,
而身存。
But self preserved.
非以其無私，
Not because he no self,
故能成其私。
Thus able to fulfill his self.
英譯：
07
Heaven is eternal and Earth is everlasting.
Why are they able to be eternal and everlasting?
Because they do not exist for themselves.
Therefore they are able to be everlasting.
Similarly, the sage places himself in the background,
But finds himself in the foreground.
He remains in dangerous places,
But finds himself safe and sound.
Is it not precisely because he has no self-interest,
Thus his self-interest is preserved?
中譯：
天是永恆的，地是長久的，
為什麼它們能夠永恆和長久？
因為它們不為自己而存在，
因此，它們能夠長久。
同樣，聖人自己走在後面，
卻發現自己在前面。
他留在危險的地方，
卻發現自己安然無恙。
這不正是因為他沒有利己之心，
卻反而保存了自己的利益嗎？
