故天下莫能与之争

故天下莫能與之爭

gùtiānxiàmònéngyǔzhīzhēng

phrase

Meanings

1 therefore no one under heaven can contend with him
2 (fig.) because he does not contend, no one can contend with him — the Daoist logic of non-striving
3 (lit.) therefore under-heaven none-can with-him contend

Characters

below (天下 = the world)

Examples

夫唯不争，故天下莫能与之争，老子的智慧甚深。

Fú wéi bù zhēng, gù tiānxià mò néng yǔ zhī zhēng, Lǎozǐ de zhìhuì shèn shēn.

'Precisely because he does not contend, no one under heaven can contend with him' — Laozi's wisdom runs very deep.

做人不与人争一时短长，故天下莫能与之争。

Zuò rén bù yǔ rén zhēng yīshí duǎn cháng, gù tiānxià mò néng yǔ zhī zhēng.

Live without striving with others for momentary wins — 'therefore no one under heaven can contend with you.'

Tips

history

From 《道德经》第二十二章 (Dao De Jing, ch. 22), attributed to 老子 (Laozi, Warring States / pre-Qin): 曲则全，枉则直... 不自矜，故长。夫唯不争，故天下莫能与之争 (Bent yet whole, crooked yet straight... He does not boast, therefore he endures. Precisely because he does not contend, no one under heaven can contend with him). The core Daoist paradox: non-contention as the highest strategic ground.

usage

Always read with 夫唯不争 as the logical antecedent. 莫 here = 'no one / none' (classical negative pronoun), not the modern 'do not.' 之 = 'him / her / it,' the non-striving person.

Stroke Order

故 gù

天 tiān

下 xià

莫 mò

能 néng

与 yǔ

之 zhī

争 zhēng