The phrase 死地 (sǐdì) is tricky. We have chosen to translate it here as “Dead Land” (perhaps influenced by Eliot’s “Waste Land”?), but we also considered “Deadland(s),” “Dead Zone,” “Death Trap,” “Land of the Dead,” “Place of Death,” and “Dying-Place.” Which do you prefer in the context of Chapter 50 of the Tao Te Ching? Before answering, please read the following:
The Translation
To go beyond Life is to enter Death. The Partisans of Life are three in ten. The Partisans of Death are three in ten. The People whose lives are driven to the Dead Land are three in ten. Why? Because such people live Life excessively. It is said that those good at preserving Life May travel cross-country without encountering Rhinoceros or Tiger And join the Army without donning Armor or bearing Weapons: The Rhinoceros has nowhere to thrust its horn, The Tiger has nowhere to put its claws, The Weapon has nowhere to stick its blade. Why? Because for such people there is no Dead Land.
The Original
Wang Bi’s original prose:
出生入死。生之徒，十有三；死之徒，十有三；人之生，動之死地，十有三。夫何故？以其生，生之厚。蓋聞善攝生者，陸行不遇兕虎，入軍不被甲兵；兕無所投其角，虎無所措其爪，兵無所容其刃。夫何故？以其無死地。
Our poetic reformatting:
出生入死。 生之徒，十有三； 死之徒，十有三； 人之生，動之死地，十有三。 夫何故？以其生，生之厚。 蓋聞善攝生者， 陸行不遇兕虎， 入軍不被甲兵； 兕無所投其角， 虎無所措其爪， 兵無所容其刃。 夫何故？以其無死地。
Terminology
出生入死 (chūshēngrùsǐ) - another tricky phrase; idiomatically, it means something like “go through hell but still survive”; since 出 and 入 are opposites meaning “exit” and “enter,” it would be possible to translate 出生入死 very literally as “exit Life, enter Death,” but Dr. Hong strenuously opposed this interpretation; since 生 (shēng) also means “be born,” I argued for “escape the cycle of birth by embracing death,” but Dr. Hong nixed this as well
徒 (tú) - translated here as “partisan(s),” it could also mean “follower(s)” or “disciple(s)”
蓋聞 (gài wén) - another idiomatic phrase meaning “it is said . . .”
攝 (shè) - a very interesting word; here translated as “preserve,” it can also mean “nurture,” “absorb,” “assimilate,” and, in its modern sense, “photograph”
兕 (sì) - nobody is sure what this very odd-looking character means, but the best guess is “(female?) rhinoceros” or “bull”
虎 (hǔ) - “tiger”; add this, along with 兕, to the list of terms in the Taoist bestiary
Notes
Congratulations to Dr. Hong and myself for finishing Chapter 50! We’ve only got 31 more to go!
Derek Lin offers the following interpretation of the four types of people described herein:
Nine persons out of ten fit into one of the three previous categories [i.e., those described in stanza one]: fearful living, dangerous living, or excessive living. The rare exception, the one-in-ten minority [described in stanza two], is the type who can transcend the predictable patterns that most people fall into. Such people live in moderation; they do not shrink from the unfamiliar, but they are also not foolhardy. They are the skillful players—not spectators—in the game of life. They are fully engaged in their interactions with the world.