Laozi
天之道，其猶張弓與？ 高者抑之，下者舉之； 有餘者損之，不足者補之。 天之道，損有餘而補不足。 人之道，則不然，損不足以奉有餘。 孰能有餘以奉天下， 唯有道者。 是以聖人為而不恃，功成而不處， 其不欲見賢。
James Legge
May not the Way (or Tao) of Heaven be compared to the (method of) bending a bow? The (part of the bow) which was high is brought low, and what was low is raised up. (So Heaven) diminishes where there is superabundance, and supplements where there is deficiency.
It is the Way of Heaven to diminish superabundance, and to supplement deficiency. It is not so with the way of man. He takes away from those who have not enough to add to his own superabundance.
Who can take his own superabundance and therewith serve all under heaven? Only he who is in possession of the Tao!
Therefore the (ruling) sage acts without claiming the results as his; he achieves his merit and does not rest (arrogantly) in it:—he does not wish to display his superiority.
Victor H. Mair
The Way of heaven is like the bending of a bow - the upper part is pressed down, the lower part is raised up, the part that has too much is reduced, the part that has too little is increased. Therefore, The Way of heaven reduces surplus to make up for scarcity; The Way of man reduces scarcity and pays tribute to surplus. Who is there that can have a surplus and take from it to pay tribute to heaven? Surely only one who has the Way! For this reason, The sage acts but does not possess, completes his work but does not dwell on it. In this fashion, he has no desire to display his worth.
C. Spurgeon Medhurst
The Divine Way is like the drawing of a bow,—it brings down the high and exalts the low. [^1] Where there is superfluity it takes away, where there is deficiency it imparts. It is the way of heaven to diminish abundance, and supplement deficiency. [^2]
The way of man is not so. He depletes the deficient, that he may supplement the superfluous.
Who is able to have a superabundance for the service of the world? Only the possessor of the Tao! Hence the Holy Man acts without priding himself on his actions, completes his work without lingering on it;—he has no desire to display his superiority. [^3]
Man grasps all; God gives all. Man makes himself great; God is content to be small. Man loves to surpass others; God strives that all may be one. A Chinese commentator suggests that Heaven, because universal, equalizes, but that man, because exceedingly parochial, differentiates.
[^1] So Prof. Giles renders this sentence in his Remains of Lao-Tzu; he adds an explanatory note—“When the bow held vertically (as the Chinese hold it) is drawn, the upper nock is brought down while the lower nock is brought up.”
[^2] Dr. Carus remarks on this passage that “while the first sentence is almost literally like Christ’s doctrine, ‘whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased,’ the second sentence is the reverse of the New Testament teaching that, ‘Whoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he hath.’ Matt. xiii, 12.” The difference is, however, only verbal. Christ and Lao-Tzu both teach that the Divine Way is equality, equilibrium, and that whatever contravenes this is wrong. Cf. Luke iii, 4-6.
[^3] Cf. chap. 2. Says Huai-nan-tzu: “He does not depend on the respect of others for his power, nor upon possession for his wealth, nor upon brute force for his strength; but is able to soar between the firmament above and the waters below, in company with his creator.”—Taoist Texts by Balfour, p. 92.
”The divine Way,” “The Way of Heaven” is in the Chinese “The Tao of Heaven.” So also “The way of man” in the text is in the original “The Tao of Man.”
Ursula K. Le Guin
The Way of heaven is like a bow bent to shoot: its top end brought down, its lower end raised up. It brings the high down, lifts the low, takes from those who have, gives to those who have not.
Such is the Way of heaven, taking from people who have, giving to people who have not. Not so the human way: it takes from those who have not to fill up those who have. Who has enough to fill up everybody? Only those who have the Way.
So the wise do without claiming, achieve without asserting, wishing not to show their worth.