Chapter 23 Difficult things must be done with ease, and great things must be done with details

Doing nothing, doing nothing, tasteless.No matter how big or small, repay your complaints with virtue.A picture is more difficult than it is easy, but it is greater than its detail. Difficult things in the world must be done in the easy way; great things in the world must be done in detail.Therefore, the sage does not become great in the end, so he can become great.If a husband is light on his promises, he will be seldom trustworthy.It is still difficult for a sage, so there will be no difficulty in the end. ——Chapter 63 of Lao Tzu On November 12, 2009, when Premier Wen Jiabao met with representatives of members of the National Organization Affairs Association, he emphasized that no matter how big the organization is or how high the position is, the staff at all levels must regard themselves as servants of the people and serve the people honestly.When serving the people, we must do everything in detail.Afterwards, Premier Wen also quoted Lao Tzu's saying "Difficult things must be done in an easy way, and big things must be done in a detailed way", encouraging the staff of the majority of government agencies to work hard and be the "Minister of Logistics" of the people.

The meaning of this passage in Lao Tzu is: act with an attitude of not acting rashly, do things in a way that does not cause trouble, and regard indifference as taste.The big is born in the small, the more comes from the less, in the face of resentment, respond with kindness.To solve difficulties, we must start from the easy ones, and to deal with major events, we must start from the subtle ones; the difficult things in the world must be started from the easy ones, and the major events in the world must be started from the subtle ones.Therefore, although a righteous person never does great things, he can accomplish great things.If you promise easily, you will definitely lose your promise, and if you take things too easily, you will definitely encounter more difficulties.Therefore, when a sage encounters a problem, he always sees it as difficult, so in the end there is no difficulty that cannot be solved.

"Difficult" and "easy", "big" and "fine" are important categories of Taoist philosophy.The so-called "pictures are more difficult than they are easy" means that in order to overcome difficulties, we must take precautions, plan ahead, and take active actions when things are relatively simple and easy, so as to eliminate difficulties and disasters invisible.Because "it is safe and easy to maintain, and it is easy to seek when it is not a sign. It is fragile and easy to shake, and it is easy to scatter when it is small. Do it for the unexisted, and rule it for the unchaotic" (Chapter 64).That is to say, when the situation is relatively stable and things have not shown signs of change, it is often easier to deal with the problem. "Han Feizi · Yu Lao" also said that "a dike of a thousand feet can be collapsed by an ant's nest", which means that if a small ant nest is not dealt with, it can also cause the dike to collapse.The so-called "people without long-term considerations must have near-term worries", if you don't pay attention to small things and don't act, you will often cause big troubles.Therefore, Lao Tzu warns us to take preventive measures before they happen, and to have the awareness of prevention before the malpractices have formed. Once the signs are found, they should be eliminated in the bud in time. "Xunzi Dalue" says: "Think about things first, and worry about troubles first. Think about things first, and then you will succeed; worry about troubles first, and then you will never have trouble. When things come to an end, there will be no disasters." Those who worry about it are called the future, and those who worry about it later are called trouble. If trouble comes, then disaster cannot be prevented." This means that we should plan ahead for everything, and not dig a well when we are thirsty, otherwise catastrophe will inevitably come.Emphasis on "the greater is greater than its fineness", this is because the development of things is a process from small to large, from easy to difficult, and from quantitative change to qualitative change. The accumulation of quantity can lead to qualitative change, so if you want to achieve Big things must start with small things.Lao Tzu said: "The tree that embraces is born at the end of the hair; the nine-story platform starts from the pile of soil; the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." (Chapter 64) No matter what you do, you must start early and start from the small Get started.In Lao Tzu's view, difficult and easy, big and small, are all relative.As long as people master the method, start from the easiest place, start from the small things that are easily overlooked by people, and proceed step by step, from easy to difficult, from small to large, and persevere, they will eventually achieve the ideal goal in their minds.

Here, Lao Tzu summed up the principle of governing the world that "pictures are more difficult than they are easy, but they are greater than their details. Difficult things in the world must be done in an easy way; major things in the world must be done in a detailed way", and he believes that this is the key to a sage's greatness. Looking at it today, it is also the purpose of our actions.Here, Premier Wen Jiabao is quoting Lao Tzu's words, exhorting staff engaged in office affairs and even all party and government agencies to treat complicated, trivial and small matters as major ones, and to be meticulous , Do a good job conscientiously; at the same time, it also shows that the country's major policies must be implemented through small tasks, and the "little things" done by government affairs workers are also an important part of national affairs.The interests of the masses are no small matter, and any matter involving the immediate interests and practical difficulties of the people is a major matter no matter how small it is.