Chapter 2: The Formation of Binary Distinction

In the previous chapter, we analyzed the core gap between artificially shaped outward conduct and the natural balanced state of the inner mind. Following the sequence of the ancient manuscript, this chapter continues to unpack the underlying logic of binary cognition. All analysis here is merely personal observation for your reference.
Many people who first encounter this ancient natural philosophy only skim the opposing concepts such as beauty and ugliness, good and evil, high and low when reading this chapter. They stop at literal meaning and fail to grasp the core logic of mental adjustment hidden beneath the text. Below is a layered breakdown of the complete line of reasoning.
Layer 1: Beauty, ugliness, good and evil have no inherent boundaries; binary judgment stems from subjective human cognition
The core argument of the original text: When all people collectively define a certain form as beautiful, all differing forms will be labeled ugly; when the public uniformly regards a certain behavior as good, all conflicting conduct will be seen as bad.
From an objective perspective, all things in the world form an integrated whole and operate in accordance with their inherent rules, without a fixed, universal measuring standard. Before humans voluntarily divide things into good and bad, beautiful and ugly, all objects simply present their natural forms, with no opposing negative definitions attached.
Once a group forms a unified cognitive standard, collective thinking automatically builds a framework of distinction. Anything that fails to fit this framework will be tagged with negative labels by contrast. The negative definitions mentioned in the text do not only refer to malicious acts; they mostly stand for differential judgments generated through comparison. Beauty and ugliness, good and evil are not innate properties of all things—they are binary opposing perceptions jointly constructed by unified group thinking.
This can be clearly understood through real-life examples: When a society uniformly praises one appearance as attractive, other looks are easily rejected; when the public exalts altruism as virtuous, self-protective conduct tends to attract criticism. Once a unified judgment standard takes shape, human thought automatically develops a habit of differentiation, selection and evaluation.
From the perspective of mental regulation, constant sorting of good and bad is the root of inner anxiety and obsession. Every time we draw lines between superior and inferior in our minds, our thoughts will instinctively chase what we deem "good" and reject what we consider "bad", leaving our minds torn back and forth between two extremes. The inner spiritual state loses its stable calm, making long-term peace of mind impossible. This aligns perfectly with the core logic of the last chapter: a truly steady and natural inner state does not cling to artificially set standards of good and evil, beauty and ugliness. Once you deliberately chase positive labels and resist negative things, your thoughts tilt, falling into an unbalanced state of forced pursuit.
Many people fall into a cognitive trap, believing that wholeheartedly pursuing goodness and shunning all negative things is the optimal choice. There is nothing wrong with holding goodwill, yet the key insight this philosophy intends to convey is this: clinging to your own binary standards to measure everything creates perpetual inner imbalance, restrains your thoughts, and pushes you further away from the natural peaceful state of all existence.
Layer 2: Interdependence of opposites is an eternal law; two-way balance sustains stability
The text then lists six pairs of contrasting relationships: Existence and emptiness generate one another; difficulty and ease define each other; length and shortness reveal themselves through comparison; height and lowness complement one another; tones and sounds harmonize together; priority and sequence follow each other—this is an unchanging eternal law.
The word "eternal" holds the core meaning here: all opposing states rely on and set off one another, an unalterable rule governing the operation of all things, unaffected by human subjective preferences. Let us break down each pair one by one:
Existence and emptiness co-create each other: If the world were entirely solid with no blank space, the concept of "existence" would never emerge; if everything were void with no tangible substance, the definition of "emptiness" could not exist. The two states of reality and vacancy rely on each other and coexist simultaneously. Applied to human beings, the tangible physical body represents substance, while the flowing surrounding space stands for vacancy. Only the mutual balance of the two enables normal life function.
Difficulty and ease define each other: Without obstacles in any task, humans cannot grasp the meaning of simplicity; if every matter is full of twists and turns, people cannot understand ease. Hardship and simplicity act as mutual references, allowing people to grasp appropriate boundaries in handling affairs.
Length and shortness rely on comparison: Without length as a reference, the trait of shortness cannot manifest; without shortness for contrast, length loses its basis for definition. The two distinguish their boundaries through mutual presence.
Height and lowness complement each other: High ground only stands out against low valleys; vacant lower spaces accentuate elevation. If all things were completely level, there would be no distinction between high and low. High and low forms supplement each other to build balanced structures.
Tones and sounds create harmony: A single monotonous noise lacks depth. Sounds of varying pitch and volume match one another to form harmonious rhythms. Silence and audible sound cooperate to create the full spectrum of movement and stillness.
Priority and sequence always accompany each other: There can be no "after" without a "before". All things evolve in fixed order; prior and subsequent states are inseparable and eternally paired.
These six sets of binary relationships embody two fundamental modes of worldly operation: one state expands outward, the other converges inward. Expansion corresponds to existence, length, height and priority; convergence corresponds to emptiness, shortness, lowness and subsequence. The simultaneous operation and mutual restraint of these two modes allow all things in the world to persist stably over time.
Ordinary people instinctively favor one side when facing opposing relationships: they chase tangible substance and reject vacancy, crave ease and fear hardship, strive for high status and refuse low positions. One-sided bias toward any single state directly breaks the natural balanced structure of thought, tilting the mind permanently. This leads to either excessive exhaustion of energy or self-enclosed repression, causing constant mental friction and unrest.

The objective laws governing all existence never favor a single extreme, always maintaining coexistence and balance between opposing sides. To achieve inner peace, one must accept the objective reality of binary interdependence, refusing to deliberately pick or favor either extreme, so that thought can remain steady and balanced long-term.
Layer 3: Grasp the laws of binary opposition, maintain neutral thinking, act naturally and avoid coercive preaching
Once you understand that beauty and ugliness stem from subjective cognition and opposing things sustain each other through balance, you can comprehend the ideal mindset described later: Those with thorough insight act naturally without forced effort, and influence others through their own steady state rather than coercive verbal preaching.
First, acting naturally without forced effort. Many misinterpret this idea as passive inaction, which is completely incorrect. The core of natural action lies in refraining from deliberate contrivance driven by binary judgments of good and bad formed later in life.
When ordinary people act, they first sort out pros and cons, gains and losses in their minds. Throughout the process, they crave praise, rewards and positive outcomes. When expectations fail to be met, they grow irritable and dissatisfied—this is forced striving, trapped by tilted thought.
Those with clear insight handle matters without pre-set artificial standards of good, evil, gain and loss. They advance along the natural rhythm of events, refusing to demand pre-planned results or cling to external evaluation. Their minds remain neutrally stable at all times; this is what it means to act in accordance with nature.
Next, avoiding coercive preaching does not mean refusing all communication. It refers to refusing to bind and restrict others with your own rigid binary judgment standards.
Most people constantly promote their personal definitions of good and beauty, forcing a single set of standards onto everyone and attempting to reshape others’ ways of thinking, which only creates ideological conflict. Insightful individuals do not deliberately spread fixed rules to convert others. Instead, they naturally influence those around them through their own calm and stable spiritual state, respecting each person’s unique mode of thought without forcing uniform transformation of others’ perspectives.
Four subsequent sentences further elaborate this steady, neutral state of mind: All things grow and evolve of their own accord, without forced manipulation of their starting point; they nurture and complete all beings without clinging to possessive control; they take action yet never grow arrogant over their contributions; once a task reaches completion, they do not cling to labels of merit and fame.
All things unfold without forced initiation: All creatures evolve naturally, with no attempt to manipulate their development, nor claim that all changes originate from oneself. The natural developmental rhythm of all things is respected.
Nurture without possession: While helping things grow, there is no desire to monopolize or control, no restraint placed on the natural development of people and events.
Act without arrogance over merit: Even after expending energy to accomplish something, one does not grow conceited over achievements, nor assume the outside world cannot function without one’s intervention.
Complete success without clinging to glory: After a task is fully accomplished, one does not become attached to binary labels such as "successful person", nor trapped within a single self-definition.
The concluding line of this chapter forms its core anchor: Precisely because the inner mind does not cling to opposing concepts such as merit, fame, good and evil, high and low, thought will not be pulled off balance by external gains and losses. The inherent calm and stable state innate to human beings will never fade away.
When connected with the previous chapter, the logic becomes cohesive: Those with clear insight do not cling to the label of "virtuous". In this chapter, they do not fixate on binary concepts of good and evil, achievement and status. The core logic of the two chapters is fully unified. The fundamental essence is to abandon artificially constructed opposing judgments, release obsessions of grasping, possession and forced pursuit, and return to the natural state of binary balance and neutral equilibrium.
Chapter Summary
Countless texts interpret this ancient natural philosophy, each shaped by the author’s personal experience and reflection, all worthy of reference. This chapter breaks down ideas layer by layer in detail solely to help readers grasp the underlying logic of mental adjustment and alignment with universal balancing laws hidden beneath the text, rather than remaining trapped in superficial literal understanding and one-sided comprehension.
The essence of organizing one’s inner mind and attaining peace is to continuously dissolve biased binary judgments within thought, accept the objective norm that opposing things rely on each other to exist, reduce subjective evaluation and arbitrary selection, and embrace greater natural tolerance. The inner spiritual state will naturally stabilize and harmonize with the eternal balancing laws of all existence.
This section comes to an end. We will continue unpacking the ancient manuscript in the next chapter.
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