At birth man is supple and weak, at death rigid and strong. So with inanimate nature—say the vegetable creation—in its early growth it is pliable and brittle, at death it is decayed and withered. It follows that rigidity and strength are the way to death; pliability and gentleness the way to life.
Hence a soldier who is arrogant cannot conquer; the tree which is strong is doomed. 1
The firm and the great occupy the lower place, the pliable and the meek 2 the higher.
125:1 Having become fit to be used as timber it is in danger from the woodman's axe. The word rendered "doomed" is literally "altogether." Dr. Carus compares it to the German "alle," "it is gone," "finished," or "doomed." No literal rendering of the Chinese is possible. Cf. Taoist Texts by Balfour, p. 83.
125:2 The phrases "supple and weak," "pliability and gentleness," "pliable and meek" are represented in Chinese by the same hieroglyphs—an illustration of the difficulties and dangers which threaten the European who attempts to render Lao-tzu into intelligible and easy English.