Chapter 13: The Danger of Favor
Laozi shows that both favor and disgrace disturb us equally. True security comes from not being attached to the body as 'mine'.
📖 Definition
Chapter 13 reveals that both honor and disgrace disturb us equally. When we identify too strongly with the body, we create vulnerability. The sage who offers the body to the world gains the world.
Source Text
Read the original alongside the English rendering
Original Chinese
寵辱若驚，貴大患若身。
何謂寵辱若驚？
寵為下也，得之若驚，失之若驚，是謂寵辱若驚。
何謂貴大患若身？
吾所以有大患者，為吾有身，及吾無身，吾有何患？
故貴以身為天下者，若可以託天下矣；
愛以身為天下者，若可以寄天下矣。
English Rendering
Favor and disgrace both cause alarm.
Honor and great calamity both affect the body.
What does it mean that favor and disgrace cause alarm?
Favor is degrading — to gain it is alarming, to lose it is alarming.
This is why favor and disgrace cause alarm.
What does it mean that honor and calamity affect the body?
I have great troubles because I have a body.
When I have no body, what trouble do I have?
Therefore one who values their body as the world can be entrusted with the world.
One who loves their body as the world can be given the world.
The Equality of Favor and Disgrace
寵辱若驚 — “Favor and disgrace both cause alarm.”
We think disgrace is bad and favor is good. Laozi says they disturb us equally — both make us nervous, both make us react.
The Degrading Nature of Favor
寵為下也 — “Favor is degrading.”
This is counter-intuitive: favor is actually debasing because it makes you dependent on another. To be favored is to be lower than the one who favors you.
The Problem of the Body
為吾有身 — “Because I have a body.”
Laozi asks a strange question: why do I have so much trouble? Because I have a body. If I had no body, what trouble would I have?
This is not a call to suicide — it is about detachment from the body as self.
Offering the Body to the World
貴以身為天下者 — “One who values their body as the world.”
The person who offers their body to serve the world (not cling to it as mine) can be trusted with the world. The person who loves the world through their body (not as possession) can be given the world.
Modern Application
We are constantly worried about how we appear — our body, our image, our health. Chapter 13 suggests: detachment from the body is not neglect, it is freedom.
Key Takeaways
- Favor and disgrace disturb equally
- Favor is actually degrading
- Clinging to the body creates vulnerability
- Detached service makes one trustworthy
- Offering the body to the world gains the world
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Written by
Lee
Lee explains Chinese philosophy, strategy, and stories in plain English — for people who want ancient wisdom they can actually use. Based in China, writing for the world.
More about Lee →Related Articles
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Frequently Asked Questions
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