Below is the chapter from two excellent sources along with the original Chinese text. The first source is from a translation by D.T. Suzuki & Paul Carus in 1913 followed by a translation by Stephen Mitchell in 1988.
Chapter 38
1. Superior virtue is unvirtue. Therefore it has virtue. Inferior virtue never loses sight of virtue. Therefore it has no virtue.
2. Superior virtue is non-assertion and without pretension. Inferior virtue asserts and makes pretensions.
3. Superior benevolence acts but makes no pretensions. Superior justice acts and makes pretensions.
4. Superior propriety acts and when no one responds to it, it stretches its arm and enforces its rules.
5. Thus one loses Reason and then virtue appears. One loses virtue and then benevolence appears. One loses benevolence and then justice appears. One loses justice and then propriety appears. The rules of propriety are the semblance of loyalty and faith, and the beginning of disorder.
6. Traditionalism is the flower of Reason, but of ignorance the beginning.
7. Therefore a great organizer abides by the solid and dwells not in the external. He abides in the fruit and dwells not in the flower.
8. Therefore he discards the latter and chooses the former.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Master doesn't try to be powerful;
thus he is truly powerful.
The ordinary man keeps reaching for power;
thus he never has enough.
The Master does nothing,
yet he leaves nothing undone.
The ordinary man is always doing things,
yet many more are left to be done.
The kind man does something,
yet something remains undone.
The just man does something,
and leaves many things to be done.
The moral man does something,
and when no one responds
he rolls up his sleeves and uses force.
When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is the husk of true faith,
the beginning of chaos.
Therefore the Master concerns himself
with the depths and not the surface,
with the fruit and not the flower.
He has no will of his own.
He dwells in reality,
and lets all illusions go.
2. Superior virtue is non-assertion and without pretension. Inferior virtue asserts and makes pretensions.
3. Superior benevolence acts but makes no pretensions. Superior justice acts and makes pretensions.
4. Superior propriety acts and when no one responds to it, it stretches its arm and enforces its rules.
5. Thus one loses Reason and then virtue appears. One loses virtue and then benevolence appears. One loses benevolence and then justice appears. One loses justice and then propriety appears. The rules of propriety are the semblance of loyalty and faith, and the beginning of disorder.
6. Traditionalism is the flower of Reason, but of ignorance the beginning.
7. Therefore a great organizer abides by the solid and dwells not in the external. He abides in the fruit and dwells not in the flower.
8. Therefore he discards the latter and chooses the former.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Master doesn't try to be powerful;
thus he is truly powerful.
The ordinary man keeps reaching for power;
thus he never has enough.
The Master does nothing,
yet he leaves nothing undone.
The ordinary man is always doing things,
yet many more are left to be done.
The kind man does something,
yet something remains undone.
The just man does something,
and leaves many things to be done.
The moral man does something,
and when no one responds
he rolls up his sleeves and uses force.
When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is the husk of true faith,
the beginning of chaos.
Therefore the Master concerns himself
with the depths and not the surface,
with the fruit and not the flower.
He has no will of his own.
He dwells in reality,
and lets all illusions go.
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