Translation: Once (a person) is born, he is already moving toward death.
Analysis: The most widely accepted interpretation. Human life is a process from birth to death. These four characters encapsulate humanity's most fundamental existential condition — where there is life, there must be death. The entire chapter takes this as its starting point to explore how one may preserve life between birth and death.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "出生地，入死地" (Coming forth into the realm of life, entering into the realm of death).
Translation: When desires and passions are expelled from the inner organs, one lives; when desires and passions lodge within the heart, one dies.
Analysis: Heshanggong's distinctive self-cultivation interpretation: "出生，谓情欲出五内，魂静魄定，故生。入死，谓情欲入于胸臆，精劳神惑，故死" (Coming forth into life means desires exit the five organs, the hun-soul is tranquil and the po-soul is settled, hence one lives. Entering into death means desires invade the chest, vitality is exhausted and the spirit confused, hence one dies). Life and death are not merely natural processes but are intimately connected to inner cultivation — when one can expel the disturbance of desires and the hun and po souls are at peace, one lives; when desires invade the mind and the spirit is worn down, one dies. This represents the starting point of Daoist theories on health cultivation and inner refinement.
Similar views: Heshanggong's system of health cultivation and inner refinement.
Translation: Those who tend toward longevity are three in ten; those who tend toward early death are three in ten; those who could have lived long but through their own actions move toward the ground of death are also three in ten.
Analysis: Wang Bi's interpretation. People can be divided into three categories: three-tenths are naturally long-lived, three-tenths are naturally short-lived, and three-tenths could have lived long but bring destruction upon themselves through excessive pursuit of life's pleasures. The third category is the most lamentable — "民生生之厚，更之无生之地焉" (people nourish life so lavishly that they turn it into a place devoid of life). What of the remaining one-tenth? They are the "善摄生者" (those who are adept at preserving life) described below — those who have attained the Tao (道) and transcended the division of life and death.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "取其生道，全生之极，十分有三耳" (Those who take the path of life and perfectly preserve it are but three parts in ten).
Translation: The (nine orifices and four limbs) that can give a person life number thirteen; those that can bring a person to death also number thirteen; the thirteen that people use in living yet move toward the ground of death also number thirteen.
Analysis: Heshanggong's somatic interpretation. "十三" (thirteen) refers to the nine orifices (two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth, the front opening, and the rear opening) plus the four limbs (two hands and two feet). These thirteen openings and passages can be gateways to life or to death. When used properly (not gazing recklessly, not listening recklessly, etc.) they sustain life; when used indulgently, they bring death. People know these are channels of life yet transform them into channels of death.
Similar views: Heshanggong: "谓九窍四关也。其生也目不妄视，耳不妄听" (This refers to the nine orifices and four passages. In living, one's eyes do not gaze recklessly, one's ears do not listen recklessly).
Translation: Why is this so? Because they nourish life too lavishly.
Analysis: A profound paradox of life — the more desperately one pursues the pleasures of being alive, the more one tends to hasten death. Wang Bi uses the metaphors of the serpent-lizard (蚖蟮) and the hawk-falcon (鹰鸇) to illustrate this: the serpent considers the abyss too shallow and burrows even deeper, the hawk considers the mountain too low and builds its nest even higher; their extreme efforts to secure survival lead them to die because they take the bait. "岂非生生之厚乎？" (Is this not the lavish nourishing of life?) — a life excessively managed ultimately loses itself.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "物茍不以求离其本，不以欲渝其真，虽入军而不害" (If a being does not through seeking depart from its root, nor through desire corrupt its authenticity, even entering the army it will not be harmed).
Translation: Why is this so? Because they pursue life's pleasures too extravagantly.
Analysis: Heshanggong: "所以动之死地者，以其求生活之事太厚，违道忤天，妄行失纪" (The reason they move toward the ground of death is that they pursue the affairs of living too lavishly, violating the Tao and offending Heaven, acting recklessly and losing all discipline). It is not merely material over-nourishment but "违道忤天" (violating the Tao and going against Heaven) — a lifestyle that contravenes the laws of nature inevitably leads to destruction. Excessive eating and drinking, unbridled indulgence in desires — all are manifestations of "生生之厚" (lavishly nourishing life).
Similar views: Heshanggong: "求生活之事太厚，违道忤天，妄行失纪" (Pursuing the affairs of living too lavishly, violating the Tao and offending Heaven, acting recklessly and losing all discipline).
Translation: I have heard that one who is adept at preserving life walks the land without encountering rhinoceros or tiger, enters the army without being harmed by weapons; the rhinoceros has no place to thrust its horn at him, the tiger has no place to apply its claws to him, and weapons have no place to lodge their blades in him.
Analysis: The one adept at preserving life does not possess an indestructible body; rather, he simply does not place himself in dangerous situations. Wang Bi derives from this the core thesis: "斯诚不以欲累其身者也，何死地之有乎" (Such a person truly does not burden his body with desires — how could any ground of death exist for him?). This is not supernatural immunity but a profound wisdom of survival.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "斯诚不以欲累其身者也，何死地之有乎" (Such a person truly does not burden his body with desires — how could any ground of death exist for him?).
Translation: One who is adept at preserving life walks the road without encountering rhinoceros or tiger, and enters the military without needing to don armor and weapons; the rhinoceros has no place to thrust its horn at him, the tiger has no place to apply its claws to him, and weapons have no place to lodge their blades in him.
Analysis: Heshanggong's commentary leans toward a mystical protection through self-cultivation: "养生之人，兕虎无由伤，兵刃无从加之也。以其不犯十三之死地也，言神明营护之，此物不敢害" (One who cultivates life cannot be harmed by rhinoceros or tiger, nor can weapons touch him. Because he does not violate the thirteen grounds of death, the spirits guard and protect him, and these things dare not harm him). The cultivator of the Tao receives divine protection because he does not transgress the grounds of death. "被甲兵" is read as "披甲兵" (to don armor and weapons), meaning the one adept at preserving life has no need for external armaments.
Similar views: Heshanggong: "言神明营护之，此物不敢害" (The spirits guard and protect him, and these things dare not harm him).
Translation: Why is this so? Because there is no vulnerable spot for death upon his person.
Analysis: The summation of the entire chapter. The one adept at preserving life remains unharmed because he is free of greed and desire and does not place himself in perilous circumstances — there is no "ground of death" on his person for danger to exploit. Wang Bi's reasoning is rigorously logical: the ground of death exists because of "生生之厚" (lavishly nourishing life — the excessive pursuit of survival), and it is absent because one "不以欲渝其真" (does not corrupt one's authenticity through desire). The greatest danger to life comes not from external threats but from inner greed.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "物茍不以求离其本，不以欲渝其真……赤子之可则而贵信矣" (If a being does not through seeking depart from its root, nor through desire corrupt its authenticity…then the trustworthiness of the infant-like state becomes the model to be prized).
Translation: Why is this so? Because he has not transgressed the thirteen (nine orifices and four limbs) grounds of death.
Analysis: The summation of Heshanggong's self-cultivation interpretation: the one adept at preserving life does not recklessly employ the nine orifices and four limbs — the eyes do not gaze recklessly, the ears do not listen recklessly, the mouth does not speak recklessly, and the hands and feet do not move recklessly — thus the body's vitality is perfectly preserved. Additionally, "神明营护之" (the spirits guard and protect him) — the cultivator of the Tao receives the protection of supernatural powers.
Similar views: Heshanggong: "以其不犯十三之死地也" (Because he does not transgress the thirteen grounds of death).
This chapter contains 10 interpretation combinations.
[Core Divergences]
Chapter Fifty opens with the four characters "出生入死" (coming forth is life, entering in is death), directly confronting humanity's most fundamental existential proposition — life and death. The entire chapter demonstrates a profound paradox of life: the excessive pursuit of survival ("生生之厚," lavishly nourishing life) is the very root cause of death. Three-tenths long-lived and three-tenths short-lived are the allotments of natural fate; but the remaining three-tenths who could have lived well bring destruction upon themselves through indulgence and reckless action — these are the ones Laozi criticizes. The "善摄生者" (one adept at preserving life) does not pursue techniques of immortality but rather "不以欲累其身" (does not burden his body with desires) — he does not allow greed to create "grounds of death" upon his person. Wang Bi's metaphor of the serpent-lizard and the hawk-falcon is particularly brilliant: the serpent considers the abyss too shallow and burrows deeper, the hawk considers the mountain too low and nests higher — seemingly striving for maximum safety, yet in the end dying because they take the bait — is this not "生生之厚" (the lavish nourishing of life)? Ultimately, the chapter points not to a system of health-cultivation techniques but to an existential attitude: do not cling to life, do not fear death, live naturally and spontaneously — this is the true meaning of "善摄生" (being adept at preserving life).