Translation: The Tao (道) brings all things into being, Virtue/Te (德) nurtures them, matter gives them bodily form, and environmental conditions bring them to final completion.
Analysis: A complete cosmogony—all things pass through four stages from birth to maturity: the Tao generates (bestowing the fundamental impetus of existence) → Virtue nurtures (the specific manifestation of the Tao's function in each thing, sustaining nourishment) → matter gives form (material conditions provide concrete bodily shape) → conditions complete (external environment and circumstances bring about final fulfillment). Wang Bi analyzed this with precision: "何由而生？道也；何得而畜？德也；何由而形？物也；何使而成，势也。" ("What gives them birth? The Tao. What nurtures them? Virtue. What gives them form? Matter. What brings them to completion? Conditions.")
Similar views: Wang Bi: "凡物之所以生，功之所以成，皆有所由，有所由焉，则莫不由乎道也。" ("Everything that comes into being and every achievement that is accomplished has a cause; having a cause, none fails to originate from the Tao.")
Translation: The Tao generates all things, primordial Qi (气) (Virtue/the One) nurtures them, matter endows them with form, and the forces of the seasonal cycle bring them to completion.
Analysis: Heshang Gong's cosmology: "德，一也。一主布气而蓄养。一为万物设形像也。一为万物作寒暑之势以成之。" ("Virtue is the One. The One governs the distribution of Qi and nurtures all things. The One establishes forms for all things. The One creates the forces of cold and heat to bring them to completion.") Here "Virtue" is equated with "the One" (primordial Qi); Tao → the One → matter → conditions constitutes a generative sequence from the abstract to the concrete. The alternation of the four seasons is the final condition for the maturation of all things—spring generates, summer grows, autumn harvests, winter stores.
Similar views: Heshang Gong: "德，一也。一主布气而蓄养。" ("Virtue is the One. The One governs the distribution of Qi and nurtures all things.")
Translation: Therefore there are no things that do not revere the Tao and honor Virtue.
Analysis: The reverence and esteem that all things hold for the Tao and Virtue arise naturally—not from commanded awe, but from an ontological, inborn dependence. Wang Bi: "道者，物之所由也。德者，物之所得也。由之乃得，故曰不得不失。" ("The Tao is that from which things originate. Virtue is that which things obtain. Originating from it, they obtain it; thus it is said they neither gain nor lose.") All things are born through the Tao and nourished through Virtue; they naturally revere the Tao and honor Virtue, just as water naturally flows downward.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "由之乃得……尊之则害，不得不贵也。" ("Originating from it, they obtain it... to honor it would cause harm; they cannot but esteem it.")
Translation: The reason the Tao is revered and Virtue is honored is that no one issues commands; it is always naturally so of itself.
Analysis: This is the most essential sentence of the entire chapter. The authority of the Tao and Virtue does not come from external coercion—no one commands all things to revere the Tao and honor Virtue; they simply do so naturally. This reveals the fundamental ideal of Laozi's political philosophy: the highest authority is "natural" (自然)—spontaneous compliance without the need for compulsion. This echoes Chapter 17: "Of the best rulers, the people below merely know they exist" ("太上，下知有之").
Similar views: Heshang Gong: "道一不命召万物，而常自然应之如影响。" ("The Tao and the One do not summon all things by command, yet all things constantly respond to them naturally, like a shadow or an echo.")
Translation: The reverence for the Tao and the honor given to Virtue do not come from titles or bestowed rank; they are eternally so of themselves.
Analysis: Wang Bi's commentary notes: "命并作爵。" ("'Command' here should be read as 'rank/title.'") The reverence for the Tao does not come from being granted a title (an external designation of status); it is naturally authentic. This implicitly critiques worldly authority—among humans, honor and nobility are sustained by bestowed titles and ranks, but the Tao's honor requires no external insignia; it is the very ground of the existence of all things.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "命并作爵。" ("'Command' here should be read as 'rank/title.'")
Translation: Therefore the Tao gives birth to all things and Virtue nurtures them; it causes them to grow and rears them; it brings them to maturity and fruition; it tends them and shelters them.
Analysis: An expansion and deepening of the opening sentence "the Tao gives them birth, Virtue nurtures them"—the Tao's care for all things is comprehensive and spans their entire existence: from initial generation (birth), to sustained nourishment (nurturing, growing, rearing), to maturation and perfection (bringing to fruition and ripeness), to ultimate protection and shelter (tending and sheltering). Wang Bi: "谓成其实，各得其庇荫，不伤其体矣。" ("This means bringing their fruit to completion, so that each receives its protection and shelter, and their substance is not harmed.")
Similar views: Wang Bi: "谓成其实，各得其庇荫，不伤其体矣。" ("This means bringing their fruit to completion, so that each receives its protection and shelter, and their substance is not harmed.")
Translation: The Tao gives birth to all things and Virtue nurtures them; it causes them to grow and multiply; it brings them to maturity and perfection; it tends them and shelters them.
Analysis: Heshang Gong extends this to governance and self-cultivation: "道之于万物，非但生而已，乃复长养、成孰、覆育，全其性命。人君治国治身，亦当如是也。" ("The Tao's relation to all things is not merely to give them birth; it also grows, nurtures, matures, and shelters them, preserving their nature and life completely. A ruler governing the state and cultivating the self should likewise do the same.") Rulers should treat the people as the Tao treats all things—not merely allowing them to survive, but comprehensively nurturing, fulfilling, and protecting them.
Similar views: Heshang Gong: "人君治国治身，亦当如是也。" ("A ruler governing the state and cultivating the self should likewise do the same.")
Translation: It gives birth to all things yet does not possess them, acts yet does not take credit, leads yet does not dominate—this is called "Mysterious Virtue" (玄德).
Analysis: The concluding statement of the chapter, and a core proposition that recurs throughout the Tao Te Ching (similar expressions appear in Chapters 2 and 10). "Not possessing, not taking credit, not dominating" is a threefold unfolding of non-action (无为): giving everything yet claiming no return, accomplishing everything yet not boasting of merit, leading everything yet not assuming the stance of a ruler. Wang Bi: "有德而不知其主也，出乎幽冥，是以谓之玄德也。" ("There is Virtue, yet none knows its source; it emerges from the dark and hidden—therefore it is called Mysterious Virtue.") The "mystery" of "Mysterious Virtue" lies in its being invisible and intangible, yet it is the very foundation upon which all things depend for their existence.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "有德而不知其主也，出乎幽冥，是以谓之玄德也。" ("There is Virtue, yet none knows its source; it emerges from the dark and hidden—therefore it is called Mysterious Virtue.")
Translation: It gives birth to the people yet does not possess them, acts yet does not expect repayment, nurtures the people yet does not exploit them for profit—this is called the profound and imperceptible Mysterious Virtue.
Analysis: Heshang Gong applies the three characteristics of "Mysterious Virtue" to political practice: "不有所取以为利" ("not possessing or extracting for profit")—not exploiting the people; "不恃望其报" ("not relying on or expecting repayment")—not seeking returns; "不宰割以为利" ("not ruling and carving up for profit")—not using power to harm the people for personal gain. "道之所行恩德，玄暗不可得见" ("The benevolent Virtue that the Tao exercises is dark and imperceptible")—the best benevolence is that which the people cannot perceive (Chapter 17: "Of the best rulers, the people below merely know they exist").
Similar views: Heshang Gong: "道之所行恩德，玄暗不可得见。" ("The benevolent Virtue that the Tao exercises is dark and imperceptible.")
This chapter contains 9 interpretation combinations.
[Core Divergences]
Chapter 51 is the core chapter on the theory of Virtue (德) in the Tao Te Ching, systematically expounding the relationship between the Tao and Virtue and the complete process of the generation of all things. The chapter's structure is clear: (1) four stages of the generation of all things—the Tao generates, Virtue nurtures, matter gives form, conditions complete; (2) the naturalness of all things' reverence for the Tao and esteem for Virtue—arising not from command but from intrinsic nature; (3) the Tao's comprehensive nurturing of all things—generating, nurturing, growing, rearing, bringing to fruition, ripening, tending, sheltering; (4) the three characteristics of Mysterious Virtue—not possessing, not taking credit, not dominating. The core idea lies in "none commands this; it is always naturally so" (莫之命而常自然)—the supreme authority of the Tao and Virtue resides precisely in their imposing no coercion whatsoever. The concept of "Mysterious Virtue," first introduced in Chapter 10, receives its complete exposition here: giving all things the fullness of life and nurture, yet not possessing, not taking credit, not dominating—this is a profound Virtue of "having Virtue yet none knows its source." Wang Bi derives from this a key proposition of his philosophical system: "凡物之所以生，功之所以成，皆有所由，有所由焉，则莫不由乎道也。故推而极之，亦至道也。" ("Everything that comes into being and every achievement that is accomplished has a cause; having a cause, none fails to originate from the Tao. Therefore, tracing things back to their ultimate source, one arrives at the Tao.") Heshang Gong consistently pairs his discussion of the Tao with governance and self-cultivation, pointing out that a ruler governing the state and cultivating the self should treat all things as the Tao does—nurturing comprehensively, seeking no return, and not exploiting power for personal gain.