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Syndactyly – abnormal development of fingers due to a violation of their separation in the embryonic stage. The disorder accounts for about 50% of all congenital hand lesions and occurs with an incidence of 1:2000.
It can be an independent disorder or accompanied by other lesions: polyphalanxia and underdevelopment of fingers, brachydactyly, cleft hand, etc. 60% of children with this disorder have an additional anomaly of the musculoskeletal system.
Causes of pathology
The reasons why syndactyly of the toes and hands occur lie in the field of genetics. More than 20% of severe forms have genetic character.
In the absence of this factor, it is necessary to assume a violation of the separation of the fetal limbs under the influence of negative conditions. The laying of the hand occurs at the 5th week of development; At this stage, the fetus exhibits natural syndactyly.
With standard development, fingers begin to develop at 8 weeks. If the formation of septa is disrupted, the fingers do not separate, i.e. syndactyly appears.
Among the causes of pathology may be harmful effects on the expectant mother, x-rays, infections during pregnancy. Often the reasons for the appearance of such a baby are unknown.
The initial factors of pathology should be sought in the composition of gene and chromosomal abnormalities.
Less commonly, acquired damage occurs due to burns of the hand.
Another genetic disease of the limbs - causes and treatment options for the pathology.
How effective is treatment of osteomyelitis with antibiotics in combination with other methods? You can find out more about the treatment of the disease in our material.
Classification of the disease
In medicine, deviation is divided by type, length of connection and condition of the fingers.
By type of adhesions:
- soft tissue appearance;
- bony appearance.
The photo shows syndactyly in full form
According to the length, depending on the number of fused parts of the fingers, they are distinguished full and incomplete forms. Complete - fusion covering the nail parts. Incomplete - fusion of the joints of the phalanges. This form is divided into incomplete basal form and terminal form.
Depending on the state of the connected fingers, the deviation can be simple or complex. In case of a simple violation, the connection of normal fingers occurs, in case of a complex violation, altered fingers occur. Among other things, there are hereditary types of the disease:
- Type I - membranous connection of the 3rd and 4th fingers; 2 and 3 toes. There are membranes between other fingers.
- Type II - connection of the 3rd and 4th fingers with doubling of the 4th finger, connection of the 4th and 5th toes with doubling of the 5th finger.
- Type III – bilateral connection of the 4th and 5th fingers; The little finger is shortened. Basically, the feet are not affected.
- Type IV – bilateral skin lesions, spoon-shaped hand. No damage to the feet is observed.
- Type V is a lesion involving the union of the metacarpal and metatarsal bones. On the hands there is a skin connection of 3-4 fingers, on the feet there are 2-3 fingers.
Unilateral deviation is observed more often than bilateral; connecting the fingers more often than the toes.
Clinical picture of the pathology
When the hands are affected, the middle and ring fingers join together; toes -2 and 3 toes. The ring and little fingers, the thumb and index fingers, and all fingers are rarely connected. With bilateral damage, the connection is symmetrical.
Undivided fingers may be normal or underdeveloped. Sometimes there is a decrease in the number of phalanges.
With a basal lesion, the performance of the hand is almost not affected. But syndactyly in children inhibits the overall development of the child.
Due to the limitation or inability to perform various movements of the fingers, the child’s mental, speech and mental development suffers. Underdevelopment of the hand complicates studies and limits the choice of profession.
Diagnostic techniques
The disorder is determined immediately after the baby is born by a neonatologist. Subsequent examination and observation is carried out by a pediatric surgeon or orthopedist. To exclude hereditary problems, a child with a disorder should be consulted by a geneticist.
The diagnosis can be made during a visual examination, but research is necessary to determine the type and develop a treatment algorithm.
X-ray of hands and feet Helps evaluate joints, bone density, presence and length of bone joints. To determine the subtleties of the structure of blood vessels in connected parts, it is carried out rheovasography, ultrasound, angiography, electrothermometry.
Treatment of the disease
Treatment of finger syndactyly is carried out only by surgery. If a diagnosis of syndactyly of the toes is made, then surgery is not prescribed if the disorder does not interfere with walking.
The timing and appropriate method of the procedure are selected based on the shape and nature of the lesion.
The purpose of the intervention is to eliminate the external defect and restore hand function.
The optimal age for the procedure is 4-5 years. With terminal lesions, earlier surgery is necessary to help prevent uneven growth and secondary changes in the fingers.
Treatment approaches are divided into groups:
After surgery, a cast is applied to the limb to immobilize the fingers for 4 months.
14 days after the intervention, treatment begins, consisting of massage, exercise therapy, ultraphonophoresis, mud and ozokerite applications.
Prognosis and complications
The treatment methods used give positive results. With timely surgery, the structure and function of the hand are restored.
Indicators of the effectiveness of treatment are the absence of deformation and tightening scars, full range of motion in the interphalangeal joints, and good sensitivity of the fingers.
If left untreated, the deviation negatively affects the growth and development of the limb.
Fused fingers in humans are a relatively rare phenomenon. It occurs in one person in 2-2.5 thousand. This condition is characterized by the formation of a membrane between the fingers or direct fusion of the fingers pressed together.
Most often the second and third grow together. Diagnosis of this disease occurs immediately after birth. If other signs and symptoms accompany finger fusion, doctors may be able to identify a specific syndrome.
Cause of finger fusion
The cause of finger fusion is still unknown. Sometimes family members have the same disease, which may indicate hereditary factors. Sometimes, however, such a case happens for the first time in a given family.
The risk of finger fusion is higher in people with Down syndrome. The disease may also be associated with the following syndromes: Apert, Bardet-Biedl, Carpenter, Cornelia de Lange, Edwards, Jackson-Weiss, Miller, Pfeiffer, etc.
If your toes are fused, you can live without any problems. In the case of fusion of fingers, the matter becomes somewhat more complicated. However, despite this disease, you can develop normally and achieve success in life.
An example of this are famous persons who have or have had fused fingers: Dan Icord - Canadian actor, Joseph Stalin, Aston Cather - American actor, Tricia Helfer - Canadian actress, as well as two fictional American characters - Marge Simpson and Molly McCleish.
Treatment of fused fingers
If fused toes do not interfere with normal life, then disease of the fingers makes it difficult to grasp with the hand. The disease requires surgical treatment, which is best done when the child is still small, 2-3 years old. Then the operation is easier to perform, and the child will tolerate it better.
Fused toes it makes no sense to separate. This is largely a cosmetic defect and can be a big problem, especially for young people. They may experience stress and fear from other people's unfavorable comments.
Many patients with fused fingers are sensitive to the topic of their fingers. They fall into complexes and avoid this topic by any means. People who are not bothered by fused fingers and are even proud of it are minorities. It is rare to find people who willingly exhibit their unusual legs through a special slot in the shoes.
The surgery usually leaves scars and may cause nerve damage. These types of injuries are rare, but worth keeping an eye out for. Nerve damage can lead to lack of sensitivity in fingers or a constant tickling sensation. Sometimes after surgery, the skin in the operated area grows back. Many people then choose to undergo revision surgery.
Let's look carefully at our foot and draw an imaginary line from the base of the neck of the fifth toe (little toe) to the base of the largest first toe. We will notice that all fingers are on the same line. If one or more interdigital connections continue above this conditional line, then we can confidently say that there is a membrane between the fingers.
Most often, the membranes are located between the second and third fingers. If these formations are very large and there is a need to separate the fingers, this can be done quite easily with the help of surgery.
What is the pedomantic meaning of webbed toes?
Webbing between the toes is not just a physical pathology. This is evidence of the deep connection between the spheres that characterize the adjacent fingers. The presence of a membrane between the fingers seems to connect them into one whole, combining the properties of each of them. For example, the most common webbing between the second and third fingers indicates a close relationship between a person’s inner feelings, ideas and his heart problems. In life, such people are guided, as a rule, by their hearts, not their minds.
The webbing between the third and fourth fingers indicates a closer connection between a person and his heart. This can be judged by what he thinks about his love and how he expresses it. Usually such people are calm and balanced, they have a kind, loving heart, always ready for empathy. They are able to put themselves in the place of another person, and also accurately determine the emotional state of the interlocutor by his reactions, actions, gestures, and facial expressions.
People with webbing between the third and fourth toes are often creative, intuitive, flexible, and lacking in self-importance. What they know about themselves suits them completely. These people are capable of both imaginative and abstract thinking, are able to clearly express their needs and often represent an example of spiritual wisdom.
Children with webbed toes
According to statistics, recently quite a lot of children are born in the world with webbed toes. There are especially many of them among the so-called indigo children, who are very physically strong and have great spiritual potential. In such children, webbing is observed not only between the third and fourth fingers, but sometimes also between the third and second. Such children are not easy to raise because of their hyperactivity, willfulness, and wisdom, which is not characteristic of other children of the same age.
It is worth noting the importance of the relationship between the inner essence and the heart of a person. If this connection is absent, we cease to feel a sense of compassion not only for the people around us, but even for ourselves. Believing in our own exclusivity, we strive to rise above others, do not submit to discipline or certain rules, are not inclined to recognize the authority of others, and refuse to perform tasks that do not meet our immediate desires. Such people do not know limits, their needs are limitless, quite often they feel like outcasts among people and are lonely. These are either completely non-emotional people, or, on the contrary, too emotional and sensitive.
– a congenital malformation of the limbs, consisting of incomplete or complete fusion of two or more fingers/toes. With syndactyly, fusion of both correctly developed and underdeveloped and deformed fingers can be observed; the consequence of syndactyly is a cosmetic and functional defect of the limb. A child with syndactyly should be consulted by an orthopedic surgeon and a geneticist; To establish the type of syndactyly, radiography of the hand or foot is necessary. Treatment of syndactyly is surgical: separation of fused fingers, if necessary, supplemented by plastic closure of the defect.
Causes of syndactyly
The presence of syndactyly in a child may be due to a hereditary factor. In this case, there is an autosomal dominant type of inheritance, and syndactyly is familial. Over 20% of complex forms of syndactyly are hereditary.
In the absence of a family history of syndactyly, one should think about disruption of the formation and differentiation of the fetal limbs during embryogenesis under the influence of various unfavorable factors. The laying of the hand occurs at 4-5 weeks of intrauterine development; At this stage, the fetus is characterized by physiological syndactyly. During normal development, at 7-8 weeks, the fingers of the hand are formed due to the rapid growth of the finger rays and the slowdown in the growth of the interdigital spaces. If the reduction of the interdigital septa is impaired, the fingers do not separate, i.e., syndactyly develops.
Factors that disrupt the process of normal development of the fetal limbs can be toxic effects on the pregnant woman’s body (taking medications, alcohol, occupational hazards, unfavorable ecology, etc.), X-ray irradiation, infectious diseases during pregnancy (influenza, syphilis, tuberculosis, etc.) . Often the reasons for the birth of a child with syndactyly remain unclear.
Syndactyly is a common defect included in the structure of gene syndromes (Smith-Lemli-Opitz, Aper, cryptophthalmia) and chromosomal syndromes (cry of the cat, Edwards, etc.).
Less common in children is acquired syndactyly, which occurs after thermal and chemical burns of the hand.
Classification of syndactyly
Treatment of syndactyly
Treatment of all forms of syndactyly of the fingers is carried out only by surgery. For syndactyly of the toes, surgery is usually not indicated unless the anomaly interferes with normal walking.
The timing and optimal method of surgical intervention are determined taking into account the shape and nature of the deformity. The purpose of surgery for syndactyly is to eliminate the cosmetic defect and improve hand function. The optimal period for the operation is considered to be 4-5 years of age. In case of terminal syndactyly, earlier intervention in the second half of life is advisable to prevent uneven growth of the phalanges and secondary deformation of the fingers.
All surgical approaches to the treatment of syndactyly are divided into 5 groups:
- dissection of the membranous fusion without skin grafting; with lidase, mud, paraffin, ozokerite applications.
Syndactyly prognosis
Syndactyly treatment methods used in hand surgery provide good functional and cosmetic results. In case of timely surgical intervention, the normal anatomical structure and full function of the hand are completely restored.
The criteria for the effectiveness of treatment of syndactyly are: absence of lateral deformation and constricting scars of the fingers, full range of active movements in the interphalangeal joints (abduction, adduction, flexion, extension) and grasping function of the hand, good sensitivity of the fingers, natural shape of the interdigital spaces.
If left untreated, syndactyly has a negative impact on the growth and development of a child's limb.
Webbing between the toes and the sixth finger on the hand are given by nature, but are unnecessary for [human] properties. Tumors and goiters grow on the [human] body, but for the natural [they] are unnecessary. Mercy and justice in many prescriptions are distributed among [all] five internal organs. However, they do not correspond to the truth of natural properties. Just as the membranes between the toes are additional useless meat, and the sixth finger of the hand is an additional useless finger, so many external things are [like] the membranes and sixth fingers for the properties of [all] five internal organs. Excessive mercy and justice [cause] many instructions on how to listen and watch.
Therefore, excessively acute vision [leads to] a mixture of [all] five colors, to sophistication in ornamentation, to dazzling with dark and yellow embroidered royal clothes. Wasn’t it the same with [Seer of the Web] from afar? An overly sensitive ear [leads to] a mixture of five sounds, to sophistication in six tones, [a predilection for musical instruments made of] metal and stone, silk and bamboo, bells and six semitones. Isn't that what Master Kuan did? ? Excessive mercy [leads to] the renunciation of properties, to the constraint of [human] nature in the name of glory, to the fact that everyone in the Celestial Empire blows flutes and beats drums, glorifying an unattainable model. Isn’t that what Zeng[zi] and Chronicler [Yu] did? {1}
Excess in disputes [leads to] a heaping of phrases, [like] tiles or knots on a rope, to a delight in identity and difference, hardness and whiteness, unrestrained useless words for the sake of momentary glory. Isn't that what Yang [Zhu] did? {2} and Mo [Di]?
All these teachings with membranes and sixth fingers do not constitute the true truth in the Celestial Empire. The real truth is not to lose the natural properties. Consequently, when uniting, the membranes are destroyed, and when dividing, the extra fingers are destroyed. [However] long should not be considered excessive, and short should not be considered insufficient. Although a duck's legs are short, [but] try to stretch them, you will cause pain; although the crane’s legs are long, [but] cut them off and you will cause grief. If you don’t cut off what is naturally long and don’t lengthen what is naturally short, you won’t need to eliminate the pain. Oh, how contrary to human nature are mercy and justice! How much pain mercy causes people!
The one who has the membrane between his fingers cut will cry; the one whose extra finger is bitten off will scream. One has an excess, the other has a deficiency, and both have the same pain. Modern merciful people with clogged eyes are sad about the troubles of the world, and the unmerciful, violating natural properties, hunger for wealth and honors. Oh, how contrary to human nature are mercy and justice! How much noise they have caused in the world since the times of the Three Dynasties! {3} .
He who, with the help of a hook and a plumb line, a compass and a square, gives [things] their proper [shape], mutilates their nature; the one who strengthens [things] with ropes and knots, glue and varnish harms [their] properties. The one who [forces people] to bend in rituals and dances, to protect mercy and justice in order to bring peace to the minds of the Celestial Empire, deprives them of permanent [properties] {4} . [All things] in the Celestial Empire have permanent [properties]. What is permanent is that which is crooked without a hook, straightened without a plumb line, rounded without a compass, squared without a square; what came together without glue or varnish, came together without rope or braid. So [everyone] in the Celestial Empire, captivating one another, is born and does not know why they are born; they gain in the same way and do not know why they gain. This order existed both in ancient times and in our time; [it] cannot be violated. How can one bound by mercy and justice, like glue and varnish, rope and braid, enjoy natural properties? [They] are misleading the whole world. A slight misconception changed direction; the great error was changing [human] nature. How is this known? Since the [Fencer] from the clan of the Tiger Wielders confused the Celestial Empire with his call for mercy and justice, everyone, under duress, hastened to follow mercy and justice. Has not human nature changed due to [the appearance of] mercy and justice?
Let's try to [express] a judgment about this.
Since the time of the Three Dynasties, every [person] in the Celestial Empire has changed [his] nature because of things. Insignificant people sacrificed their lives for the sake of profit, men - for the sake of glory, military leaders - for the sake of the family, wise men - for the sake of the kingdom. These people have different occupations, different nicknames, but by sacrificing themselves, they caused the same harm to their nature.
So, the Slave and the Slave were tending a flock together and both lost their sheep. They asked the Rab what [he] was doing? It turned out that he was reading a tablet with a fortune-telling record. They asked the Slave what [she] was doing? It turned out that she was playing dice. They were engaged in different activities, but both lost sheep in the same way. Thus, the Elder Equal, thirsting for glory, died at the foot of the First Sun Mountain; robber Zhi {5} , thirsty for profit, died on the top of the Eastern Kurgan. Their death was caused by different reasons, but both of them equally shortened their lives and caused harm to their nature. Why should Elder Equal be praised and Zhi blamed?
Of those who sacrifice themselves in the Celestial Empire, some do it for the sake of mercy and justice, then they are usually called noble men; others - for the sake of property and wealth, then they are usually called insignificant people. They sacrifice themselves equally, why do they become noble or insignificant? Robber Zhi also shortened his life and damaged his nature, like the Elder Equal, where did the difference between them [come from], like [the difference] between the insignificant and the noble?
[The ability] to subordinate one’s nature to mercy and justice, even [as] perfect as that of Zeng [zi] and Chronicler [Yu], I do not call a treasure; [the ability] to subordinate one's nature to [all] five tastes, even [as] perfect as Yu'er's {6} , I don't call it a treasure; those who subordinate their nature to [all] five sounds, even [as] completely as Master Kuan, I do not call sensitive; those who subordinate their nature to [all] five colors, even [as] completely as the [Seeing] the Web from afar, I do not call keen-sighted. I call the possession not of mercy and justice, but only of its properties, a treasure. . I do not call the possession of mercy and justice a treasure, but only the giving of freedom to one's natural feelings. I do not call the one who hears others sensitive, but only the one who hears himself. I do not call the one who sees others keen-sighted, but only the one who sees himself. After all, he looks at others who does not see himself; he who does not control himself takes possession of others; he takes possession of what belongs to others, and not what he himself has acquired; he strives for what is suitable for another, and not for what is suitable for himself. After all, those who strive for what is suitable for another do not strive for what is suitable for themselves. They are equally vicious, even if it is the Elder Equal or the robber Zhi! I am ashamed of natural properties, so I do not dare to practice mercy and justice with the former and do not dare to indulge in vices and the latter.
!!! Chapter 9
THE HORSE HAS HOOFS
The horse has hooves, and [he] can walk on frost and snow. The skin protects [him] from wind and cold. He nibbles grass, drinks water, rears up and gallops. This is the true nature of the horse. He doesn't need high towers or huge halls.
But the One Rejoicing in Mastery said:
- I know how to tame horses.
[And he began to] trim their manes, trim their hooves, began to scorch and brand them, bridle and hobble them, lock them in the stable and paddock. Out of [every] dozen, two or three horses died. [He] began to tame them with hunger and thirst, let them trot and gallop, and forced them to maintain formation. In front [they] were threatened by a bit and a harness, and from behind by a whip and whip. More than half of the horses died.
Potter said:
– I can sculpt from clay.
The circles [for him] corresponded to the compass, and the squares to the square.
The carpenter said:
– I know how to process wood.
Its curves corresponded to the hook, and its straight lines corresponded to the plumb line.
Do clay and wood, by their nature, tend to correspond to the compass and the square, the hook and the plumb line? But still [the masters] were glorified from generation to generation:
– He who rejoices in Mastery knew how to tame horses! The Potter and the Carpenter knew how to work with clay and wood!
This is the mistake of those who ruled the Celestial Empire.
I think that the master, ruling the Celestial Empire, would have acted differently. What is constant in the nature of people is that [they] weave and dress, cultivate the land and eat - this is called [their] common property. [They were once] united, not divided into groups, [and this I] call natural freedom {1} . Therefore, in times [when] the properties were real, they walked slowly and sedately, they looked firmly and adamantly. At that time, roads and paths had not yet been laid in the mountains, there were no boats or bridges on the lakes; all the creatures lived together, and villages stretched one after another. Birds lived in flocks, animals walked in herds, grass grew in full splendor, and trees grew to their full length. Therefore, one could walk, leading a bird or animal, climb a tree and look into the nest of a magpie or crow. Yes, in times [when] properties were real, [people] lived next to birds and animals, [were one] race with all creatures. Did they know about [the division into] noble and insignificant? [No one] equally had knowledge, [no one] violated their properties, [everyone] was equally free from passions, and this [I] call artlessness. In artlessness the people found their nature.
When the sages appeared, they began to mistake [the ability to] walk around with a limp for mercy; [the ability] to walk on tiptoe - for justice - and [everything] in the Celestial Empire fell into confusion. Promiscuity and excess began to be mistaken for pleasure; Folded hands and bent knees began to be taken for rituals. And [everyone] in the Celestial Empire began to separate from each other.
Who could carve a sacrificial bowl without damaging the wood? Who could carve a scepter and a mace without damaging the white jade? How could we introduce mercy and justice without violating natural properties? How could they introduce rituals and music without throwing away natural feelings? Who [would] be able to create an ornament without confusing [all] five colors? Who would [make] five sounds, without confusing them, answer six pipes? It is the fault of the craftsmen that they mutilated the tree for the sake of the vessels; that for the sake of mercy and justice they violated natural properties, the fault of the sages {2} .
While the horses lived in the open air, they nibbled grass and drank water. Rejoicing, they intertwined their necks and caressed, getting angry, they turned their backs to each other and kicked. This was their only knowledge. But when they put a yoke on the horses and decorated their muzzles with the image of the moon, they learned to squint and arch their necks, resist and kick, break the yoke and tear the reins. Therefore, it is the one who rejoices in Mastery who is to blame for the fact that the horses have acquired [such] knowledge and learned the habits of robbers.
During the time of the generation of Fiery Helpers {3} the people lived without knowing what [to] do; walked around not knowing where. [The man] stuffed his mouth and was happy, patted himself on the stomach and went for a walk. This was all his ability. But when the sages appeared, they [introduced] bowing and prostration, rituals and music to correct the form [behavior] in the Celestial Empire; They hung mercy and justice for [common] joy in order to bring peace to the minds of the Celestial Empire. And then the people began to walk around with a limp, and became so addicted to knowledge and to competition in the pursuit of profit that they could not be stopped. This is also the fault of the wise men.
!!!Chapter 10
HACKING CHESTS
To protect yourself from thieves who break open chests, rummage through bags and open cabinets, you need to tie [everything] with ropes, lock it with bolts and locks. This is smart, they usually say. But the big Thief comes, grabs the entire chest under his arm, throws the cabinet on his back, hangs the bags on the yoke and runs away, fearing only one thing - so that the ropes and locks [are] weak. Then those who were previously called smart, it turns out, were only collecting goods for the big Thief. Let's see if the one who is usually called smart is collecting goods for big thieves? Is not the great robber guarded by the one who is called the sage? How to prove that this is true?
In the old days, in the kingdom of Qi, neighbors from [different] communities saw each other, roosters called to each other there, dogs answered each other [barking {1} . In space] more than two thousand square whether They set up nets and cultivated the land with a plow and hoe. Within the four borders, they followed the example of the sages in everything when building the temple of ancestors, the altar of the Earth and Millet, houses, when dividing them into neighborhoods, villages, districts and regions.
But then one morning Tian Chengzi killed the Qis king and stole his kingdom. Did he just steal the kingdom? [No!] Along with the kingdom, he stole wise orders. And although Tian Chengzi gained fame as a thief and robber, he himself enjoyed the same peace as the Highest and the Protector. Small kingdoms did not dare to reproach him, and large ones did not dare to punish him. And so twelve generations [of his descendants] ruled the kingdom of Qi.
If he stole not only the kingdom of Qi, but also its orders [introduced] by the smart and sages, then aren’t these same [smart and sages] the guardians of thieves and robbers? {2}
Let's see if those who are called the smartest in the world are not collecting [goods] for big thieves? Are not robbers protected by those who are called the wisest? How to prove that this is true?
[Here] in the old days they beheaded the Dragon Met, cut out the heart of the Shield Prince, gutted Chang Hong {3} , Zixu's [body] rotted in the river {4} . All four are worthy people, but they could not avoid execution.
The robber Zhi's accomplice asked him:
– Do robbers have their own teaching?
– Is it possible to go [fishing] without training? - Zhi replied. – To guess from false [rumors] that there are treasures in the house is wisdom; to enter [it] first is courage; to be the last to leave is justice; to sniff out whether [robbery] is possible - knowledge; to divide [the booty] equally is mercy. Without these five [virtues], no one in the Celestial Empire can become a major robber. From this it is clear that if without the teachings of the sages one cannot become a good person, then without the teachings of the sages one cannot become a robber. {5} . But there are few good people in the Celestial Empire, and many unkind ones. Therefore, the benefit that the sages bring to the Celestial Empire is small, but the harm is great. That’s why they say: “If you cut your lips, your teeth get cold,” “because of bad wine in Lu, Handan was under siege.” {6} “When a sage is born, a great robber also appears.”
If the wise men are driven away and the robbers are left alone, order will reign in the Celestial Empire. After all, [if] the stream dries up, the valley will also be deserted; [if] you raze a mountain to the ground, the abyss will be filled. When the wise men die, the great robbers also disappear, peace will come in the Celestial Empire and there will be no more trouble. Until the wise men die, the great robbers will not die either. To rule the Celestial Empire by respecting the sages means to respect the benefit of the robber Zhi.
If they make measures and garnets to measure, they will steal [the grain] along with the measures and garnets; if they make weights and steelyards for weighing, they will steal [and what is being weighed] along with the weights and steelyards; if they make credentials and royal seals to ensure trust, they will steal [the kingdom] along with the credentials and royal seal; if they create mercy and justice for the correction of [morals], then they will steal [the correction of morals], along with mercy and justice. How to prove that this is true?
[Here:] who stole the hook - to the chopping block, who stole the throne - to the kingdom {7} . At the gates of rulers mercy and justice are kept. Isn't this theft of mercy and justice, wisdom and knowledge? That is why, following the great robbers, they steal kingdoms, steal mercy and justice, along with all the profit from measures and garnets, weights and steelyards, credentials and royal seals. [This] cannot be stopped, even by rewarding a dignitary with a chariot and a hat; [this] cannot be prohibited even by fear of an ax and ax; this cannot be curbed out of respect for the profit of the robber Zhi - such is the fault of the sages. That’s why it is said: “Fish cannot leave the depths, the instrument of profit in the country cannot be shown to people.” {8} . The sages are the instrument of profit in the country, [they] should not show themselves to people. Therefore [should]: destroy wisdom and discard knowledge, then the great robbers will also disappear; throw away the jade and split the pearls, then the small thieves will disappear; burn the credentials and break the royal seals, then the people will become simple and artless; break the measures and interrupt the steelyards, then the litigation among the people will cease; destroy all the rules of the sages in the Celestial Empire, then it will be possible to reason with the people; mix [all] six pipes, burn the pipes and harps, stop the ears of the blind Kuan, and everyone in the Celestial Empire will gain hearing; destroy the ornaments, scatter [all] five colors, glue the eyelids of the [Seer] Web from Afar, and everyone in the Celestial Empire will gain sight; destroy the hooks and plumb lines, throw away the compasses and squares, break the fingers of the Skillful Hammer {9} , and everyone in the Celestial Empire will gain mastery. That is why it is said: “The greatest art is like inability.” {10} . [One should] despise the behavior of Zeng [Zi] and Chronicler [Yu], muzzle Yang [Zhu] and Mo [Di], drive out mercy and justice, and the properties of everyone in the Celestial Empire will be equal to the original ones. [If] everyone gained sight, no one in the Celestial Empire would be blinded; [if] everyone gained hearing, no one in the Celestial Empire would be deafened; [if] everyone acquired knowledge, there would be no errors in the Celestial Empire; [if] everyone acquired their own properties, there would be no vice in the Celestial Empire. Such as Zeng [zi] and Chronicler [Yu], Yang [Zhu] and Mo [Di], Master Kuan, Skillful Hammer and [Seer] of the Web From afar flaunt their virtues in order to blind [everyone] in the Celestial Empire. You can't imitate them.
Don't you know about the time of true properties? In ancient times there lived [people] from the Yongcheng clans {11} , Huge Courts, Uncle Lord, Middle, Plain of Chestnuts, Breeders of Black Horses, Creators of Chariots, Flame Helpers, Sacred Cup and Brazier, Causing Flames, Preparing Sacrificial Meat, Sacred Tillers. In those days, “people remembered by tying knots on ropes” {12} , enjoyed chewing his food, admired his clothes, was happy with his customs, contented with his home. “Inhabitants of neighboring kingdoms saw each other, roosters called to each other, dogs answered each other [by barking]. People lived to a ripe old age, but did not communicate with each other.” In those days, true order reigned.
And now it has reached the point where people, craning their necks and standing on tiptoes, say [to each other]: “A wise man has appeared there.”
And, taking provisions with them, they rush to him, leaving the houses of their parents, abandoning the affairs of the sovereign. [Their] tracks lead across the borders of kingdoms, the ruts laid by [their] carts stretch through thousands whether. This is the fault of the higher ones, who are addicted to knowledge. When the highest, not possessing teaching, truly become addicted to knowledge, [they] plunge the Celestial Empire into great turmoil.
How to prove that this is true? [But if] knowledge [about] bows and crossbows, snares, arrows on a cord and [other] weapons increases, then the birds in the sky become confused; [if] knowledge grows [in the field of] hooks and baits, nets and snares, nets and bamboo nets, then the fish in the water become confused; [if] knowledge [about] pens, traps and snares grows, then the animals in the swamps become confused. [When] the ability to dissemble and dodge, to harass and defame, [to establish] identity and difference, hardness and whiteness grows, then morals are thrown into confusion by sophistry. Therefore, great turmoil arises in the Celestial Empire every time and the blame for it falls on those who are partial to knowledge {13} .
Therefore, everyone in the Celestial Empire knows how to strive for knowledge of the unknown, but does not know how to strive for knowledge of the known; everyone knows how to condemn what is considered unkind, but does not know how to condemn what is considered good - this leads to great confusion. That is why the light of the sun and moon is eclipsed above, and the power of the mountains and rivers is exhausted below; the gifts of the four seasons are diminishing. [Everything down to] weak worms and small insects lose their nature. How terrible is the turmoil in the Celestial Empire due to the addiction to knowledge! And so it has been since the times of the three dynasties. They forgot the simple, modest people and rejoiced at the cunning, resourceful talkers; They left the peace and quiet of inaction and rejoiced at the empty verbosity. It was this empty verbosity that plunged the Celestial Empire into confusion!
!!! - Chapter 11
LEAVE [EVERYONE] TO THEMSELVES
They heard that the Celestial Empire should be left to its own devices, but they did not hear that order should be restored in the Celestial Empire. “Grant” - out of fear that the nature of the Celestial Empire would not be distorted, “each to himself” for fear that [human] properties would not change. [If] the nature of the Celestial Empire does not become distorted, and [human] properties do not change, will it really be necessary to restore order in it?
In the old days, the Most High began to restore order so that the Celestial Empire would rejoice, people would rejoice in their nature, and [they] would lose peace. The One tearing it apart began to restore order so that the Celestial Empire would be sad, people would mourn their nature, and [they] would be deprived of joy. But [life] without peace, without joy is not a human characteristic. Is it possible to survive for a long time without [inherent human] properties? [No!] This has never happened in the Middle Kingdom .
When a person is overjoyed, the [power] of heat is consumed in excess; when anger is excessive, the [power] of cold is spent in excess. When there is excessive consumption of both heat and cold, the four seasons of the year cease to alternate [correctly], the harmony of coolness and warmth is disrupted, and [these disturbances] cause harm to the human body. He ceases to [distinguish] when to be happy and when to be angry, his life is deprived of constancy, his thoughts are deprived of satisfaction, his work stops halfway. This is where arrogance and disfavor, superiority and oppression arise in the Celestial Empire, and behind them appear the robber Zhi, Zeng [zi] and the Chronicler [Yu. If] throughout the entire Celestial Empire we reward for good, [this] cannot be dealt with; [if] all over the Celestial Empire one punishes for evil, [it] cannot be dealt with. For the Celestial Empire is great, [for everyone] there are not enough rewards and punishments {1} .
Since the Three Dynasties, everyone has been making noise about rewards and punishments. Where will the leisure come from to [find] peace in natural properties? And besides, enjoying their keen eyesight, they indulge in excess in flowers; enjoying their fine hearing, they indulge in excess in sounds; enjoying mercy, they violate [natural] properties; enjoying justice, they violate the laws of nature; enjoying rituals, they help perversions; enjoying music, they help debauchery; enjoying wisdom, they help artificiality; enjoying knowledge, they help vices.[If everyone] in the Celestial Empire [found] peace in natural properties, these eight [pleasures] could remain, or they could disappear.[But when] in the Celestial Empire they do not [find] peace in natural properties, because of these eight [pleasures] people begin to cut [each other] into pieces and twist [into a ball], push and take away and plunge the Celestial Empire into turmoil. [If] in the Celestial Empire they begin to honor pleasures and yearn for them, how strong [this] delusion becomes! Will they [be able] to pass by [pleasures] and refuse them? After all, in order to talk about them they fast, in order to indulge in them they kneel, in order to portray them they play and sing. What can you do?
Therefore, for a noble man, [if he] is forced to ascend the throne, inaction is best. Inaction, and behind it - peace in natural properties. For the one who values his life more than the kingdom can be entrusted with the Celestial Empire; the one who loves his life more than the kingdom can be entrusted with the Celestial Empire. If the sovereign is able not to dissipate his inner self, not to reveal sight and hearing, to rise [like] a Dead Man, [then] he will look [like] a Dragon; will plunge into silence, and his voice will thunder like thunder; nature will obey the movement of [his] thoughts. [He will indulge in] serenity and inaction, and [will find himself] connected with [all] the darkness of beings. Does such a person have the leisure to restore order in the Celestial Empire?
Tall Timid {2} Laozi asked:
– [If] we don’t restore order in the Celestial Empire, how can we fix people’s hearts?
- Be careful! - Laozi answered him. – Don’t disturb the human heart! As soon as it is overthrown, a person will humiliate himself; as soon as it is elevated, a person will become proud. So he turns either into a slave or into a murderer. The heart can be tender and weak - and then it cannot cope with the strong and strong; it can be as hard as a chisel and cut a precious stone. It will either flare up like a flame, or become cold as ice. It changes with amazing speed, manages to visit all four seas twice before the contemptuous look is replaced by a benevolent one.
At rest, it will not tremble, like an abyss; when in motion, it will rush to the heavens. It is willful, proud, and cannot be curbed. This is what the human heart is like!
In the old days, the Yellow Ancestor alarmed hearts with mercy and justice. And the Highest and Protector, in order to educate [everyone] in the Celestial Empire, [worked so hard that they] lost the hairs on their shins {3} and fluff on the thighs. [They] tore [all] their five internal organs for the sake of mercy and justice, gave blood and breath to establish laws and order, and yet they failed. And then the Tallest exiled [the people] with the Horse on Shishak to the Revered Mountain, moved the Three Miaos to [Mountain] Tri-Headed, expelled the Master of the Spills {4} to the Abode of Darkness. [But] this did not cope with the Celestial Empire.
When the [time] of the kings of the three [dynasties] came, the Celestial Empire was seized with horror. The despised appeared: the Tearer and the robber Zhi; revered ones appeared: Zeng [Zi] and Chronicler [Yu], and Confucians and coins also appeared. And then they began to suspect each other both in joy and in anger, to deceive each other, both smart and stupid, to blame each other, both good and unkind, to ridicule each other, both false and truthful, and the Celestial Empire began to decline. Differences appeared in properties, and decay and decay set in in [human] nature. In the Celestial Empire they became addicted to knowledge, and in search of [knowledge] all the people went to extremes. And then they used axes and saws, began to execute according to the [carpenter’s] plumb line and rule, to sentence with a chisel and an awl, they plunged the Celestial Empire into terrible turmoil, and crimes began to disturb people’s hearts. That is why the worthy ones hid under the cliffs of the great mountains, and the sovereigns who owned the darkness of chariots trembled with fear in the temples of their ancestors.
Nowadays the beheaded lie on top of each other, shackled in neck and leg stocks, pushing against each other, the condemned await their turn at the scaffold. And among those handcuffed and in stocks, Confucians and Mohists began to appear, walking on tiptoe, waving their arms. Oh God! Oh shame! O shamelessness! And we had no idea that their wisdom, their knowledge served as handcuffs and stocks; their mercy, their justice serve the chisel and the collar {5} . Who knows if Zeng [zi] and Chronicler [Yu] were not a rattling arrow for the Tearing One and the robber Zhi? That is why it is said: “Forget about wisdom, discard knowledge, and the Celestial Empire will find peace.”
[For] nineteen years the Yellow Ancestor stood [on the throne] as the Son of Heaven; [his] orders were carried out [throughout] the Celestial Empire. [One day he] heard that on the top of the [Mountain] of the Unity of the Void resides the All-Encompassing Perfect {6} , and went to see him.
“I heard,” said the Yellow Ancestor, “that [you], my teacher, have comprehended the true path.” Let me ask a question, [what] is its essence? I strive to use the essence of heaven and earth to help [the ripening of all] five grains to feed the people. I also strive to direct [the forces of] heat and cold for the benefit of all living things.
– What you want to ask about is the essence of things; and the way you want to control is detrimental to things,” answered the All-Encompassing Perfect One. - Since you rule the Celestial Empire, it rains before the vapors turn into clouds; leaves and grass fall off before they turn yellow; The rays of the sun and moon are fading more and more. In your heart there is [a penchant for] trifles, [like] an eloquent one. Are you worthy of a conversation about the true path?
The Yellow Ancestor withdrew, relinquished [government] of the Celestial Empire, and built himself a separate hut with a mat of white wheatgrass. [Here he] spent three moons in idleness, and then visited the teacher again.
The Comprehensive Perfect lay with its head to the south. Full of humility, the Yellow Ancestor crawled [to him] on his knees, twice, bowed to the ground and asked:
“I heard that [you], my teacher, have comprehended the true path. Let me ask you a question: how to manage yourself, how to achieve longevity?
The All-Encompassing Perfect One hurriedly stood up and replied:
– You asked a great question! Come, I will tell you about the true path.
The smallest of the true path is deep and dark, the greatest of the true path is gloomy and silent. Don’t look, don’t listen, rest, keeping [your] mind, and the body will straighten itself out. Be calm, clean, do not bother your body, do not disturb your seed and you will live long. [If] the eyes have nothing to see, the ears have nothing to hear, the heart has nothing to know, your soul will preserve [your] body, and the body will live a long time. The more knowledge you have, the sooner you will fail. Take care of your inner self, shut yourself off from the outer.
And then I will rise with you to great clarity right up to the drains of the highest [power] heat; I will enter the gates of darkness, and [we] will reach the sources of the highest [power] of cold. Heaven knows its own, earth knows its own; [each of the forces] heat and cold has its own container. Take care and preserve yourself, and things will ripen on their own. I keep [the forces of heat and cold] in unity in order to keep them in harmony, therefore I have preserved myself for one thousand two hundred years, and my body [is still] not decrepit.
Yellow Ancestor bowed to the ground twice and asked:
– Tell us about nature, Comprehensive Perfect One.
“Come, I’ll tell you,” answered the All-Encompassing Perfect One. “She is inexhaustible in her things, but all people think that [she] is finite.” She is immeasurable in her things, and all people think that [she] is ultimate. Of those who found my way, the best became ancestors, and the worst became kings. Of those who lost my way, the best saw the light, and the worst turned to the earth. After all, everything that now flourishes was born from the earth and will return to the earth, so I will leave you and go through the gates of infinity to wander in boundless spaces. I will merge with the rays of the sun and the moon, I will unite in eternity with heaven and earth. When I leave, [even] those who are far from me will be sad. All people will die and only I will exist.
Supported by the vortex, Commander of the Clouds {7} wandered in the east and met with the Beginning Chaos. Beginningless Chaos walked around, hopping like a bird and patting his thighs. Seeing him, the Commander of the Clouds stopped in embarrassment and respectfully asked:
- Who [are you], old man? What are you doing, old man?
“I’m taking a walk,” Beginningless Chaos answered him, continuing to pat himself and jump.
“I want to ask a question,” said the Commander of the Clouds.
- Ugh! – Having looked [at him], Beginningless Chaos exclaimed.
“There is no harmony in the ether of the sky,” began the Commander of the Clouds, “there is stagnation in the ether of the earth, there is no agreement in the six phenomena [of nature], there is no order in the change of seasons.” What [should I] do [if] I am now going to harmonize the essence of the six phenomena in order to feed all living things?
“I don’t know, I don’t know,” answered Beginningless Chaos, patting himself, jumping and shaking his head.
Warlord Clouds did not dare to ask [again].
Three years have passed. Wandering in the East, the Commander of the Clouds passed the plain of the Dwellers. [He] again noticed the Beginningless Chaos, in great joy hurried [to him] and spoke:
- [Have you] not forgotten me, [Equal] to Heaven? [Have you] not forgotten me, [Equal] to Heaven? – bowed to the ground twice and was about to ask him a question, when Beginningless Chaos said:
– What can I know? I float without knowing why. I'm rushing, not knowing where. The wanderer takes the trouble to watch [how everything goes] his way.
– I myself also think that I’m rushing [not knowing where]. But people follow me everywhere, and I can’t do anything about them. Now, imitating people, I want to hear [at least] one word from you.
And then the Beginning Chaos spoke:
– That the foundation of nature is shaken, the character of [all] things is perverted, the original nature remains incomplete, herds scatter, birds sing at night, drought burns trees and grass, trouble overtakes even reptiles and insects - the fault of those who restore order among people.
- But what should I do? – asked the Commander of the Clouds.
- Ah! [All this is one] harm! - exclaimed Beginningless Chaos, - return to yourself little by little.
– It’s so difficult to meet [you, Equal] to Heaven. “I would like to hear [at least] one more word,” asked the Commander of the Clouds.
- Ah! – answered Beginning Chaos. – Strengthen your heart. [If] only you surrender to non-action, things will develop of their own accord. Leave your body, your form, give up sight, hearing, forget about human orders, about things, merge in great unity with the self-existent ether. Free your heart and mind, become calm, like an inanimate [body, and then] each of the darkness of beings [becomes] himself, each returns to his root. Everyone will return to their root unconsciously, mixing in the general chaos, and will not leave [it] until the end of their lives. If they realize this, then<корень>abandoned. Don’t ask for its name, don’t ask for its properties, and [all] things will be born by themselves.
“Now I have found what I was looking for,” said the Commander of the Clouds. “[You, Equal] to Heaven, sent down your properties to me, enlightened me with silence,” he bowed to the ground twice, said goodbye and left.
The average person likes it when others are like him and does not like it when others are different from him. Love for one's own kind and dislike for those who are different come from the desire to stand out from the crowd. But is someone who strives to stand out from the crowd [really] outstanding? To calm down, [he] follows the crowd, [but his] experience is far from the skill [possessed] of the crowd. Anyone who wants to become a ruler collects what is useful from the kings of three dynasties, but does not notice what is harmful from them. For such a kingdom, the [fate] will depend on chance, and rarely, only by a lucky chance, the kingdom does not perish. There is not one [chance] in ten thousand that [such a] kingdom will exist. The death of [such a] kingdom [is indicated by the fact that] not a single [case there] will be completed, and tens of thousands of [cases] will be upset. Alas! Those who own the lands do not know [this]. The owner of the lands owns a huge thing. The one who owns a huge thing is not able to provide the things [themselves], and the one who does not [own] the thing is capable. He who understands how to [give] things [to] things rejects things. Does [he] only rule the people? [No!] He enters [all] six countries of the world, leaves them, wanders through [all] nine regions [of the earth]. He goes alone, he returns alone. This one is called the only one. Therefore, the only person is considered truly valuable.
The teaching of a great man is like a shadow cast by a body, an echo responding to a voice. [He] answers [every] question, exhausting his whole heart, uniting with [everything] in the Celestial Empire. Silent at rest, not limited in movement. Leads everyone as he wants, and returns [everyone] to himself. It wanders, leaving no traces, comes and goes without deviation, without beginning, like the sun. Let us also say that the body is fused with great unity. Great
