Chapter 45 of the Tao Te Ching

大dà成chéng若ruò缺quē，其qí用yòng不bù弊bì。
大dà盈yíng若ruò冲chōng，其qí用yòng不bù穷qióng。
大dà直zhí若ruò屈qū，大dà巧qiǎo若ruò拙zhuō，大dà辩biàn若ruò讷nè。
躁zào胜shèng寒hán，静jìng胜shèng热rè，清qīng静jìng以yǐ为wéi天tiān下xià正zhèng。
 

Perfection is quickly destroyed, fullness quickly exhausted, because a person glories in his perfection and fullness and does not know how to maintain them by the Dao. To constantly preserve one's perfection, one must necessarily appear imperfect; to constantly keep one's fullness (the fullness of his virtue or his riches), one must necessarily appear empty.

The prince who possesses the perfection of the Dao and Virtue erases his glory and hides the praises he receives. The prince who possesses the fullness of the Dao and Virtue appears empty, that is, he is filled with honors and dare not be proud, he is rich and dare not indulge in luxury and extravagance.

This passage applies to the judgment of the Sage. Here is the word-for-word in Latin: (man) greatly virtue (is) as if bent.

He possesses many talents, but he dares not show them.

李斯 Lǐ Sī: Movement can triumph over cold (by producing heat), but cannot triumph over heat (that is, produce cold); rest can triumph over heat (by producing cold), but cannot triumph over cold (cold arises from the cessation of movement, that is, rest). Each of these two things has a limited property. But when a person is pure, tranquil, and non-acting, even though he does not seek to triumph over beings, no being in the world can triumph over him. That is why 老子 Lǎozǐ says: The pure and tranquil man becomes the model of the empire.

河上公 Héshàng Gōng believed that the word 胜 shèng, “to conquer,” meant here “to reach the peak, the height.” In spring, the lively air, the heat of the Yang principle circulates quickly in the upper regions, and plants grow and flourish. When this heat has reached its peak, it is followed by cold, and then they wither and die. 老子 Lǎozǐ teaches to renounce strength and movement that lead to death.

In winter, plants remain at rest at the foot of the 黄泉 Huángquán (that is, in the inactivity of death); when this rest has reached its peak, it is followed by heat (spring succeeds winter). Heat is the source of life. One must therefore maintain absolute stillness.