Commentary on the Tao Te Ching (46): Tao gives birth, Te nurtures, Matter shapes, Utensils complete.
Tao gives birth, Te nurtures, Matter shapes, Utensils complete. Therefore, all things revere Tao and value Te. The reverence for Tao and the value of Te lie not in being commanded, but in following nature constantly. Thus, Tao gives birth to them, Te nurtures them, lengthens them, raises them, settles them, governs them, nourishes them, and protects them. It gives birth but does not claim ownership, acts but does not rely on its deeds, leads but does not dominate; this is called Profound Te.
Commentary: All things are born through Tao, nurtured through Te, shaped through Matter, and completed through Utensils. Therefore, nothing does not revere Tao and value Te. The reverence of Tao and the value of Te lie in allowing nature to take its course rather than issuing commands. Thus, Tao can give birth to them, Te can nurture them, causing them to grow, transform, settle, govern, nourish, and protect. It gives birth but does not consider itself the owner; although it acts, it does not rely on its actions as a basis for pride; it allows development without dominating it. This is called Profound Te.
Explanation: The emergence of all things is primarily due to Tao. Here, 'Tao' refers to the most primitive source and rule of all things. Because there is Tao, the transformation and generation of all things occur, hence it is called 'Tao gives birth'.
After transformation and generation, things develop different rule-based characteristics, which are called Te. For example, the 'Te of Water'. Te represents the inherent characteristics of things themselves, whether they are rules, patterns, or laws. So, what is 'Xu' (nurturing)? This is akin to the universe first generating rules, such as physical laws, and then these physical laws leading to the emergence of different substances, such as quarks forming neutrons, protons, and electrons. This produces different material properties. Then, these neutrons, electrons, and protons form atoms, and atoms form different elements based on the number of protons. This process of basic rule iteration leading to the accumulation and change of material property combinations is called 'Xu'. Therefore, basic rules, characteristics, and abilities are called Te, and the process of Te's control and change is called 'Xu'.
'Matter shapes it': Here, 'Matter' refers to the formation of specific things, and 'Shape' refers to having describable state characteristics used for distinction. For water, it has no fixed shape, but it takes the shape of whatever container it is in. This is having matter and thus having shape. Hence, it is called 'Matter shapes it', meaning it becomes a specific thing with a clear shape or characteristic.
'Utensils complete it': 'Utensil' refers to something that can be used, representing the most obvious strength or weakness of an object. For example, metal can be used due to its ease of forging and hardness, making it suitable for manufacturing machinery. Similarly, ceramics fired from clay are lightweight and glossy, suitable for vessels for rice or water. In the context of heaven and earth and nature, such as lightning creating large amounts of protein in the atmosphere, thereby providing nutrients to crops, these all belong to the mutual relationships between things. These types of relationships are summarized as 'Utensils complete it'.
Taking water as an example: 'Te nurtures it'. First, water molecules constitute water. Then, the forces between water molecules prevent water from having a specific shape; this is the 'Te of Water'. The 'Te of Water' leads to water having no fixed shape. In reality, natural water, whether large like oceans and lakes or small like water in a cup, is still constrained by its container, thus having the 'form' of 'water'. This is 'Matter shapes it'. And water can be used as a biological circulatory system, as a carrier for material transport in living bodies; this is 'Utensils complete it'.
Thus, Tao and Te enable growth and nurturing. 'Zhang' (lengthen) means to grow, 'Yu' (nourish) means to give birth, 'Ting' (settle) means to stabilize, 'Du' (govern) means to discipline (ancient meaning), 'Yang' (nourish) means to raise, and 'Fu' (cover) means to protect (ancient meaning). This process is like a fetus: first there is pregnancy, then the child grows slowly, then is born, then is made peaceful, taught, raised, and protected. Although it gives birth, it does not consider the child as its own possession; although it has merit in raising the child, it does not rely on this merit as a basis for pride; although it enables growth, it does not dominate everything about the child's growth. Such Te is called Profound Te, which is the characteristic of the Profound.