从“大国下流”想起 - Reflection on "Large kingdoms Flow Downstream"

在一个朋友的聊天群中，有人谈及某些大国冠冕堂皇、言行不一、奉行双重标准、欺凌小国、谋取私利等行径。一位群友随即引用“大国下流”这一老子名言，以此佐证大国自古以来通行的强权姿态。

然而，老子所言的“下流”理念，与这位群友想表达的含义乃至今日公众对“下流”一词的理解大相径庭，甚至完全相反。

在《道德经》第六十一章中，老子说：“大国者下流，天下之交，天下之牝。牝常以静胜牡，以静为下。故大国以下小国，则取小国。小国以下大国，则取大国。故或下以取，或下而取。大国不过欲兼蓄人，小国不过欲入事人。夫两者各得其所欲，大者宜为下。”

用现代语言解读（参见 Parislaotang 网站《道德经》中英法详解）：“大国要像居于江河下游那样（百川河流交汇的地方），成为天下交汇的地方; 占据天下雌柔的位置。雌柔常常以安静而胜过强雄，就在于它安于居于下游，以静制动。 所以，大国对小国谦下忍让，就可以取得小国的信任和依赖；小国对大国谦下忍让，就可以得到大国的宽容。所以，或者以谦让而取得信任，或者以谦让而获得宽容。大国不要过分想干涉小国事务，小国不要过分想依赖大国。双方都能满足自己的需求，但特别是大国应该谦下忍让。”

可见，老子的“大国下流”是对大国的忠告，强调谦逊、包容，是大国应当恪守的美德。这与群友引用该句的本意恰恰相反。

事实上，“下流”一词本身的意义千年来并无变化，本指江河下游、水流归聚之处。然而，当用于形容人时，它却逐渐演变为贬义词。“此人很下流”成为一种羞辱性的评价。为何老子所推崇的“下流”美德，最终却成为贬义词的象征？

归根结底，这与人性和社会权力结构息息相关。老子倡导的三大人生法宝——爱心、简朴、谦逊，在历史长河中始终未能登上“上流”之位；反倒是他所批判的贪婪、争夺、强权，成为主流价值观。原因无他，权力意味着资源的分配权，而资源则关乎生存。人类的本能是竭尽全力“争上流”，以确保自身、家族乃至种群的安全与繁荣。因此，在现实社会中，“下流”逐渐与贫困、缺乏资源、文化素养低等概念绑定，最终沦为贬义词，以至于后人不得不另造“下游”一词来指水流方向。

老子深知这一点，因此在《道德经》第七十章中感叹：“知我者希，则我者贵。是以圣人被褐而怀玉。(注：能理解我的人很少，那么效法我的人就更难得了。因此，圣人就像是穿着粗布衣服却怀揣美玉的人一样 ，很难遇到拥有慧眼而能够辨识出其内在光华的人)”。

愿未来，老子的智慧能被更多人理解与践行，让“下流”重归本意，再度成为褒义词。

In a friend's chat group, someone brought up how certain major powers act hypocritically—preaching noble ideals while practicing double standards, bullying smaller nations, and pursuing self-interest. In response, another participant cited the phrase "Large kingdoms flow downstream" from Laozi as evidence that great powers have always operated with a position of dominance.

However, the meaning of "taking downstream" as Laozi intended is vastly different from what the participant meant, and even from the modern-day understanding of the term "downstream" (下流)—in fact, it is quite the opposite.

In Tao Te Ching, Chapter 61, Laozi writes:

"A large kingdom must flow downstream like rivers and seas where all the waters of the empire converge, that’s to say take the role of the female (a quiet force) in the world. By keeping stillness, the female may always dominate the male. This stillness means keeping a low profile.Therefore, if a large kingdom comes down before smaller kingdoms, it will win their confidence. If a small kingdom comes down before large kingdoms, it will win their sympathy.This is why some lower themselves to receive, some lower themselves to be received.A large kingdom should not have overwhelming desires to interfere in the affairs of small kingdoms. A small kingdom should not have an overwhelming desire for help. So they both get what they wanted.Large kingdoms should take a modest attitude!"

(Modern interpretation adapted from parislaotang.com multilingual interpretation of the Tao Te Ching.)

Clearly, Laozi's "Large kingdoms flow downstream" is a cautionary principle for powerful nations—advocating humility and inclusiveness as the virtues they should uphold. This is the complete opposite of how the phrase was used in the chat group.

Originally, "下流" ("Downstream") simply referred to the lower reaches of a river, where waters converge. However, over time, when used to describe people, it took on a negative connotation, coming to mean vulgarity, disgrace, or moral corruption.

Why did Laozi’s revered virtue of "flowing downstream" become a derogatory term?

At its core, this shift is closely tied to human nature and societal power structures. Laozi advocated three key virtues: compassion, simplicity, and humility. Yet throughout history, these values never became dominant. Instead, the forces he criticized—greed, competition, and the pursuit of power—became mainstream ideals.

The reason is simple: power dictates resource distribution, and resources determine survival. It is human instinct to strive for the upper stream—to secure safety, prosperity, and dominance for oneself, one’s family, or one’s ethnic group. Over time, "downstream" became associated with poverty, lack of resources, and low social status, leading to its eventual transformation into an insult. Later generations even had to coin the term "下游" (xiàyóu) to refer to a river's lower course, just to distinguish it from the now-pejorative "下流" ("Downstream").

Laozi was deeply aware of this reality, which is why in Tao Te Ching, Chapter 70, he lamented:

"Those who understand me are very rare. Those who follow me are very precious.A wise soul dresses rudely and hides precious jade under his clothes.”

(Meaning: Few people grasp Laozi’s wisdom, and even fewer live by it. A sage, much like a humble person dressed in simple rags but harboring inner brilliance, is rarely recognized for their true worth).

May more people come to understand and embrace Laozi’s wisdom in the future. Perhaps then, "flowing downstream" can return to its original meaning—once again becoming a virtue rather than an insult.