This sentence comes from chapter 27 of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, and the full text of this chapter is as follows:
Good deeds leave no trace; Good words are flawless; Good numbers, no planning; Good at being closed, irrelevant and not open; Good conclusion, cordless contract, but unable to solve. Because saints are always good at saving people, they don't abandon people; Always be good at preserving things, so there is no abandonment. It means attacking Ming. Therefore, a good person is a teacher who is not good at others; People who are bad to others are the capital of good people. If you don't value your teacher and don't love his capital, wisdom and fascination are wonderful.
People who are good at walking will not leave traces; People who are good at talking will not have defects; People who are good at counting don't need bamboo codes; Good at closing, people can't open it without a bolt; Those who are good at binding can't untie without a rope. Therefore, saints often save people, so there is no abandonment; Often good at making the best use of things, so there are no discarded items. This is called hidden wisdom. Therefore, good people can be teachers of bad people, and bad people can be reference for good people. I don't respect my teacher, and I don't cherish his reference function. Although I think I am smart, I am really confused. This is the profound and subtle truth.
The content of this chapter focuses on asking people, especially saints, to abide by the principle of "governing by doing nothing", explaining that people who have the means will naturally be kind to others and expressing that people who have the means will not abandon people and things in their hearts.
Tao Te Ching is a philosophical work of Laozi (Li Er) in the Spring and Autumn Period, also known as Tao Te Ching, Laozi's Five Thousand Words and Laozi's Five Thousand Articles. It is a work of China before the separation of the pre-Qin philosophers in ancient times, and it is an important source of Taoist philosophy. Tao Te Ching is divided into two parts. The first part of the original text is the Tao Te Ching, and the second part is the Tao Te Ching, without chapters. Later, it was changed to the Tao Te Ching in the first 37 chapters, and the Tao Te Ching in the last 38 chapters, divided into 8 1 chapters. ?
The text of Tao Te Ching takes "morality" in the philosophical sense as the main line, and discusses the ways of self-cultivation, governing the country, using troops and keeping in good health, but most of them aim at politics. It is the so-called "inner sage and outer king", known as the king of all classics, with profound meaning and wide tolerance.
Tao Te Ching is one of the greatest works in the history of China, which has a profound influence on traditional philosophy, science, politics and religion. According to the statistics of UNESCO, the Tao Te Ching is the most widely translated and published cultural masterpiece except the Bible.