道德经 · 第74章

底本文字与中文阅读

民不畏死，奈何以死懼之？若使民常畏死，而為奇者，吾得執而殺之，孰敢？
常有司殺者殺，夫代司殺者殺，是謂代大匠斲。
夫代大匠斲者，希有不傷其手矣。

English support translation

The people do not fear death; to what purpose is it to (try to)
frighten them with death? If the people were always in awe of death,
and I could always seize those who do wrong, and put them to death,
who would dare to do wrong?

There is always One who presides over the infliction death. He who
would inflict death in the room of him who so presides over it may be
described as hewing wood instead of a great carpenter. Seldom is it
that he who undertakes the hewing, instead of the great carpenter,
does not cut his own hands!