The Tao Te Ching combines rigidity with softness.
The world is not weaker than water, and the strong cannot win, so it is easy. Weakness is better than strength, softness is better than strength, and the world knows everything. So the sage said, "being defiled by the country is to be the master of the country;" If the country is unlucky, the world is king.
Laozi's Theory of "Restraining Stiffness with Flexibility"
People look at things from the front, while Laozi looks at things from the back. "Combining rigidity with softness" is the main content of Laozi's philosophical thought, and it is also the key for the world competitors to win.
Since ancient times, the general teaching is: people should be strong, not weak; People should be smart, not stupid. Laozi's view is just the opposite: people should be weak, not strong! People should be stupid, not smart; People should do nothing, have no ego, have no desire, feel inferior, and be pure and natural. ...
Softness is not cowardice, but a kind of contingency with retreat as the choice, a kind of extremely high strategy of arrogant enemy ambition and hiding strength. If you show weakness, you can make the enemy pay no attention. Too "rigid" people are too sharp, easy to cause trouble, expose their shortcomings, and be defeated by "soft" people! Big soft is not soft, just not just!
Physically, teeth are the hardest, which can be described as "hard", while tongue is "soft". However, when people get old, their teeth fall out and their tongues are intact. Why? Big trees are much stronger than grass, but sometimes, when a typhoon comes, big trees are often uprooted, but grass is safe and sound; The wind is invisible, but it can blow down houses and trees; Water can be round and can be described as "soft", but it can be described as Hu Aishan Xiangling. Doesn't this show that the strong are not necessarily strong, but the weak are the real strong?