毀敗之端，從此興也。
Causes of disaster and defeat arise from this.
Dikes spanning rivers collapse into rubble because of single ant holes.
江河大潰從蟻穴，山以小阤而大崩。
Great mountains crumble to oblivion because of one small shift of weight.
Gradually developing disorder can turn into all-enveloping calamity.
滛亂之漸，其變為興，水火金木轉相勝。
Water, fire, metal, and wood overcome each other by turns.
That which is lowly but upright can be increased; that which is high but leaning will collapse.
卑而正者可增，高而倚者且崩，直如矢者死，直如繩者稱。
Those who are straight like an arrow will die; those who are straight like a measuring rope will be celebrated.15 14 The last sentence in this item is a well-known quotation from Songs of the South (Chuci) 7 (“Yu fu”).
This aphorism concerns the contrast between rigidity (undesirable) and flexibility (desirable).