道德经 第六章

谷神不死
是谓玄牝

玄牝之门
是谓天地根

绵绵若存
用之不勤

[译]

The fantastic valley never dies. It is the female wonder.

The door to the female wonder is the root of the world.

It exists like waves. Use it without efforts.

[注]

In the valley, everything seems invisible. The past is like a dream; the future is too far to reach. It is the valley which dominates all the landscapes. Mountains are just brief excitements in the vast wild continent. The gateway to the never-dying valley is to use it without efforts. How is it used without efforts?

In the flood seasons, the highly visible storms create flood peaks in the mountain streams; the floods flats out in the vastly wide valley. In the drought seasons, everything in the valley dies out except the green lines along the river beds. These green lines are tapping the deep groundwater, which comes in a gentle way, totally different from the rapidness of floods.

The groundwater is like bonds while the floods are like stocks. Groundwater flow is measured in terms of “yield,” which is the same word used for measuring bonds. Floods are characterized by fast-rising peaks and quick-dying tails just like stock prices can go up and down in a hurry.

The nature is using the valley effortlessly. The valley survives when water floods the valley; the valley stays green by tapping the groundwater when no water in the stream . The fantastic valley never dies.

By watching the changing valley years after years, one can easily figure out the changing markets of stocks and bonds.