Tao Te Ching
Wu wei is not doing nothing: when to act, do less or stop forcing
Wu wei is not passivity. Chapter 37 asks whether extra control damages a process that can develop itself. Use a practical test for acting, reducing or ceasing to force.
The Way constantly does not force, yet nothing is left undone; if rulers keep to it, things transform of themselves.Tao Te Ching, Chapter 37
Direct answer: wu wei rejects needless coercion, not necessary action
Chapter 37 places ‘not forcing’ beside ‘nothing left undone’. The issue is not a movement count of zero but action freed from anxiety, possession and display. The chapter even describes responding when desire stirs, so protecting conditions is itself work.
怎样判断该做还是该停
Ask first: who is harmed, or which promise fails, if I do not intervene? Clear harm or duty calls for action. Then ask whether intervention removes an obstacle or repeatedly disturbs a process already capable of working. Set a stopping condition so help does not become takeover. Check Chapter 37.
适用边界
Wu wei cannot excuse laziness, neglect or silence before injustice. Carry the necessary part precisely and remove the part that creates dependence or backlash. Compare accounts of action in the research index.