Daodejing, Book of the Way and Virtue Chapter 50

出生入死。 生之徒，十有三；死之徒，十有三；人之生，動之死地，亦十有三。夫何故？以其生生之厚。蓋聞善攝生者，陸行不遇兕虎，入軍不被甲兵；兕無所投其角，虎無所措其爪，兵無所容其刃。夫何故？以其無死地。

Men come forth and live; they enter (again) and die. Of every ten three are ministers of life (to themselves); and three are ministers of death. There are also three in every ten whose aim is to live, but whose movements tend to the land (or place) of death. And for what reason? Because of their excessive endeavours to perpetuate life. But I have heard that he who is skilful in managing the life entrusted to him for a time travels on the land without having to shun rhinoceros or tiger, and enters a host without having to avoid buff coat or sharp weapon. The rhinoceros finds no place in him into which to thrust its horn, nor the tiger a place in which to fix its claws, nor the weapon a place to admit its point. And for what reason? Because there is in him no place of death.

L’homme sort de la vie pour entrer dans la mort. Il y a treize causes de vie et treize causes de mort. A peine est-il né que ces treize causes de mort l’entraînent rapidement au trépas. Quelle en est la raison ? C’est qu’il veut vivre avec trop d’intensité. Or j’ai appris que celui qui sait gouverner sa vie ne craint sur sa route ni le rhinocéros, ni le tigre. S’il entre dans une armée, il n’a besoin ni de cuirasse, ni d’armes. Le rhinocéros ne saurait où le frapper de sa corne, le tigre où le déchirer de ses ongles, le soldat où le percer de son glaive. Quelle en est la cause ? Il est à l’abri de la mort !