A quotation that is close but not identical
The Hanfeizi passage presents a cited maxim corresponding to Laozi 63. Its extra 之 after 天下 is visible in these witnesses. A useful textual connection records both the matching structure and the variation instead of silently producing one normalized quotation.
天下之難事必作於易，天下之大事必作於細A maxim introduced by 故曰 in the passage.
tls · CC BY-SA 4.0 · KR3c0005_021.txt, lines 215–221天下難事必作於易，天下大事必作於細The corresponding parallel construction with different wording.
tls · CC BY-SA 4.0 · KR5c0057_063.txt, lines 14–27Make the comparison explicit
The Hanfeizi passage presents a cited maxim corresponding to Laozi 63. Its extra 之 after 天下 is visible in these witnesses. A useful textual connection records both the matching structure and the variation instead of silently producing one normalized quotation.
韓非子: A maxim introduced by 故曰 in the passage.
老子: The corresponding parallel construction with different wording.
What small wording difference should a comparison preserve?
Hanfeizi has 天下之難事 and 天下之大事; this Laozi witness has 天下難事 and 天下大事.
Shared words, images, or constructions do not by themselves establish common meaning, authorship, or origin. An explicit citation is identified only where the wording itself supports it.
zimai · AI-assisted editorial notes · Editorial pilot · not independently reviewed. Original learning material: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source text, scholarly reference, and editorial interpretation remain separately attributed.