Chapter 6

Original Text

谷神不死，是謂玄牝。
玄牝之門，是為天地根。
綿綿若存，用之不勤。

Translation

The valley-spirit never dies—this is called the Mysterious Female.
The gate of the Mysterious Female is called the root of Heaven and Earth.
A fine, unbroken thread—as if barely there; use it, and it does not strain.

Word Notes

• 谷神: “Valley-spirit”—emptiness that receives and gives life.
• 玄牝: “Mysterious Female”—the dark, fertile source; union of profundity (玄) and generative femaleness (牝).
• 玄牝之門: The “gate” where emergence begins.
• 綿綿若存: Continuously, subtly present.
• 不勤: Unlabored; it works without forcing.

Chapter Explanation

Dao’s life-giving capacity is figured as a valley—low, open, receptive—and as the Mysterious Female, the ever-fecund source. Its “gate” is the point of arising for things. The experience is delicate—almost nothing, yet reliably there—working without effort or strain.

Discourse

In practice: keep to a quiet, receptive mind-ground. Don’t clutch at experiences or force outcomes. Let attention be continuous and light; from that “valley,” responses come of themselves. Beware reifying this “gate” as a bodily spot or technique—Laozi’s image points to stance, not to a single organ or knob to twist.