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致虛極，守靜篤。萬物並作，吾以觀其復。夫物芸芸，各歸其根。歸根曰靜，靜曰覆命。覆命曰常，知常曰明。不知常，妄作兇。知常容，容乃公，公乃王，王乃天，天乃道，道乃久，歿身不殆。 Translation Attain the utmost emptiness; hold fast to perfect stillness. The myriad beings arise together — I observe their return. All things flourish in profusion, yet eac...

太上，不知有之；其次，親之譽之；其次，畏之；其次，侮之。信不足，有不信。猶兮其貴言。功成事遂，百姓皆謂我自然。 Alternate editions read: 太上，下知有之. Translation The highest ruler — the people barely know he exists. The next, they draw near to and praise. The next, they fear. The next, they scorn. When trust is insuffi...

大道廢，有仁義。智慧出，有大偽。六親不和，有孝慈。國家昏亂，有忠臣。 Translation When the great Dao falls into disuse, humaneness and righteousness appear. When cunning and cleverness emerge, great hypocrisy arises. When the six relations lose their harmony, filial piety and parental devotion ...

絕聖棄智，民利百倍。絕仁棄義，民復孝慈。絕巧棄利，盜賊無有。此三者以為文不足，固令有所屬。見素抱樸，少私無慾。 Translation Sever ability, discard cunning — the people benefit a hundredfold. Sever humaneness, discard righteousness — the people return to filial devotion and loving care. Sever cleverness, discard pro...

絕學無憂。唯之與阿。相去幾何。善之與惡。相去何若。人之所畏。不可不畏。荒兮其未央哉。眾人熙熙如享大牢。如登春臺。我獨泊兮其未兆。如嬰兒之未孩。乘乘兮若無所歸。眾人皆有餘。而我獨若遺。我愚人之心也哉。沌沌兮俗人昭昭。我獨若昏。俗人察察。我獨悶悶。忽兮若晦。寂兮似無所止。眾人皆有以。我獨頑似鄙。我獨異於人。而貴食母。 Translation Abandon learning — be free of worry. Between assent and rebuke, how great is the distance?...

孔德之容。唯道是從。道之為物。唯恍唯惚。惚兮恍兮。其中有象。恍兮惚兮。其中有物。竊兮冥兮。其中有精。其精甚真。其中有信。自古及今。其名不去。以閱眾甫。吾何以知眾甫之然哉。以此。 Translation The bearing of abundant De follows only Dao. Dao as a thing — elusive and obscure. Obscure and elusive: within it there is image. Elusive and obscure: within i...

曲則全。枉則直。窪則盈。敝則新。少則得。多則惑。是以聖人抱一為天下式。不自見故明。不自是故彰。不自伐故有功。不自矜故長。夫唯不爭。故天下莫能與之爭。古之所謂曲則全者。豈虛言哉。誠全而歸之。 Translation The crooked shall be made whole; the bent shall be made straight. The hollow shall be filled; the worn shall be made new. With little, one gains; with mu...

希言自然。飄風不終朝。驟雨不終日。孰為此者天地。天地尚不能久。而況於人乎。故從事於道者。道者同於道。德者同於德。失者同於失。同於道者。道亦樂得之。同於德者。德亦樂得之。同於失者。失亦樂得之。信不足有不信。 Translation Spare words — accord with the natural. A whirlwind does not last the morning; a sudden downpour does not last the day. Who brings these about? He...

跂者不立。跨者不行。自見者不明。自是者不彰。自伐者無功。自矜者不長。其在道曰餘食贅行。物或惡之。故有道者不處。 Translation Stand on tiptoe — you cannot hold your ground. Stride too wide — you cannot walk. Display yourself — you will not be luminous. Insist you are right — you will not be distinguished. Boast of yo...

有物渾成。先天地生。寂兮寥兮。獨立而不改。周行而不殆。可以為天下母。吾不知其名。字之曰道。強為之名曰大。大曰逝。逝曰遠。遠曰反。故道大。天大。地大。王亦大。域中有四大。而王居其一焉。人法地。地法天。天法道。道法自然。 Translation Something there is, whole and undivided, born before Heaven and Earth. Silent, boundlessly open — standing alone, it does not change. Movin...

重為輕根，靜為躁君。是以聖人終日行，不離輜重。雖有榮觀，燕處超然。奈何萬乘之主，而以身輕天下。輕則失根，躁則失君。 Translation The heavy is the root of the light; the still is the master of the restless. Thus the Sage travels all day yet never strays from his supply wagon. Though splendid vistas rise before him, he ...

善行無轍跡，善言無瑕謫，善計不用籌策，善閉無關鍵而不可開，善結無繩約而不可解。是以聖人常善救人，故無棄人；常善救物，故無棄物。是謂襲明。故善人不善人之師，不善人善人之資。不貴其師，不愛其資，雖知大迷。是謂要妙。 Translation One skilled in traveling leaves no ruts or tracks; one skilled in speaking leaves no flaw to censure; one skilled in reckoning uses no tallies...

知其雄，守其雌，為天下溪。常德不離，復歸於嬰兒。知其白，守其黑，為天下式。常德不忒，復歸於無極。知其榮，守其辱，為天下谷。常德乃足，復歸於樸。樸散則為器，聖人用之，則為官長。故大制不割。 Translation Know the masculine, yet hold to the feminine — become a stream in the valley for all under Heaven. Constant De never departs; one returns to the innocence...

將欲取天下而為之，吾見其不得已。天下神器，不可為也。為者敗之，執者失之。故物或行或隨，或噓或吸，或強或羸，或載或隳。是以聖人去甚，去奢，去泰。 Alternate editions read: 或挫 for 或載. Translation Whoever would seize all under Heaven and impose upon it — I foresee he shall not succeed. All under Heaven is a sacred vessel: it cannot be ...

以道佐人主者，不以兵強天下。其事好還。師之所處，荊棘生焉。大兵之後，必有凶年。善者果而已，不敢以取強。果而勿矜，果而勿伐，果而勿驕，果而不得已，果而勿強。物壯則老，是謂不道。不道早已。 Translation One who assists the ruler through Dao does not use arms to overpower all under Heaven. Such deeds readily rebound. Where armies have camped, thorns and bra...

夫佳兵者，不祥之器。物或惡之，故有道者不處。君子居則貴左，用兵則貴右。兵者不祥之器，非君子之器。不得已而用之，恬淡為上。勝而不美，而美之者，是樂殺人。夫樂殺人者，不可得志於天下矣。吉事尚左，凶事尚右。偏將軍居左，上將軍居右。言以喪禮處之。殺人眾多，以悲哀泣之。戰勝以喪禮處之。 Translation Now, fine weapons are instruments of ill omen. All beings may despise them; therefore one who holds to the Da...

道無常名。樸雖小，天下不敢臣。侯王若能守，萬物將自賓。天地相合，以降甘露。人莫之令而自均。始制有名，名亦既有，夫亦將知止。知止，所以不始。譬道之在天下，猶川穀之於江海。 Translation Dao has no fixed name. The unhewn wood, though small, none under Heaven dare treat it as a subject. If lords and kings could hold to it, the myriad beings would co...

知人者智，自知者明。勝人者有力，自勝者強。知足者富，強行者有志。不失其所者久，死而不亡者壽。 Translation To know others is cleverness; to know oneself is illumination. To overcome others takes force; to overcome oneself is true strength. To know contentment is wealth; to act with perseverance is resolve. ...