DAODEJING PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

Laozi, Edmund Ryden | 224 pages | 01 Nov 2008 | Oxford University Press | 9780199208555 | English | Oxford, United Kingdom Tao-te Ching | Definition, Summary, & Facts | Britannica

One saves all people and all things, embrace and treat them as valuable assets Ch. One has and need no excess Ch. One acts on the Dao diligently instead of just knowing or talking about it Ch. One is ordinary yet precious, like a jade under coarse clothes Ch. Why did Laozi recommend cultivating Dao? With the end point described, Laozi had prescribed detailed methods to cultivate the Dao. One learns about the duality of yin and yang, and abides in the yin Ch. One welcomes every phenomenon without attachment or resistance Ch. One diligently says and acts on the Dao Ch. One fights with kindness, economy, selflessness Ch. When encountering hatred, one dissolves it instead of returning hatred Ch. What are some of the barriers along the pathway? Deeper inside the self could identify and attach himself as existence Ch. Heaven's standard is Reason. Reason's standard is intrinsic. There was a strange, unfathomable Body. This Being, this Body is silent and beyond all substance and sensing. It stretches beyond everything spanning the empyrean. It has always been here, and it always will be. Everything comes from it, and then it is the Mother of Everything. I do not know its name. So I call it Tao. I am loath to call it 'greater than everything', but it is. And being greater, it infuses all things moving far out and returning to the Source. It is greater than Heaven, Greater than the Earth - Greater than the king. These are the four great things, and the ruler is the least of them. And the Tao goes with what is absolutely natural. Created by Michael P. Silent and boundless it stands alone, and never changes. It pervades every place, and incurs no danger of being impaired. It may be called the Mother of the Universe. I know not its name; but its designation is Tao. If forced to call it something, I will call it great. Being great, it moves ever onward; and thus I say that it is remote. Being remote, I say that it returns. Therefore Tao is great; Heaven is great; Earth is great; and the King also is great. In the Universe there are four things that are great, and the King is one of them. Man regulates himself by the Earth; Earth regulates itself by Heaven. Balfour , , Chapter Cloud Hands Blog. In the silence and the void, Standing alone and unchanging, Ever present and in motion. Perhaps it is the mother of ten thousand things. I do not know its name Call it Tao. For lack of a better word, I call it great. Being great, it flows I flows far away. Having gone far, it returns. Therefore, "Tao is great; Heaven is great; Earth is great; The king is also great. Man follows Earth. Earth follows heaven. Heaven follows the Tao. Tao follows what is natural. Something free -- dependent on nothing, being nothing in itself, empty and silent, everywhere yet unchanging and inexhaustible. What was there before the Big Bang? One can think of it as the pre-origin of the universe, or god or goddess, or natural law, or physics. Still, it really has no name. The way, or the Dao, is simply the nickname I give it. If I felt compelled to call it something else, I'd call it "great" because it extends forever and in going on forever, it returns back to itself. The Dao is great, so is the sky, the earth, and also the human being. In the universe there are four great things, and humanity is one of them. Humanity follows the nature of the earth, earth follows the nature of the sky, the sky follows the nature of the Dao, and the Dao follows its own way -- naturally. I do not know its name And address it as Tao. If forced to give it a name, I shall call it "Great. There are the Great Four in the universe, And the King is one of them. Hilmar Alquiros. Laozi Daodejing : Chapters with Chinese characters, seal script, detailed word by word concordance, Pinyin tone , German, French and English. Chinese Character Dictionary. Tao Te Ching in Pinyin Romanization. Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters and English. Motionless and fathomless, It stands alone and never changes; It pervades everywhere and never becomes exhausted. It may be regarded as the Mother of the Universe. If I am forced to give it a name, I call it Tao, and name it as supreme. Supreme means going on; Going on means going far; Going far means returning. Therefore Tao is supreme; heaven is supreme; earth is supreme; and man is also supreme. There are in the universe four things supreme, and man is one of them. Man follows the laws of earth; Earth follows the laws of heaven; Heaven follows the laws of Tao; Tao follows the laws of its intrinsic nature. Something there is, whose veiled creation was Before the earth or sky began to be; So silent, so aloof and so alone, It changes not, nor fails, but touches all: Conceive it as the mother of the world. Great means outgoing, Outgoing, far-reaching, Far-reaching, return. The Way is great, The sky is great, The earth is great, The king also is great. Within the realm These four are great; The king but stands For one of them. Man conforms to the earth; The earth conforms to the sky; The sky conforms to the Way; The Way conforms to its own nature. Silent and desolate. Standing alone and unchanging. Cyclic and untiring. Able to be the Mother beneath Heaven. I do not know its Name. Its character is 'Tao'. Powerful and Great; its Greatness spreads, spreads into the distance, and from the distance, returns. Hence Tao is great. Heaven is great. Earth is great. The King also is great. The Middle Kingdom has four greats, and the King is one. Man follows the ways of the Earth. Earth follows the way of Heaven. Heaven follows the way of Tao. And Tao follows its own ways. It stands alone and empty, solitary and unchanging. It is ever present and secure. It may be regarded as the Mother of the universe. Because I do not know its name, I call it the Tao. If forced to give it a name, I would call it 'Great'. Because it is Great means it is everywhere. Being everywhere means it is eternal. Being eternal means everything returns to it. Tao is great. Humanity is great. Within the universe, these are the four great things. Humanity follows the earth. Earth follows Heaven. The Tao follows only itself. McDonald , , Chapter One may think of it as the mother of all things under heaven. Its true name we do not know; Were I forced to say to what class of things it belongs I should call it Great ta Now ta also means passing on, And passing on means going Far Away, And going far away means returning. The ways of men are conditioned by those of earth. The ways of earth, by those of heaven. The ways of heaven by those of Tao, and the ways of Tao by the Self-so. Silent and void, it is not renewed, It goes on forever without failing It can be seen as the World-Mother. So I have to call it the Way. Being great implies a distancing Distancing implies being far-off, Being far-off implies returning. So the Way is great: heaven is great: Earth is great: the ruler is great. Within the realm four things are great, And the ruler is one. The ruler reflects the earth Earth reflects the heavens The heavens reflect the Way The Way reflects what is. Kline , , Chapter Abiding alone and changing not! Extending everywhere without risk. It may be styled he world-mother. I do not know its name, but characterize it Tao. Arbitrarily forcing a name upon it I call it the Great. Great, it may be said to be transitory. Transitory, it become remote. Remote, it returns. The Tao, then, is great; Heaven is great; Earth is Great; a king is also great. In space there are four that are great, and the king dwells there as one of them. Man standard is the earth. Earth standard is the Heaven. Heaven standard is the Tao. The Tao standard is spontaneity. Spurgeon Medhurst , , Chapter There is Being that is all-inclusive and that existed before Heaven and Earth. Calm, indeed, and incorporeal! It is alone and changeless! Everywhere it functions unhindered. I do not know its nature; if I try to characterize it, I will call it Tao. If forced to give it a name, I will call it the Great. The Great is evasive, the evasive is the distant, the distant is ever coming near. Tao is Great. So is Heaven great, and so is Earth and so also is the representative of Heaven and Earth. Man is derived from nature, nature is derived from Heaven, Heaven is derived from Tao. Tao is self-derived. It was serene, it was fathomless. It was self-existent, it was homogeneous. It was omnipresent, nor suffered any limitation. It is to be regarded as the universal mother. I do not know its name, but I call it Tao. If forced to qualify it, I call it the boundless. Being boundless, I call it the inconceivable. Being inscrutable, I call it the inaccessible. Being inaccessible, I call it the omnipresent. Tao is supreme, Heaven is supreme, Earth is supreme, the King is supreme. There are in the universe four kinds of supremacy, and their rulership is one. Silent and still, It stands by itself and never changes - All-pervading and never in danger. One may regard it as the mother of Heaven and Earth. I don't know its proper name; I address it as Tao. Were I forced to name it, I would call it Great. In the universe there are four greats. King is one of them. The earlier Guodian texts see below are not divided into two parts, but in many places they employ a black square mark to indicate the end of a section. The sections or chapters so marked generally agree with the division in the present Laozi. Thus, although the chapter formation may be relatively late, some attempt at chapter division seems evident from an early stage of the textual history of the Daodejing. Until about two decades ago, the Mawangdui manuscripts held the pride of place as the oldest extant manuscripts of the Laozi. In late , the excavation of a tomb identified as M1 in Guodian, Jingmen city, Hubei province, yielded among other things some bamboo slips, of which are inscribed, containing over 13, Chinese characters. Some of these, amounting to about 2, characters, match the Laozi see Allan and Williams , and Henricks The tomb is located near the old capital of the state of Chu and is dated around B. Robbers entered the tomb before it was excavated, although the extent of the damage is uncertain. The bamboo texts, written in a Chu script, have been transcribed into standard Chinese and published under the title Guodian Chumu zhujian Beijing: Wenwu, , which on the basis of the size and shape of the slips, calligraphy, and other factors divides the Laozi material into three groups. Group A contains thirty-nine bamboo slips, which correspond in whole or in part to the following chapters of the present text: 19, 66, 46, 30, 15, 64, 37, 63, 2, 32, 25, 5, 16, 64, 56, 57, 55, 44, 40 and 9. Groups B and C are smaller, with eighteen chs. There is one important clue, however. Ding , 7—9. Taking into account all the available evidence, it seems likely that different collections of sayings attributed to Laozi expanded and gained currency during the fourth century B. They would have been derived from earlier, oral or written sources. During the third century B. Even more recently, the growing family of Laozi texts welcomed another new arrival. In January , Peking University accepted a gift of a sizeable collection of inscribed bamboo slips, said to have been retrieved from overseas. Among them, we find a nearly complete version of the Laozi. Although the published material to date did not mention any carbon dating of the slips, the consensus among the scholars who have worked with them is that they date to the Western Han dynasty. The Beida Laozi agrees with the Mawangdui manuscripts in another important respect; that is, Part 1 also corresponds to chapters 38—81 of the current chapter version, or the Dejing , and Part 2, chapters 1—37, or Daojing. Like the Mawangdui manuscripts, the Beida Laozi also records the number of characters at the end of each part. In terms of wording, the Beida Laozi agrees with the Mawangdui manuscripts in many instances, although in some places it agrees rather with that of the received text. However, the Beida text agrees with the standard version at the beginning of Chapter 2, as opposed to the shorter formulation found in the Guodian and Mawangdui versions. What is equally significant is that the sequence or order of the chapters is exactly the same as that in the received Laozi. The difference lies in the division of some of the chapters. Chapters 17—19 of the received text form one chapter in the Beida Laozi. The same is true for chapters 6—7, 32—33 and 78— However, the current chapter 64 appears as two chapters in the Beida slips. Altogether there are 77 chapters. Each chapter is clearly marked, with a round dot at the start, and each chapter starts on a separate bamboo slip. The Beida Laozi is almost intact in its entirety, missing only some 60 characters when compared with the received text. While it offers fresh glimpses into the development of the text, it does not provide any significant new insight into the meaning of the Laozi. A series of articles on the Peking University bamboo slips were published in the journal Wenwu , no. The Beida Laozi was published in December and launched in February Although the majority of scholars accept the authenticity of the find, a notable critic is Xing Wen, who argues strongly that it is a forgery Xing ; for a critical discussion in English, see Foster In summary, two approaches to the making of the Laozi warrant consideration, for they bear directly on interpretation. Some of these sayings were preserved in the Guodian bamboo texts. On this view, the Laozi underwent substantial change and grew into a longer and more complex work during the third century B. The Mawangdui manuscripts were based on this mature version of the Laozi ; the original emphasis on politics, however, can still be detected in the placement of the Dejing before the Daojing. Later versions reversed this order and in so doing subsumed politics under a broader philosophical vision of Dao as the beginning and end of all beings. As distinguished from a linear evolutionary model, what is suggested here is that there were different collections of sayings attributed to Laozi, overlapping to some extent but each with its own emphases and predilections, inhabiting a particular interpretive context. Although some key chapters in the current Laozi that deal with the nature of Dao e. This seems to argue against the suggestion that the Laozi , and for that matter ancient Chinese philosophical works in general, were not interested or lacked the ability to engage in abstract philosophic thinking, an assumption that sometimes appears to underlie evolutionary approaches to the development of Chinese philosophy. The Guodian and Mawangdui finds are extremely valuable. They are syntactically clearer than the received text in some instances, thanks to the larger number of grammatical particles they employ. Nevertheless, they cannot resolve all the controversies and uncertainties surrounding the Laozi. In my view, the nature of Dao and the application of Daoist insight to ethics and governance probably formed the twin foci in collections of Laozi sayings from the start. They were then developed in several ways—e. The demand for textual uniformity rose when the Laozi gained recognition, and consequently the different textual traditions eventually gave way to the received text of the Laozi. As mentioned, the current Laozi on which most reprints, studies and translations are based is the version that comes down to us along with the commentaries by Wang Bi and Heshanggong. Three points need to be made in this regard. First, technically there are multiple versions of the Wang Bi and Heshanggong Laozi —over thirty Heshanggong versions are extant—but the differences are on the whole minor. Second, the Wang Bi and Heshanggong versions are not the same, but they are sufficiently similar to be classified as belonging to the same line of textual transmission. Third, the Wang Bi and Heshanggong versions that we see today have suffered change. Prior to the invention of printing, when each manuscript had to be copied by hand, editorial changes and scribal errors are to be expected. Boltz and Wagner have examined this question in some detail. The Sibu beiyao and Sibu congkan are large-scale reproductions of traditional Chinese texts published in the early twentieth century. The former contains the Wang Bi version and commentary, together with a colophon by the Song scholar Chao Yuezhi — , a second note by Xiong Ke ca. The Heshanggong version preserved in the Sibu congkan series is taken from the library of the famous bibliophile Qu Yong fl. Older extant Heshanggong versions include two incomplete Tang versions and fragments found in Dunhuang. Reportedly, this version was recovered from a tomb in C. There are some differences, but these two can be regarded as having stemmed from the same textual tradition. Manuscript fragments discovered in the Dunhuang caves form another important source in Laozi research. Among them are several Heshanggong fragments especially S. It is signed and dated at the end, bearing the name of the third-century scholar and diviner Suo Dan, who is said to have made the copy, written in ink on paper, in C. While manuscript versions inform textual criticism of the Laozi , stone inscriptions provide further collaborating support. Over twenty steles, mainly of Tang and Song origins, are available to textual critics, although some are in poor condition Yan Students of the Laozi today can work with several Chinese and Japanese studies that make use of a large number of manuscript versions and stone inscriptions notably Ma , Jiang , Zhu , and Shima Boltz offers an excellent introduction to the manuscript traditions of the Laozi. Lou and Lynn A major contribution to Laozi studies in Chinese is Liu Xiaogan , which compares the Guodian, Mawangdui, Fu Yi, Wang Bi, and Heshanggong versions of the Laozi and provides detailed textual and interpretive analysis for each chapter. In an article in English, Liu sets out some of his main findings. Commentaries to the Laozi offer an invaluable guide to interpretation and are important also for their own contributions to Chinese philosophy and religion. Two chapters in the current Hanfeizi chs. Queen Nevertheless, Laozi learning began to flourish from the Han period. Some mention will also be made of later developments in the history of the Daodejing. The late Isabelle Robinet has contributed an important pioneering study of the early Laozi commentaries ; see also Robinet Traditionally, the Heshanggong commentary is regarded as a product of the early Han dynasty. The name Heshanggong means an old man who dwells by the side of a river, and some have identified the river in question to be the Yellow River. An expert on the Laozi , he caught the attention of Emperor Wen, who went personally to consult him. Chan Recent Chinese studies generally place the commentary at the end of the Han period, although some Japanese scholars would date it to as late as the sixth century C. It is probably a second-century C. Chan a. A careful diet, exercise, and some form of meditation are implied, but generally the commentary focuses on the diminishing of selfish desires. In this way, self-cultivation and government are shown to form an integral whole. Yan Zun is well remembered in traditional sources as a recluse of great learning and integrity, a diviner of legendary ability, and an author of exceptional talent. The famous Han poet and philosopher Yang Xiong 53 B. The Laozi zhigui abbreviated hereafter as Zhigui , as it now stands, is incomplete; only the commentary to the Dejing , chapters 38—81 of the current Laozi , remains. The best edition of the Zhigui is that contained in the Daozang Daoist Canon, no. Judging from the available evidence, it can be accepted as a Han product A. Like Heshanggong, Yan Zun also subscribes to the yin-yang cosmological theory characteristic of Han thought. It describes the nature of the Dao and its manifestation in the world. It also points to an ethical ideal. The way in which natural phenomena operate reflects the workings of the Dao. In this way, the Laozi is seen to offer a comprehensive guide to order and harmony at all levels. Although it is mentioned in catalogues of Daoist works, there was no real knowledge of it until a copy was discovered among the Dunhuang manuscripts S. The manuscript copy, now housed in the British Library, was probably made around C. The original text, disagreement among scholars notwithstanding, is generally traced to around C. A detailed study and translation of the work in English is now available Bokenkamp This underscores the central thesis of the commentary, that devotion to the Dao in terms of self-cultivation and compliance with its precepts would assure boundless blessing in this life and beyond. Spiritual discipline, however, is insufficient; equally important is the accumulation of moral merit. These include general positive steps such as being tranquil and yielding, as well as specific injunctions against envy, killing, and other morally reprehensible acts. The word xuan denotes literally a shade of dark red and is used in the Laozi esp. Alarmed by what they saw as the decline of Dao, influential intellectuals of the day initiated a sweeping reinterpretation of the classical heritage. Wang Bi, despite his short life, distinguished himself as a brilliant interpreter of the Laozi and the Yijing see A. Rather, Wang seems more concerned with what may be called the logic of creation. The ground of being, however, cannot be itself a being; otherwise, infinite regress would render the logic of the Laozi suspect. We will come back to this point later. The transcendence of Dao must not be compromised. Nonaction helps explain the practical meaning of naturalness. In ethical terms, Wang Bi takes nonaction to mean freedom from the dictates of desire. This defines not only the goal of self-cultivation but also that of government. The concepts of naturalness and nonaction will be discussed further below. The authority of the Heshanggong commentary can be traced to its place in the Daoist religion, where it ranks second only to the Daodejing itself. From the Tang period, one begins to find serious attempts to collect and classify the growing number of Laozi commentaries. An early pioneer is the eighth-century Daoist master Zhang Junxiang, who cited some thirty commentaries in his study of the Daodejing Wang Du Guangting — provided a larger collection, involving some sixty commentaries Daode zhenjing guangshengyi , Daozang no. According to Du, there were those who saw the Laozi as a political text, while others focused on spiritual self-cultivation. There were Buddhist interpreters e. This latter represents an important development in the history of interpretation of the Daodejing Assandri Daoist sources relate that the school goes back to the fourth-century master Sun Deng. Through Gu Huan fifth century and others, the school reached its height during the Tang period, represented by such thinkers as Cheng Xuanying and Li Rong in the seventh century. The Laozi has been viewed in still other ways. The diversity of interpretation is truly remarkable see Robinet for a typological analysis. The Daodejing was given considerable imperial attention, with no fewer than eight emperors having composed or at least commissioned a commentary on the work. By the thirteenth century, students of the Daodejing were already blessed, as it were, with an embarrassment of riches, so much so that Du Daojian — could not but observe that the coming of the Dao to the world takes on a different form each time. Is the Laozi a manual of self-cultivation and government? Is it a metaphysical treatise, or does it harbor deep mystical insights? The Laozi is a difficult text. Its language is often cryptic; the sense or reference of the many symbols it employs remains unclear, and there seems to be conceptual inconsistencies. Traditionally, however, this was never a serious option. Consider, first of all, some of the main modern approaches to the Daodejing cf. Hardy One view is that the Laozi reflects a deep mythological consciousness at its core. Chapter 25, for example, likens the Dao to an undifferentiated oneness. The myth of a great mother earth goddess may also have informed the worldview of the Laozi Erkes ; Chen , which explains its emphasis on nature and the feminine Chen A second view is that the Laozi gives voice to a profound mysticism. According to Victor Mair , it is indebted to Indian mysticism see also Waley According to Benjamin Schwartz , the mysticism of the Daodejing is sui generis , uniquely Chinese and has nothing to do with India. Indeed, as one scholar suggests, it is unlike other mystical writings in that ecstatic vision does not play a role in the ascent of the Daoist sage Welch , It is possible to combine the mystical and mythological approaches. Broadly, one could carve out a third category of interpretations that highlights the religious significance of the Laozi , whether in general terms or aligned with the tenets of religious Daoism. A fourth view sees the Laozi mainly as a work of philosophy, which gives a metaphysical account of reality and insight into Daoist self-cultivation and government; but fundamentally it is not a work of mysticism W. The strong practical interest of the Laozi distinguishes it from any mystical doctrine that eschews worldly involvement. Fifth, to many readers the Laozi offers essentially a philosophy of life. Remnants of an older religious thinking may have found their way into the text, but they have been transformed into a naturalistic philosophy. The emphasis on naturalness translates into a way of life characterized by simplicity, calmness, and freedom from the tyranny of desire e. Sixth, the Laozi is above all concerned with realizing peace and sociopolitical order. It is an ethical and political masterpiece intended for the ruling class, with concrete strategic suggestions aimed at remedying the moral and political turmoil engulfing late Zhou China. Self-cultivation is important, but the ultimate goal extends beyond personal fulfillment Lau , LaFargue , Moeller The Laozi criticizes the Confucian school not only for being ineffectual in restoring order but more damagingly as a culprit in worsening the ills of society at that time. This list is far from exhaustive; there are other views of the Laozi. Different combinations are also possible. Graham, for example, emphasizes both the mystical and political elements, arguing that the Laozi was probably targeted at the ruler of a small state , The Laozi could be seen as encompassing all of the above—such categories as the metaphysical, ethical, political, mystical, and religious form a unified whole in Daoist thinking and are deemed separate and distinct only in modern Western thought. This concerns not only the difficulty of the Laozi but also the interplay between reader and text in any act of interpretation. But, it is important to emphasize, it does not follow that context is unimportant, that parameters do not exist, or that there are no checks against particular interpretations. While hermeneutic reconstruction remains an open process, it cannot disregard the rules of evidence. Questions of provenance, textual variants, as well as the entire tradition of commentaries and modern scholarship are important for this reason. And it is for this same reason that the present article leaves the discussion of the Laozi itself till the end. The following presents some of the main concepts and symbols in the Laozi based on the current text, focusing on the key conceptual cluster of Dao, de virtue , ziran naturalness , and wuwei nonaction. I propose that the two readings represented by the Heshanggong and Wang Bi commentaries both bring out important insight from the Laozi. To begin with Dao, the etymology of the Chinese graph or character suggests a pathway, or heading in a certain direction along a path. This is also how most commentators in traditional China have understood it: the many normative discourses that clamor to represent the right way are seen to be fickle, partial and misleading. The concept of dao is not unique to the Laozi. A key term in the philosophical vocabulary, it informs early Chinese philosophy as a whole. It is interpreted differently, signifying a means to a higher end in some writings and as an end in itself in others. The Laozi underscores both the ineffability and creative power of Dao. This is distinctive and if one accepts the early provenance of the text, charts a new course in the development of Chinese philosophy. This suggests a sense of radical transcendence, which explains why the Laozi has been approached so often as a mystical text. Names serve to delimit, to set boundaries; in contrast, Dao is without limits and therefore cannot be captured fully by language. What does this mean? This is essentially the reading of the Heshanggong commentary. Daodejing - Laozi - Oxford University Press

Men resort to him, and receive no hurt, but find rest, peace, and the feeling of ease. Music and dainties will make the passing guest stop for a time. But though the Dao as it comes from the mouth, seems insipid and has no flavour, though it seems not worth being looked at or listened to, the use of it is inexhaustible. Minimising the light When one is about to take an inspiration, he is sure to make a previous expiration; when he is going to weaken another, he will first strengthen him; when he is going to overthrow another, he will first have raised him up; when he is going to despoil another, he will first have made gifts to him: - this is called 'Hiding the light of his procedure. Fishes should not be taken from the deep; instruments for the profit of a state should not be shown to the people. The exercise of government The Dao in its regular course does nothing for the sake of doing it , and so there is nothing which it does not do. If princes and kings were able to maintain it, all things would of themselves be transformed by them. If this transformation became to me an object of desire, I would express the desire by the nameless simplicity. Simplicity without a name Is free from all external aim. With no desire, at rest and still, All things go right as of their will. About the attributes of the Dao Those who possessed in highest degree the attributes of the Dao did not seek to show them, and therefore they possessed them in fullest measure. Those who possessed in a lower degree those attributes sought how not to lose them, and therefore they did not possess them in fullest measure. Those who possessed in the highest degree those attributes did nothing with a purpose , and had no need to do anything. Those who possessed them in a lower degree were always doing, and had need to be so doing. Those who possessed the highest benevolence were always seeking to carry it out, and had no need to be doing so. Those who possessed the highest righteousness were always seeking to carry it out, and had need to be so doing. Those who possessed the highest sense of propriety were always seeking to show it, and when men did not respond to it, they bared the arm and marched up to them. Thus it was that when the Dao was lost, its attributes appeared; when its attributes were lost, benevolence appeared; when benevolence was lost, righteousness appeared; and when righteousness was lost, the proprieties appeared. Now propriety is the attenuated form of leal-heartedness and good faith, and is also the commencement of disorder; swift apprehension is only a flower of the Dao, and is the beginning of stupidity. Thus it is that the Great man abides by what is solid, and eschews what is flimsy; dwells with the fruit and not with the flower. It is thus that he puts away the one and makes choice of the other. The origin of the law The things which from of old have got the One the Dao are - Heaven which by it is bright and pure; Earth rendered thereby firm and sure; Spirits with powers by it supplied; Valleys kept full throughout their void All creatures which through it do live Princes and kings who from it get The model which to all they give. All these are the results of the One Dao. If heaven were not thus pure, it soon would rend; If earth were not thus sure, 'twould break and bend; Without these powers, the spirits soon would fail; If not so filled, the drought would parch each vale; Without that life, creatures would pass away; Princes and kings, without that moral sway, However grand and high, would all decay. Thus it is that dignity finds its firm root in its previous meanness, and what is lofty finds its stability in the lowness from which it rises. Hence princes and kings call themselves 'Orphans,' 'Men of small virtue,' and as 'Carriages without a nave. So it is that in the enumeration of the different parts of a carriage we do not come on what makes it answer the ends of a carriage. They do not wish to show themselves elegant-looking as jade, but prefer to be coarse-looking as an ordinary stone. Dispensing with the use of means The movement of the Dao By contraries proceeds; And weakness marks the course Of Dao's mighty deeds. All things under heaven sprang from It as existing and named ; that existence sprang from It as non- existent and not named. Sameness and difference Scholars of the highest class, when they hear about the Dao, earnestly carry it into practice. Scholars of the middle class, when they have heard about it, seem now to keep it and now to lose it. Scholars of the lowest class, when they have heard about it, laugh greatly at it. If it were not thus laughed at, it would not be fit to be the Dao. Therefore the sentence-makers have thus expressed themselves: 'The Dao, when brightest seen, seems light to lack; Who progress in it makes, seems drawing back; Its even way is like a rugged track. Its highest virtue from the vale doth rise; Its greatest beauty seems to offend the eyes; And he has most whose lot the least supplies. Its firmest virtue seems but poor and low; Its solid truth seems change to undergo; Its largest square doth yet no corner show A vessel great, it is the slowest made; Loud is its sound, but never word it said; A semblance great, the shadow of a shade. All things leave behind them the Obscurity out of which they have come , and go forward to embrace the Brightness into which they have emerged , while they are harmonised by the Breath of Vacancy. What men dislike is to be orphans, to have little virtue, to be as carriages without naves; and yet these are the designations which kings and princes use for themselves. So it is that some things are increased by being diminished, and others are diminished by being increased. What other men thus teach, I also teach. The violent and strong do not die their natural death. I will make this the basis of my teaching. The universal use of the action in weakness of the Dao The softest thing in the world dashes against and overcomes the hardest; that which has no substantial existence enters where there is no crevice. I know hereby what advantage belongs to doing nothing with a purpose. There are few in the world who attain to the teaching without words, and the advantage arising from non-action. Cautions Or fame or life, Which do you hold more dear? Or life or wealth, To which would you adhere? Keep life and lose those other things; Keep them and lose your life: - which brings Sorrow and pain more near? Thus we may see, Who cleaves to fame Rejects what is more great; Who loves large stores Gives up the richer state. Who is content Needs fear no shame. Who knows to stop Incurs no blame. From danger free Long live shall he. Great or overflowing virtue Who thinks his great achievements poor Shall find his vigour long endure. Of greatest fulness, deemed a void, Exhaustion never shall stem the tide. Do thou what's straight still crooked deem; Thy greatest art still stupid seem, And eloquence a stammering scream. Constant action overcomes cold; being still overcomes heat. Purity and stillness give the correct law to all under heaven. The moderating of desire or ambition When the Dao prevails in the world, they send back their swift horses to draw the dung- carts. When the Dao is disregarded in the world, the war-horses breed in the border lands. There is no guilt greater than to sanction ambition; no calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot; no fault greater than the wish to be getting. Therefore the sufficiency of contentment is an enduring and unchanging sufficiency. Surveying what is far-off Without going outside his door, one understands all that takes place under the sky; without looking out from his window, one sees the Dao of Heaven. The farther that one goes out from himself , the less he knows. Therefore the sages got their knowledge without travelling; gave their right names to things without seeing them; and accomplished their ends without any purpose of doing so. Forgetting knowledge He who devotes himself to learning seeks from day to day to increase his knowledge ; he who devotes himself to the Dao seeks from day to day to diminish his doing. He diminishes it and again diminishes it, till he arrives at doing nothing on purpose. Having arrived at this point of non-action, there is nothing which he does not do. He who gets as his own all under heaven does so by giving himself no trouble with that end. If one take trouble with that end , he is not equal to getting as his own all under heaven. The quality of indulgence The sage has no invariable mind of his own; he makes the mind of the people his mind. To those who are good to me , I am good; and to those who are not good to me , I am also good; - and thus all get to be good. To those who are sincere with me , I am sincere; and to those who are not sincere with me , I am also sincere; - and thus all get to be sincere. The sage has in the world an appearance of indecision, and keeps his mind in a state of indifference to all. The people all keep their eyes and ears directed to him, and he deals with them all as his children. The value set on life 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. Because there is in him no place of death. The operation of the Dao in nourishing things All things are produced by the Dao, and nourished by its outflowing operation. They receive their forms according to the nature of each, and are completed according to the circumstances of their condition. Therefore all things without exception honour the Dao, and exalt its outflowing operation. This honouring of the Dao and exalting of its operation is not the result of any ordination, but always a spontaneous tribute. Thus it is that the Dao produces all things , nourishes them, brings them to their full growth, nurses them, completes them, matures them, maintains them, and overspreads them. It produces them and makes no claim to the possession of them; it carries them through their processes and does not vaunt its ability in doing so; it brings them to maturity and exercises no control over them; - this is called its mysterious operation. Returning to the source The Dao which originated all under the sky is to be considered as the mother of them all. When the mother is found, we know what her children should be. When one knows that he is his mother's child, and proceeds to guard the qualities of the mother that belong to him, to the end of his life he will be free from all peril. Let him keep his mouth closed, and shut up the portals of his nostrils , and all his life he will be exempt from laborious exertion. Let him keep his mouth open, and spend his breath in the promotion of his affairs, and all his life there will be no safety for him. The perception of what is small is the secret of clear- sightedness; the guarding of what is soft and tender is the secret of strength. Who uses well his light, Reverting to its source so bright, Will from his body ward all blight, And hides the unchanging from men's sight. Increase of evidence If I were suddenly to become known, and put into a position to conduct a government according to the Great Dao, what I should be most afraid of would be a boastful display. The great Dao or way is very level and easy; but people love the by-ways. Their court -yards and buildings shall be well kept, but their fields shall be ill-cultivated, and their granaries very empty. They shall wear elegant and ornamented robes, carry a sharp sword at their girdle, pamper themselves in eating and drinking, and have a superabundance of property and wealth; - such princes may be called robbers and boasters. This is contrary to the Dao surely! The cultivation of the Dao , and the observation of its effects What Dao's skilful planter plants Can never be uptorn; What his skilful arms enfold, From him can never be borne. Sons shall bring in lengthening line, Sacrifices to his shrine. Dao when nursed within one's self, His vigour will make true; And where the family it rules What riches will accrue! The neighbourhood where it prevails In thriving will abound; And when 'tis seen throughout the state, Good fortune will be found. Employ it the kingdom o'er, And men thrive all around. In this way the effect will be seen in the person, by the observation of different cases; in the family; in the neighbourhood; in the state; and in the kingdom. How do I know that this effect is sure to hold thus all under the sky? By this method of observation. The mysterious charm He who has in himself abundantly the attributes of the Dao is like an infant. Poisonous insects will not sting him; fierce beasts will not seize him; birds of prey will not strike him. The infant's bones are weak and its sinews soft, but yet its grasp is firm. It knows not yet the union of male and female, and yet its virile member may be excited; - showing the perfection of its physical essence. All day long it will cry without its throat becoming hoarse; - showing the harmony in its constitution. To him by whom this harmony is known, The secret of the unchanging Dao is shown, And in the knowledge wisdom finds its throne. All life- increasing arts to evil turn; Where the mind makes the vital breath to burn, False is the strength, and o'er it we should mourn. When things have become strong, they then become old, which may be said to be contrary to the Dao. Whatever is contrary to the Dao soon ends. The mysterious excellence He who knows the Dao does not care to speak about it ; he who is ever ready to speak about it does not know it. He who knows it will keep his mouth shut and close the portals of his nostrils. He will blunt his sharp points and unravel the complications of things; he will attemper his brightness, and bring himself into agreement with the obscurity of others. This is called 'the Mysterious Agreement. The genuine influence A state may be ruled by measures of correction; weapons of war may be used with crafty dexterity; but the kingdom is made one's own only by freedom from action and purpose. How do I know that it is so? By these facts: - In the kingdom the multiplication of prohibitive enactments increases the poverty of the people; the more implements to add to their profit that the people have, the greater disorder is there in the state and clan; the more acts of crafty dexterity that men possess, the more do strange contrivances appear; the more display there is of legislation, the more thieves and robbers there are. Therefore a sage has said, 'I will do nothing of purpose , and the people will be transformed of themselves; I will be fond of keeping still, and the people will of themselves become correct. I will take no trouble about it, and the people will of themselves become rich; I will manifest no ambition, and the people will of themselves attain to the primitive simplicity. Transformation according to circumstances The government that seems the most unwise, Oft goodness to the people best supplies; That which is meddling, touching everything, Will work but ill, and disappointment bring. Who knows what either will come to in the end? Shall we then dispense with correction? The method of correction shall by a turn become distortion, and the good in it shall by a turn become evil. The delusion of the people on this point has indeed subsisted for a long time. Therefore the sage is like a square which cuts no one with its angles ; like a corner which injures no one with its sharpness. He is straightforward, but allows himself no license; he is bright, but does not dazzle. Guarding the Dao For regulating the human in our constitution and rendering the proper service to the heavenly, there is nothing like moderation. It is only by this moderation that there is effected an early return to man's normal state. That early return is what I call the repeated accumulation of the attributes of the Dao. With that repeated accumulation of those attributes, there comes the subjugation of every obstacle to such return. Of this subjugation we know not what shall be the limit; and when one knows not what the limit shall be, he may be the ruler of a state. He who possesses the mother of the state may continue long. His case is like that of the plant of which we say that its roots are deep and its flower stalks firm: - this is the way to secure that its enduring life shall long be seen. Occupying the throne Governing a great state is like cooking small fish. Let the kingdom be governed according to the Dao, and the manes of the departed will not manifest their spiritual energy. It is not that those manes have not that spiritual energy, but it will not be employed to hurt men. It is not that it could not hurt men, but neither does the ruling sage hurt them. When these two do not injuriously affect each other, their good influences converge in the virtue of the Dao. The attribute of humility What makes a great state is its being like a low-lying, down- flowing stream ; - it becomes the centre to which tend all the small states under heaven. To illustrate from the case of all females: - the female always overcomes the male by her stillness. Stillness may be considered a sort of abasement. Thus it is that a great state, by condescending to small states, gains them for itself; and that small states, by abasing themselves to a great state, win it over to them. In the one case the abasement leads to gaining adherents, in the other case to procuring favour. The great state only wishes to unite men together and nourish them; a small state only wishes to be received by, and to serve, the other. Each gets what it desires, but the great state must learn to abase itself. Practising the Dao Dao has of all things the most honoured place. No treasures give good men so rich a grace; Bad men it guards, and doth their ill efface. Its admirable words can purchase honour; its admirable deeds can raise their performer above others. Even men who are not good are not abandoned by it. Therefore when the sovereign occupies his place as the Son of Heaven, and he has appointed his three ducal ministers, though a prince were to send in a round symbol-of-rank large enough to fill both the hands, and that as the precursor of the team of horses in the court-yard , such an offering would not be equal to a lesson of this Dao, which one might present on his knees. Why was it that the ancients prized this Dao so much? Was it not because it could be got by seeking for it, and the guilty could escape from the stain of their guilt by it? This is the reason why all under heaven consider it the most valuable thing. Thinking in the beginning It is the way of the Dao to act without thinking of acting; to conduct affairs without feeling the trouble of them; to taste without discerning any flavour; to consider what is small as great, and a few as many; and to recompense injury with kindness. The master of it anticipates things that are difficult while they are easy, and does things that would become great while they are small. All difficult things in the world are sure to arise from a previous state in which they were easy, and all great things from one in which they were small. Therefore the sage, while he never does what is great, is able on that account to accomplish the greatest things. He who lightly promises is sure to keep but little faith; he who is continually thinking things easy is sure to find them difficult. Therefore the sage sees difficulty even in what seems easy, and so never has any difficulties. Guarding the minute That which is at rest is easily kept hold of; before a thing has given indications of its presence, it is easy to take measures against it; that which is brittle is easily broken; that which is very small is easily dispersed. Action should be taken before a thing has made its appearance; order should be secured before disorder has begun. The tree which fills the arms grew from the tiniest sprout; the tower of nine storeys rose from a small heap of earth; the journey of a thousand li commenced with a single step. He who acts with an ulterior purpose does harm; he who takes hold of a thing in the same way loses his hold. The sage does not act so , and therefore does no harm; he does not lay hold so , and therefore does not lose his bold. But people in their conduct of affairs are constantly ruining them when they are on the eve of success. If they were careful at the end, as they should be at the beginning, they would not so ruin them. Therefore the sage desires what other men do not desire, and does not prize things difficult to get; he learns what other men do not learn, and turns back to what the multitude of men have passed by. Thus he helps the natural development of all things, and does not dare to act with an ulterior purpose of his own. Pure, unmixed excellence The ancients who showed their skill in practising the Dao did so, not to enlighten the people, but rather to make them simple and ignorant. The difficulty in governing the people arises from their having much knowledge. He who tries to govern a state by his wisdom is a scourge to it; while he who does not try to do so is a blessing. He who knows these two things finds in them also his model and rule. Ability to know this model and rule constitutes what we call the mysterious excellence of a governor. Deep and far-reaching is such mysterious excellence, showing indeed its possessor as opposite to others, but leading them to a great conformity to him. Putting one's self last That whereby the rivers and seas are able to receive the homage and tribute of all the valley streams, is their skill in being lower than they; - it is thus that they are the kings of them all. So it is that the sage ruler , wishing to be above men, puts himself by his words below them, and, wishing to be before them, places his person behind them. In this way though he has his place above them, men do not feel his weight, nor though he has his place before them, do they feel it an injury to them. Therefore all in the world delight to exalt him and do not weary of him. Because he does not strive, no one finds it possible to strive with him. Three precious things All the world says that, while my Dao is great, it yet appears to be inferior to other systems of teaching. Now it is just its greatness that makes it seem to be inferior. If it were like any other system , for long would its smallness have been known! But I have three precious things which I prize and hold fast. The first is gentleness; the second is economy; and the third is shrinking from taking precedence of others. With that gentleness I can be bold; with that economy I can be liberal; shrinking from taking precedence of others, I can become a vessel of the highest honour. Now-a-days they give up gentleness and are all for being bold; economy, and are all for being liberal; the hindmost place, and seek only to be foremost; - of all which the end is death. Gentleness is sure to be victorious even in battle, and firmly to maintain its ground. Heaven will save its possessor, by his very gentleness protecting him. Matching heaven He who in Dao's wars has skill Assumes no martial port; He who fights with most good will To rage makes no resort. He who vanquishes yet still Keeps from his foes apart; He whose hests men most fulfil Yet humbly plies his art. Thus we say, 'He never contends, And therein is his might. The use of the mysterious Dao A master of the art of war has said, 'I do not dare to be the host to commence the war ; I prefer to be the guest to act on the defensive. I do not dare to advance an inch; I prefer to retire a foot. There is no calamity greater than lightly engaging in war. To do that is near losing the gentleness which is so precious. Thus it is that when opposing weapons are actually crossed, he who deplores the situation conquers. The difficulty of being rightly known My words are very easy to know, and very easy to practise; but there is no one in the world who is able to know and able to practise them. There is an originating and all-comprehending principle in my words, and an authoritative law for the things which I enforce. It is because they do not know these, that men do not know me. They who know me are few, and I am on that account the more to be prized. It is thus that the sage wears a poor garb of hair cloth, while he carries his signet of jade in his bosom. The disease of knowing To know and yet think we do not know is the highest attainment ; not to know and yet think we do know is a disease. It is simply by being pained at the thought of having this disease that we are preserved from it. The sage has not the disease. He knows the pain that would be inseparable from it, and therefore he does not have it. Loving one's self When the people do not fear what they ought to fear, that which is their great dread will come on them. Let them not thoughtlessly indulge themselves in their ordinary life; let them not act as if weary of what that life depends on. It is by avoiding such indulgence that such weariness does not arise. Therefore the sage knows these things of himself, but does not parade his knowledge ; loves, but does not appear to set a value on, himself. And thus he puts the latter alternative away and makes choice of the former. Allowing men to take their course He whose boldness appears in his daring to do wrong, in defiance of the laws is put to death; he whose boldness appears in his not daring to do so lives on. Of these two cases the one appears to be advantageous, and the other to be injurious. But When Heaven's anger smites a man, Who the cause shall truly scan? On this account the sage feels a difficulty as to what to do in the former case. It is the way of Heaven not to strive, and yet it skilfully overcomes; not to speak, and yet it is skilful in obtaining a reply ; does not call, and yet men come to it of themselves. Its demonstrations are quiet, and yet its plans are skilful and effective. The meshes of the net of Heaven are large; far apart, but letting nothing escape. Restraining delusion The people do not fear death; to what purpose is it to try to frighten them with death? If the people were always in awe of death, and I could always seize those who do wrong, and put them to death, who would dare to do wrong? There is always One who presides over the infliction death. He who would inflict death in the room of him who so presides over it may be described as hewing wood instead of a great carpenter. Seldom is it that he who undertakes the hewing, instead of the great carpenter, does not cut his own hands! How greediness injures The people suffer from famine because of the multitude of taxes consumed by their superiors. It is through this that they suffer famine. The people are difficult to govern because of the excessive agency of their superiors in governing them. It is through this that they are difficult to govern. The people make light of dying because of the greatness of their labours in seeking for the means of living. It is this which makes them think light of dying. Thus it is that to leave the subject of living altogether out of view is better than to set a high value on it. A warning against trusting in strength Man at his birth is supple and weak; at his death, firm and strong. So it is with all things. Trees and plants, in their early growth, are soft and brittle; at their death, dry and withered. Thus it is that firmness and strength are the concomitants of death; softness and weakness, the concomitants of life. Hence he who relies on the strength of his forces does not conquer; and a tree which is strong will fill the out-stretched arms, and thereby invites the feller. Therefore the place of what is firm and strong is below, and that of what is soft and weak is above. The way of heaven May not the Way or Dao of Heaven be compared to the method of bending a bow? The part of the bow which was high is brought low, and what was low is raised up. So Heaven diminishes where there is superabundance, and supplements where there is deficiency. It is the Way of Heaven to diminish superabundance, and to supplement deficiency. It is not so with the way of man. He takes away from those who have not enough to add to his own superabundance. Who can take his own superabundance and therewith serve all under heaven? Only he who is in possession of the Dao! Therefore the ruling sage acts without claiming the results as his; he achieves his merit and does not rest arrogantly in it: - he does not wish to display his superiority. Things to be believed There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water, and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong there is nothing that can take precedence of it; - for there is nothing so effectual for which it can be changed. Every one in the world knows that the soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the strong, but no one is able to carry it out in practice. Therefore a sage has said, 'He who accepts his state's reproach, Is hailed therefore its altars' lord; To him who bears men's direful woes They all the name of King accord. Adherence to bond or covenant When a reconciliation is effected between two parties after a great animosity, there is sure to be a grudge remaining in the mind of the one who was wrong. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more. Edmund Ryden teaches at Fujen University in Taiwan. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Academic Skip to main content. Search Start Search. Choose your country or region Close. Dear Customer, As a global organization, we, like many others, recognize the significant threat posed by the coronavirus. Please contact our Customer Service Team if you have any questions. To purchase, visit your preferred ebook provider. Overview Description Author Information. Daodejing Laozi Translated by Edmund Ryden and Introduction by Benjamin Penny Oxford World's Classics The Daodejing is the founding text of Daoism, and a fundamental Chinese text that combines philosophy and religion to promote harmony in life for the individual and for society as a whole. This new translation is sensitive to both the meaning and the poetry of the original, and draws upon the recent archaeological discoveries at Mawangdui and Guodian for a better understanding of the classical text. The translation preserves the original cultural context in which practical politics, warfare, and mysticism formed a coherent whole. Benjamin Penny's fine Introduction explains the work's importance, examines its textual history, origins, and authorship, its style and meaning and commentarial tradition, and the reasons for its continuing popularity. Also of Interest. Lucian C. Selected Poetry Alexander Pope. Laozi (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Academic Skip to main content. Search Start Search. Choose your country or region Close. Dear Customer, As a global organization, we, like many others, recognize the significant threat posed by the coronavirus. Please contact our Customer Service Team if you have any questions. To purchase, visit your preferred ebook provider. Overview Description Author Information. Daodejing Laozi Translated by Edmund Ryden and Introduction by Benjamin Penny Oxford World's Classics The Daodejing is the founding text of Daoism, and a fundamental Chinese text that combines philosophy and religion to promote harmony in life for the individual and for society as a whole. This new translation is sensitive to both the meaning and the poetry of the original, and draws upon the recent archaeological discoveries at Mawangdui and Guodian for a better understanding of the classical text. The translation preserves the original cultural context in which practical politics, warfare, and mysticism formed a coherent whole. Benjamin Penny's fine Introduction explains the work's importance, examines its textual history, origins, and authorship, its style and meaning and commentarial tradition, and the reasons for its continuing popularity. Also of Interest. Lucian C. Selected Poetry Alexander Pope. Mors Britannica Douglas J. Brown Brown. The Truth Within Gavin Flood. Twilight of the Saints James Grehan. The Dao De Jing consists of 81 chapters. It can be read from the first to the last chapter as a typical book but it is ot necessary to do so. In any event, true understanding will require multiple readings. For this reason, in addition to the Next and Previous page buttons we have provided a Random button which will take you to a randomly chapter. The complete text of the Dao De Jing is presented here side-by-side with three different translations. Translation is an inherently difficult task not just because of the difficulty of translating words without exact equivalents but also because translators tend to overlay their own religious and social contexts on the translated work.

Summary of Laozi's Daodejing (core 33 Chapters)

The elder sage complied, descended from his donkey and proceeded to write the entirety of the Dao De Jing in one sitting. When finished, and without a backward glance, Laozi departed through the gate, never to be seen again. Though modern scholars have contested this story and even the very existence of Laozi , the text attributed to him remains one of the most renowned of Chinese philosophical writings. Throughout Chinese history, the Dao De Jing has received constant commentarial attention, and it has been continually translated since the earliest Western contact. For many scholars, the Dao De Jing —rather than being the product of a single sagely author—is a gradual accretion of centuries of wisdom; it is a compendium of epigrams forwarding a particularly mystical or at least contemplative worldview. This point of view is supported by a number of historical facts including the paucity of historical evidence for the existence of Laozi , the failure of supposedly contemporaneous documents to mention the text especially the Zhuangzi , and the presence of multiple editorial hands visible in the work attested to by repetition, confusing passages and other textual problems that should not have arisen if the text was written by a single author. For these scholars, the Dao De Jing is a text whose final redaction likely occurred in the middle of the third century B. In terms of style, the Dao De Jing is a set of concise, cryptic aphorisms. The difficulties inherent in apprehending the meaning behind these statements are only deepened by evident textual problems and incoherencies often arising from transmission errors. While this find proved the existence of some significant errors in the then-most-current Wang Bi edition of the text, further problematic passages within those texts have caused experts to theorize that, even at this point, some textual corruption had occurred. As a result of these issues, Chinese thinkers have often resorted to commentaries for explicating these difficult passages Graham Such difficulties are exacerbated when attempting to translate the text from its original idiom, as classical Chinese is a language that is noted for its ability to traffic in fruitful ambiguities Rosemont For an example of these translation difficulties, one can turn to Michael LaFargue and Julian Pas , :. Though their text contains numerous other examples, the above is sufficient to indicate the difficulties that the style of the text creates, even for the most careful translator. The first major philosophical achievement of the Dao De Jing is the elucidation of the concept of Dao. It was not until the Dao De Jing and the Zhuangzi that the notion was extended into its modern, cosmological form. Though this statement perhaps implies too great a philosophical systematicity drawing, as it seems to, from the Wang Bi commentary , it does summarize two trends within the Dao De Jing's cosmological depiction of the Dao. One of the clearest depictions of this unique conception is found in chapter This operational depiction of Dao can also be seen in the most common metaphors used to describe it—namely, water which effortlessly finds the lowest ground see TTC 8, 28 and uncarved wood which simply is as it is TTC This mode of action—acting without desire, in the most natural way possible—is called wu-wei. Numerous passages in the text develop the idea that this is, in fact, the way that the manner in which the Dao acts in the world TTC Developing these two notions of Dao as cosmological originator and as worldly operational principle is one of the elements of creative genius visible in the text. The second is its attempt to then unite this cosmological and metaphysical understanding with a practicable system of behavioral ethics. In a more explicit manner, the text states:. The above passage, in addition to advocating behavioral wu-wei , also seems to be addressing a ruler. This theme is developed more explicitly in the context of proper governance. For example, chapter 17 suggests that:. Why has such a small text commanded such a place of primacy in history of world religions and philosophy? It seems that part of the appeal of the text is derived from its succinctness. While it does not investigate the variety of philosophical issues tackled in the Zhuangzi , the Dao De Jing instead focuses with razor- like precision upon two related themes: the development a unique cosmology focusing on the relationship between the Dao and the world , and the explication of an ethic of virtuous, non-attached action wu-wei corresponding to that cosmological understanding. Man follows the ways of the Earth. Earth follows the way of Heaven. Heaven follows the way of Tao. And Tao follows its own ways. It stands alone and empty, solitary and unchanging. It is ever present and secure. It may be regarded as the Mother of the universe. Because I do not know its name, I call it the Tao. If forced to give it a name, I would call it 'Great'. Because it is Great means it is everywhere. Being everywhere means it is eternal. Being eternal means everything returns to it. Tao is great. Humanity is great. Within the universe, these are the four great things. Humanity follows the earth. Earth follows Heaven. The Tao follows only itself. McDonald , , Chapter One may think of it as the mother of all things under heaven. Its true name we do not know; Were I forced to say to what class of things it belongs I should call it Great ta Now ta also means passing on, And passing on means going Far Away, And going far away means returning. The ways of men are conditioned by those of earth. The ways of earth, by those of heaven. The ways of heaven by those of Tao, and the ways of Tao by the Self-so. Silent and void, it is not renewed, It goes on forever without failing It can be seen as the World-Mother. So I have to call it the Way. Being great implies a distancing Distancing implies being far-off, Being far-off implies returning. So the Way is great: heaven is great: Earth is great: the ruler is great. Within the realm four things are great, And the ruler is one. The ruler reflects the earth Earth reflects the heavens The heavens reflect the Way The Way reflects what is. Kline , , Chapter Abiding alone and changing not! Extending everywhere without risk. It may be styled he world-mother. I do not know its name, but characterize it Tao. Arbitrarily forcing a name upon it I call it the Great. Great, it may be said to be transitory. Transitory, it become remote. Remote, it returns. The Tao, then, is great; Heaven is great; Earth is Great; a king is also great. In space there are four that are great, and the king dwells there as one of them. Man standard is the earth. Earth standard is the Heaven. Heaven standard is the Tao. The Tao standard is spontaneity. Spurgeon Medhurst , , Chapter There is Being that is all-inclusive and that existed before Heaven and Earth. Calm, indeed, and incorporeal! It is alone and changeless! Everywhere it functions unhindered. I do not know its nature; if I try to characterize it, I will call it Tao. If forced to give it a name, I will call it the Great. The Great is evasive, the evasive is the distant, the distant is ever coming near. Tao is Great. So is Heaven great, and so is Earth and so also is the representative of Heaven and Earth. Man is derived from nature, nature is derived from Heaven, Heaven is derived from Tao. Tao is self-derived. It was serene, it was fathomless. It was self-existent, it was homogeneous. It was omnipresent, nor suffered any limitation. It is to be regarded as the universal mother. I do not know its name, but I call it Tao. If forced to qualify it, I call it the boundless. Being boundless, I call it the inconceivable. Being inscrutable, I call it the inaccessible. Being inaccessible, I call it the omnipresent. Tao is supreme, Heaven is supreme, Earth is supreme, the King is supreme. There are in the universe four kinds of supremacy, and their rulership is one. Silent and still, It stands by itself and never changes - All-pervading and never in danger. One may regard it as the mother of Heaven and Earth. I don't know its proper name; I address it as Tao. Were I forced to name it, I would call it Great. In the universe there are four greats. King is one of them. It stands alone, unchanging! All-pervading, inexhaustible! One may think of it as the Mother of the Universe. If I classify it, I call it Supreme. Supreme means ever in flow; Ever in flow means going far away; Going far away means returning to the source. A ruler of men may also be supreme. There are four things that are supreme, and a ruler of men is one of them. Man follows the standards of the Earth; The Earth follows the standards of Heaven; Heaven follows the standards of the Tao. The Tao follows its own standard. The Tao of Zen by Ray Grigg. It is calm! It is formless! It stands alone and changes not! Reaching everywhere and inexhaustible, It may be regarded as Mother of the Universe. For a title we call it the Tao. If forced to give it a name we call it the Great. Great, we call it the Flowing, Flowing we call it distant, Distant, we call it Coming again. In the Universe four are Great, And the Ruler is one of them. Man finds his law in the Earth. Silent and solitary, it stands alone, unchanging. It goes around without peril. It may be the Mother of the world. Not knowing its name, I can only style it Tao. With reluctance, I would call it Great. Great means out-going. Out-going means far-reaching. Far- reaching means returning. Therefore, Tao is great. The king is great. In the universe, there are four great things, and the king is one of them. Man abides by earth, Earth abides by heaven, Heaven abides by Tao, Tao abides by nature. Lin , Chapter It is tranquil. Eternally present. It is the mother of everything. I don't know its name. Hence, when forced to name it, I call it "Tao. When attempting to categorize it, I call it "great. And being limitless it returns to the origin of all things. The Tao is great. The universe is great. Man is great. These are the four great powers. Man follows the laws of the earth. Earth follows the laws of the universe. The universe follows the laws of the Tao. The law of the Tao is in being what it is. Which was before existed Heaven and Earth,. Of all the mighty universe concealed. Within the Motherhood not yet revealed. I do not know its name; the Way; the Course;. The Tao, I call it; if constrained to make. A name, I call it furthermore The Great! And Great, it passes onward and away,. Tis afar, and from afar returning flows,. The ebb of that great tide which sourceless rose. Now then the Tao is great, and Heaven is great,. And Earth is great, and greatness is of Kings;. Within the world the greatnesses are four,. And one is he who rules over men and things;. Man takes his law from Earth; from Heaven this:. Heaven from the Tao; the Tao from what it is. Silent and limitless, it stands alone and does not change. Reaching everywhere, it does not tire. Perhaps it is the Mother of all things under heaven. I do not know its name so I call it "Tao. When I have to describe it I call it "great. It flows far away. Having gone far away, it returns. Therefore, the Tao is great. People are also great. Thus, people constitute one of the four great things of the universe. People conform to the earth. The earth conforms to heaven. Heaven conforms to the Tao. The Tao conforms to its own nature. Bevor der Himmel und die Erde waren, ist es schon da, so still, so einsam. Ich bezeichne es als Sinn. Der Mensch richtet sich nach der Erde. Die Erde richtet sich nach dem Himmel. Der Sinn richtet sich nach sich selber. Formless, motionless, It stands alone, forever, it does not change, It exists in every place, it never tires. It can be called "Mother of the universe," Because I don't know its name. If I am compelled to call it by a name, I will call it Tao, "all-embracing. Therefore Tao is "all-embracing," Heaven is "all-embracing," Earth is "all-embracing," Man is "all-embracing. Man adheres to the laws of earth, Earth adheres to the laws of heaven, Heaven adheres to the laws of Tao, Tao adheres to the laws of its nature. Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices. Lifestyle Advice from Wise Persons. There is a thing-kind made up of a mix. It emerges before the cosmos. Self grounded and unchanging. Permeating all processes without extremity. We can deem it the mother of the social world. When put in characters we say dao. Forced to deem it as named, we say 'great. Within a region are four 'greats. Humans treat earth as a standard. Earth treats constant nature as a standard. Constant nature treats dao as a standard. Dao treats being so of itself as a standard. How tranquil, how void it is; it stands alone and changes not, it permeates universally and never tires. It may be regarded as the mother of All-under-heaven. Its proper name I know not, but I call it by the by-name "Way", and, to the best of my ability, inventing a term for it, I should call it "great". Thus: the Way is great, heaven is great, earth is great and the king is great. There are in the world four great ones and the king is one thereof. The king patterns himself on earth, earth patterns itself on heaven, heaven patterns itself on the Way, and the Way patterns itself on the Natural. Duyvendak , , Chapter Pervading all things without limit. It is like the mother of all things under heaven, But I don't know its name - Better call it Tao. Better call it great. Great means passing on. Passing on means going far. Going far means returning. Therefore Tao is great, And heaven, And earth, And humans. Four great things in the world. Aren't humans one of them? Humans follow earth Earth follows heaven Heaven follows Tao. Tao follows its own nature. Il subsiste seul et ne change point. Moi, je ne sais pas son nom. Pour lui donner un titre, je l'appelle Voie Tao. De grand, je l'appelle fugace. C'est pourquoi le Tao est grand, le ciel est grand, la terre est grande, le roi aussi est grand. Dans le monde, il y a quatre grandes choses, et le roi en est une. L'homme imite la terre; la terre imite le ciel, le ciel imite le Tao; le Tao imite sa nature. Tao Te Ching - Wikisource. Si me esfuerzo en darle otro nombre lo llamo grande Es grande porque se extiende. El Tao, pues, es grande y el Cielo es grande. En el Universo hay cuatro cosas grandes, y el Hombre es una de ellas. El Hombre fluye de la Tierra. La Tierra fluye del Cielo. El Cielo fluye del Tao. El Tao fluye por si mismo. Yo no conozco su nombre, la denomino dao. Lo grande se desplaza constantemente, el desplazarse constantemente es alejarse sin cesar, alejarse sin cesar es regresar al punto de partida. En el Estado hay cuatro grandes, uno de ellos es el soberano. Tranquilo y aislado, solitario y sin cambios. Girando perpetuamente, sin peligros, como madre de todas las cosas. Desconozco su nombre y lo llamo Tao. Para poder nombrarlo lo Ilamo grande. En movimiento, significa que tiene largo alcance, y si va lejos vuelve al lugar de origen. Por lo tanto: El Tao es grande. El cielo es grande. La tierra es grande. El rey es grande. La ley del hombre es la tierra. La ley de la tierra es el cielo. La ley del cielo es el Tao. Se encuentra en todas partes y es inagotable. Puede que sea la Madre del universo. Si me esfuerzo en nombrarlo lo llamo grande. Es grande porque se extiende. El Tao, pues, es grande y el cielo es grande. En el universo hay cuatro cosas grandes, y el hombre del reino es una de ellas. El hombre sigue la ley de la tierra. La tierra sigue la ley del cielo.

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