Tao Te Ching

Chapter 1 道可道，非常道。(The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao.) Chapter 2 天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已。(When all under heaven know beauty as beauty, ugliness is alread... Chapter 3 不尚贤，使民不争；(Do not exalt the worthy, so that the people will not compete.) Chapter 4 道冲，而用之或不盈。(The Tao is empty like a vessel, yet its use is inexhaustible.) Chapter 5 天地不仁，以万物为刍狗；(Heaven and earth are without partiality — they treat all things ... Chapter 6 谷神不死，是谓玄牝。(The Spirit of the Valley never dies; this is called the Mysterious... Chapter 7 天长地久。(Heaven endures and Earth is everlasting.) Chapter 8 上善若水。(The highest goodness is like water.) Chapter 9 持而盈之，不如其已；(To hold and fill to the brim is not as good as stopping in time.) Chapter 10 载营魄抱一，能无离乎？(Can you hold the soul and embrace unity without letting them sepa... Chapter 11 三十辐，共一毂，当其无，有车之用。(Thirty spokes converge upon a single hub; it is the emptine... Chapter 12 五色令人目盲；(The five colors blind the eyes.) Chapter 13 宠辱若惊，贵大患若身。(Favor and disgrace are alike alarming; value great trouble as you... Chapter 14 视之不见，名曰夷；(Look at it and it cannot be seen — it is called Yi.) Chapter 15 古之善为士者，微妙玄通，深不可识。(The adept practitioners of the Tao in ancient times were su... Chapter 16 致虚极，守静笃。(Attain the utmost emptiness; hold firm to stillness.) Chapter 17 太上，下知有之；(The supreme [ruler], the people below merely know that he exists.) Chapter 18 大道废，有仁义；(When the great Tao is abandoned, benevolence and righteousness appear;) Chapter 19 绝圣弃智，民利百倍；(Abandon sagacity and discard cleverness, and the people will benef... Chapter 20 绝学无忧，唯之与阿，相去几何？(Abandon learning and you will be free from worry. How far apa... Chapter 21 孔德之容，唯道是从。(The manifestation of great Virtue follows only the Tao.) Chapter 22 曲则全，枉则直，洼则盈，弊则新，少则得，多则惑。(The bent is preserved whole; the crooked becomes str... Chapter 23 希言自然，故飘风不终朝，骤雨不终日。(Sparse words accord with nature; thus, a whirlwind does no... Chapter 24 企者不立；(He who stands on tiptoe cannot stand firm.) Chapter 25 有物混成，先天地生。(There was something formed in chaos, born before Heaven and Earth.) Chapter 26 重为轻根，静为躁君。(The heavy is the root of the light; the still is the master of the... Chapter 27 善行无辙迹，(One who is skilled at traveling leaves no ruts or tracks.) Chapter 28 知其雄，守其雌，为天下溪。(Know the masculine, hold to the feminine, and become the ravine... Chapter 29 将欲取天下而为之，吾见其不得已。(One who wishes to seize all under Heaven and act upon it — I... Chapter 30 以道佐人主者，不以兵强天下。(One who assists the ruler with the Tao does not use military f... Chapter 31 夫佳兵者，不祥之器，物或恶之，故有道者不处。(Fine weapons are instruments of ill omen; all creature... Chapter 32 道常无名。(The Tao is eternally nameless.) Chapter 33 知人者智，自知者明。(One who knows others is clever; one who knows oneself is truly enl... Chapter 34 大道泛兮，其可左右。(The great Tao flows everywhere; it can go left or right.) Chapter 35 执大象，天下往。(Hold fast to the Great Image, and all under Heaven will come.) Chapter 36 将欲歙之，必固张之；(If one wishes to contract something, one must first allow it to ex... Chapter 37 道常无为而无不为。(The Tao is constantly non-acting, yet nothing is left undone.) Chapter 38 上德不德，是以有德；(The highest Virtue/Te does not [cling to] virtue, and therefore tr... Chapter 39 昔之得一者：(Those that obtained the One in ancient times:) Chapter 40 反者道之动；(Reversal is the movement of the Tao.) Chapter 41 上士闻道，勤而行之；(When a superior person hears the Tao, he diligently practices it;) Chapter 42 道生一，一生二，二生三，三生万物。(The Tao produces the One; the One produces the Two; the Two... Chapter 43 天下之至柔，驰骋天下之至坚。(The softest thing in the world gallops through the hardest thi... Chapter 44 名与身孰亲？(Between fame and one's own self, which is dearer?) Chapter 45 大成若缺，其用不弊。(The greatest perfection seems flawed, yet its function never fails.) Chapter 46 天下有道，却走马以粪。(When the Tao prevails in the world, war horses are retired to fer... Chapter 47 不出户，知天下；不窥牖，见天道。(Without stepping out the door, one knows all under heaven; w... Chapter 48 为学日益，为道日损。(In the pursuit of learning, one gains daily; in the pursuit of the... Chapter 49 圣人无常心，以百姓心为心。(The Sage has no fixed mind of his own; he takes the mind of the... Chapter 50 出生入死。(Coming forth is life; entering in is death.) Chapter 51 道生之，德畜之，物形之，势成之。(The Tao gives birth to them, Virtue nurtures them, matter gi... Chapter 52 天下有始，以为天下母。(All under heaven has a beginning, which may be regarded as the mo... Chapter 53 使我介然有知，行于大道，唯施是畏。(If I have even the slightest knowledge, walking upon the gr... Chapter 54 善建者不拔，善抱者不脱，子孙以祭祀不辍。(What is well established cannot be uprooted; what is wel... Chapter 55 含德之厚，比于赤子。(One who embodies Virtue in its fullness may be compared to a newbo... Chapter 56 知者不言，言者不知。(Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.) Chapter 57 以正治国，以奇用兵，以无事取天下。(Govern the state with rectitude, deploy the military with s... Chapter 58 其政闷闷，其民淳淳；其政察察，其民缺缺。(When governance is dull and unobtrusive, the people are ... Chapter 59 治人事天莫若啬。(In governing people and serving Heaven, nothing compares to frugality.) Chapter 60 治大国若烹小鲜。(Governing a great state is like cooking a small fish.) Chapter 61 大国者下流，天下之交。(A great state is like the lower course of a river — the confluenc... Chapter 62 道者万物之奥。(The Tao is the sanctuary of all things.) Chapter 63 为无为，事无事，味无味。(Act through non-action, manage affairs through non-interference,... Chapter 64 其安易持，其未兆易谋。(What is at rest is easy to hold; what has not yet shown signs is ... Chapter 65 古之善为道者，非以明民，将以愚之。(Those in antiquity who excelled at practicing the Tao did n... Chapter 66 江海所以能为百谷王者，以其善下之，故能为百谷王。(The rivers and seas can be kings of all mountain str... Chapter 67 天下皆谓我道大，似不肖。(All under heaven say my Tao is great, yet it seems to resemble n... Chapter 68 善为士者，不武；(One who excels as a warrior does not display martial force.) Chapter 69 用兵有言：吾不敢为主，而为客；不敢进寸，而退尺。(In the use of arms there is a saying: I dare not act... Chapter 70 吾言甚易知，甚易行。天下莫能知，莫能行。(My words are very easy to understand and very easy to pr... Chapter 71 知不知，上；不知知，病。(To know that one does not know is best; to not know yet think on... Chapter 72 民不畏威，则大威至。(When the people do not fear authority, then great calamity arrives.) Chapter 73 勇于敢则杀，勇于不敢则活。(Courage in daring leads to death; courage in not daring leads t... Chapter 74 民不畏死，奈何以死惧之？(When the people do not fear death, what use is it to threaten th... Chapter 75 民之饥，以其上食税之多，是以饥。(The people starve because their rulers consume too much in t... Chapter 76 人之生也柔弱，其死也坚强。(When people are alive, they are soft and supple; when they are ... Chapter 77 天之道，其犹张弓与？(The Way of Heaven — is it not like the drawing of a bow?) Chapter 78 天下莫柔弱于水，而攻坚强者莫之能胜，其无以易之。(Nothing in the world is softer and weaker than water... Chapter 79 和大怨，必有馀怨；(When one tries to reconcile a great grievance, there will surely be... Chapter 80 小国寡民。(A small state with few people.) Chapter 81 信言不美，美言不信。(Truthful words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not truthful.)