Tao Te Ching Chapter 35: The Complete Commentary
The following content provides multi-perspective in-depth analysis of each sentence in this chapter,
covering traditional commentaries, philological analysis, philosophical interpretation, and other dimensions.
Base text: Wang Bi's Commentary on the Daode Zhenjing, Zhengtong Daozang edition
Each interpretation's "Combination" label follows the format "character + meaning index" (e.g., "道C-可A"),
indicating this interpretation uses meaning C of "道" and meaning A of "可".
See the full glossary at the end of this chapter: [Appendix: Key Character Glossary].
[Sentence 1] 执大象，天下往。(Hold fast to the Great Image, and all under Heaven will come.)
Chapter 35 · Sentence 1: 执大象，天下往。
Combination: 执A-大A-象A-往A
Translation: Hold fast to the Great Image of the Tao (道), and all under Heaven will come to submit.
Analysis: The most mainstream interpretation. "Great Image" (大象) refers to the image of the Tao—the formless, shapeless great Way that encompasses all things. When the Sage (圣人) grasps the essence of the Tao, all people under Heaven naturally submit. Wang Bi's commentary: "执大象则天下往，往而不害则太平" ("Hold fast to the Great Image and all under Heaven will come; when they come without being harmed, there is great peace"). Heshanggong's commentary: "象，道也。圣人守大道，则天下万民皆移心归往之也" ("Image means the Tao. When the Sage upholds the great Way, all people under Heaven shift their hearts and turn toward him").
Similar views: Wang Bi: "执大象则天下往" ("Hold fast to the Great Image and all under Heaven will come"). Heshanggong: "象，道也" ("Image means the Tao").
Chapter 35 · Sentence 1: 执大象，天下往。
Combination: 执B-大A-象B-往B
Translation: Implement the great principle, and all under Heaven will aspire toward it.
Analysis: Here "执" takes the meaning of "implement" and "象" takes the meaning of "principle/model." This interpretation understands "Great Image" (大象) as the grand governing principle—by following the governing principles of the Tao (道), the people of all under Heaven naturally aspire toward it. This reading emphasizes the perspective of political governance.
Similar views: Resonates with Laozi's thought on governing the state.
[Sentence 2] 往而不害，安平太。(They come without being harmed—peace, equity, and great harmony prevail.)
Chapter 35 · Sentence 2: 往而不害，安平太。
Combination: 往A-不A-害A-安A-平A-太A
Translation: They submit without being harmed, and all under Heaven enjoys security, peace, and great harmony.
Analysis: The most mainstream interpretation. Those who submit to the one who upholds the great Tao (道) will not suffer any harm, and thus the world becomes peaceful. The three characters "安平太" form a progression: security → peace → supreme harmony, depicting the ideal vision of the Great Unity. Wang Bi's commentary: "往而不害则太平" ("When they come without being harmed, there is great peace").
Similar views: Wang Bi: "往而不害则太平" ("When they come without being harmed, there is great peace").
Chapter 35 · Sentence 2: 往而不害，安平太。
Combination: 往A-不A-害B-安A-平A-太B
Translation: They submit and there is no detriment; the world becomes exceedingly peaceful and secure.
Analysis: Here "害" takes the meaning of "detriment" and "太" takes the meaning of "exceedingly." This reading separates the three characters: security and peace reach their greatest extent.
Similar views: A supplementary interpretation offered by some commentators.
[Sentence 3] 乐与饵，过客止。(Music and fine food make the passing traveler stop.)
Chapter 35 · Sentence 3: 乐与饵，过客止。
Combination: 乐A-与A-饵A-过A-客A-止A
Translation: Music and fine food can make the passing traveler stop in his tracks.
Analysis: This contrasts with the "Great Image" (大象) of the preceding passage. Music and fine food are tangible, perceptible pleasures that can attract a passing traveler to pause briefly—but only temporarily. The Tao (道), by contrast, is formless and flavorless, yet it causes all under Heaven to submit permanently. This sentence lays the groundwork for what follows.
Similar views: Heshanggong: "人能乐道，过客不止也" ("If one can take joy in the Tao, the passing traveler does not merely stop")—an argument by inversion.
Chapter 35 · Sentence 3: 乐与饵，过客止。
Combination: 乐B-与A-饵B-过A-客A-止A
Translation: Pleasures and enticements make the passing traveler stop.
Analysis: Here "乐" takes the meaning of "pleasure/enjoyment" and "饵" takes the meaning of "enticement/bait." Worldly pleasures and material enticements can only make a passing traveler pause briefly; they cannot truly win hearts. This stands in sharp contrast to the "Great Image" (大象)—the Tao (道), though bland and unremarkable, can command lasting submission from all under Heaven.
Similar views: Highlights the connotation of enticement in "饵."
[Sentence 4] 道之出口，淡乎其无味，(The Tao, when spoken of, is so bland—it has no flavor.)
Chapter 35 · Sentence 4: 道之出口，淡乎其无味，
Combination: 道A-出A-口A-淡A-无A-味A
Translation: When the Tao (道) is spoken of, it is so bland—it has no flavor at all.
Analysis: The most mainstream interpretation. When spoken of, the Tao (道) is not pleasing to the ear like music, nor appetizing like fine food—it is bland and tasteless. Precisely because it is flavorless, it does not merely attract passing travelers to pause briefly as music and food do. The great Tao (道) is utterly simple and plain, yet it is the most enduring power.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "道之言，淡然无味" ("The words of the Tao are bland and without flavor"). Heshanggong: "道当出口言说，淡泊无味也" ("When the Tao is spoken of through the mouth, it is placid and without flavor").
[Sentence 5] 视之不足见，听之不足闻，用之不足既。(Look at it—it cannot be fully seen; listen to it—it cannot be fully heard; use it—it can never be exhausted.)
Chapter 35 · Sentence 5: 视之不足见，听之不足闻，用之不足既。
Combination: 不足A-不足A-不足A-既A
Translation: Look at it—you cannot see enough of it; listen to it—you cannot hear enough of it; use it—it can never be used up.
Analysis: The most mainstream interpretation. Although the Tao (道) is flavorless, it is inexhaustible to the eye, endless to the ear, and limitless in its application. The preceding passage states that the Tao (道) is "so bland as to have no flavor"—that is its character when contrasted with music and fine food; this sentence then pivots—though the Tao (道) does not stimulate the senses, the content and utility it contains are boundless. Heshanggong's commentary: "用道治国治身则不可得尽也" ("If one uses the Tao to govern the state and cultivate the self, it can never be exhausted").
Similar views: Heshanggong: "用道治国治身则不可得尽也" ("If one uses the Tao to govern the state and cultivate the self, it can never be exhausted").
Chapter 35 · Sentence 5: 视之不足见，听之不足闻，用之不足既。
Combination: 不足B-不足B-不足A-既B
Translation: Look at it—it is hardly worth seeing; listen to it—it is hardly worth hearing; yet use it—and it can never be finished.
Analysis: Here "不足" takes the meaning of "not worth" (in the first two clauses), but in the final clause "用之不足既," "不足" takes the meaning of "not enough/cannot." This reading is remarkably clever: the Tao (道) is not worth noticing to the senses—it is faint, colorless, and soundless—yet those who put it to use discover its value is inexhaustible. Precisely because it does not stimulate the senses, the world overlooks it—yet those who apply it know its power is infinite.
Similar views: Forms a progression with "道之出口淡乎其无味" ("the Tao, when spoken of, is so bland as to have no flavor").
Chapter Summary
This chapter contains 9 interpretation combinations.
[Core Divergences]
- The meaning of "Great Image" (大象): symbol/image of the Tao (道) (mainstream meaning) vs. the holistic manifestation of the Tao (ontological meaning) vs. the formless Great Image (echoing "大音希声，大象无形"—"the greatest sound is barely heard, the greatest image has no form") → determines whether "holding fast to the Great Image" means maintaining the body of the Tao or grasping its mode of operation.
- The logical relationship in "往而不害，安平太": those who submit to the Tao are not harmed and thus the world is at peace (condition → result) vs. the Tao (道) itself does not harm the myriad things and thus the myriad things are at peace (nature of the Tao) → the former emphasizes human choice, the latter emphasizes the character of the Tao.
- The implications of "乐与饵，过客止": music and fine food can make the passing traveler stop (the tangible allure of worldly pleasures) vs. ritual music and sacrifice (cultural institutions) can attract submission → the former is a sensory analogy, the latter is a critique of ritual-music institutions.
- The meaning of "出口" in "道之出口，淡乎其无味": when the Tao is spoken of (the Tao manifested through language) vs. the outward expression/emanation of the Tao (the Tao manifested in the world) → the former is philosophy of language, the latter is ontology, affecting how deeply one understands "淡乎其无味."
- The meaning of "既" in "用之不足既": exhaustion (mainstream meaning, inexhaustible) vs. termination (meaning of infinity without beginning or end) → both meanings work, both pointing toward the infinity of the Tao.
Chapter Thirty-Five opens with "执大象，天下往" ("Hold fast to the Great Image, and all under Heaven will come"), expounding the unique and profound power of attraction inherent in the great Tao (道). The "Great Image" (大象) is the grand form of the Tao—a form of the formless, an image of the imageless, the most fundamental operating pattern of the cosmos. One who upholds the great Tao (道) naturally draws the submission of all under Heaven, and those who submit suffer no harm; thus the world enjoys peace, equity, and supreme harmony. Laozi then employs contrast to reveal the fundamental difference between the Tao and worldly enticements: music and fine food can make the passing traveler pause—the attraction of the senses is tangible and fleeting; but the Tao, when spoken of, is "so bland as to have no flavor," and "look at it—it cannot be fully seen; listen to it—it cannot be fully heard"—the Tao (道) is formless, soundless, and tasteless, yet "use it—it can never be exhausted," for it will never run dry. This is Laozi's comparison of two kinds of power—"the power of the tangible" and "the way of the formless": the former attracts through sensory stimulation, its force limited; the latter nourishes the myriad things through its soundless, colorless essence, its force boundless. This chapter holds a special place in the Tao Te Ching; it is one of Laozi's rare passages that positively describes the compelling power of the Tao.
Appendix: Key Character Glossary
【执】
A. [v.] To hold, grasp, uphold
Source: Shuowen Jiezi: "执，捕罪人也" ("执 means to capture a criminal"). Extended to mean hold and maintain.
B. [v.] To implement, carry out
Source: Extended meaning
【大】
A. [adj.] Great, grand
Source: Basic meaning
【象】
A. [n.] Image, form (here referring to the image of the Tao)
Source: Heshanggong's commentary: "象，道也" ("Image means the Tao").
B. [n.] Model, pattern, principle
Source: Yijing: "在天成象" ("In Heaven it becomes an image").
【天】
A. [n.] Heaven
Source: Basic meaning
【下】
A. [n.] Under; "all under Heaven"
Source: Combined with "天" to form "天下" (all under Heaven)
【往】
A. [v.] To go toward, to submit
Source: Basic meaning
B. [v.] To tend toward, to aspire
Source: Extended meaning
【而】
A. [conj.] And, yet
Source: Conjunction
【不】
A. [adv.] Not
Source: Basic meaning
【害】
A. [v.] To harm, to injure
Source: Basic meaning
B. [n.] Harm, detriment
Source: Extended meaning
【安】
A. [adj.] Secure, tranquil
Source: Basic meaning
【平】
A. [adj.] Peaceful, equitable
Source: Basic meaning
【太】
A. [adj.] Supreme, utmost (interchangeable with 泰 "tai")
Source: Interchangeable with "泰." Denoting supreme peace and harmony.
B. [adv.] Exceedingly
Source: Emphasizing degree
【乐】
A. [n.] Music
Source: Basic meaning
B. [n.] Pleasure, enjoyment
Source: Extended meaning
【与】
A. [conj.] And, with
Source: Conjunction
【饵】
A. [n.] Food, fine food
Source: Basic meaning
B. [n.] Bait, enticement
Source: Extended meaning
【过】
A. [v.] To pass by, to travel past
Source: Basic meaning
【客】
A. [n.] Traveler, passerby
Source: Basic meaning
【止】
A. [v.] To stop, to halt
Source: Basic meaning
【道】
A. [n.] The Tao, the Way
Source: Core concept of Laozi
【之】
A. [part.] Structural particle between subject and predicate, neutralizing syntactic independence
Source: Grammatical particle
【出】
A. [v.] To come out from
Source: Basic meaning
【口】
A. [n.] Mouth (when the Tao is spoken of)
Source: Basic meaning
【淡】
A. [adj.] Bland, mild
Source: The opposite of rich and intense
【乎】
A. [part.] Exclamatory particle (ah, how…!)
Source: Modal particle
【其】
A. [pron.] Its
Source: Pronoun
【无】
A. [v.] To lack, to have no
Source: Basic meaning
【味】
A. [n.] Taste, flavor
Source: Basic meaning
【视】
A. [v.] To look at
Source: Basic meaning
【足】
A. [adv.] Sufficiently, enough (inversely: not enough to see)
Source: Basic meaning
B. [v.] To be worth
Source: Extended meaning
【见】
A. [v.] To see
Source: Basic meaning
【听】
A. [v.] To listen
Source: Basic meaning
【闻】
A. [v.] To hear
Source: Basic meaning
【用】
A. [v.] To use, to apply
Source: Basic meaning
【既】
A. [v.] To exhaust, to use up
Source: Shuowen Jiezi: "既，小食也" ("既 means a small meal"). Extended to mean exhaust.
B. [v.] To conclude, to come to an end
Source: Extended meaning