Translation: Those who truly understand the Tao (道) do not speak much; those who speak much do not truly understand the Tao.
Analysis: One of Laozi's most celebrated propositions. The Tao transcends language; those with true knowledge let actions speak louder than words. Heshanggong comments: "知者贵行不贵言也" ("Those who know value action, not words"). This echoes Chapter 1's "The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao" — once the Tao is articulated, it ceases to be the Tao.
Similar views: Heshanggong: "知者贵行不贵言也。驷不及舌，多言多患" ("Those who know value action over words. A team of four horses cannot overtake the tongue; excessive speech brings excessive trouble").
Translation: Those who truly understand the Tao follow the natural course of things (without creating incidents); those who create incidents do not understand the Tao.
Analysis: Wang Bi comments that the knower "因自然也" ("follows what is natural"), while the speaker "造事端也" ("creates incidents"). This interpretation elevates "言" (speak) to mean "contrivance" — encompassing not merely talkativeness but all forms of artificial intervention that violate the natural order. Those with true knowledge follow nature; those who act recklessly create incidents.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "因自然也" ("Follows what is natural"). "造事端也" ("Creates incidents").
Translation: Block the sensory apertures, shut the doors of desire, blunt the sharp edges, resolve disputes, temper the brightness so it does not dazzle, merge with the dust of the world — this is called "Mysterious Unity" (玄同) (a profound oneness with the Tao).
Analysis: Six actions form a progressive path of cultivation: blocking openings and shutting doors (withdrawing the senses) → blunting sharpness (removing sharp edges) → resolving disputes (dissolving conflicts) → softening the glare and merging with the dust (integrating into the world without losing one's true nature). The ultimate goal is "Mysterious Unity" (玄同) — not the obliteration of differences, but a transcendence of differences to achieve a deeper unity. This passage is virtually identical to Chapter 4, representing a core program of cultivation that Laozi repeatedly emphasizes.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "含守质也。除争原也。无所特显则物无所偏争也。无所特贱则物无所偏耻也" ("Embracing and preserving one's true substance. Removing the sources of contention. When nothing is specially elevated, nothing contends with bias. When nothing is specially degraded, nothing feels partial shame").
Translation: Block the senses, shut the doors, blunt the sharp edges, dissolve the discriminating mind, soften the glare and merge with the dust — this is called sharing the Way with Heaven.
Analysis: Heshanggong interprets "Mysterious Unity" (玄同) as "sharing the Way with Heaven." "Resolving disputes" here means not only resolving external conflicts but also dissolving the inner discriminating mind. To achieve "Mysterious Unity" is to become one with the Way of Heaven — living in the mundane world without being tainted by it.
Similar views: Heshanggong: "玄，天也。人能行此上事，是谓与天同道也" ("Xuan means Heaven. One who can practice these things above is said to share the Way with Heaven").
Translation: Therefore one cannot draw him close, nor push him away; one cannot benefit him, nor harm him; one cannot ennoble him, nor debase him.
Analysis: One who has achieved "Mysterious Unity" (玄同) transcends all binary oppositions — intimacy and distance, benefit and harm, honor and disgrace cannot affect him. Wang Bi argues in progressive layers: "可得而亲，则可得而疏也" ("If one can be drawn close, then one can also be pushed away"). Whenever one side can be grasped, the other is inevitably exposed. Only by transcending duality can one be truly beyond grasp.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "可得而亲，则可得而疏也。可得而利，则可得而害也。可得而贵，则可得而贱也" ("If one can be drawn close, then one can be pushed away. If one can be benefited, then one can be harmed. If one can be ennobled, then one can be debased").
Translation: Therefore one cannot draw him close (with honors), nor push him away (with isolation); one cannot buy him (with profit), nor threaten him (with harm); one cannot exalt him (with rank), nor diminish him (with poverty).
Analysis: Heshanggong's concretized interpretation assigns specific social meanings to each pair of opposites. "He does not take pleasure in honors nor grieve at solitude" (beyond intimacy and distance); "His body does not crave wealth, his mouth does not crave the five flavors" (beyond benefit and harm); "He does not serve as lord of a chaotic age, nor occupy a position under a benighted ruler" (beyond honor and disgrace). Such a person lives in the world yet is not bound by it.
Similar views: Heshanggong: "不以荣誉为乐，独立为哀" ("He does not take pleasure in honors nor grieve at solitude"). "不与贪争利，不与勇争气" ("He does not compete with the greedy for profit, nor contend with the brave for dominance").
Translation: Therefore he is regarded as the most precious by all under Heaven.
Analysis: A dialectical conclusion: precisely because one cannot be drawn close or pushed away, benefited or harmed, ennobled or debased, one paradoxically becomes the most precious in all under Heaven. Wang Bi comments: "无物可以加之也" ("Nothing can be added to him"). Heshanggong comments: "其德如此，天子不得臣，诸侯不得屈" ("Such is his Virtue (德) that the Son of Heaven cannot make him a subject, and the feudal lords cannot make him bend"). One who transcends all oppositions paradoxically attains the highest value.
Similar views: Wang Bi: "无物可以加之也" ("Nothing can be added to him"). Heshanggong: "天子不得臣，诸侯不得屈" ("The Son of Heaven cannot make him a subject; the feudal lords cannot make him bend").
This chapter contains 7 interpretation combinations.
[Core Divergences]
Chapter 56 opens with "Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know," posing the tension between the Tao and language. It then outlines the six-step path of cultivation from "blocking openings and shutting doors" to "softening the glare and merging with the dust," describing the road to "Mysterious Unity" (玄同). The most exquisite part is the latter half's three pairs of "cannot be obtained" — intimacy/distance, benefit/harm, honor/disgrace — which exhaust the three dimensions of human social relations. One who can transcend these three pairs of oppositions has "nothing that can be added to him" and paradoxically becomes the most precious in all under Heaven. The profound insight of this chapter lies in the fact that the highest "honor" arises precisely from transcending "honor and disgrace" — yet another brilliant display of Laozi's dialectical thought.