Tao Te Ching

《道德经》第七章Tao Te Ching – Chapter 7 原文 (Classical Chinese):天长地久。天地所以能长且久者，以其不自生，故能长生。 是以圣人后其身而身先，外其身而身存。 非以其无私邪？故能成其私。 English Translation:Heaven and Earth last forever.The reason Heaven and Earth endureIs because they do not live for themselves;Thus they can exist long-lasting. Therefore, the Sage puts himself behind,And yet he is placed in front.He regards himself lightly,And yet his life is preserved. Is it…

《道德经》第六章Tao Te Ching – Chapter 6 原文 (Classical Chinese):谷神不死，是谓玄牝。玄牝之门，是谓天地根。绵绵若存，用之不勤。 English Translation:The Valley Spirit never dies;It is called the Mysterious Female. The gateway of the Mysterious FemaleIs the root of Heaven and Earth. It flows continuously, as if always present,And its use is never exhausted. 白话文解释 (Modern Chinese Explanation):“谷神”象征一种虚空而又生生不息的存在，它不会消亡，被称为“玄牝”（玄妙的母体）。玄牝的门户，就是天地万物的根源。它无穷无尽，仿佛若隐若现，却永远存在；无论怎样使用，它的力量都不会枯竭。 Plain English Commentary:In Chapter 6 of the…

《道德经》第五章Tao Te Ching – Chapter 5 原文 (Classical Chinese):天地不仁，以万物为刍狗；圣人不仁，以百姓为刍狗。 天地之间，其犹橐籥乎？虚而不屈，动而愈出。 多言数穷，不如守中。 English Translation:Heaven and Earth are impartial;They treat all things as straw dogs. The Sage is also impartial;He treats the people as straw dogs. Between Heaven and Earth, is it not like a bellows?Empty, yet never exhausted;The more it moves, the more it produces. Too…

《道德经》第四章 Tao Te Ching – Chapter 4 原文 (Classical Chinese):道冲，而用之或不盈。渊兮，似万物之宗。挫其锐，解其纷，和其光，同其尘。湛兮，似或存。吾不知谁之子，象帝之先。 English Translation:The Tao is empty, yet its use is never exhausted.Profound and deep, it appears to be the source of all things. It blunts the sharp,Unravels the tangled,Softens the glare,And unites with the dust. So subtle and hidden, it seems ever present.I do not know…

《道德经》第三章 Tao Te Ching – Chapter 3 原文 (Classical Chinese):不尚贤，使民不争；不贵难得之货，使民不为盗；不见可欲，使民心不乱。 是以圣人之治，虚其心，实其腹；弱其志，强其骨。常使民无知无欲。使夫知者不敢为也。为无为，则无不治。 English Translation:Do not exalt the worthy, and the people will not compete.Do not value rare treasures, and the people will not steal.Do not display what is desirable, and the people’s hearts will not be disturbed. Therefore, in governing, the Sage empties the people’s minds…

Tao Te Ching – Chapter 2 《道德经》第二章 原文 (Classical Chinese):天下皆知美之为美，斯恶已；皆知善之为善，斯不善已。故有无相生，难易相成，长短相形，高下相倾，音声相和，前后相随，恒也。是以圣人处无为之事，行不言之教，万物作焉而不辞，生而不有，为而不恃，功成而弗居。夫唯弗居，是以不去。 English Translation:When everyone knows beauty as beauty, the idea of ugliness appears.When everyone knows good as good, the concept of not-good arises. Thus, being and non-being give birth to one another.Difficulty and ease complete each other.Long and short are defined by comparison.High and low depend…

Original Text (Chinese): 第一章 道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。无名天地之始，有名万物之母。故常无，欲以观其妙；常有，欲以观其徼。此两者同出而异名，同谓之玄，玄之又玄，众妙之门。 English Translation:The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao.The name that can be named is not the constant name.The nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth;The named is the mother of all things.Therefore, from non-being, we observe the mystery;From being, we observe the manifestations.Though arising from…

《道德经》通行版通常指西汉河上公注本与三国魏王弼注本的合流版本，共81章，分为《道经》（前37章）与《德经》（后44章），是流传最广、影响最深的版本。以下为中文全文： The “standard edition” of the Tao Te Ching generally refers to the combined version of the Western Han Heshang Gong commentary and the Wei dynasty Wang Bi commentary of the Three Kingdoms period. It consists of 81 chapters, divided into the Dao Jing (the first 37 chapters) and the De Jing (the remaining 44…

Tao Te Ching: The Foundational Classic of Daoist Thought Tao Te Ching (also known as Laozi) is the foundational classic of Daoist philosophy. Within Daoism, its status is comparable to the Analects in Confucianism or the Diamond Sutra in Buddhism. It is the defining text that established Daoism as a distinct school of thought, and…