One


That which can be perceived is not the timeless That.
That which can be named is not the nameless One.

The source of heaven and earth is without form or substance.
Naming creates the ten thousand things.

When desire is absent, Mystery is obvious.
When desire occurs, Creation unfolds.

Mystery and Creation arise from the same source.
The source is emptiness.
Void within Void.
The realm of Tao.

Two


Judging beauty creates ugliness.
Defining good creates evil.
All and Void arise together.

Hard and soft,
long and short,
high and low,
sound and silence,
now and then.
Opposites exist because of each other.

Therefore, the sage acts by not-doing, and teaches no-thought.
The ten thousand things arise and vanish without him.

He works without motive, indifferent to outcome.
Because there is no doer, his actions are timeless.

Three


Bestowing honor breeds ambition.
Hoarding treasure invites thieves.
Displaying objects of desire
sows the seeds of discontent.

Therefore, the sage governs
by emptying minds and filling bellies,
by weakening wills and strengthening bones.

He extols the virtues of desireless unknowing,
and keeps intellects off balance.

When not-doing is accomplished,
nothing remains undone.

Four


Tao is hollow emptiness.

The substance of All,
it is absent of substance.
Dimensionless Void,
it is the source of the ten thousand things.

It blunts sharpness,
unravels entanglements,
diffuses brightness,
merges with dust.

Dark, invisible, it only seems to be.
It is the child of No-thing
and the father of God.

Five


The realm of heaven and earth is indifferent
to the myriad creatures.
They appear as straw dogs.

The sage is indifferent to the multitudes of men.
They appear as straw dogs.

The realm of heaven and earth is like a bellows,
both empty and full.
Moving, it brings forth, endlessly.

More words, less understanding.
Hold fast to the core.

Six


The urge of creation is ceaseless.
It is called the Dark Mother.

The womb of the Dark Mother
is the ground of heaven and earth.

Timeless, imperceptible, it continues ever-present.
Endless use does not touch it.

Seven


The realm of heaven and earth is everlasting.

Why is it everlasting?
Because it is not conscious of itself.
Having no thought of being,
it never is not.

Like this, the sage forgets himself,
so he is always present.

Without self-concern, the self is eternal.
When self-interest subsides, fulfillment happens.

Eight


Supreme virtue is like water.
It nourishes the ten thousand things without effort,
and flows in places men shun.
It is like Tao.

Stand on solid ground.
Go deep into the heart.
Speak only what is true.

In friendship, be kind.
In governing, be just.
In enterprise, be able.
In action, watch the timing.

Do not contend with nature, and nothing will go wrong.

Nine


An over-filled cup is difficult to carry.
An over-sharp point is easily broken.

Fill your house with gold and jade,
and it cannot be protected.
Become puffed with pride,
and disaster will follow.

Do only what needs doing, then forget it.
This is the way of heaven.

Ten


While maintaining a body,
can you become one?
While breathing the force of life,
can you be innocent as a babe?

While polishing the dark mirror,
can you be without dust?
While loving and ruling the people,
can you refrain from action?

While coming and going from heaven,
can you be passive as a woman?
Understanding all things,
can you abide in unknowing?

Give birth and nurture.
Create without claim.
Lead without taking command.
This is supreme virtue.

Eleven


Thirty spokes of a wheel converge
to define a hole.
Clay is molded into pots
to shape the emptiness.
Walls are hammered into rooms
to enclose space.
Windows are cut into walls
to frame absence.

Though things may have value,
without no-thing they are useless.

Twelve


The five colors confuse the eye.
The five tones deaden the ear.
The five flavors dull the palette.

Racing and hunting madden the mind.
Valuable goods hinder movement.

Therefore, the sage is guided by his gut, not his senses.
He attends to one and ignores the other.

Thirteen


Receive honor with dismay.
Accept misfortune gratefully.

Why receive honor with dismay?
Honor and dishonor cause the same disturbance.
With honor comes the fear of disgrace.
With disgrace comes anxiety and dread.

Why accept misfortune gratefully?
Misfortune weakens the bond to body and self.
Without a separate self, what misfortune is possible?

See misfortune as a condition of separation,
and you will become whole.
See the world as your body,
and All will be delivered unto you.

Fourteen


Searching, we cannot see it.
We call it ephemeral.
Straining, we cannot hear it.
We call it ethereal.
Reaching, we cannot grasp it.
We call it intangible.

These three are often confused
because they are the same.

The One is not bright above and dark below.
Transparent, it moves in and out of nothing.

Its form has no shape.
Its image has no substance.
It is indistinct, elusive.

Nothing to face, nothing to follow.

Hold to the timeless Tao.
Abide in the present.
Now is the ancient beginning.

Fifteen


The old masters were deep, unfathomable,
profound beyond understanding.
Because they were unfathomable,
we can only describe their demeanor.

Cautious, as if crossing an icy stream.
Alert, as if sensing danger.
Respectful, like visiting guests.
Yielding, like melting ice.
Simple, like uncarved wood.
Open, like beckoning valleys.
Mysterious, like opaque pools.

Still the mind, and the mud settles.
Do nothing, and action comes of itself.

One who embraces the Tao has no desire for fulfillment.
Not desiring fulfillment,
he is finished with birth and death.

Sixteen


Be completely empty.
Be completely still.

Witness the ten thousand things
appear and vanish in one motion.
Watch as they arise, linger,
and return to the source – stillness.

This is the way it is.
It is called everlasting life.
To witness the everlasting is to be awake.

Not seeing the everlasting, one engages in blind action.
Blind action leads to misfortune.

Seeing the everlasting, one encompasses it all.
Encompassing all, one is impartial.
Being impartial, one acts nobly.
Acting nobly, one enters heaven.

Entering heaven is to be one with Tao.
Being one with Tao is to be everlasting.

Though the body dies, nothing is disturbed.

Seventeen


When a sage governs, people barely notice.

Lesser rulers are praised and loved.
Lesser still are feared and obeyed.
The least are ridiculed and despised.

Trust is earned by trusting.

The sage uses words sparingly.
His work is done without fanfare.
People say: “It happened by itself.”

Eighteen


When Tao is forgotten,
charity and righteousness are born.

When intelligence and knowledge are valued,
duplicity and pretense soon follow.

When the family is discordant,
love and duty are preached.

When the country is in chaos, loyal patriots appear.

Nineteen


Abandon holiness, renounce wisdom.
It will be a hundred times better for everyone.

Eliminate morality and benevolence.
Love and empathy will naturally return.

Give up cleverness and profit.
Thieves and bandits will disappear.

But these are outward lessons, not the core.
Be simple.
Be true.
Cast off selfhood and desire.

Twenty


Between yes and no, is there really much difference?
Good and bad, are they so far apart?
Must I think as others think?
Alas, there would be no end to fear.

The multitudes are busy with feasts and celebrations.
In spring they climb towers and enjoy the view.
I alone am unmoved, like an infant too young to smile.

Others have more than enough.
I alone have nothing.
My mind is that of a fool – empty.

Others are clear and bright.
I alone am nebulous and dim.
Others are alert and clever.
I alone am withdrawn, adrift in the ocean,
directionless as swirling wind.

Everyone else has purpose.
I alone am stubborn and untamed.
I am different.
I am nourished by the Dark Mother.

Twenty-One


Supreme virtue is to abide in Tao alone.

Tao is elusive and empty –
oh yes, utterly empty and elusive –
yet within it, dreamlike images arise.

Oh yes, it is indistinct and nebulous,
but within it, shadows take form.

Oh yes, it is mysterious and dark,
but within it, appearances originate.

The origin of Creation is the Real.
Its manifestations are unceasing.
This can be witnessed.

How do I witness the origin of Creation?
By looking!

Twenty-Two


Surrender, and become whole.
Bend low, and be straightened.
Become empty, and be filled.
Burn out, and be renewed.

Having nothing, beauty is revealed.
Having much, the way is hidden.
The sage abides in One,
and thus is master of heaven and earth.

Not being self-absorbed, his vision is clear.
Not asserting himself, his light shines forth.
Not showing off, his merit is obvious.
Not praising himself, praise is showered upon him.
Not contending, nothing under heaven stands in his way.

This ancient saying, “Surrender and become whole,”
is it empty words?

Being whole means all things have returned to you.

Twenty-Three


To last a short time is the way of nature.
High winds blow out before morning.
Hard rain subsides in a day.

What issues these?
The realm of heaven and earth.
If the realm of heaven and earth cannot maintain duration,
what chance has man?
This is why one aligns with Tao.

One who aligns with Tao is embraced by Tao.
One who lives a virtuous life attains Virtue.
One who loses his way feels lost.

He who is embraced by Tao becomes one with Tao.
He who attains Virtue finds heaven.
He who feels lost is never far from home.

Faith comes to the faithful.

Twenty-Four


One who stands on tiptoe is unsteady.
One who strides too hard cannot go far.

He who shines a light on himself is not enlightened.
He who asserts himself is not distinguished.
He who praises himself has no merit.
He who brags of his success will not last long.

Observers of Tao see these as spoiled food,
and pointless action – shunned even by the myriad creatures.

One who knows Tao does not abide them.

Twenty-Five


Formless no-thing.
Precedent of heaven and earth.
Timeless, unchanging, solitary, silent.
It is the mother of the ten thousand things.

I do not know its name.
I call it Tao.
If forced to describe it,
I call it great.

Great implies vast reaches.
Vast reaches implies far away.
Far away implies return.

Tao is great.
Heaven is great.
Earth is great.
Man, too, is great.
In the realm there are four greats,
and a noble man is one.

Man follows the way of earth.
Earth follows the way of heaven.
Heaven follows the way of Tao.

Tao is the great Way.

Twenty-Six


Gravity is the ground of lightness.
Stillness is the master of unrest.

The sage can travel all day,
yet never wander far from the baggage wagon.
Though splendor and spectacle may beckon,
he remains unmoved, indifferent.

Why should the lord of ten thousand chariots act lightly?
One who acts lightly is not grounded.
One who is restless is not his own master.

Twenty-Seven


A good walker leaves no tracks.
A good speaker does not slip up.
A good accountant needs no counter.

A good doorsmith uses no bolts or locks,
yet none can open what he closes.
A good binder uses no knots,
yet what he binds cannot be unraveled.

The sage is good at saving souls and rejects no one.
He takes care of all things, and abandons nothing.
This is called “the way of awareness.”

The good man is the ignorant man’s teacher.
The ignorant man is the good man’s lesson.
To not honor the teacher and value the lesson –
no matter how much wisdom one acquires –
is to miss the mark.

This is an essential secret.

Twenty-Eight


Know the strength of the male,
but keep to the role of the female.
Be the river of the world.

Being the river of the world, supreme virtue flows without end.
Flowing without end, you are the timeless infant.

Know the purity of the light, but maintain darkness.
Be the model of the world.
Being the model of the world, supreme virtue is constant.
Maintaining constant virtue, you are the boundless realm.

Be worthy of high honors, but keep to the role of the lowly.
Be the valley of the world.
Being the valley of the world, supreme virtue is fulfilled.
Being fulfilled, you are the uncarved block.

The uncarved block appears as separate things.
The sage sees things as they are, and rules the world.

Great power does not divide.

Twenty-Nine


There are those who want to control the realm,
and make it more to their liking.
They will never succeed.
The realm of heaven and earth is perfect, a sacred vessel.
It cannot be improved.
He who tries to change it, destroys it for himself.
He who tries to hold it, loses all contact.

It is natural for beings to sometimes lead, sometimes follow,
sometimes breathe hot, sometimes blow cold,
sometimes expand, sometimes decay,
sometimes overcome, sometimes collapse.

The sage, therefore, abandons pleasure, judgment, and pride.

Thirty


When counseling rulers, observers of Tao do not advise force.
This is certain to bring consequences.
Where great armies have passed, thorn bushes thrive.
Famine follows in the wake of war.
A good ruler does only what is necessary to achieve results.
He does not abuse position.

Achieve results, but do not glory in them.
Achieve results, but do not boast.
Achieve results, but be not proud.

Achieve results, because there is no choice.
Achieve results, but do not overpower.
Doing more than necessary brings exhaustion.
This is not in harmony with Tao.

What is not in harmony with Tao soon perishes.

Thirty-One


Even the finest weapons are instruments of ill omen,
hated and feared by all creatures.
Observers of Tao have no use for them.

At home, a man of virtue gives precedence to the left.
At war, he gives precedence to the right.

Weapons are not the tools of a man of virtue.
Weapons are instruments of fear,
to be employed as a last resort.
Do not relish their use, or admire their excellence.

To see weapons as excellent is to relish killing.
If you relish killing, you will never find the Way.

On joyful occasions, precedence is give to the left.
On sad occasions, precedence is given to the right.

When an army is arrayed, the general is placed on the left.
The commander-in-chief is placed on the right.
Thus, war is conducted as a funeral right.

When multitudes are being killed,
hold in your heart only sorrow.
When victory is achieved,
mark it with mourning.

Thirty-Two


Tao is the uncarved block.
Timeless, undefined, infinitesimally subtle.
None is its master.

If lords and princes observed it,
the ten thousand things would arrive as guests to the table.
Heaven and earth would rejoice,
and sweet nectar would fall,
though none under heaven had decreed it.

When the whole is divided, the parts are named.
There are already too many names.
It is time to stop.
Knowing when to stop avoids exhaustion.

Tao in the world is like
stream flowing to river flowing to sea.
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