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道可道非常道，
The way that can be followed is not the eternal Way.
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名可名非常名。
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
道德经 Dao De Jing
The Dao De Jing (道德经, also Tao Te Ching) is the classic of the Way and its virtue, attributed to Laozi: 81 short chapters, here recited in Mandarin with the Chinese text, pinyin and a literal translation.
Chapter of the day
Saved lines
Chapters
道经 The Book of the Way chapters 1 to 37
- 1道可道非The nameless Way
- 2天下皆知Opposites define each other
- 3不尚贤使Not adulating the worthy
- 4道冲而用The empty vessel
- 5天地不仁The bellows
- 6谷神不死The spirit of abundance
- 7天长地久Last, and so first
- 8上善若水Like water
- 9持而盈之Knowing when to stop
- 10载营魄抱Uniting soul and body
- 11三十辐共The use of emptiness
- 12五色令人Too many colors
- 13宠辱若惊Favor and disgrace
- 14视之不见What cannot be seen
- 15古之善为The ancient masters
- 16致虚极守Returning to the root
- 17太上下知The great masters
- 18大道废有When the great Way is lost
- 19绝圣弃智Simplicity and few desires
- 20绝学无忧Standing apart
- 21孔德之容Form, materiality and essence
- 22曲则全枉The bent made whole
- 23希言自然Speaking little
- 24企者不立Standing and striding
- 25有物混成Before heaven and earth
- 26重为轻根Heavy and light
- 27善行无辙Skill without a trace
- 28知其雄守Masculinity and femininity
- 29将欲取天The sacred vessel
- 30以道佐人Not by force of arms
- 31夫佳兵者Weapons of ill omen
- 32道常无名Constantly nameless
- 33知人者智Knowing yourself
- 34大道泛兮The great Way flows everywhere
- 35执大象天The great image
- 36将欲歙之Subtle insight
- 37道常无为Non-action
德经 The Book of Virtue chapters 38 to 81
- 38上德不德Superior virtue
- 39昔之得一Attaining the One
- 40反者道之Returning
- 41上士闻道Hearing of the Way
- 42道生一One, two, three
- 43天下之至The softest thing
- 44名与身孰Fame or life
- 45大成若缺Great perfection seems lacking
- 46天下有道Knowing what is enough
- 47不出户知Without going out of the door
- 48为学日益Losing every day
- 49圣人无常The people's mind
- 50出生入死Into life, into death
- 51道生之德The Way gives life
- 52天下有始The mother of the world
- 53使我介然The great Way is smooth
- 54善建者不Well planted
- 55含德之厚Like a newborn child
- 56知者不言Those who know do not speak
- 57以正治国Laws and disorder
- 58其政闷闷Fortune and misfortune
- 59治人事天Frugality
- 60治大国若Cooking a small fish
- 61大国者下The lower place
- 62道者万物The refuge of all things
- 63为无为事Acting without acting
- 64其安易持A journey of a thousand li
- 65古之善为Keeping the people simple
- 66江海所以Rivers and seas
- 67天下皆谓The three treasures
- 68善为士者Not contending
- 69用兵有言The guest, not the host
- 70吾言甚易Easy to understand
- 71知不知上Knowing that you do not know
- 72民不畏威When the people no longer fear
- 73勇于敢则Heaven's net
- 74民不畏死The master carpenter
- 75民之饥以Taxes and hunger
- 76人之生也The living are soft
- 77天之道其Drawing a bow
- 78天下莫柔Nothing softer than water
- 79和大怨必The tally
- 80小国寡民A small state
- 81信言不美True words are not beautiful
Key terms
- 道 dào the Way
- 德 dé virtue
- 无为 wú wéi non-action
- 自然 zì rán what is so of itself
- 朴 pǔ the uncarved block
- 玄 xuán mystery, mysterious
- 圣人 shèng rén the sage
- 常 cháng constant, eternal
- 一 yī the One
- 水 shuǐ water
- 不争 bù zhēng not contending
- 柔弱 róu ruò soft and weak
- 天下 tiān xià all under heaven, the world
- 万物 wàn wù the myriad things
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The book in figures
| Title | 道德经 (Dào Dé Jīng), also spelled Tao Te Ching |
|---|---|
| Attributed to | Laozi (老子, also Lao Tzu) |
| Parts | The Book of the Way (道经), chapters 1 to 37; the Book of Virtue (德经), chapters 38 to 81 |
| Length | 81 chapters, about 5,000 characters |
| Earliest manuscripts | Guodian (about 300 BC), Mawangdui (before 168 BC) |
| Text on this site | The received text of Wang Bi (3rd century AD) |
| Recitation | Mandarin, 45 minutes in all |
| Translations | English and French, literal, line by line |