第十六章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 16
Reach emptiness and stillness, and watch all things return to their root; knowing the constant brings clarity.
Text
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致虚极，守静笃，
To reach extreme vacuity, preserve stillness earnestly.
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万物并作，吾以观复。
The myriad things act in concert, I therefore watch their return.
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夫物芸芸，各复归其根。
Of all things diverse and varied, each returns to its root.
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归根曰静，是谓复命。
Returning to the root is called quietude. Quietude is called returning to life.
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复命曰常，知常曰明，
Returning to life is called constant. Knowing this constant is called brilliance.
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不知常，妄作，凶。
Not knowing the constant, acting arbitrarily, is harmful.
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知常容，容乃公，
Knowing the constant is receptivity, which is impartial.
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公乃王，王乃天，
Impartiality is kingship. Kingship is the universe.
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天乃道，道乃久，
The universe is the Way, the Way is eternal.
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没身不殆。
Without body, without danger.
Words in this chapter
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 致 | zhì | to reach, attain |
| 虚 | xū | empty, to empty |
| 极 | jí | utmost, extreme |
| 守 | shǒu | to keep, to guard |
| 静 | jìng | stillness, still |
| 笃 | dǔ | steadfast, earnest |
| 万物 | wàn wù | the myriad things |
| 并 | bìng | together, side by side |
| 作 | zuò | to arise, come forth |
| 吾 | wú | I |
| 以 | yǐ | in order to |
| 观 | guān | to observe |
| 复 | fù | to return, to bring back |
| 夫 | fú | now, indeed (opening particle) |
| 物 | wù | thing, beings |
| 芸芸 | yún yún | teeming, flourishing |
| 各 | gè | each |
| 复归 | fù guī | to return again |
| 其 | qí | its, his, their |
| 根 | gēn | root |
| 归 | guī | to return, to go back |
| 曰 | yuē | is called, to say |
| 是 | shì | this |
| 谓 | wèi | to call, to be called |
| 复命 | fù mìng | return to one’s destiny |
| 常 | cháng | constant, eternal |
| 知 | zhī | to know |
| 明 | míng | clarity, insight; clear |
| 不 | bù | not |
| 妄 | wàng | rash, reckless |
| 作 | zuò | to act |
| 凶 | xiōng | disaster, ill-omened |
| 容 | róng | all-embracing |
| 乃 | nǎi | then, in turn |
| 公 | gōng | impartial |
| 王 | wáng | king, kingly |
| 天 | tiān | heaven |
| 道 | dào | the Way |
| 久 | jiǔ | lasting, long |
| 没 | mò | to the end of |
| 身 | shēn | oneself, the person |
| 殆 | dài | danger, peril |
Compare: James Legge (1891)
The (state of) vacancy should be brought to the utmost degree, and that of stillness guarded with unwearying vigour. All things alike go through their processes of activity, and (then) we see them return (to their original state). When things (in the vegetable world) have displayed their luxuriant growth, we see each of them return to its root. This returning to their root is what we call the state of stillness; and that stillness may be called a reporting that they have fulfilled their appointed end.
The report of that fulfilment is the regular, unchanging rule. To know that unchanging rule is to be intelligent; not to know it leads to wild movements and evil issues. The knowledge of that unchanging rule produces a (grand) capacity and forbearance, and that capacity and forbearance lead to a community (of feeling with all things). From this community of feeling comes a kingliness of character; and he who is king-like goes on to be heaven-like. In that likeness to heaven he possesses the Tao. Possessed of the Tao, he endures long; and to the end of his bodily life, is exempt from all danger of decay.
Public domain. Source: Wikisource.
Meaning of chapter 16
Chapter 16 is about returning. It begins with a practice: reach the utmost emptiness, keep stillness firmly. Then it says what can be seen from there: the myriad things arise together, and the speaker watches them return. However many they are, each goes back to its root.
The chapter then builds a chain, each term leading to the next. Returning to the root is stillness; stillness is called 复命, a return to one's nature, rendered "returning to life"; that is the constant; knowing 常 (the constant) is clarity. Not knowing it, one acts blindly and comes to harm. Knowing it, one takes everything in; taking everything in, one is impartial; impartial, kingly; kingly, like heaven; like heaven, at one with the Way; and the Way lasts, so to the end of one's life there is no danger.
复命 here does not mean the modern "report back". Where this site recites 王, kingly, Wang Bi's text reads 全, complete, and his comment, "reaching everywhere", fits that word; the silk manuscripts and Heshang Gong have 王, and the site keeps it. Returning is the movement of the Way in chapter 40, and knowing the constant as clarity comes back in chapter 55.