第十九章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 19

Give up cleverness, moralizing and profit; keep to simplicity and few desires.

绝jué圣shèng弃qì智zhì，民mín利lì百bǎi倍bèi；

Reject the divine and abandon wisdom, the people will benefit a hundredfold.
绝jué仁rén弃qì义yì，民mín复fù孝xiào慈cí；

Get rid of humaneness and abandon morality, the people will return to filial piety and compassion.
绝jué巧qiǎo弃qì利lì，盗dào贼zéi无wú有yǒu。

Get rid of cleverness and abandon profit, thieves and gangsters will not exist.
此cǐ三sān者zhě，以yǐ为wéi文wén不bù足zú，

These above three, are insufficiently described by mere words,
故gù令lìng有yǒu所suǒ属zhǔ，

Therefore there must have the same affiliation.
见xiàn素sù抱bào朴pǔ，

Look at the essence and embrace simplicity.
少shǎo私sī寡guǎ欲yù。

Lessen selfishness and reduce desire.

Words in this chapter

Words in chapter 19, with pinyin and meaning
Word	Pinyin	Meaning
绝	jué	to cut off, reject
圣	shèng	sageliness
弃	qì	to abandon, cast away
智	zhì	clever, cunning
民	mín	the people
利	lì	to benefit; profit
百倍	bǎi bèi	a hundredfold
仁	rén	humaneness, humane
义	yì	justice
复	fù	to return, to bring back
孝	xiào	filial piety
慈	cí	compassion, kindness
巧	qiǎo	cleverness, skill
盗贼	dào zéi	thieves and robbers
无	wú	not have, without, no
有	yǒu	to have, to possess
此	cǐ	this, these
三	sān	three
者	zhě	one who, that which
以	yǐ	to take (as)
为	wéi	to be, to count as
文	wén	refinement, ornament
不	bù	not
足	zú	enough, sufficient
故	gù	therefore
令	lìng	to make, to cause
所	suǒ	that which, what
属	zhǔ	to attach to
见	xiàn	to display, show
素	sù	plain silk, plainness
抱	bào	to embrace
朴	pǔ	the uncarved block
少	shǎo	few, to lessen
私	sī	self, private ends
寡	guǎ	few, to lessen
欲	yù	desire, to desire

Compare: James Legge (1891)

If we could renounce our sageness and discard our wisdom, it would be better for the people a hundredfold. If we could renounce our benevolence and discard our righteousness, the people would again become filial and kindly. If we could renounce our artful contrivances and discard our (scheming for) gain, there would be no thieves nor robbers.

Those three methods (of government)
Thought olden ways in elegance did fail
And made these names their want of worth to veil;
But simple views, and courses plain and true
Would selfish ends and many lusts eschew.

Public domain. Source: Wikisource.

Meaning of chapter 19

Chapter 19 draws the practical conclusion of chapter 18: give up what is praised, and the people will be better off. Abandon sageliness and discard knowledge, and the people benefit a hundredfold; abandon humaneness and discard justice, and they return to filial piety and kindness; abandon skill and discard profit, and there will be no thieves.

The chapter then admits that these three, as precepts, are not enough: people need something to hold on to. What it offers is short: show plainness and embrace 朴 (the uncarved block), lessen self-interest and reduce desires. 素, undyed silk, and 朴, uncarved wood, are both materials before they are worked.

圣 in line 1 is sageliness held up as a public ideal, not the sage of the book; the house English says "the divine". The bamboo manuscripts from Guodian have different pairs here, giving up knowledge and argument, and giving up artifice, with no attack on humaneness and justice, and scholars debate what this shows. This site follows Wang Bi's received text. The uncarved block returns in chapters 28 and 32.

Text

Meaning of chapter 19