第二章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 2

Opposites define each other, so the sage acts without acting and teaches without words.

天tiān下xià皆jiē知zhī美měi之zhī为wéi美měi，斯sī恶è已yǐ，

People on Earth have defined beautiful as beautiful, and thus they created ugliness.
皆jiē知zhī善shàn之zhī为wéi善shàn，斯sī不bù善shàn已yǐ。

They have defined the good as good, and thus they created evil.
故gù有yǒu无wú相xiāng生shēng，难nán易yì相xiāng成chéng，

Therefore presence and absence produce each other. Difficulty and ease bring about each other.
长cháng短duǎn相xiāng较jiào，高gāo下xià相xiāng倾qīng，

Long and short delimit each other. High and low contrast with each other.
音yīn声shēng相xiāng和hè，前qián后hòu相xiāng随suí。

Sound and noise harmonize each other. Front and back follow each other.
是shì以yǐ圣shèng人rén处chǔ无wú为wéi之zhī事shì，

Thus the sage puts himself in a position of non-active productive state,
行xíng不bù言yán之zhī教jiào，万wàn物wù作zuò焉yān而ér不bù辞cí，

Carries out unspoken guidance. The myriad things conform to the same law, without a word.
生shēng而ér不bù有yǒu，为wéi而ér不bù恃shì，

Living without possessing, acting without expectations,
功gōng成chéng而ér弗fú居jū。夫fú唯wéi弗fú居jū，

Succeeding without taking credit, the disciple must not take credit,
是shì以yǐ不bù去qù。

So that credit never leaves him.

Words in this chapter

Words in chapter 2, with pinyin and meaning
Word	Pinyin	Meaning
天下	tiān xià	all under heaven, the world
皆	jiē	all, everyone
知	zhī	to know
美	měi	beautiful, beauty
之	zhī	that (clause particle)
为	wéi	to be, to count as
斯	sī	thereupon, then
恶	è	ugly, ugliness
已	yǐ	and so (final particle)
善	shàn	good, goodness
不	bù	not
故	gù	therefore
有	yǒu	presence, what is
无	wú	absence, what is not
相	xiāng	each other
生	shēng	to produce, give life, arise
难	nán	difficult
易	yì	easy
成	chéng	to complete, accomplish
长	cháng	long, long-lasting
短	duǎn	short
较	jiào	to measure against
高	gāo	high
下	xià	low, below
倾	qīng	to lean toward
音	yīn	musical tone
声	shēng	sound, voice
和	hè	to answer in harmony
前	qián	front, before
后	hòu	back, after
随	suí	to follow
是以	shì yǐ	therefore, for this reason
圣人	shèng rén	the sage
处	chǔ	to dwell in, abide by
无为	wú wéi	non-action
之	zhī	of, 's (linking particle)
事	shì	affairs, work
行	xíng	to carry out, put into practice
言	yán	words, to speak
教	jiào	teaching, to teach
万物	wàn wù	the myriad things
作	zuò	to arise, come forth
焉	yān	in it, from it
而	ér	and yet, but
辞	cí	to turn away; to speak
有	yǒu	to have, to possess
为	wéi	to act, to do, to make
恃	shì	to rely on, presume on
功	gōng	achievement, work done
弗	fú	not
居	jū	to dwell (in), claim
夫唯	fú wéi	precisely because
去	qù	to leave, go away

Compare: James Legge (1891)

All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skilful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is.

So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other; that (the ideas of) height and lowness arise from the contrast of the one with the other; that the musical notes and tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another; and that being before and behind give the idea of one following another.

Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech.

All things spring up, and there is not one which declines to show itself; they grow, and there is no claim made for their ownership; they go through their processes, and there is no expectation (of a reward for the results). The work is accomplished, and there is no resting in it (as an achievement).

The work is done, but how no one can see;
'Tis this that makes the power not cease to be.

Public domain. Source: Wikisource.

Meaning of chapter 2

Chapter 2 starts from how people name things: once everyone holds beauty to be beauty, ugliness is already there, and the same holds for good and not good. Each quality is known only against its opposite. The chapter then lists six pairs, presence and absence, difficult and easy, long and short, high and low, tone and voice, front and back, which produce, complete and follow one another.

From this the sage draws a way of acting. He keeps to 无为 (non-action) and teaches without words. The myriad things arise and he does not turn away from them; he gives life without possessing, acts without expectations, and does not dwell on the work once it is done. Because he does not dwell on it, it does not leave him.

The phrase 不辞 in line 7 is read either as "does not turn away from them" or as "does not speak of it"; the site gives both in the word gloss. The closing lines return almost word for word in chapters 10 and 51, and the pair of presence and absence in chapter 11.

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Meaning of chapter 2