第八十一章 Dao De Jing · Chapter 81

True words are plain; the sage gives to others and has more, and acts without contending.

信xìn言yán不bù美měi，美měi言yán不bù信xìn。

True words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not true.
善shàn者zhě不bù辩biàn，

The good do not argue;
辩biàn者zhě不bù善shàn。

those who argue are not good.
知zhī者zhě不bù博bó，

Those who know are not learned in everything;
博bó者zhě不bù知zhī。

those learned in everything do not know.
圣shèng人rén不bù积jī，

The sage does not hoard.
既jì以yǐ为wèi人rén己jǐ愈yù有yǒu，

The more he does for others, the more he has;
既jì以yǐ与yǔ人rén己jǐ愈yù多duō。

the more he gives to others, the more he gains.
天tiān之zhī道dào，利lì而ér不bù害hài；

The Way of heaven benefits and does not harm;
圣shèng人rén之zhī道dào，为wéi而ér不bù争zhēng。

the Way of the sage acts and does not contend.

Words in this chapter

Words in chapter 81, with pinyin and meaning
Word	Pinyin	Meaning
信	xìn	true, truthful
言	yán	words, to speak
不	bù	not
美	měi	beautiful, beauty
善	shàn	good, goodness
者	zhě	one who, that which
辩	biàn	eloquence; to argue
知	zhī	to know
博	bó	widely learned
圣人	shèng rén	the sage
积	jī	to accumulate
既	jì	once, already
以	yǐ	by means of, with
为	wèi	for, for the sake of
人	rén	people, others
己	jǐ	oneself
愈	yù	the more
有	yǒu	to have, to possess
与	yǔ	giving, dealing with others
多	duō	much, many
天	tiān	heaven
之	zhī	of, 's (linking particle)
道	dào	the Way
利	lì	to benefit; profit
而	ér	and yet, but
害	hài	to harm
为	wéi	to act, to do, to make
不争	bù zhēng	not contending

Compare: James Legge (1891)

Sincere words are not fine; fine words are not sincere. Those who are skilled (in the Tao) do not dispute (about it); the disputatious are not skilled in it. Those who know (the Tao) are not extensively learned; the extensively learned do not know it.

The sage does not accumulate (for himself). The more that he expends for others, the more does he possess of his own; the more that he gives to others, the more does he have himself.

With all the sharpness of the Way of Heaven, it injures not; with all the doing in the way of the sage he does not strive.

Public domain. Source: Wikisource.

Meaning of chapter 81

Chapter 81, the last of the book, gathers its themes into short paired sayings. True words are not beautiful and beautiful words are not true; the good do not argue and those who argue are not good; those who know are not learned in everything, and those learned in everything do not know.

Then comes the sage. He does not hoard, and the more he does for others and gives to others, the more he has: giving does not empty him. The thought recalls chapter 7, where the sage puts himself last and finds himself first, and chapter 77, where the one who has the Way gives his excess to the world.

The book ends on two parallel lines. The Way of heaven benefits and does not harm; the Way of the sage acts and does not contend (为而不争). Its last word, 争, returns to a theme first set out in chapter 8, where water benefits all things without contending. The opening pair can be read beside chapter 56: those who know do not speak.

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Meaning of chapter 81