Chinese idioms from the Dao De Jing
见素抱朴 (jiàn sù bào pǔ)
Word for word from chapter 19
见素抱朴 (jiàn sù bào pǔ), “look at the essence and embrace simplicity”, comes from chapter 19 of the Dao De Jing and means keeping to one's plain, unadorned nature.
Character by character
| 见 | jiàn | to look at, to see |
|---|---|---|
| 素 | sù | the essence (lit. plain silk) |
| 抱 | bào | to embrace |
| 朴 | pǔ | simplicity (the uncarved block) |
| 见素抱朴 | To keep to one's plain, original nature, untouched by show and outside temptations. | |
Where it comes from
-
见素抱朴，
look at the essence and embrace simplicity.
How the meaning moved
Chapter 19 first tells what to give up: sageliness and wisdom, humaneness and justice, cleverness and profit. These three, it says, “are insufficiently described by mere words, therefore let people have something to hold on to: look at the essence and embrace simplicity. Lessen selfishness and reduce desire.” The four characters are the first half of that answer.
Both nouns are images. 素 is raw silk, not yet dyed; 朴 is wood not yet carved, the uncarved block the book returns to in chapters 28, 32 and 37. To 见素 is to see, and show, the undyed silk; to 抱朴 is to hold on to the uncut wood: to keep what is plain before ornament is added. Chapter 19 offers this as the cure for the things it has just rejected, which are all ornament. Today 见素抱朴 is a literary phrase, said of a plain way of life or a plain style, in writing, design and calligraphy.
Using it today
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他退休后搬到山里，见素抱朴，过着简单的日子。
tā tuì xiū hòu bān dào shān lǐ, jiàn sù bào pǔ, guò zhe jiǎn dān de rì zi.
After retiring he moved to the mountains, kept to plain things and lived a simple life.
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这位书法家的字见素抱朴，没有一点花哨。
zhè wèi shū fǎ jiā de zì jiàn sù bào pǔ, méi yǒu yī diǎn huā shao.
This calligrapher's writing is plain and unadorned, without the slightest flourish.