Classical grammar words in the Dao De Jing
Classical Chinese builds its sentences with a few small words: 之, 其, 者, 以, 而. These 20 pages take them one at a time, with every line of the Dao De Jing that uses each, so you learn them in context.
| Word | Uses in the book | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| 之 zhī | it, them (object); of, 's (linking particle); that (clause particle); to go to; (marks an object moved before its verb) | 253 |
| 其 qí | its, his, their; it, he, they (subject) | 139 |
| 者 zhě | one who, that which | 88 |
| 而 ér | and yet, but; and, and then | 115 |
| 以 yǐ | by means of, with; in order to; to take (as); because, by; a use, a purpose | 117 |
| 为 wéi | to be, to count as; to act, to do, to make; for, for the sake of; because | 103 |
| 无 wú | not have, without, no; absence, what is not; do not | 73 |
| 若 ruò | like, as if; if; then, thereupon | 45 |
| 于 yú | to, at; than | 47 |
| 所 suǒ | that which, what; place | 21 |
| 也 yě | final particle (assertion); pause particle (after a topic) | 13 |
| 矣 yǐ | final particle (completion, emphasis) | 10 |
| 乎 hū | question particle; -ly, so (descriptive) | 10 |
| 哉 zāi | exclamation particle | 7 |
| 兮 xī | ah (particle) | 27 |
| 焉 yān | in it, from it | 9 |
| 故 gù | therefore; the reason | 62 |
| 则 zé | then; to follow, take as model | 32 |
| 夫 fú | now, indeed (opening particle); those, that; final exclamation | 17 |
| 莫 mò | no one, nothing | 20 |