Classical grammar words in the Dao De Jing
其 qí
In the Dao De Jing, 其 (qí) is most often a possessive, “its”, “his” or “their” (103 times), and otherwise a subject pronoun, “it”, “he” or “they” (36).
其 is a third-person pronoun that stands in front of what it goes with. Before a noun it means “its”, “his” or “their”, as in 各复归其根, each returns to its root. Before a verb it is the subject of a clause, “it” or “he”. In classical Chinese it is not normally the object of a verb: that is the job of 之.
Modern Chinese says 他的, 它的 or 他们的 for the possessive and 他 or 它 for the subject. 其 lives on in formal writing and in words such as 其中, “among them”, and 其他, “other”.
其 as “its, his, their”
Pattern 其 + noun
Before a noun, 其 is a possessive: “its”, “his”, “their”, pointing back to someone or something already named. The noun after it is what is owned or described. Example: 各复归其根, “each returns to its root.” (chapter 16). English often reads better with “the”, and our translation then leaves 其 out: 塞其兑, “Close the openings,” (chapter 52).
103 times in 76 lines.
故常无欲，以观其妙，
Therefore, ever desireless, one can see the cosmos' mystery,
Chapter 1, line 5常有欲，以观其徼。
ever desiring, one merely sees its manifestations.
Chapter 1, line 6虚其心，实其腹，弱其志，强其骨。
clear people's minds, fill their bellies, weaken their ambitions and strengthen their bones.
Chapter 3, line 5挫其锐，解其纷，
It blunts sharpness, untangles knots,
Chapter 4, line 3和其光，同其尘。
softens the glare, combines the elements.
Chapter 4, line 4是以圣人后其身而身先，
The sage puts himself last, and thus is first,
Chapter 7, line 5
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外其身而身存。
he detaches himself, and thus endures.
Chapter 7, line 6故能成其私。
This is precisely the cause of his fulfillment.
Chapter 7, line 8自遗其咎。
lead to self-loss and bad fortune.
Chapter 9, line 8当其无，
the empty space in between them,
Chapter 11, line 2当其无，
its emptiness within,
Chapter 11, line 5当其无，有室之用。
its emptiness within, makes the room useful.
Chapter 11, line 8其上不皦，其下不昧。
Its top is not bright; its bottom is not dark.
Chapter 14, line 5迎之不见其首，随之不见其后。
Go to meet it, you cannot see its face. Follow it, you cannot see its back.
Chapter 14, line 9夫物芸芸，各复归其根。
Of all things diverse and varied, each returns to its root.
Chapter 16, line 3惚兮恍兮，其中有象；
How obscure! How vague! In it there is form.
Chapter 21, line 3恍兮惚兮，其中有物。
How vague! How obscure! In it there is materiality.
Chapter 21, line 4窈兮冥兮，其中有精；
How deep! How dark! In it there is essence.
Chapter 21, line 5其精甚真，其中有信。
Its essence is very real: within lies truth.
Chapter 21, line 6自古及今，其名不去，
From antiquity to the present, its name has never left it,
Chapter 21, line 7吾不知其名，字之曰道，
I don't know its name. As a word, I label it the "Way".
Chapter 25, line 4域中有四大，而王居其一焉。
Within our realm there are four greatnesses, and the king is one of them.
Chapter 25, line 10不贵其师，不爱其资，
Fail to value the teacher, fail to like the endowment,
Chapter 27, line 12知其雄，守其雌，为天下溪。
Know masculinity, abide by femininity, be as the world's stream.
Chapter 28, line 1知其白，守其黑，为天下式。
Know whiteness, abide by darkness, be as the world's model.
Chapter 28, line 4知其荣，守其辱，为天下谷。
Know glory, abide by disgrace, be as the world's valley.
Chapter 28, line 7其事好还。
This undertaking backfires.
Chapter 30, line 3不失其所者久，
Not losing your place is to last.
Chapter 33, line 4故能成其大。
it can achieve its greatness.
Chapter 34, line 9是以大丈夫处其厚，
So the great man dwells in what is thick,
Chapter 38, line 13不居其薄；
not in what is thin;
Chapter 38, line 14处其实，不居其华。
in the fruit, not in the flower.
Chapter 38, line 15强梁者不得其死，
the violent do not die a natural death.
Chapter 42, line 11大成若缺，其用不弊。
Great completion seems lacking, yet its use never wears out.
Chapter 45, line 1大盈若冲，其用不穷。
Great fullness seems empty, yet its use is never exhausted.
Chapter 45, line 2为天下浑其心，
and for the world's sake keeps his mind undivided;
Chapter 49, line 8兕无所投其角，虎无所措其爪，
the rhino finds nowhere to drive its horn, the tiger nowhere to set its claws,
Chapter 50, line 11兵无所容其刃。
the weapon nowhere to lodge its blade.
Chapter 50, line 12既得其母，以知其子，
Having found the mother, one knows the children;
Chapter 52, line 2既知其子，复守其母，
knowing the children, one holds again to the mother,
Chapter 52, line 3塞其兑，
Close the openings,
Chapter 52, line 5闭其门，终身不勤。
shut the doors, and all your life you will not be worn out.
Chapter 52, line 6开其兑，
Open the openings,
Chapter 52, line 7济其事，终身不救。
busy yourself with affairs, and all your life you cannot be saved.
Chapter 52, line 8用其光，复归其明，
Use the light and return to clarity,
Chapter 52, line 10修之于身，其德乃真；
Cultivate it in yourself, and virtue will be genuine;
Chapter 54, line 4修之于家，其德乃余；
cultivate it in the family, and virtue will be abundant;
Chapter 54, line 5修之于乡，其德乃长；
cultivate it in the village, and virtue will last;
Chapter 54, line 6修之于国，其德乃丰；
cultivate it in the state, and virtue will flourish;
Chapter 54, line 7修之于天下，其德乃普。
cultivate it in the world, and virtue will be everywhere.
Chapter 54, line 8塞其兑，闭其门，挫其锐，
Close the openings, shut the doors, blunt sharpness,
Chapter 56, line 2解其分，和其光，同其尘，
untangle knots, soften the glare, combine the elements:
Chapter 56, line 3其政闷闷，其民淳淳；
When government is dull and quiet, the people are simple and honest;
Chapter 58, line 1其政察察，其民缺缺。
when government is sharp and prying, the people are discontented.
Chapter 58, line 2孰知其极？其无正。
Who knows where it ends? There is no fixed rule.
Chapter 58, line 5人之迷，其日固久。
People have been lost in this for a long time.
Chapter 58, line 7无不克则莫知其极；
when nothing cannot be overcome, no one knows one's limits;
Chapter 59, line 5莫知其极，可以有国；
when no one knows one's limits, one can hold a state;
Chapter 59, line 6以道莅天下，其鬼不神；
When the Way presides over the world, ghosts have no power;
Chapter 60, line 2非其鬼不神，其神不伤人；
not that ghosts have no power, but their power does not harm people;
Chapter 60, line 3非其神不伤人，圣人亦不伤人。
not that their power does not harm people, but the sage, too, does not harm people.
Chapter 60, line 4夫两者各得其所欲，
For both to get what they want,
Chapter 61, line 12图难于其易，为大于其细；
Plan the difficult while it is easy; do the great while it is small.
Chapter 63, line 4故能成其大。
and so he can achieve greatness.
Chapter 63, line 8民之难治，以其智多。
People are hard to govern because they are too clever.
Chapter 65, line 3无狎其所居，无厌其所生。
Do not cramp their homes; do not press down on their livelihood.
Chapter 72, line 2天之所恶，孰知其故？
What heaven loathes, who knows why?
Chapter 73, line 4希有不伤其手矣。
rarely escape cutting their own hands.
Chapter 74, line 11民之饥，以其上食税之多，
The people go hungry because those above eat up too much in taxes;
Chapter 75, line 1民之难治，以其上之有为，
The people are hard to govern because those above meddle;
Chapter 75, line 3以其上求生之厚，
because those above seek too much from life;
Chapter 75, line 6人之生也柔弱，其死也坚强。
People are soft and weak when alive, hard and stiff when dead.
Chapter 76, line 1其死也枯槁。
dry and withered when dead.
Chapter 76, line 3甘其食，美其服，
find their food sweet, their clothes beautiful,
Chapter 80, line 6安其居，
their homes peaceful,
Chapter 80, line 7乐其俗。
and delight in their customs.
Chapter 80, line 8
其 as “it, he, they (subject)”
Pattern 其 + verb
Before a verb or an adjective, 其 is the subject of a clause: “it”, “he”, “they”. It is common after 以, “because”: 以其不争, “Because he does not contend” (chapter 66). It can also open a sentence: 其可左右, “it can go left or right.” (chapter 34). After an exclamation with 兮, as in 俨兮其若容 (chapter 15), and in 其犹张弓与 (chapter 77), some scholars read 其 as a particle of tone rather than a pronoun.
36 times in 32 lines.
天地之间，其犹橐籥乎？
Space in the cosmos, is it just like bellows?
Chapter 5, line 3以其不自生，
Is that they do not foster themselves.
Chapter 7, line 3非以其无私邪？
Is he not selfless?
Chapter 7, line 7不如其已。
is inferior to stopping in time.
Chapter 9, line 2俨兮其若容，
Respectful, toward its outer appearance.
Chapter 15, line 5敦兮其若朴，
Considerate toward its simplicity.
Chapter 15, line 7
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旷兮其若谷，混兮其若浊。
Open, like a valley. Obscure, like muddy water.
Chapter 15, line 8悠兮其贵言。
Unhurried, he is sparing with his words.
Chapter 17, line 6荒兮其未央哉！
I am scattered, never having been in a comfortable center.
Chapter 20, line 5我独泊兮其未兆，
I remain alone, not yet having revealed myself.
Chapter 20, line 8澹兮其若海，
Tranquil like the ocean,
Chapter 20, line 17其在道也，曰余食赘行。
One who abides by the Way calls these "leftover foods" and "wasted actions",
Chapter 24, line 4吾见其不得已。
I can see that you will not succeed.
Chapter 29, line 2大道泛兮，其可左右。
The great Way flows everywhere; it can go left or right.
Chapter 34, line 1以其终不自为大，
Because it never makes itself great,
Chapter 34, line 8淡乎其无味。
it is bland and has no flavor.
Chapter 35, line 5其致之。
It is the One that brought this about.
Chapter 39, line 5其出弥远，其知弥少。
The farther one goes, the less one knows.
Chapter 47, line 3及其有事，不足以取天下。
as soon as one meddles, one is not fit to win the world.
Chapter 48, line 5以其生生之厚。
Because they cling too hard to living.
Chapter 50, line 8以其无死地。
Because he has no place of death in him.
Chapter 50, line 14吾何以知其然哉？以此。
How do I know it is so? By this:
Chapter 57, line 3孰知其极？其无正。
Who knows where it ends? There is no fixed rule.
Chapter 58, line 5其安易持，其未兆易谋。
What is at rest is easy to hold; what has not yet appeared is easy to plan for.
Chapter 64, line 1其脆易泮，其微易散。
What is brittle is easily broken; what is minute is easily scattered.
Chapter 64, line 2以其善下之，
because they are good at being below them;
Chapter 66, line 2以其不争，故天下莫能与之争。
Because he does not contend, no one in the world can contend with him.
Chapter 66, line 9若肖，久矣其细也夫！
If it resembled something, it would long since have become small!
Chapter 67, line 4圣人不病，以其病病，
The sage is not sick, because he recognizes the sickness as sickness;
Chapter 71, line 4天之道，其犹张弓与？
Is the Way of heaven not like drawing a bow?
Chapter 77, line 1功成而不处，其不欲见贤。
achieves but does not dwell on it, and has no wish to show his worth.
Chapter 77, line 11其无以易之。
for nothing can take its place.
Chapter 78, line 3
How to tell them apart
Look at the next word. If it is a noun, 其 is “its” or “their”; if it is a verb or an adjective, 其 is “it” or “he”. Chapter 58 has both in one line: 孰知其极？其无正。 “Who knows where it ends? There is no fixed rule.” In 其极, 极, “the end, the limit”, is a noun; in 其无正, 无, “has no”, is a verb.
其次, “the next”, in chapter 17 is its own word in the glossary and is not counted here.