A study path through the Dao De Jing
The book's order is not a learner's order. This path starts with chapter 71, five short lines of common characters, and then always takes the chapter that brings the fewest new characters, counting rare ones as heavier: a character of HSK level 1 weighs 1, one beyond HSK weighs 10. After 20 steps you have met 29% of the characters in the book. Chapter 1, famous as it is, comes at step 18.
The path
Each row gives the chapter, its difficulty, the characters you meet there for the first time (tap one for its meaning) and how much of the book's vocabulary you have met by then. Difficulty is the average weight of the chapter's characters: 1 if every one were HSK 1, 10 if none were in HSK. A dot marks the chapters you have heard to the end.
| Step | Chapter | Difficulty | New characters | Characters met |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapter 71 知不知上 | 1.5 | 知不上病夫唯是以圣人其 (11) | 1% |
| 2 | Chapter 40 反者道之 | 2.0 | 反者道之动弱用天下万物生于有无 (15) | 3% |
| 3 | Chapter 48 为学日益 | 2.3 | 为学日益损又至而取常事及足 (13) | 5% |
| 4 | Chapter 7 天长地久 | 2.0 | 长地久所能且自故后身先外存非私邪成 (17) | 7% |
| 5 | Chapter 47 不出户知 | 2.3 | 出户窥牖见弥远少行名 (10) | 8% |
| 6 | Chapter 33 知人者智 | 2.2 | 智明胜力强富志失死亡寿 (11) | 10% |
| 7 | Chapter 75 民之饥以 | 2.7 | 民饥食税多难治轻求厚贤贵 (12) | 11% |
| 8 | Chapter 68 善为士者 | 2.6 | 善士武战怒敌与谓争德配极 (12) | 13% |
| 9 | Chapter 81 信言不美 | 2.5 | 信言美辩博积既己愈利害 (11) | 14% |
| 10 | Chapter 79 和大怨必 | 2.8 | 和大怨必余安可执左契责司彻亲 (14) | 16% |
| 11 | Chapter 35 执大象天 | 2.4 | 象往平太乐饵过客止口淡乎味视听闻 (16) | 18% |
| 12 | Chapter 66 江海所以 | 2.3 | 江海百谷王欲处重前推厌莫 (12) | 19% |
| 13 | Chapter 63 为无为事 | 2.3 | 小报图易细作终诺寡犹矣 (11) | 21% |
| 14 | Chapter 72 民不畏威 | 2.8 | 畏威则狎居爱去彼此 (9) | 22% |
| 15 | Chapter 8 上善若水 | 2.7 | 若水众恶几心渊仁正时尤 (11) | 23% |
| 16 | Chapter 59 治人事天 | 3.0 | 啬早服克国母深根固柢 (10) | 24% |
| 17 | Chapter 6 谷神不死 | 4.2 | 神玄牝门绵勤 (6) | 25% |
| 18 | Chapter 1 道可道非 | 2.7 | 始观妙徼两同异 (7) | 26% |
| 19 | Chapter 61 大国者下 | 2.2 | 流交静牡或兼畜入各得宜 (11) | 27% |
| 20 | Chapter 3 不尚贤使 | 2.8 | 尚使货盗乱虚实腹骨敢也 (11) | 29% |
| 21 | Chapter 44 名与身孰 | 3.3 | 孰甚费藏辱殆 (6) | 29% |
| 22 | Chapter 13 宠辱若惊 | 3.5 | 宠惊患何吾寄托 (7) | 30% |
| 23 | Chapter 43 天下之至 | 3.1 | 柔驰骋坚间教希 (7) | 31% |
| 24 | Chapter 70 吾言甚易 | 2.9 | 宗君我被褐怀玉 (7) | 32% |
| 25 | Chapter 76 人之生也 | 3.2 | 草木脆枯槁徒兵 (7) | 33% |
| 26 | Chapter 49 圣人无常 | 3.6 | 姓亦在歙浑皆孩 (7) | 34% |
| 27 | Chapter 37 道常无为 | 3.4 | 侯守将化镇朴定 (7) | 35% |
| 28 | Chapter 36 将欲歙之 | 3.5 | 张废兴夺微刚鱼脱器示 (10) | 36% |
| 29 | Chapter 23 希言自然 | 2.7 | 然飘风朝骤雨况从焉 (9) | 37% |
| 30 | Chapter 60 治大国若 | 2.9 | 烹鲜莅鬼伤相归 (7) | 38% |
| 31 | Chapter 42 道生一 | 2.6 | 一二三负阴抱阳冲气孤公称梁父 (14) | 40% |
| 32 | Chapter 34 大道泛兮 | 2.3 | 泛兮右恃辞功衣养主 (9) | 41% |
| 33 | Chapter 77 天之道其 | 2.9 | 弓高抑举补奉 (6) | 42% |
| 34 | Chapter 17 太上下知 | 3.3 | 次誉侮悠遂 (5) | 42% |
| 35 | Chapter 2 天下皆知 | 2.8 | 斯已短较倾音声随弗 (9) | 43% |
| 36 | Chapter 78 天下莫柔 | 3.2 | 攻云受垢社稷祥 (7) | 44% |
| 37 | Chapter 65 古之善为 | 3.3 | 古愚贼福稽式乃顺 (8) | 45% |
| 38 | Chapter 74 民不畏死 | 3.7 | 奈惧奇杀代匠斫手 (8) | 46% |
| 39 | Chapter 26 重为轻根 | 3.1 | 躁离辎荣燕超乘本 (8) | 47% |
| 40 | Chapter 73 勇于敢则 | 2.8 | 勇活应召来繟谋网恢疏 (10) | 48% |
| 41 | Chapter 51 道生之德 | 3.4 | 形势尊命育亭毒覆宰 (9) | 50% |
| 42 | Chapter 38 上德不德 | 2.9 | 义礼攘臂扔忠薄首识华丈 (11) | 51% |
| 43 | Chapter 18 大道废有 | 3.5 | 慧伪六孝慈家昏臣 (8) | 52% |
| 44 | Chapter 19 绝圣弃智 | 3.7 | 绝弃倍复巧文令属素 (9) | 53% |
| 45 | Chapter 69 用兵有言 | 3.6 | 进寸退尺祸丧宝抗加哀 (10) | 54% |
| 46 | Chapter 46 天下有道 | 3.2 | 却走马粪戎郊咎 (7) | 55% |
| 47 | Chapter 67 天下皆谓 | 3.3 | 似肖持保曰俭广今舍救卫 (11) | 57% |
| 48 | Chapter 52 天下有始 | 2.7 | 子没塞兑闭开济光遗殃习 (11) | 58% |
| 49 | Chapter 56 知者不言 | 2.4 | 挫锐解分尘贱 (6) | 59% |
| 50 | Chapter 4 道冲而用 | 3.9 | 盈纷湛谁帝 (5) | 59% |
| 51 | Chapter 9 持而盈之 | 3.4 | 如揣金满堂骄 (6) | 60% |
| 52 | Chapter 16 致虚极守 | 3.5 | 致笃并芸妄凶容 (7) | 61% |
| 53 | Chapter 31 夫佳兵者 | 3.0 | 佳恬吉偏军悲泣 (7) | 62% |
| 54 | Chapter 5 天地不仁 | 3.3 | 刍狗橐籥屈数穷中 (8) | 63% |
| 55 | Chapter 45 大成若缺 | 3.4 | 缺弊直拙讷寒热清 (8) | 64% |
| 56 | Chapter 24 企者不立 | 2.7 | 企立跨彰伐矜赘 (7) | 65% |
| 57 | Chapter 30 以道佐人 | 2.9 | 佐好还师荆棘年果勿壮老 (11) | 66% |
| 58 | Chapter 25 有物混成 | 2.9 | 混寂寥独改周字逝域四法 (11) | 67% |
| 59 | Chapter 32 道常无名 | 3.4 | 虽宾合降甘露均制譬川 (10) | 69% |
| 60 | Chapter 57 以正治国 | 3.1 | 哉忌讳贫滋伎起 (7) | 70% |
| 61 | Chapter 54 善建者不 | 3.0 | 建拔孙祭祀辍修真乡丰普 (11) | 71% |
| 62 | Chapter 29 将欲取天 | 3.1 | 败歔吹羸隳奢泰 (7) | 72% |
| 63 | Chapter 62 道者万物 | 2.7 | 奥市置拱璧驷坐罪免 (9) | 73% |
| 64 | Chapter 11 三十辐共 | 3.1 | 十辐共毂当车埏埴凿室 (10) | 74% |
| 65 | Chapter 22 曲则全枉 | 3.3 | 曲全枉洼敝新惑岂诚 (9) | 75% |
| 66 | Chapter 64 其安易持 | 2.8 | 未兆泮散毫末九层台累土千里慎辅 (15) | 77% |
| 67 | Chapter 28 知其雄守 | 3.1 | 雄雌溪婴儿白黑忒官割 (10) | 78% |
| 68 | Chapter 10 载营魄抱 | 3.5 | 载营魄专涤除览疵阖达 (10) | 80% |
| 69 | Chapter 12 五色令人 | 3.4 | 五色目盲耳聋爽畋猎发狂妨 (12) | 81% |
| 70 | Chapter 50 出生入死 | 3.0 | 盖摄陆遇兕虎甲投角措爪刃 (12) | 83% |
| 71 | Chapter 41 上士闻道 | 3.2 | 笑昧夷颣偷质渝方隅晚隐贷 (12) | 84% |
| 72 | Chapter 53 使我介然 | 3.3 | 介施径田芜仓彩带剑饮财夸 (12) | 86% |
| 73 | Chapter 14 视之不见 | 3.1 | 搏诘皦绳状惚恍迎御纪 (10) | 87% |
| 74 | Chapter 21 孔德之容 | 4.5 | 孔惟窈冥精阅甫 (7) | 88% |
| 75 | Chapter 80 小国寡民 | 3.0 | 什伯徙舟舆陈结俗邻望鸡犬 (12) | 89% |
| 76 | Chapter 27 善行无辙 | 2.9 | 辙迹瑕谪筹策关楗约袭资迷要 (13) | 91% |
| 77 | Chapter 15 古之善为 | 4.5 | 通豫冬涉俨涣冰释敦旷浊徐蔽 (13) | 93% |
| 78 | Chapter 58 其政闷闷 | 3.9 | 政闷淳察倚伏妖廉刿肆燿 (11) | 94% |
| 79 | Chapter 39 昔之得一 | 3.4 | 昔宁灵贞恐裂歇竭灭蹶基琭珞石 (14) | 96% |
| 80 | Chapter 55 含德之厚 | 3.8 | 含比赤蜂虿虺蛇螫猛兽据攫鸟筋握朘号嗄 (18) | 98% |
| 81 | Chapter 20 绝学无忧 | 4.3 | 忧阿荒央熙享牢春登泊儽沌昭澹飂顽鄙 (17) | 100% |
How to use it
- One chapter a day is a good pace. Listen first at 0.8 speed, with pinyin on, then read the translation line by line.
- Before you move on, tap the new characters of the step: they are the ones the next chapters assume.
- Every tenth step or so, go back to an earlier chapter with pinyin off, or in memorisation mode, and see what you still know.
- The order is a suggestion. When a chapter interests you, read it: the word card is there for every character.
The figures come from the characters of the book and the official HSK 3.0 lists, computed by the site from the text itself.