Key terms of the Dao De Jing
These are the words the Dao De Jing returns to most often. Each page says what the term means in the text and lists every line that uses it, with pinyin and translation.
| Term | Meaning | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|
| 道 dào | the Way | 75 times in 37 chapters |
| 德 dé | virtue | 42 times in 15 chapters |
| 无为 wú wéi | non-action | 12 times in 10 chapters |
| 自然 zì rán | what is so of itself | 5 times in 5 chapters |
| 朴 pǔ | the uncarved block | 8 times in 6 chapters |
| 玄 xuán | mystery, mysterious | 12 times in 7 chapters |
| 圣人 shèng rén | the sage | 31 times in 26 chapters |
| 常 cháng | constant, eternal | 14 times in 7 chapters |
| 一 yī | the One | 12 times in 5 chapters |
| 水 shuǐ | water | 3 times in 2 chapters |
| 不争 bù zhēng | not contending | 8 times in 7 chapters |
| 柔弱 róu ruò | soft and weak | 14 times in 8 chapters |
| 天下 tiān xià | all under heaven, the world | 61 times in 33 chapters |
| 万物 wàn wù | the myriad things | 20 times in 16 chapters |