TAO CHING
The Classic Words of TAO
1
TAO can be talked about, but not the Eternal Tao.  Names can be named, but not the 
Eternal Name.  You cannot name the unknown.

As the origin of heaven-and-earth, it is not describable: As "the Mother" of all things, it is 
describable.  You cannot describe the unknown origin.

So, as ever hidden, we should look at its inner sum and substance through Philosophy and 
Poetry: As always visible, we should look at its outer form through science.

These two flow from the same source the Laws of the Universe, though differently named;
And both are called mysteries.

The Mystery of mysteries is the Door of all sum and substance.  The source of the 
beginning of the Universe created the laws of the Universe.
2
When all the world recognizes beauty as beauty, this in itself is ugliness, for it lacks a 
seeing of the Truth. When all of humankind views the world the same there is no beauty.   
When all the world recognizes good as good, this in itself is destruction., for it lacks a 
seeing of the Truth.  The Power of Destruction will trick the sameness of thought to be 
evil, and humankind will not question.

Indeed, the hidden and the visible give birth to each other.  Hard and easy balance each 
other.  Long and short give measure to each other.  High and low set measure to each 
other.  Voice and sound give wholeness to each other.  Back and front follow each other.

Therefore, the Complete thinker manages his affairs without trouble.  And spreads his 
teaching  by actions.  He gives what is required to the many living things.  He raises them, 
but makes no claim of them.  He does his work, but does not brag about it.  He finished 
his task, and moves on.

And yet it is just because he moves on.  That Nobody can ever take his work away from 
him.
3
By not exalting the talented you will cause the people to cease from rivalry and 
contention.  When everyone is equal, each is rewarded justly. By not prizing goods hard to 
get, you will cause the people to cease from robbing and stealing.  When material goods 
have no value there is no temptation to steal.  By not displaying what is desirable, you will 
cause the people’s hearts to remain undisturbed.  When people are not tempted to own 
things they do not desire things.

Therefore, the Complete Thinker’s way of governing begins by

	Emptying the heart of desires,
	Filling the belly with food,
	Weakening the ambitions, not creating a temptation,
	Toughening the bones, guiding a healthful life.

In this way he will cause the people to remain without knowledge and without desire, and 
prevent the knowing ones from any trouble.  Practice Not Causing Trouble, and 
everything will be in order.

4
The Tao is like an empty bowl.  Which in being used can never be filled up.
Fathomless, it seems to be the origin of all things.  It blunts all sharp edges,
It unties all tangles, It blends all lights, It unites the world into one whole.
Hidden in the depths, Yet It seems to exist for ever.
I do not know whose child It is; It seems to be the common ancestor of all, the father of 
things.  It is the Universal Laws from the beginning, To live by these Laws is to live in 
harmony with our True Nature.
5
Heaven-and-Earth is not sentimental; It treats all things equal.
The Complete thinker is not sentimental; He treats all his people as equal.

Between Heaven and Earth, There seems to be a Bellows: It is empty, yet it can not be 
emptied; The more it works, the more comes out of it. No amount of words can fathom it:
Better look for it within you.  The Tao is in all that exists.
6
The Spirit of the Fountain dies not. It is called the Veiled Feminine.  The Doorway of the 
Veiled Feminine Is called the Root of Heaven-and-Earth.

Like easy to see through cloth, it has only a hint that it is there; And yet when you use it, it 
is always there without end.
7
Heaven lasts long, and Earth abides.  What is the secret of their durability?  Is it not 
because they do not live for themselves That they can live so long?

Therefore, the Complete thinker wants to remain behind, But finds himself at the head of 
others; Reckons himself out, But finds himself safe and secure.
Is it not because he is selfless That his Self is realized?
8
The highest form of goodness is like water.  Water knows how to benefit all things 
without striving with them.  It stays in places disgusting to all men.  Therefore, it comes 
near the Tao.

In choosing your dwelling, know how to keep the ground.  In cultivating your mind, know 
how to dive in the hidden deeps.  In dealing with others, know how to be gentle and kind.
In speaking, know how to keep your words.  In governing, know how to maintain order.
In transacting business, know how to be efficient.  In making a move, know how to 
choose the right moment.

If you do not strive with others, You will be free from blame.
9
As for holding to fullness, Far better were it to stop in time!  Do not over do the task, 
close it.
Keep on beating and sharpening a sword, And the edge cannot be preserved for long.  
Over work spoils the tool before it is completed.

Fill your house with gold and jade, And it can no longer be guarded.  Do not tempt others 
for someone will surely give in to temptation.

Set store by your riches and honor, And you will only reap a crop of misfortunes.  Show 
your riches and forces begin to work against you, causing you harm.

Here is the Way of Heaven:
When you have done your work, leave!
10
In keeping the spirit and the vital soul together, Are you able to maintain their perfect 
harmony?  In gathering your vital energy to attain flexibility, Have you reached the state of 
a new-born babe?  In washing and clearing your inner vision, Have you purified it of all 
garbage?  In loving your people and governing your state, Are you able to dispense with 
tricking people?  In opening and shutting of heaven’s gate, Are you able to play the 
feminine part?  Enlightened and seeing far into all directions, Can you at the same time 
remain detached and not interfere?

Raise with care your people!  Feed your people!  Raise them without saying they are your 
own!  Do your work without setting any value to it!  Be a leader, not one who causes 
death!
This is called hidden Goodness.
11
Thirty Spokes converge upon a single hub; It is on the hole in the center that the use of the 
cart hinges.

We make a vessel from a lump of clay; It is the empty space within the vessel that makes it 
useful.

We make doors and windows for a room; But it is the empty spaces that make the room 
livable.

Thus, while the visible has advantages, It is the not visible that makes it useful.
12
The five colors blind the eye.  The five tones deafen the ear.  The five flavors stick to the 
palate.  Racing and hunting make the mind crazy.  Temptations make men do wrong.

Therefore, the Complete thinker takes care of the belly, not the eye.  He prefers what is 
within to what is without.
13
"Welcome disgrace as a pleasant surprise.  Prize misfortunes as your own body."

Why should we "welcome disgrace as a pleasant surprise"?  Because a lowly state is a 
boon: Getting it is a pleasant surprise, And so is losing it!  That is why we should 
"welcome disgrace as a pleasant surprise."
Why should we "prize misfortunes as our own body"?  Because our body is the very 
source of our misfortunes.  If we have no body, what misfortunes can we have?

Hence, only he who is willing to give his body for the sake of the world is fit to be 
entrusted with the world. Only he who can do it with love is worthy of being the steward 
of the world.  This lesson is known by all Complete Thinkers.
14
Look at it but you cannot see it!  Its name is Formless.
Listen to it but you cannot hear it!  Its name is Soundless.
Grasp it but you cannot get it!  Its name is Incorporeal.
These three attributes are too deep to measure; therefore they mix together into one.
Its upper  side is not bright: Its under side is not dim.  Always the Unnamable moves on,
Until it returns beyond the world of things.  We call it the formless Form, the imageless 
Image.  We call it the indefinable and unimaginable.
Confront it and you do not see its face!  Follow it and you do not see its back!  Yet 
equipped with this timeless Tao, You can harness present realities.

To know the origins is initiation into the Tao.
15
In times past the complete thinkers of the Tao were not obvious about what they did and 
could change to meet the circumstance, strong and widespread.  Their minds were too 
deep to be measured.

Because their minds were unmeasurable, One can only describe their appearance unclearly. 

Slow to start like one wading a stream in winter; Shy like one afraid of his neighbors on all 
sides; Careful and polite like a guest; Flexible like ice on the point of melting;
Simple like an uncarved block; Hollow like a cave; Disordered like a muddy pool;
And yet who else could quietly and gradually evolve from the muddy to the clear?
Who else could slowly but steadily move from the inert to the living?

He who keeps the Tao does not want to be full.  But precisely because he is never full, He 
can always remain like a hidden sprout, And does not rush to early ripening.
16
Achieve the utmost Emptiness.  Cling single-heartedly to interior peace.  While all things 
are stirring together, I only contemplate the Return.  For flourishing as they do, Each of 
them will return to its root.  To return to the root is to find peace.  To find peace is to 
fulfill one’s destiny.  To fulfill one’s destiny is to be unchanging.  To know the 
Unchanging is called Insight.

If one does not know the Unchanging, One runs blindly into disasters.  If one knows the 
Unchanging, One can understand and embrace all.  If one understands and embraces all, 
One is capable of doing justice.  To be just is to be kingly; To be kingly is to be heavenly; 
To be heavenly is to be one with the Tao; To be one with the Tao is to abide forever.
Such a one will be safe and whole, Even after the dissolution of his body.
17
The highest type of ruler is one of whose existence the people are barely aware.  Next 
comes one whom they love and praise.  Next comes one whom they fear.  Next comes one 
whom they despise and defy.

When you are lacking in faith, Others will be unfaithful to you.

The Complete Thinker is quiet and uses few words.  When his task is accomplished and 
things have been completed, All the people say, "We ourselves have achieved it!"
18
When the Great Tao was abandoned, There appeared humanity and justice.  When 
intelligence and jokes arose, There appeared people who said to be one way but lived the 
opposite.  When the six relations lost their harmony, There appeared filial piety and 
paternal kindness.  When darkness and disorder began to reign in a kingdom, There 
appeared the trustworthy ministers.
19
Drop wisdom, abandon cleverness, And the people will be benefited a hundred fold.

Drop humanity, abandon justice, And the people will return to their natural affections.

Drop shrewdness, abandon sharpness, And robbers and thieves will cease to be.

These three are a pattern of Tao, And are not sufficient in themselves.
Therefore, they should be subordinated to a Higher principle; See the Simple and Embrace 
the Beginning, Make less the self and control the desires!


20
Have done with learning, And you will have no more frustration.
How great is the difference between "eh" and "o"?  What is the distinction between 
"good" and "evil"?  Must I fear what others fear?  What difficult stupidity this is!

All men are joyous and beaming, As though feasting upon a sacrificial ox, As though 
mounting the Spring Terrace; I alone am peaceful and give no sign, Like a babe which has 
not yet smiled.  I alone am forgotten as one who has no home to return to.

All men have enough and more: I alone appear to possess nothing.  What a fool I am!
What a confused mind I have!  All men are bright, bright:  I alone am dim, dim.  All men 
are sharp, sharp:  I alone am silent, silent!  Tasteless like the ocean, Aimless like the 
drifting wind.

All men settle in their paths: I alone am stubborn and remain outside.
I am most different from others, In knowing to take support from my Eternal Mother!
21
It lies in the nature of Grand Goodness To follow the Tao and the Tao alone. Now what is 
the Tao?  It is Something slippery and shifty.  Shifty and slippery!  And yet It contains 
within Itself a Form.  Shifty and slippery!  And yet It contains within Itself a Substance.
Shadowy and dim!  And yet It contains within Itself a Core of Energy. The Core of 
Energy is very real, It contains within Itself an unfailing Honesty.  Throughout the ages Its 
Name has been preserved In order to recall the Beginning of all things.  We can see and 
hear the background radiation that was the Big Bang the beginning of our Universe.  How 
do I know the ways of all things at the Beginning?  By what is within me.  I am Tao and 
Tao is me. Tao is everything and everything is Tao.
22
Bend and you will be whole.  Curl and you will be straight.  Keep empty and you will be 
filled. Grow old and you will be renewed.

Have little and you will gain.  Have much and you will be confused.

Therefore, the Complete Thinker embraces the One, And becomes a Pattern to all under 
Heaven.  He does not make a show of himself, Hence he shines;  Does not justify himself, 
Hence he becomes known;  Does not boast of his ability, Hence he gets his credit;  Does 
not brandish his success, Hence he lasts; Does not compete with anyone, Hence no one 
can compete with him.  Indeed, the ancient saying: "Bend and you will remain whole" are 
no idle words.  Nay, if you have really attained wholeness, everything will flock to you.
23
Only simple and quiet words will ripen of themselves.  For a whirlwind does not last a 
whole morning.  Nor does a sudden rain last a whole day.  Who is their creator? Heaven-
and-Earth!  Even Heaven-and-Earth cannot make such violent things last long;
How much truer is it of the reckless efforts of men?

Hence, he who helps the Tao is one with the Tao; He who practices Goodness is one with 
Goodness; And he who seeks the hand of  loss is one with Loss.

To be one with the Tao is to be a welcome addition to the Tao; To be one with Goodness 
is to be a welcome addition to Goodness; To be one with Loss is to be a welcome addition 
to Loss.
Failure of faith on your part Creates faithlessness on the part of others.



24
One on tip-toe cannot stand.  One sitting on a horse cannot walk.  One who shows off 
himself does not shine.  One who brags about himself has no glory.  One who boasts of his 
own ability has no merit.   One who parades his own success will not last. In Tao these 
things are called "unwanted food and extraneous growths,"  Which are rejected by all 
things.
Therefore, a man of Tao does not set his heart upon them.  He has no need of them.
25
There was Something undefined and yet complete in itself, Born before Heaven-and-
Earth.  Silent and endless, Standing alone without change, Yet being within all without 
fail,
It may be thought of as the Mother of the world.  I do not know its name; I write it "Tao";
And, without a better word, call it "The Great."  To be great is to go on, To go on is to be 
far, To be far is to return.  Therefore, "Tao is great, Heaven is great, Earth is great, King 
is great" Thus the king is one of the great four in the Universe.  Man follows the ways of 
the Earth.  Earth follows the ways of Heaven, Heaven follows the ways of Tao, Tao 
follows its own ways.
26
Heaviness is the root of lightness.  Peace of mind is the master of restlessness.  Therefore, 
the Complete Thinker, traveling all day, Does not leave the baggage-wagon; Though there 
may be gorgeous sights to see, He stays peacefully in his own home.  Why should a lord of 
ten thousand chariots Display his insight to the world?  To have insight is to be separated 
from one’s root; To be restless is to lose one’s self-mastery.
27
Good walking leaves no track behind it; Good speech leaves no mark to be picked at;
Good calculation makes no use of counting-slips; Good shutting makes no use of bolt and 
bar, And yet nobody can undo it; Good tying makes no use of rope and knot, And yet 
nobody can untie it.  Hence the Complete Thinker is always good at saving men, And 
therefore nobody is abandoned; Always good at savings things, And therefore nothing is 
wasted. This is called "following the guidance of the Insight." Hence, good men are the 
teachers of bad men, While bad men depend on good men. Not to honor one’s teacher, 
Not to value one’s dependent, Is to be on the wrong road, however intelligent one may be.  
This is an basic belief of the Tao.
28
Know the masculine, Keep to the feminine, And be the Brook of the World.
To be the Brook of the World is To move unchanging in the path of Goodness Without 
swerving from it, And to return again to infancy.

Know the white, Keep to the black, And be the Pattern of the World.
To be the Pattern of the World is To move unchanging in the path of Goodness Without  
making a single wrong step, And to return again to the Infinite.

Know the glorious, Keep to the lowly, And be the Fountain of the World.
To be the Fountain of the World is To live the abundant life of Goodness, And to return 
again to Primal Simplicity.

When Primal Simplicity diversifies, It becomes useful vessels, Which, in the hands of the 
Complete Thinker, become officers.  Hence, "a great tailor does little cutting."






29
Does anyone want to take the world and do what he wants with it?  I do not see how he 
can succeed.

The world is a sacred vessel, which must not be tampered with or grabbed after.  To 
tamper with it is to spoil it, and to grasp is to lose it.

In fact, for all things there is a time for going ahead, and a time for following behind;
A time for slow-breathing and a time for fast-breathing; A time to grow in strength and a 
time to decay;  a time to be up and a time to be down.

Therefore, the Complete Thinker avoids all extremes, excesses and extravagances.
He travels the middle path.
30
He who knows how to guide a ruler in the path of Tao, Does not try to override the world 
with force of arms.  It is in the nature of a military force to turn against its wielder.

Wherever armies are stationed, thorny bushes grow.  After a great war, bad years 
invariably follow.

What you want is to protect efficiently your own state, But not to aim at selfishness.

After you have attained your purpose, You must not show off your success, You must not 
brag of your ability, You must not feel proud, You must rather regret that you had not 
been able to prevent the war.  You must never think of taking control of others by force.

For to be over-developed is to hasten decay, And this is against Tao, And what is against 
Tao will soon cease to be.
31
Fine weapons of war predict destruction.  Even things seem to avoid them.  Therefore, a 
man of Tao does not set his heart upon them.  A man of Tao does not build armies to fight 
and take control of another’s land.

In ordinary life, a gentle person regards the left side as the place of honor:  In war, the 
right side is the place of honor.

As weapons are tools of destruction, They are not properly a gentle person’s tools;
On necessity will he use them, having them and knowing their use.  For peace and quiet 
are dearest to his heart, And to him even winning is no cause for rejoicing.

To rejoice over a war won is to rejoice over the slaughter of men!  
So a man who rejoices over the slaughter of men cannot expect to do well in the world of 
men.

On happy occasions the left side is preferred: On sad occasions the right side .
In the army, the Lieutenant Commander stands on the left, While the Commander-in-Chief 
stands on the right.
This means that war is treated as equal to a funeral service.  Because many people have 
been killed, it is only right that the living should be sad at the loss of them.  Hence, even in 
a victory is a funeral.




32
Tao is always nameless.  Small as it is in its Primal Simplicity, It is lesser than nothing in 
the world.  If only a ruler could stick to it, Everything will give respect to him.  Heaven 
and Earth will be harmonized And send down sweet dew.  Peace and order will reign 
among the people Without any command from above.

When once the Primal Simplicity diversified, at the Time of the Big Bang, Different names 
appeared.  Are there not enough names now?

Is this not the time to stop?  To know where to stop is to preserve ourselves from danger.  
The Tao is to the world what a great river or an ocean is to the streams and brooks.
33
He who knows men is clever;  He who knows himself has insight.  He who conquers men 
has force;  He who conquers himself is truly strong.

He who knows when he has got enough is rich, And he who follows carefully the path of 
Tao is a man of steady purpose.  He should stays where he has found his true home lasts 
long, And he who dies but is not forgotten enjoys real longevity.
34
The Great Tao is universal like a flood.  How can it be turned to the right or to the left?

All creatures depend on it, and it denies nothing to anyone.

It does its work, But it makes no claims for itself.

It clothes and feeds all, But it does not rule them: Thus, it may be called "the Little."

All things return to it as to their home, But id does not rule them: Thus, it may be called 
"the Great."

It is just because it does not wish to be great, That its greatness is fully realized.
35
He who holds the Great Symbol will attract all things to him.  They flock to him and 
receive no harm, for in him they find peace, security and happiness.

Music and dainty dishes can only make a passing guest pause.  But the words of Tao 
possess lasting effects, Though they are mild and flavorless, Though they appeal neither to 
the eye nor to the ear.
36
What is in the end to be shrunken, Begins by being first stretched out.  What is in the end 
to be weakened, Begins by being first made strong.  What is in the end to be thrown 
down, Begins by being first set on high.  What is in the end to be raped, Begins by being 
first given riches.

Herein is the subtle wisdom of life: The soft and weak overcomes the hard and strong.

Just as the fish must not leave the deeps, So the ruler must not display his weapons.
37
Tao never makes any showiness, And yet it does everything.  If a ruler can cling to it, All 
things will grow of themselves.  When they have grown and tend to make a stir, It is time 
to keep them in their place by the aid of the nameless Primal Simplicity.  Which alone can 
curb the desires of men.  When the desires of men are curbed, there will be peace, And the 
world will settle down of its own accord.

THESE ARE THE WORDS OF THE GREAT CHINESE PHILOSOPHER LAO TZU.
THIS TRANSLATION WAS FROM THE ORIGINAL CHINESE TA0 CHING “THE BOOK OF THE WAY”.
I AM NOW WORKING ON THE TRANSLATION OF “THE BOOK OF ITS VIRTUE”
THE INTENT OF THIS TRANSLATION IS TO MAKE THE ORIGINAL IDEAS EASY TO READ AND STILL MATCH WITH THE POETIC PUNCTUATION AND FEEL.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

	JOHN TROTTIER
	(206) 277-9858