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Section
A

Lao Zi
zhi Dao De Jing

( Lao Tzu
’s Tao Te Ching )

Word For
Word

Two Literal English
Translations

One Simple, One
Complex,

The Chinese Text and a Pinyin
Transcription

by Bradford Hatcher

(Version 04.8)

© Bradford Hatcher, 1998,
2003

Table of Contents

Section A: Simple Version [58 pages, Word,
03.6]

Introduction

A Simple Translation

Footnotes

Bibliography

Section B: Scholar’s Version [180 pages, Word,
03.6]

Introduction and Search Tips

A Matrix Translation

Common Variations in the Text

Guodian Index

Glossary

Introduction

Words

Characters not in the
Glossary

Common Words

Phrases & Idioms

Pronouncing Pinyin Chinese

Pinyin to Wade-Giles Conversion

Section B5: Bilingual Scholar’s Version
[204 pages, Word, 03.6]

As above but the Matrix contains Big5
characters

Section C: Chinese Texts [98 pages,
Word, 03.6]

Introduction

Lao Zi 's Dao De Jing in Big5 and Pinyin
[Word]

Lao Zi 's Dao De Jing in Big5 and Pinyin [Html, On
Screen]

Section D: Lao Zi and Daoist Links [66 kb,
html, 03.6] or [On Screen]

Lao Zi (LZ)

Zhuang Zi (ZZ)

General Daoism

Chinese Literature & Classics

Chinese Language

Introduction

With more than a hundred English translations of
this little book in print it has become customary to begin each new version with
an apology explaining the need for yet another English version. But this one may
come as a surprise to many readers: nobody has yet attempted a rigorously
literal translation of the Dao De Jing. Nobody has produced a stand-alone English version
wherein all of the Chinese words are represented by English counterparts. And
nobody has yet attempted a translation which fully resists the temptation to
insert grammatical subjects and genders which do not exist in the Chinese
original.

However
a number of translators have demonstrated an admirable respect for the original
Chinese text and there exist many fine to passable translations, even if not
strictly literal. My own favorites are highlighted in bold in the Bibliography.
Further, several versions have provided readers with English equivalents
alongside each of the Chinese characters. These too are noted in the
bibliography. Unfortunately most do not mention which of the many variations in
the text are being used or point out places where other versions differ. Typos
are usually a problem with these as well.

There are several reasons for such a confusion of books. The most obvious is
that there exists a large popular market for this book, while most of the
readers within this market know next to nothing about the Old Chinese language.
They seem to trust that publishing house editors, or the reviewers quoted on the
covers, are more knowledgeable. This is not the case. But there is a still
deeper source of confusion: the original work is not that much better understood
in Chinese than in English. Thousands of volumes of interpretation exist in the
Chinese language, dating as far back as Wang Bi and Heshang Gong in the third
century ce. Interpretations tend
to follow schools of thought and the cumulative error that this often entails.
Often systems of thought which were in some way derived from Lao Zi are used
retroactively to interpret the meaning of the source text. The original’s
language is terse, ambiguous in places, and full of word play. The Old Chinese
language itself has no set parts of speech, no tense, gender, voice, mood,
plurals, etc. In many ways it resembles Tarot cards more than it does
conventional language: most words carry a large number of possible translations,
in many parts of speech, and intended meanings do not become clearer until
studied in their more limiting contexts. The fact that the original is rhymed is
not as important as some scholars seem to think: with only 411 syllables,
rhyming in the Chinese language is easy. But where the book makes
effort to rhyme it often makes the
grammar less familiar. Finally, hundreds of older editions exist, and rarely
will two be found which agree word for word throughout. Choices must be often be
made between these.

As the book began to be translated into languages other than Chinese a few more
interpretive problems entered the picture. The earliest editions were authored
by Christian missionaries. These formed a substratum of scholarship upon which
most later work was built. But the phrase “full of preconceptions” could almost
stand in as a definition of the word “missionary.” To give credit where due,
their minds seemed more open than their less scholarly brethren. But in their
effort to save Lao Zi’s soul they made his words sound almost as though Jesus
might have spoken them, even unto the absurdity of translating
Dao as God. There were also a number
of wrong assumptions made about the impossibility of translating Chinese
literally, particularly about the need to insert non-existent subjects of
non-existent genders. This assumption continues.

A great mass of speculation, set forth with great cleverness and erudition, has
been done on what this little book says and means, often flying right in the
face of the many things that Lao Zi himself had to say on the difficulties that
we humans have due to cleverness and
erudition. This is delightfully, wickedly perverse. Lao Zi will say something
like: “The five colors will make the human eye blind.” Commentators will then
rush to “enlighten” us, with great detail, about what the five colors are,
presumably so that we can watch out for them.

For the above reasons I perceived a need to return to the original text, as best
as this can be reconstructed, and plod word by word through this until it made
sense. It is after all the original, and neither a translation nor a commentary,
which has survived these two dozen centuries. And, as it turned out, the book
was able to speak for, and even introduce itself. In other words I have tried to
present Laozi’s Dao De Jing as a
simple book with lots of complex thoughts, and not as a Daoist text or even a
philosophical work. Commentary in this edition will be limited to a few
footnotes on some of the more obscure cultural references and passages where
misinterpretation has been the most common. Restraint has been the most
difficult where refraining from explaining such key Chinese terms as
Dao (way, path, truth),
De (character, merit, virtue),
Po (unworked wood, original nature,
simplicity) and Wei (to do, perform,
make, become, regard as). For these the reader is referred to the Glossary at
the back of the book.

Two
different kinds of translations are given here. The first is familiar- a linear
representation of thoughts in one language given in another. Particularly
between these two languages, much is lost in translation. The original is far
too broad in implication to be fully captured by so narrow and specific language
as English. English words cannot be made as fat with meaning as Chinese, unless
they spread out in another direction or dimension. The second translation
addresses this problem by offering a multi-dimensional matrix from which a
practically infinite number of linear translations can be derived. This offers
an average of perhaps four to five different English options for each Chinese
word, and often demonstrates choices between different grammatical
constructions. This may be so unfamiliar and so confusing to most readers that
it is best thought of as an intricate set of footnotes, or a demonstration of
the thought processes by which the linear translation of each line was derived.
It can still be used to answer specific questions about the turning of certain
phrases and the (often deliberate) polysemy, ambiguities and double entendres in
the original.

The combined speculation on Lao Zi’s history and the origin of this book would
fill hundreds of volumes in Chinese and dozens in English. If we set aside all
the speculation, this is what we have left: The Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) was written in China during either the late Spring and
Autumn Period or the Warring States Period of the Zhou Dynasty, at some time
between 550 and 350 BCE, by one or more persons either named, writing under the
pen name of, or who came to be named Lao Zi (Lao Tzu). Two things often said of
Shakespeare apply also to Lao Zi: if the Dao De Jing was not written by Lao Zi, it was by someone else of
the same name; and if Lao Zi did not write the Dao De Jing he most certainly missed the opportunity of a lifetime.
The name “Lao Zi,” which also stood for a few centuries as the book’s title,
could be a real name, meaning Elder Sir, or a pen name meaning the Old
Youngster. Sima Qian (Ssu-Ma Ch’ien, 145-86 bce), the Han Dynasty historian,
offered the most widely accepted - but still speculative - history:

Sima Qian shi ji, Lao Zi
chuan

Sima Qian’s historical record, Lao
Zi’s story

Si-ma
Qian yue

Sima Qian writes:

Lao
Zi zhe

Lao Zi was

Chu,
Ku xian, Li xiang, Qu-ren li ren ye.

(A) Chu
(Province), Ku district,
Li county Quren hamlet resident.

Xing
Li shi

Surnamed of the Li gentry

Ming
Er, zi Bo Yang

Proper name Er, courtesy name Bo Yang,

Shi
yue Dan

Posthumously called Dan

Zhou
shou cang shi zhi shi ye.

A Zhou
official in charge of historical archives.

Kong
Zi shi Zhou

Kong Zi [Confucius] went to Zhou

Jiang
wen li yu Lao-zi

In order to confer with Lao Zi about ceremony

Lao
Zi yue, zi, suo yan zhe

Lao Zi said, Sir, that of which (you) speak,

Qi
ren yu gu jie yi xiu yi!

These men, along with their bones, are all done with and
decayed!

Du qi
yan zai er

Only their words remain to be heard

Qie
jun zi de qi shi ze jia

Now a nobleman who has his timing then rises

Bu de
qi shi ze feng lei er xing

Failing to find his timing then drifts among
involvements and wanders about

Wu
wen zhi:

This I hear:

Liang
gu shen cang ruo xu

The good merchant is well guarded, (and) seems to be
poor

Jun
zi sheng de rong mao ruo yu

A nobleman full of character assumes a posture perhaps
of commonness

Qu,
zi, zhi jiao qi, duo yu, tai se, yu yin zhi

Let go, Sir, of these proud airs, many desires, affected
looks and excessive ambitions

Shi
jie wu yi yu, zi, zhi shen

This is all of no use, Sir, to life

Wu
suo yi gao zi ruo shi er yi

This is what I intend to tell you about, Sir, and it is
finished

Kong
Zi qu

Kong Zi departed

Wei
di zi yue:

(And) addressed the disciples, saying:

Niao
wu zhi qi neng fei

(Of) birds, we know they can fly

Yu wu
zhi qi neng you

(Of) fish, we know they can swim

Shou
wu zhi qi neng zou

(Of) beasts, we know they can run

Zou
zhe ke yi wei wang

For what runs, traps may be made

You
zhe ke yi wei lun

For what swims, nets may be made

Fei
zhe ke yi wei zeng

For what flies, arrows may be made

Zhi
yu long

As to dragons

Wu bu
neng zhi qi cheng feng yun er shang tian

We do not know how they ride the wind & clouds and
ascend to heaven

Wu
jin mu jian Lao Zi

Today my eyes beheld Lao Zi

Qi
you long ye?

Is he (not) like the dragon?

Lao
Zi xiu dao de

Lao Zi cultivated the path (and) merit

Qi
xue yi zi yin, wu ming, wei wu

His teachings concerned self-effacement, namelessness,
the business of doing.

Ju
Zhou jiu zhi

Having dwelt long in Zhou

Jian
Zhou zhi shuai nai sui qu

(He) foresaw the Zhou’s decline and consequently
departed

Zhi
guan

Coming to the frontier

Guan
ling Yin Xi yue:

The customs house officer, Director Xi, said:

Zi,
jiang yin yi

(You) Sir, about to retire,

Qiang
wei wo zhu shu

Please, set down a document for my sake

Yu
shi Lao Zi nai zhu shu shang xia pian

With this Lao Zi then wrote a book (in) upper and lower
sections

Yan
dao de zhi yi

Discussing the meaning of Dao and De

Wu
qian yu yan er qu

(In) five thousand and more words and then
departed

Mo
zhi qi suo zhong

Nobody knows where he ended.

Sima
Qian continues beyond this with a few more biographical anecdotes, but these are
much prefaced by “some say” and “perhaps,” and these stories have led to some
wild conclusions about Lao Zi’s great longevity. Even the foregoing account
makes the questionable claim that the Lao Zi we have come to know and love as
the Chinese Diogenes was a person who would be consulted on subjects of
ceremony, by the fussy Kong Zi no less. Unfortunately most of recorded Chinese
history (together with the earliest versions of this book) was lost in the Qin
dynasty when the tyrant Qin Shihuang burned most of the books.

Lao Zi zhi Dao De
Jing

in Simple
Translation

The following is an attempt at a succinct and straightforward literal
translation of a carefully emended Chinese version of the Dao De
Jing.

The division of the work into two parts (Chapters 1-37 & 38-81) is a
convention which dates back to the Zhou Dynasty, but probably not to the origin
of the text. These are sometimes called the Dao Jing and the De Jing respectively. The word Jing, which simply means classic, was a Han Dynasty addition to a small number of
revered texts and indicated canonization. The book’s eighty-one chapters are
numbered and given in the conventional order here, even though these divisions
came much later. The chapter divisions may be thought of as little more than
reference points. They are not particularly meaningful in terms of dividing the
subject matter into discrete themes. A given chapter may as likely contain three
subjects as half a subject, and in no logical order either. Chapters are further
broken down into itemized lines indicating what is called “parsing,” roughly the
division of a text into clauses and phrases, not necessarily sentences. For the
most part this parsing is not a part of the original text either but a matter of
convenience and convention. However breaks are sometimes indicated in the
original by particles indicative of the completion of a thought, a question, an
exclamation or a pause.

There were three objectives in this first version:

1) To represent each Chinese term with an English counterpart (for the
particles, sometimes a punctuation mark) so that no part of the original idea
was left out of the text. In a few cases a single English word carried the
meaning of two or three Chinese words (much more often it would take two or more
English words to render a Chinese one). For example, tian xia, (all) beneath the sky, is sometimes rendered as nature or the world. Negatives such as bu and wu are
often translatable as a prefix or suffix such as un- or –less
(but not all words prefixed or suffixed thus in the translation are derived in
this way). Or zhong bu, to the
end not, may translate as
never. But this simplification was done
sparingly. Double negatives are far too important to Lao Zi’s thought processes
to render as simple positives. For example, Lao Zi might have described the work
to be done by human beings as “to stop doing what does not work.” This is is
entirely different from “doing only what works.” Reiteratives are usually
simpified by translators into single words when they should instead be explored
for the added breadth of meaning they offer. One net result of this word for
word discipline was to prevent me from ignoring the little words and particles
when they seemed inconvenient, as most translators and scholars have done. The
assumption made here was that, in a book this short and succinct, every stroke
had meaning.

2) To add as few words as possible, with no embellishment. Much of the meaning
of the Chinese text is implied by
the position of the words within a phrase, and often this implication includes
the part of speech, as well as tense, gender, plurality, voice and mood.
Possessives and conjunctions are often merely implied. If,
when and where are often assumed, especially where there is a
then or there in the next clause. I often had the need to make these
implications explicit by adding words sparingly, in parentheses. An implied
and is rendered either as
(and) or &. Occasionally an English expression was allowed to
stand alone as a sentence fragment. No apology is made for this.

3) To preserve the original word order, wherever this could be rendered in a way
which made sense. But this was not always possible or even desirable.
Prepositions, possessives and the word zhe (is, means
or one who) are probably the most
often out of English sequence. Alterations of word order are indicated only in
the Part Two Matrix, by up and down arrows (^v).

The cost of implementing the above three objectives was surprisingly light -
there is the occasional awkwardness of a fragment or an unfamiliarity in the
turn of a phrase. But most of the few idioms used actually translate into
English fairly well. In the end, perhaps dozens of lines which have been poorly
understood in both Chinese and English have been cleared up here, not by clever
and intricate analysis but by the enforcement of simplicity and the reining in
of overcomplicated speculation.

The choices which have been made here between the various versions of the text
are indicated only in the Part Two Matrix by underlining in the first two
columns. The alternative Chinese words (and in a few cases parsings) are given
at the end of the Matrix. I have generally followed the Wang Bi version of the
text, but there are dozens of cases where a preponderance of the other versions
disagree with Wang Bi while concurring amongst themselves. Particularly in cases
where the Mawangdui texts and the Guodian fragments stand united in agreement
with the Heshang Gong or Fu Yi versions, I have felt little discomfort about
siding with such a majority.

To find a particular chapter quickly, use the chapter number with the Find
command. This also works in the Big5 or Traditional Chinese text.

01       A path fit to
travel

b         Is not
a general path *

c         A name
fit for calling

d         Is not
a generic name

e
“Nothing” names the origin of heaven and earth

f
“Being” names the mother of the myriad beings

g         And
so, always be dispassionate

h         In
order to see the mysteries

i
Always be passionate

j
In order to see the objectives

k
These two mean the same (when) emerging

l
While diverging in significance

m
The sameness tells of their mystery

n
Mystery leading to greater mystery

o         (Is)
the gateway to every mystery

02       All under heaven
know the beauty of things as beauty

b         So
ugliness is already there

c         All
know the good of things as the good

d         So the
not-good is already there

e
And so being and nothingness beget each other

f
Difficult & easy complete each other

g
Lasting & brief define each other

h
High & low rely on each other

i
Tone & voice resonate with each other

j
Before & after follow each other

k         This
is how wise ones abide without interfering with the work,

l
Practice without speaking their doctrine

m
A myriad beings emerge here, but without explanation

n
Are produced, but with no claims

o
Are developed, but with no expectations

p
Works are accomplished, but with no dwelling

q
Insofar as there is no dwelling

r
This means there is no departure

03       Not exalting
worthies

b         Keeps
the people from rivalry

c         Not
prizing goods which are hard to obtain

d         Keeps
the people from acting like thieves

e         Not
displaying the desirable

f
Keeps the peoples’ hearts from confusion

g
This is how wise ones approach government

h
Emptying the hearts

i
(And) filling the bellies

j
Weakening the ambitions

k
(And) strengthening the bones

l
Always keeping the people free of sophistication, free of desires

m        So that even
the clever ones will not presume to meddle at all

n
(Where) action does not take action

o         There
nothing is out of order

04       The way (is) fluid,
and yet in its practice

b
Somehow there is nothing in excess

c         So
deep-

d         As if
ancestor to the myriad beings

e
Blunt in its sharpness

f
Resolved in its tangles

g
Shaded in its glare

h
One with this world

i
So deep & clear

j
Seeming as though seeming to exist

k         We do
not know whose child this is

l
(But) imagine it divinity’s ancestor

05       Heaven & earth
are not compassionate

b
Treating the myriad beings as straw dogs

c         Wise
ones are not compassionate

d
Regarding the hundred families as straw dogs

e
The space between heaven & earth

f
How this is like bellows & flutes!

g
Empty, yet never exhausted

h
(When) moved then more is produced

i
Lots of words adds up to exhaustion,

j
(This is) never as good as holding the center

06       The spirit of the
valley does not die

b         It may
be known as the mysterious feminine

c         The
gateway of the mysterious feminine

d         May be
known as the source of heaven and earth

e
Endless, continuous, seeming to exist

f
To practice this is not effort

07       Heaven is eternal,
earth endures

b         The
reason why heaven & earth can continue and endure

is this:

c         That
their lives are not their own

d         In
this way (they) can go on living

e
This is why wise ones put themselves last

f
And yet (their) being advances

g
Exclude themselves

h
And yet (their) being persists

i
Is it not because they have no self-interest?

j
Thus (they) can fulfill their self-interests

08       The highest good is
like water

b
Water’s goodness benefits the myriad beings

c         And
yet does not strive

d         Dwells
in places which everyone else regards with contempt

e         And in
this way is close to the way

f
In dwelling the good is place

g
In mind the good is depth

h
In relations the good is compassion

i
In speech the good is sincerity

j
In government the good is organization

k
In business the good is competence

l
In movement the good is timing

m
It is only when there is no contention

n
That there then is no resentment

09       To maintain but
then overdo something

b         Is not
as good as one’s showing restraint

c         To
rough out but then (over)hone something

d         Does
not help hold (the edge) long

e         (When)
coins and jade fill the hall

f
Nobody can defend this

g
(Being) wealthy & honored and then being proud

h         The
natural consequence is one’s own misfortune

i
(When) the work succeeds a body retires

j
Keeping to heaven’s path

10       (Are) shaping a
soul & embracing union

b
Possible without separation?

c         (Are)
concentrating the breath & attaining responsiveness

d
Possible (as a) newborn child?

e         (Are)
cleansing & clearing the mystery’s vision

f
Possible without a stain?

g         (Are)
caring for people & ruling a realm

h
Possible without interfering?

i
(Are) opening & closing the gates of heaven

j
Possible playing the woman?

k         (Are)
clarifying & simplifying the four directions

l
Possible without knowledge?

m
Create things & care for them

n
Create but do not possess

o
Act but do not expect

p
Lead but do not rule

q
These may be called “mystical powers” *

11       Thirty spokes
converge in one hub

b         Then
depending upon what does not exist

is the vehicle’s usefulness

c         Mold
clay in order to produce a vessel

d         Then
depending upon what does not exist

is the vessel’s usefulness

e         Cut
out doors and windows in order to make a dwelling

f
Then depending upon what does not exist

is the dwelling’s usefulness

g         Thus,
the existence of something serves to make value

h         The
lack of something serves to make utility

12       The five colors
will make the human eye blind

b         The
five tones will make the human ear deaf

c         The
five flavors will make the human palate jaded

d         Racing
for speed and hunting for sport

e         Will
make the human heart go mad

f
Goods which are hard to obtain

g         Will
bring human progress obstruction

h
This is why wise ones

i
Regard the belly instead of regarding the sight

j
And so dismiss That to choose This

13       Favor &
disgrace are equally frightening

b
Exaltation and big trouble are the same as oneself

c
Why say that favor & disgrace are equally frightening

d
Favor sets up a downfall

e
To get it is the same as a warning

f
To lose it is the same as a warning

g
Which says that favor & disgrace are equally frightening

h         Why
say that exaltation and big trouble

are the same as oneself?

i
This is the reason that we have big troubles:

j
Assuming that we are selves

k         As
long as we are not selves

l
What troubles do we have?

m
And so, to respect & regard as oneself

the workings of the world

n
Is the same as deserving to inhabit the world

o
To love & regard as oneself

the workings of the world

p
Is the same as deserving to be steward to the world

14       Looking for things
not seen

b
Descriptions will tell of “the invisible”

c
Listening for things not heard

d
Descriptions will tell of “the inaudible”

e
Reaching for things not grasped

f
Descriptions will tell of “the intangible”

g
These three do not allow complete investigation

h
And so are confused and considered as one

i
What height is not bright

j
What depth is not dark

k         An
unbroken continuity does not permit description -

l
A return home to non existence

m
And so this is called the form of the formless

n
The image of nothingness

o
It is called elusive & obscure

p         When
it is met its head is not seen

q         When
it is followed its end is not seen

r
To grasp the path of the ancients

s
Is the way to master present existence

t
The capacity to comprehend the ancient beginnings

u
May be called the clue* to the way

15       The ancients who
had skill at practicing the way

b         Were
subtle & mysterious, profound & penetrating

c         A
depth not easy to fathom

d
Inasmuch as they were not easy to fathom

e         It is
thus an effort to construct their appearance

f
So ready-

g
As if fording a stream in winter

h
So vigilant-

i
As if wary of (all) four neighbors

j
So dignified-

k
As though they were guests

l
So relenting-

m
Like ice which is about to melt

n
So artless-

o
As though they were of unworked wood

p
So expansive-

q
As though they were watersheds

r
So intermingled-

s
As though they were turbid streams

t
Who is able, (as) a turbid stream, to become still

and arrive by degrees at clarity?

u         Who is
able, at peace, to become energetic

and arrive by degrees at vitality?

v
Whoever preserves this path

w         Not
longing for more than fullness

x         Only
those not overfull

y         Can
then stay obscure

and not begin to be finished

16       Attaining perfect
emptiness

b         Remain
patient & sincere

c
The myriad beings arise as one

d
Through this we observe the return

e
Of beings in numberless multitudes

f
Each coming home to its root

g         Return
to the root means serenity

h         It may
be called a return to a higher order

i
Return to higher order speaks of the enduring

j
To comprehend the enduring speaks of clarity

k         To not
comprehend the enduring

l
Is to recklessly create suffering

m        To
comprehend the enduring (is) tolerance

n
Tolerance becomes justice

o
Justice becomes sovereignty

p
Sovereignty becomes celestial

q         The
celestial becomes the path

r
The path is then continuous

s
The death of self is nothing to fear

17       Great leaders’
subordinates know of their existence

b         Those
next in order are loved and praised by them

c         Those
next in order are feared by them

d         Those
next in order are despised by them

e
If trust lacks basis here

f
There will be no trust here

g         So
step back- there is value to words

h
Complete the task, follow through in the work

i
The hundred families all will declare

“(It was) our natural course!”

18       (Where) the great
path is abandoned

b         There
appear benevolence & righteousness

c         (When)
the learned & clever emerge

d         There
appear great hypocrisies

e         (When)
the six bonds of kinship are out of balance

f
There appear filial piety and parental affection

g         (When)
countries & clans are in darkness & turmoil

h         There
appear loyalty & public service

19       Cut out sanctimony,
repudiate cleverness

b         The
people will profit a hundred times over

c         Cut
out benevolence, abandon righteousness

d         The
people return to filial piety & parental affection

e         Cut
out artfulness, abandon rewards

f
(Then) robbers and thieves have nothing to gain

g
These three may help to improve the culture

but (they) are not a foundation

h
So let there be purpose to build on:

i
Look to the ordinary & embrace original nature

j
Diminish self-interest & have fewer desires

20       Cut out the
academics & avoid the anxieties

b         The
(ready) yes, alongside the (obsequious) yea

c         What
is the distance or nearness between them?

d         (Even)
the good, next to the bad,

e         What
is the difference or likeness between them?

f
(That) that which the others hold in awe

g
Will not permit less than awe -

h
What nonsense! There will never be an end to this, ever!

i
Everyone (else) is resplendent & festive

j
As if feasting on great sacrifices

k         As if
in springtime & climbing up towers

l
I alone am unmoved here, one yet to give a sign

m
Like a newborn infant, one yet to smile

n
So worn & weary, as one with no home to come home to

o
Everyone (else) takes more than enough

p         While
I alone seem forsaken

q         With
only my simpleton’s mind!

r
So muddled & confused

s
The common folk are bright & sunny

t
I alone am in chaos & gloom

u
The common folk are alert & sharp

v
I alone am torpid & blunt

w         So
placid- in this like the sea

x         So
restless a wind- as if never to stop

y
Everyone else has purpose

z
While I alone am wayward, like a rustic

*
I alone am other than the others

*
Still enjoying mother’s meals

21       The bearing of true
character

b         Is
simply to follow a true path

c         If the
way is regarded as an entity

d         It is
only elusive, only vague

e
So vague & so elusive

f
(Yet) at its center there is shape

g
So elusive & so vague

h
(Yet) at its center there are beings

i
So arcane & so shadowy

j
(Yet) at its center there is seed

k         This
seed is profoundly real

l
At its center there is truth

m
From the present back into antiquity

n
Its meaning does not fade

o
Through this is seen a common ancestry

p         How do
we know that the common ancestry’s shape is thus?

q         By
This

22       The yielding
becomes whole

b         The
bent becomes straight

c         The
hollow becomes replenished

d         The
worn becomes renewed

e         The
diminished becomes endowed

f
The plentiful becomes doubtful

g
This is why wise ones embrace unity

h
Adopting nature as model

i
Without self-display

j
And thus clear

k
Without self-righteousness

l
And thus distinguished

m        Without
self-assertion

n         And
thus having merit

o
Without self-glorification

p         And
thus enduring

q
It is only when there is no contending

r
That none in the world can contend against them

s
The ancient ones had reasons to claim

“The accommodating becomes whole”

t
Is this (just) empty talk now?

u         (When)
wholeness is real then one has come home

23       Sparing are the
speeches from nature

b         So the
whirling winds do not last morning

c         The
storming rains do not last all day

d         What
is it producing these?

e         Heaven
and earth

f
(If) even heaven and earth are unable to persist

g
Then compare this (case) with humanity!

h         And so
to attend to affairs of the path:

i
The path means an identity with the path

j
Character means an identity with character

k
Failure means an identity with failure

l
For those who identify with the path

m
The path, in turn, readily* accepts them

n
For those who identify with character

o
Character, in turn, readily accepts them

p
For those who identify with failure

q
Failure, in turn, readily accepts them

r
If truth has no basis here

s
There will be no truth here

24       Those who stand on
tiptoe do not stand (firmly)

b         Those
who stretch strides do not make progress

c         Those
who display themselves are less than clear

d         Those
who are self-righteous are less than distinguished

e         Those
who assert themselves lack merit

f
Those who glorify themselves do not endure

g
To someone on the path here

h
These suggest excessive indulgence and irrelevant action

i
Things somehow wrong to have

j
So those who have the way do not linger

25       There was something
in chaos (yet) complete

b         Before
heaven & earth came to be

c         So
silent, so remote

d
Standing alone without change

e         Acting
everywhere and without limit

f
(It) may be regarded as mother to (all) under heaven

g
We do not know its name

h
A word for it speaks of a path

i
(If) pressed to develop its name speak of greatness

j
Greatness tells of journeying on

k
Journeying on tells of the far beyond

l
The far beyond tells of coming back

m        In this way
the way is great

n         Heaven
is great, earth is great

o         And
sovereignty, too, is great

p
Between the horizons are four (kinds of) greatness

q         And
sovereignty has its place as one among these

r
Humanity takes the earth as law

s
The earth takes heaven as law

t
Heaven takes the way as law

u
The way takes its own nature as law

26       The heavy serves as
root to the light

b
Stillness serves as master to haste

c         And so
it is that a noble one journeys all day

d
Without leaving the heavy supply wagon,

e
Although there are splendid vistas,

f
Calmly staying above it all

g         So how
could the lord of a myriad chariots

h         Also
conduct a frivolous life under heaven?

i
To be frivolous, would then be to lose the root

j
To be hasty would then be to lose the mastery

27       The able wanderer
leaves no trail (or) trace

b         The
able speaker is without fallacy (or) error

c         The
able reckoner does not use counting devices

d         The
best closure uses no barrier (or) bar

e         And
yet is not easily opened

f
The best binding uses no cord (or) knot

g         And
yet is not easily loosened

h
And so it is that wise ones

i
Are ever so skilled at making the most of others

j
That no person is forsaken

k
Are ever so skilled at making the most of situations

l
That no situation is wasted

m
This may be called “practical wisdom”

n         And so
the able one is the less than able one’s teacher

o         The
less than able one is the able one’s resource

p         To not
value one’s teacher, to not care for one’s resource,

q
However “prudent” is greatly deluded

r
This may be called a “tactical mystery”

28       Know the
masculine

b         (But)
keep the feminine

c         Serve
as a stream to the world

d
Serving as stream to the world

e
Consistent character will not depart

f
(But) return home again as the newborn child

g
Know the bright

h
(But) keep the dark

i
Serve as a model to the world

j
Serving as model to the world

k
Consistent character will not falter

l
(But) return home again as unlimited

m        Know the
honored

n         (But)
keep the humble

o         Serve
as a valley to the world

p
Serving as valley to the world

q
Consistent character will then be enough

r
A return journey home to original nature

s
Original nature, cut up, is then made into artifacts

t
Wise ones, using such things,

u
Are then made into senior officials

v
And so the greatest governing does the least dividing

29       When taken by
desire to take hold of nature

and reconstruct things

b         We
notice that this (will) never reach closure

c         The
world is a spirit vessel

d         Not
suited to reconstruction at all

e
Those who interfere spoil things

f
Those who grab lose things

g         And so
the beings sometimes go ahead, sometimes follow

h
Sometimes snort, sometimes puff

i
Sometimes are fit, sometimes are feeble

j
Sometimes hold up, sometimes break down

k
This is why wise ones avoid the extremes

l
Avoid the superfluous

m
Avoid the extravagant

30       Those who use the
way to help with human government

b         Do not
use arms (or) force on the world

c         Such
efforts tend to recoil

d
(In) a place where an army has camped

e
Thorns and brambles grow now

f
A great army’s aftermath is sure to bring bad harvests

g         Those
who are competent succeed and then stop

h         Not
daring (or) thinking to take by force

i
Succeed but do not glorify

j
Succeed but with no aggression

k
Succeed but with no arrogance

l
Succeed even not having gained the end

m        Succeed but
do not dominate

n
A being grown mighty will then grow frail

o
This may be called “off the path”

p
Off the path is soon finished

31       Even the finest
weapons are tools of ill omen

b         Things
somehow wrong to hold

c         So
those who have the way do not linger

d
A noble one, when home, honors the left

e
When working with weapons, honors the right

f
Weapons are tools of ill omen

g         They
are not a noble one’s tools

h
Failing to gain satisfaction and still using them

i
Calm indifference is best adopted

j
Even in triumph there is no beauty

k
And those who are attracted to this

are in fact delighting in the slaughter of others

l
Now those who delight in the slaughter of others

m        Are then ill
suited for use

in achieving any
goal in the world at all

n
(In) auspicious affairs the left side is honored

o
(In) adverse affairs the right side is honored

p
An army’s lieutenant commander stays to the left

q
The army’s commander in chief stays to the right

r
A description of the funeral rites held at the end

s
Where the slaughter of others amounts to a multitude

t
Have compassion & lament & weep for them

u         (When)
the battle is won

consider the funeral rites being held here

32       The way is
continuous, without description

b         The
original nature may be ordinary

c         But
none in the world presumes to master it all

d         If
leaders & sovereigns were able to grasp this

e         The
myriad beings would then submit naturally

f
(As) heaven and earth join together

g
Thus to let fall the sweet dew

h
Nobody has commanded this,

yet the harmony is natural

i
Begin with rules & definitions appear

j
And still more definitions are already assumed

k
Now, more than ever, prepare to learn restraint

l
Learning restraint is apt to be useful in avoiding trouble

m        Imagine the
place of the path in nature

n         To be
like the streams and valleys

reaching for rivers and ocean*

33       To know others
means intelligence

b         To
know oneself means clarity

c         To
overcome others is to have strength

d         To
overcome oneself is to be powerful

e         To
know satisfaction means wealth

f
(To be) energetic in movement means to have purpose

g         To not
forget one’s own place means enduring

h         To die
and yet not perish means longevity

34       How the great way
(is a) flood!

b         It is
apt to go (both) left & right

c         The
myriad beings trust this for life,

yet there are no explanations

d         The
work is completed, in spite of distinctions & claims

e         The
myriad beings are clothed & cared for

yet there is no assumption of leadership

f
Ever dispassionate, (it) invites a reputation for commonness

g         (But)
the myriad beings return here,

and still there is no acting as master

h
Inviting a reputation for greatness

i
Because it never regards itself as great

j
So it is able to establish its greatness

35       Grasp the big
picture

b         (All)
under heaven make progress

c         Make
progress while doing no harm

d
Security and peace abound

e
(For) music along with fine food

f
The passing stranger will linger

g         (But)
the way, as expressed in words

h         How
insipid! It has no flavor

i
Look at it, there is nothing to satisfy the sight

j
Listen for it, there is nothing to satisfy the hearing

k         (But)
use it, is not about to be used up

36       When desiring to
contract a thing

b         First
be sure to expand it

c         When
desiring to weaken a thing

d         First
be sure to empower it

e         When
desiring to abolish a thing

f
First be sure to promote it

g         When
desiring to despoil a thing

h         First
be sure to endow it

i
This may be called “subtle discernment”

j
The adaptable & gentle overcome the firm & strong

k
Fish should not be removed from the depths

l
The sharpest instruments of the state

m
Should not be for showing to others

37       The way always
takes no action

b         Yet
nothing remains undone

c         If
leaders & sovereigns were able to grasp this

d         The
myriad beings would evolve by themselves

e         Evolve
and then want to flourish

f
We can then temper this

with the original nature of namelessness

g         (With)
the original nature of namelessness

h         Then
these too would be without ambition

i
Being free of ambition is the way to stillness

j
Nature will then arrange itself

38       The highest virtue
is not virtuous

b         This
is how to hold virtue

c
The inferior virtue will not let go of virtue

d
This is why virtue is lacking

e         The
highest virtue takes no action and has no motive to act

f
The inferior virtue acts on things and then has motives to act

g         The
highest benevolence acts on things

but has no motive for action

h         The
highest righteousness acts on things

and also has motives for action

i
The highest propriety acts on things

and when nobody responds to it

j
Then rolls up the sleeves and throws things

k         And
so, lose the way and then comes virtue

l
Lose virtue and then comes benevolence

m        Lose
benevolence and then comes righteousness

n         Lose
righteousness and then comes propriety

o
Now propriety is (but) the sham of loyalty & trust

p
And the beginning of confusion

q
Being ahead in knowledge (is but) the flower of the way

r
And the beginning of delusion

s
This is why those who are most mature

t
Keep to the substance

u         (And)
do not dwell on the sham

v
Keep to the fruitful

w         (And)
do not dwell on the flower

x         And so
dismiss That to choose This

39       These things, from
the beginning, have grasped wholeness:

b         Heaven
attained the whole, becoming resolved

c         Earth
attained the whole, becoming steady

d         Spirit
attained the whole, becoming subtle

e         The
valley attained the whole, becoming replenished

f
The myriad beings attained the whole, coming to life

g
Leaders & sovereigns attained the whole

as the way to attend to (all) under heaven

h         These
things found it

i
Heaven, with no way to resolution,

would threaten to split apart

j
Earth, with no way to steadiness,

would threaten to open up

k
Spirit, with no way to subtlety

would probably perish

l
The valleys, with no way to
replenishment,

would likely dry up

m
The myriad beings, with no way to life,

would likely be extinguished

n
Leaders and sovereigns,

with no way to dignity & prominence

would likely be toppled

o         In
this way dignity regards the common as root

p
Prominence regards the humble as basis

q         This
is why leaders & sovereigns refer to themselves

as orphaned & friendless, without worth

r
Does this not regard the common as root?

s
Not so?

t
Just as obtaining tallies of chariots

will not be (real) chariots

u         Do not
long to dazzle & jingle like jade

v
Clunk & clatter like rocks

40       Reversal is the
movement of the way

b
Yielding is the method of the way

c         The
myriad beings in nature arose out of being

d         Being
arose out of nothing

41       Superior students,
hearing of the way,

b         Are
diligent and practice it

c
Average students, hearing of the way,

d
Sometimes attend & sometimes forget

e
Inferior students, hearing of the way,

f
Laugh greatly about it

g
Without the laughter there would be no grounds

to regard this as the way

h         And so
the established proverbs hold that:

i
Brightness, to the way, is as good as darkness

j
Advance, to the way, is as good as retreat

k
Evenness, to the way, is as good as roughness

l
The summit of character is as good as a valley

m        The greatest
whiteness is as good as soiled

n
Abundant character seems inadequate

o
Established character seems furtive

p
The evident truth seems spurious

q         The
greatest square has no corner

r
The greatest capacity is last to be realized

s
The greatest note is the rarest sound

t
The greatest image has no form

u         The
way is hidden & nameless

v
(But) because way is good at acceptance

(it is) also fulfilling

42       The way begets the
one*

b         The
one begets the two

c         The
two beget the three

d         The
three beget the myriad beings

e
The myriad beings carry the shadow and embrace the light

f
Mixing the breaths with harmonious action

g         People
have their reasons to truly dislike being

h
“Orphaned & friendless, without worth”

i
Yet sovereign & duke take (these) as titles

j
Since beings may sometimes lose something, and yet benefit

k         May
sometimes gain something, and yet be diminished

l
What someone else has taught

m
I too come to teach:

n
Those who are forceful & hostile

do not meet their (natural) ends

o
I will regard (this) as a premise of the teaching

43       Nature at its most
yielding

b
Quickly overcomes nature at its most firm

c
Non-being enters (where) there is no gap

d
This is how we know (that) inaction

comes to have such advantages

e         The
doctrine which has no words

f
The benefits of taking no action -

g         Few in
the world attain these

44       Reputation compared
to life, which is dearer?

b         Life
compared to property, which is (worth) more?

c         Gain
compared to loss, which is (more) distressing?

d
It is a given that extreme affection

e
Entails great cost

f
Much stored up entails heavy loss

g         To
understand sufficiency is no disgrace

h         To
understand restraint avoids limits -

i
(This is) the right way to live long

45       A great achievement
(may) seem deficient

b         But
its function is not impaired

c         A
great fulfillment (may) seem empty

d         But
its function is not diminished

e
Great straightforwardness (might) seem compromised

f
Great artfulness (might) seem clumsy

g
Great eloquence (might) seem to stammer

h
Restlessness overcomes cold

i
Stillness overcomes heat

j
Clarity & stillness act as measures to the world

46       When the world
holds to the way

b
Retired racehorses are useful for manure

c         When
the world loses the way

d         War
horses breed throughout the frontier

e
There is no vice greater than submitting to greed

f
No suffering greater than never knowing sufficiency

g
No error greater than the hunger for gain

h         So to
know that sufficiency is in itself sufficient

i
Is a truly durable sufficiency

47       Without going out
the door

b
Comprehend (all) under heaven

c
Without peering out the window

d
Observe the way of heaven

e
The farther beyond one goes

f
One’s comprehension is by that much diminished

g         This
is why wise ones (might) not move about, but still know

h
(Might) not witness, but still describe

i
(Might) not act, but still accomplish

48       The pursuit of
learning (means) increasing daily

b         The
pursuit of the way (means) decreasing daily

c
Decreasing things and then subtracting

d         In
order to arrive at not doing

e         (When)
nothing is done, then nothing remains undone

f
To capture the world, always apply the least effort

g
As soon as one has to make effort

h
(One is) no longer adequate to the purpose

of capturing the world

49       Wise ones have no
set mind

b
Regarding the hundred families’ minds as “mind”

c         To
those who are good we have good to extend

d         To
those who are less than good we also have good to extend

e         To
merit goodness

f
To those who are true we have truth to extend

g         To
those who are less than true we also have truth to extend

h         To
merit truth

i
Wise ones are in the world

j
Uniting, connecting, adopting the world

k
Merging with their hearts

l
The hundred families, as one, pay heed,

with their “hearkening” & “beholding”

m        The wise
ones, as one, come to laugh like children*

50       Emerging in life
(or) entering death

b         The
companions of life will be three (in) ten*

c         The
companions of death will be three (in) ten

d         And
others whose lives & actions approach the domain of death

e         Will
also be three (in) ten

f
Now why is this so?

g
Because these live life for its substance

h         Now
hear of the one adept at sustaining life

i
Traveling the countryside, not meeting buffalo or tiger

j
Entering a battle, not carrying armor or weapons -

k         The
buffalo finds no place to thrust its horns

l
The tiger finds no place to sink its claws

m        The weapon
finds no place to admit its blade

n
Now why is this so?

o
Because in this one there is no place for death

51       The way gives
things life

b
Character raises them

c
Existence shapes them

d
Conditions complete them

e
So it is that the myriad beings, without exception,

f
Ennoble the way and honor character

g         The
way will be ennobled

h
Character will be honored

i
But nobody has to command this

as it always proceeds out of nature

j
In this way the way gives things life

k
Character raises them

l
Sustains them, brings them up

m        Shelters
them, heals* them

n
Nurtures them, protects them

o
Creates but does not possess

p
Acts but does not expect

q
Leads but does not rule

r
These may be called “mystic powers”

52       The world had a
beginning

b
Regarded as mother to the world

c         Having
found this mother

d
Through this comprehend her children

e         Having
comprehended her children

f
Return & attend to the mother

g         The
death of self is nothing to fear

h
Close the passages

i
Secure the gates

j
(And) the rest of life is no trouble

k
Open the passages

l
Conclude the affairs

m
(And) the rest of life finds no salvation

n         To
perceive in detail tells of clarity

o         To
maintain flexibility tells of strength

p
Make use of what is illuminated

q
To return home again to the light

r
Do not abandon yourself to misfortune

s
This may be called “sustainable practice”

53       Let our resolve
here be this: to be understanding

b         To
travel upon the great way

c         (With)
only distractions to fear

d
The great way is so very ordinary

e
And the people love the detours

f
The courts are so very well kept

g         The
fields, so very weedy

h         The
granaries, so very empty

i
The clothes, refined & elaborate

j
Sharp swords worn at the waist

k
A glut of drinking & feasting

l
Wealth & goods kept in heaps

m        This
describes robbery & bombast

n         Surely
not the way* at all

54       What is well
established is not uprooted

b         What
is well embraced is not taken away

c
Children & grandchildren, accordingly,

make offerings & sacrifice without fail

d
Cultivate this in the person

e         Its
character grows true

f
Cultivate this in the family

g         Its
character grows ample

h
Cultivate this in the community

i
Its character grows enduring

j
Cultivate this in the country

k         Its
character grows bountiful

l
Cultivate this in the world

m        Its
character grows universal

n
And so, use person to examine the person

o
With family, examine the family

p
With community, examine the community

q
With country, examine the country

r
With the world, examine the world

s
So how are we to know that the world

is really like this?

t
Through This

55       To embody virtue’s
substance

b
Compares to the naked infant

c         Wasps
& scorpions, vipers & serpents do not bite

d         Wild
beasts do not seize

e         Birds
of prey do not strike

f
The bones are flexible, the muscles are soft,

but the grip is sure

g         Not
yet knowing the union of woman & man

h         But
the penis is aroused

i
Essence is at its prime here!

j
Howling all day, but not getting hoarse

k
Harmony is at its prime here!

l
To comprehend harmony speaks of the continuous

m
To comprehend the continuous speaks of clarity

n         The
enrichment of life may be called a “happy omen*”

o         The
mind directing the breath may be called a “power*”

p         (But)
beings grown mighty will then grow frail

q         This
may be called “off the path”

r
Off the path is soon finished

56       To know does not
mean to speak

b         To
speak does not mean to know*

c         Close
the passages

d         Secure
the gates

e         Blunt
the sharpness

f
Resolve the tangles

g         Shade
the glare

h         Be one
with the world

i
This may be called “mystic union*”

j
Such as may not be gained by affection

k
May not be gained by detachment

l
May not be gained by favor

m
May not be gained by suffering

n
May not be gained by esteem

o
May not be gained by humility

p         And so
becomes precious to (all) under heaven

57       Use principle to
govern a country

b         Use
tricks to wage a war

c         Use
the least effort to capture the world

d
By what means do we know that things are really like this?

e
By This*

f
There are more taboos & restrictions in the world

g         But
the people grow more impoverished

h         The
people have more productive implements

i
(But) countries & clans grow more disturbed

j
(As) others get more clever & artful

k
Bizarre things happen more often

l
The more that matters of law are proclaimed

m        The more
robbers & looters there will be

n
And so the wise ones will claim:

o
We do nothing

p
And humanity evolves on its own

q
We favor stillness

r
And humanity governs itself

s
We do not make an effort

t
And humanity enriches itself

u
We have no ambition

v
And humanity simplifies itself

58       (Where) their
government is muted & dull

b         Its
people are honest & sincere

c
(Where) their government is efficient & exacting

d         Its
people are partial & wanting

e
Ah, suffering! That happiness has such things to rely on!

f
Ah, happiness! That suffering has such places to lurk!

g         Who
comprehends their outcomes?

h         Are
there no rules?

i
The rules go back to behaving strangely

j
The good return to acting ominously

k
Humankind has held its delusions

l
For such an entrenched length of days

m
This is why wise ones

n
Are direct but not divisive

o
Exacting but not hurtful

p
To the point but not tactless

q
Bright but not dazzling

59       (In) governing
people (or) serving heaven

b         There
is nothing quite like economy

c         Only
one who is thrifty

d         May be
deemed ahead of the task *

e         To be
ahead of the task suggests there is

a great reserve of character

f
Given a great reserve of character

then nothing is impossible

g         When
nothing is impossible

then nobody knows things to be limited

h         Nobody
knowing things to be limited

is fit to claim the realm

i
(Now) claiming the realm’s mother

is fitness to endure a long time

j
This describes deep roots & solid foundations

k         The
path of long life & enduring vision

60       Ruling a great
country is like cooking a little fish

b         This
is how the way manages (all) under heaven

c
(Whether) the ghosts lack spirit

d
Or the ghosts do not lack spirit

e
(Whether) the spirits avoid harming people

f
Or the spirits do not avoid harming people *

g
Wise ones still avoid harming people

h         Now as
neither of these haunts the other

i
So virtue interacts & comes back home to them

61       The great realm is
the one which flows beneath

b         A
confluence to (all) under heaven

c         A
woman to (all) under heaven

d         The
feminine, ever through stillness, overcomes the male

e
Through stillness & playing submissive

f
And so a great realm, by submitting to a small realm,

g
Will then appropriate the small realm

h
A small realm, by submitting to a great realm,

i
Will then appropriate the great realm

j
And so the one submits, intending to appropriate

k         The
other submits and gets taken in

l
(Where) the great realm has no greater ambition

than uniting & caring for others

m
(And) the small realm has no greater ambition

than joining & serving others

n
Then both of these each gets what it wants

o
(And) the great one should act to submit

62       The way is a
sanctum to the myriad beings

b         A good
person’s treasure

c         A less
than good person’s place of refuge

d
Elegant speeches may be useful at market

e
Noble deeds may be useful for promoting someone

f
(But if) another has less ability

g
Why waste what they are?

h         So
(when) enthroning the heir to heaven

i
(Or) installing the three high nobles

j
Though there be big jade platters in tribute

k         Drawn
by teams of four horses

l
This is not as good as sitting still (and) offering this path

m
What purpose had the ancient ones in honoring this way?

n
Was it not claimed:

o
“To seek is to find

p
To claim error is to be forgiven”?

q
So (this) becomes precious to (all) under heaven

63       Act without
acting

b         Work
without working

c         Savor
without tasting

d
Greatness is ordinary, much is little

e
Repay ill will with virtue

f
Plan for the complicated while it is simple

g
Develop the great while it is small

h         The
difficult tasks under heaven

i
Always begin in simplicity

j
The greatest tasks under heaven

k         Always
begin as minutiae

l
This is why wise ones never assume greatness

m
And so can achieve such greatness

n         Those
who lightly promise will surely be less trusted

o         Much
ease is surely much difficulty

p
This is why wise ones look for things to get complicated

q
And so in the end have no complications at all

64       What is secure is
easy to hold

b         What
has yet to begin is easy to plan for

c         What
is thin is easy to break up

d         What
is minute is easy to scatter

e
Attend to things before they come to be

f
Arrange things before they entangle

g         A tree
which fills the joined embrace

h         Has
grown from a slender shoot

i
A tower which reaches nine stories

j
Begins as a basket of earth

k         A
journey of a thousand li*

l
Begins from beneath the feet

m
Those who interfere spoil things

n
Those who grab lose things

o         This
is why wise ones do not interfere and so do not spoil

p         Do not
grab and so do not lose

q
People in their pursuits & affairs

(are) ever on the verge of achieving and still ruin things

r
Take care at the end as well as at the beginning

s
And then there will be no ruined affairs

t
This is why wise ones desire to have no desires

u         Do not
prize goods which are hard to obtain

v
Learn to unlearn

w         And
return to what everyone else has passed by

x
Thus helping the myriad beings to realize themselves

y
While not presuming to interfere

65       Those ancients
skilled at practicing the way

b         Did
not try to enlighten the people

c         (But)
would have tried to simplify them

d
The difficulties of governing the people

e
Are due to their great cleverness

f
And so to use cleverness in governing a realm

g
Is an injury to the realm

h
To avoid using cleverness in governing a realm

i
Is a favor to the realm

j
Those who comprehend both of these

k         Also
examine for patterns

l
Always to know to look for patterns

m        May be
called a mystic power

n         A
mystic power so deep & so far reaching

o         (As)
to help creation to turn itself around

p
Natural succession then reaches perfect harmony

66       What is the reason
why the rivers and ocean

can serve as sovereign to the hundred valleys?

b
Because they are so well below them

c
In this way (they) can act as sovereign

to the hundred valleys

d
Applying this, in desiring to rise above the people,

e         Always
in expression be subordinate to them

f
In desiring to go ahead of the people

g         Always
regard yourself as behind them

h         This
is how wise ones remain above

i
And yet the people are not burdened

j
Remain ahead

k         And
yet the people are not obstructed

l
So it is that (all) under heaven readily come forward

and never weary

m
Because such as these will never contend

n
So none under heaven can contend against them

67       Everyone in the
world admits our way is great

b         (And)
resembles no likeness

c         It is
insofar as it is great

d         That
it resembles no likeness

e
Had it a likeness

f
Surely after so long

g
It might have diminished a little *

h         Here I
have three treasures

i
Take and keep them safe:

j
The first, call compassion

k         The
second, call economy

l
The third, call never presuming to act as the world’s leader

m
Compassion confers a capacity for courage

n
Economy confers a capacity for breadth

o
Never presuming to act as the world’s leader

confers a capacity to develop enduring talents

p         To
right away set aside compassion

in order to be more courageous

q         To set
aside economy in order to be more expansive

r
To set aside following in order to be more advanced

s
Is truly deadly

t
Now compassion used in combat means triumph

u
Used in defense means security

v
Those whom heaven would redeem

w         With
compassion it protects them

68       The student skilled
at action is not aggressive

b         The
one skilled at combat is not angry

c         The
one at besting opponents does not participate

d         The
one skilled at employing others behaves as their subordinate

e         This
may be styled the “virtue of not contending”

f
It may be styled “applying another’s power”

g         It may
be styled “siding with heaven,”

h         The
consummation of antiquity

69       Military
strategists have a saying:

b         “I
will not dare to act as host,

c         But
rather, act as guest,

d         Will
not presume to advance an inch, *

e         But
rather, retreat a foot*”

f
This may be called “to move without movement,

g
To roll up sleeves without baring arms,

h
To depose without a fight

i
To capture without force”

j
There is no danger greater than underestimating a foe

k
Underestimate a foe will risk losing what we value *

l
And so when opposing forces meet each other

m        The one
sympathetic will truly succeed

70       My words are very
easy to understand

b         Very
easy to practice

c         (But)
nobody in the world can understand

d         Nobody
can practice

e
Expressions presume a lineage

f
Endeavors presume a master

g
Insofar as these are unknown

h         So it
is that we are not known

i
Those who know me are few

j
Accordingly I am valued

k
This is why wise ones wear common cloth

l
Concealing jade in the heart

71       To know without
knowledge is best

b         To not
understand knowledge is affliction *

c         Now
(it is) because afflictions afflict

d         That
there is a way to avoid affliction

e
Wise ones avoid disease

f
Because they are made ill by illness

g
This is the way to avoid the disease

72       (When) the people
do not heed the imposing

b         Then
great impositions come to pass

c         Do not
constrict the places where they live

d         Do not
overtax their means of living

e         Only
when there is no oppressing

f
Will there then be no oppression

g
This is how wise ones know themselves

h
Without displaying themselves

i
Love themselves

j
Without venerating themselves

k         And so
dismiss That to choose This

73       Courage atop
presumption suggests dying

b
Courage in avoiding presumption suggests survival

c         (Yet)
either of these may be sometimes beneficial,

other times harmful

d         That
which heaven holds in contempt -

e         Who
knows as to the reasons?

f
This is why wise ones watch for things to get complicated

g
Heaven’s way does not compete, yet skillfully overcomes

h         Does
not speak, yet skillfully replies

i
Does not summon, yet naturally attracts

j
Is above all of this, yet skillfully arranges *

k
Heaven’s net is vast & encompassing

l
Loosely meshed, and yet nothing escapes

74       (If) the people do
not fear death

b         Then
why use death to intimidate them?

c
Suppose it were so that the people always feared death

d         And
still they behaved perversely

e         (When)
we seized, detained and executed them

f
Who would be bold?

g
There will always be a master executioner to do the killing

h
Now to take the place of the master executioner

& do the killing

i
May be likened to taking the place of the master carpenter

in hewing

j
Now (of) those who take the place of the master carpenter

in hewing

k         Few
indeed will not harm their own hands!

75       The hunger of the
people

b         Is
from their superiors eating up so much of their tax grain

c         This
is behind the hunger

d         The
difficulties in governing the people

e         Are
due to their superiors having to take action

f
This is behind the difficulties in government

g         The
people come to take death lightly

h
Because they pursue life’s riches

i
This is behind their taking death lightly

j
Only when one does not think life a performance

k         Will
there be skill in valuing life

76       People, while they
live, are adaptable & soft

b         When
they are dead, are hard & stiff

c         The
myriad beings, the plants and the trees,

while they live, are supple & delicate

d         When
they are dead, are weathered & tough

e
And so the hard & inflexible are companions to death

f
The adaptable & soft are companions to life

g         This
is why the unbending military will not,

in due course, be triumphant

h         The
rigid tree is then struck down

i
The strong & great belong underneath

j
The adaptable & soft belong above

77       Heaven has its
path

b
Compare it to the drawing of a bow

c         What
is high comes to be lowered

d         What
is lowly comes to be raised

e         What
has abundance will be diminished

f
What is incomplete will be added to

g
Heaven’s way decreases where there is surplus

h
And adds to what is insufficient

i
Humanity’s path is normally not like this,

j
Decreasing what is not enough

in order to give to what is excessive

k         Who
can claim an abundance

in order to offer to nature?

l
Only those who keep the way

m
This is why wise ones develop but do not expect

n
Accomplish works but do not linger

o
They have no ambition to show merit

78       (In all) the world
there is nothing

as adaptable & soft as water

b         Yet of
that which attacks the hard & inflexible

c
Nothing can surpass it

d
Because there is no way easier than this

e
The gentle finally overcomes the firm

f
The adaptable finally overcomes the persistent

g
There is no one under heaven

who cannot comprehend (this)

h
(But) no one can practice (it)

i
So it is that wise ones maintain:

j
To accept the country’s soil *

k         May in
truth be called mastering the altars of place & grain

l
To accept the realm’s misfortunes

m        Is in truth
to serve as sovereign to the world

n
Straightforward words may seem turned around

79       (When) reconciling
a great grievance

b         There
will surely be lingering resentments

c         (And)
how can this be regarded as good?

d
This is why wise ones will post the greater * bond

e
And will not press upon others

f
To have character is to look after obligations

g         To
lack character is to look for entitlements

h
Heaven’s way has no favorites

i
But usually * sides with the right person

80       Shrink the domain,
spread out the people

b         Let
there be tens & hundreds of people with specialties

c         But
unemployed

d         Let
the people feel the weight of death

e         And
not wander far

f
Though there be boats & wagons

g
No place to ride them

h
Though there be armor & weapons

i
No reason to show them

j
Let the people return to knotting cords

k         And
counting on these

l
(To) sweetening their own food

m        Embroidering
their own clothing

n         Secure
in their own homes

o
Rejoicing in their own customs

p
Neighboring realms overlook one another

q
The sounds of each other’s roosters and dogs are heard

r
(Yet) the people grow old & die

s
Without goings & comings between them

81       True words are not
embellished

b
Embellished words are not truthful

c
To be right is not to be argumentative

d
To be argumentative is not to be right

e         To be
knowing is not to be sophisticated

f
To be sophisticated is not to be knowing

g
Wise ones do not accumulate

h         Though
intending to act on behalf of another

The more they themselves have gained

i
Though intending to give to another

The more they themselves are increased

j
Heaven’s way is to benefit, but without doing harm

k         The
wise ones’ way is to work, but without competition

Footnotes:

01b     I hate to begin the
translation with this controversial a rendering but I have three problems with
most traditional versions: First, I do not believe that ke3 (3381) should be
translated as “can” or glossed as ke4 (3320) or neng2 (4648). These words have
different meanings, very similar to the difference between may and can. Second,
most translators seem to treat chang2 (0221), often translated as eternal,
unchanging and ideal, as some sort of transcendent Platonic ultimate, and
anything dealing with reality, change and specific existence as inferior to
this. I do not think Laozi was this sort of Platonist. Third, the Dao, before it
was anything else, was the metaphor of a path, and not of a field. Now, it may
be the path that the field travels through time, the weaving and unweaving of
its biodiversity, its seral [sic] succession and so forth, but this does not
include all of the things that the field never was or became, any more than the
path includes everything that is off of the path. The widest the path gets,
then, is at that part along which the universe comes into being. The Dao may
also be considered as “natural law,” at least prior to its formulation. While it
should not be regarded as a creator or first cause, it might be considered to be
n vast “enabling.”

10q     It is likely there was much
speculation about mystical powers when the Dao De Jing was written, just as there is today. Here Lao Zi seems
to be saying that the ordinary behavior of everyday reality is a good example of
mystical power.

14u     This is the same in Chinese and English -
clue or clew, a key thread of a story, a line (continuity) of inquiry, or a
fabric, with the original meaning of line or thread.

15y     This could also be
translated “and avoid the latest accomplishments.” As distractions. If so, would
this be the first postmodernist statement?

23m   A large number of translators err in
translating this word (in this context) as “gladly” or “happily,”
anthropomorphizing the Dao and
forgetting Chapter Five already.

32n     The tendency for a mystic
would be to identify the Dao with
the Ocean, and not with the sum or weave of the limited paths leading there.
But, as ambiguous as Old Chinese grammar may be, it does not permit Lao Zi’s
analogy to be construed thus.

42a     Once again the mystic will
want to identify the Dao with the
One, which Lao Zi identifies here as only a product of the process that is
Dao.

49m   Many interpreters and translators have
“the wise ones” here “treating” or “regarding the others as children.” This may
be a valid translation but it sounds more than a little Confucian and
condescending.

50b     The phrase shi you
san, here rendered “(in) ten will be
three,” is often interpreted and translated thirteen (shi san), opening a Pandora’s box of metaphysical speculation
which is more in sympathy with the Yin Yang School than Lao Zi’s
thought.

51m    As in the
Yijing (Ch. 18), Chinese uses the
same word for “poison” and “detoxify” or “recover from poison.”

53n     A play on the word
dao, also a word for
robber.

55n     Both scholars and
translators differ on how to spin this, to “happy omen” or to “ominous.” But in
the three other occurrences of this word in Lao Zi it carries the first
meaning.

55o     This is again spun towards a
positive meaning where either is possible. But the use of yue (called) adds the element of doubt.

56b     This is often translated
“Those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know.” This is a valid
translation, and “those who” is often the best way to render
zhe3 (but not always, eg 40a). But
this is not a true proposition. Silence is not required of wisdom.

56i      As at 10q, this may
have been intended to address hyperbolic claims and glamorous descriptions of
mystical union, as though such union were not already staring one in the
face.

57e     Used three times (21q, 54t,
57e) “by This” should not be followed by a hyphen or colon. “This” refers to
“this,” not to “that” or “the following” and this is the point being made: look
no farther than what is right here.

59d     That is: ahead of the game,
not ahead of oneself.

60f      Perhaps this is a
comment on a popular sophists’ argument.

64k     A unit of distance: 1000
li = 580 km = 360 mi = a month’s
journey.

67g     This is a complex pun that
doesn’t translate well into English, relating likeness to smallness through the
word xiao.

69d     The Chinese equivalents of
inch & foot are close enough to let these words stand in. See the
Matrix.

69k     This is often said to refer
to the three treasures from Ch. 67, but this is not a necessary
inference.

71b     Knowing, as distinct from
clever fussing with knowledge, is seen as a kind of prerequisite to mental
health. To turn one’s back on this is to incur the suffering of ignorance. While
wisdom might leave knowing behind it, the way out is through.

73j      While “plans” is a
valid translation of this word, it would not be a true proposition in a Daoist
context. As would be written later, “the wild swans do not intend to cast their
reflection, the water does not intend to receive their image.”

78j      This is roughly the
same word play in both languages, soil as filth and as substratum of
life, dirt as beneath contempt and as earth or the ground of
being.

79d     Literally, the left hand or
debtor’s side of a contract.

79i      An important paradox
that really isn’t so difficult. The person who is right has sided with heaven’s
way, and the measure of one’s rightness is one’s survival

Lao Zi Bibliography

Versions which have fallen within the scope of my research have been grouped
into three categories, in effect: useful, average and less than useful. The
dozen or so most useful versions are highlighted in bold. Works on this “A” list
belong on the shelves of university libraries. Even though not all of these
books represent faithful translations, all represent some level of respectable
scholarship. Works on the “B” list all had something to offer. The “C” list is
given separately. Here one may find a surprising number of “translations” which
have been done by people who do not understand a word of Chinese. This list
includes a few of the better selling editions and a number of authors with
Chinese-sounding names.

A & B Lists (with
notes)

Addis, Stephen and Stanley Lombardo. Lao-Tzu Tao Te
Ching. Cambridge: Hackett
Pub.

Co., 1993. (Good sense of word meanings; attempts
brevity but overshoots).

Ames,
Roger T. and David L. Hall. Dao De Jing, A Philosophical
Translation. NY:

Ballantine Books, 2003. Reads too much philosophy into
the text.

Blakney, Raymond B. The Way of Life: Lao
Tzu.. New York: Mentor, 1955,
1983.

Boltz, William G. “The Lao Tzu Text that Wang Pi and Ho-shang Kung Never Saw,
”

Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African
Studies; Vol 48, No 3; 493-501, 1985.

Byrne, Patrick Michael. Lao-zi: Dao De Jing. Santa Fe, NM: Sun Pub. Co., 1991.

(Translation)

Carus, Paul. The Canon of Reason and Virtue- Being
Lao-tze’s Tao Teh King. Chinese

and English. Chicago: Open Court, 1913. (Chinese-English, long out of
print)

Carus, Paul and D.T. Suzuki. The Canon of Reason and
Virtue. LaSalle, IL: Open Court

Pub., 1913, 1974 (abridged of Chinese-English but
contains Hanzi text).

Chan,
Alan K. Two Visions of the Way.
Albany, NY: SUNY Press, 1991.

Chan, Wing-Tsit. The Way of Lao Tzu.. New York:
Macillan, 1963. (Notes)

Chen,
Ellen. The Tao Te Ching. New York:
Paragon House, 1989.

Cheng, Man-jan. Lao-Tzu: “My words are very easy to
understand.” (tr. Tam C.
Gibbs).

Richmond, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1981.

Ch’u
Ta-Kao. Tao Te Ching. London: The
Buddhist Society, 1937, 1959. (Decent

scholarship but inclined to meddle with the original
text).

Cleary, Thomas. The Essential Tao. S.F.: Harper Collins, 1991.

Dalton, Jerry O. Tao Te Ching: A New
Approach. New York, Avon,
1993.

Duyvendak, J.J.L. Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way and its
Virtue. London: John

Murray, 1954. (Good notes; meddles with the original
text).

Feng,
Gia Fu and Jane English. Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching. New York: Vintage, 1972.

Gu
Zhengkun. Lao Zi: The Book of Tao and Teh. Beijing: Peking University Press,

1995. With Hanzi, Pinyin & tones, some pieces of
text are missing.

Hansen, Chad. Tao Te Ching, Translation in
Progress. 1998. Internet; URL at the
time:

http://www.hku.hk/philodep/ch (see
current links)

Harvard Yenching Institute. Chu-Tzu Yin-Te: Lao
Tzu. Taipei: Chinese Material &

Research Service Center, 1986. B125.C572, 1986,
V3

Hatcher, Bradford. Lao Zi zhi Dao De Jing (Lao Tzu’s
Tao Te Ching) Word forWord.

Self-published, 1999. Obsolete.

He
Guanghu, Gao Shining, et al. The Book of Lao Zi. Beijing: Foreign Languages

Press, 1993. (Based on Ren Jiyu. Book of Lao Zi - a
Modern Chinese Translation. Shanghai
Pub. House, 1985). (Translation).

Henricks, Robert G. Lao Tzu Te-Tao Ching. New York: Ballantine Books, 1989.

(both MWD texts; good notes)

_____Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching: A Translation of the
Startling New Documents Found at

Guodian. NY:
Columbia Univ. Press, 2000. Very thoughtlessly arranged, with no index to the
received texts. I have inserted an index for this at the end of the section:
“Common Variations on the Text.”

Hinton, David. Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu. Washington DC: Counterpoint, 2000.

Hodge, Stephen. Tao Te Ching: A New Translation and
Commentary. NY: Barron's

Educational Series, 2002. An annoying arrangement,
and the index has some typos.

Ivanhoe, Philip J. The Daodejing of
Laozi. NY: Seven Bridges Press, 2002. Work-

manlike translation, Wang Bi version. Wanted to see more
notes

Iyer,
Raghavan, ed. Tao Te Ching. Lao Tzu.
Santa Barbara, CA: Concord Grove Pr., 1983.

La
Fargue, Michael. The Tao of the Tao Te Ching. Albany: SUNY Press, 1992. (MWD)

Lau, D.C.
Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching. New York:
Penguin, 1963, 1978. (Notes)

Legge, James. “Tao-Teh King,” The Texts of
Taoism. New York: Dover, 1891,
1962.

LeGuin, Ursula K. Lao Tzu: Tao Te
Ching. Boston: Shambhala, 1997.

Lin, Paul.
A Translation of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching and Wang Pi’s
Commentary.

Ann Arbor, MI: Univ. of Michigan Center for Chinese
Studies, 1977. (Notes)

Lynn,
Richard John. The Classic of the Way and Virtue. NY: Columbia Univ. Press,

1999. Workmanlike, straight Wang Bi.

Mackintosh, Charles H. Tao. Chicago: Theosophical Press, 1926.

Mair,
Victor H. Tao Te Ching: The Classic Book of Integrity and the
Way.New York:

Bantam, 1990. (MWD)

Maurer, Herrymon. Tao: The Way of the
Ways. New York: Schocken,
1982.

McCarroll, Tolbert. The Tao: The Sacred
Way. New York: Crossroad,
1982.

Medhurst, G. Spurgeon. Tao Teh King. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Pub. House, 1905.

Miles, Thomas H. Tao Te Ching: About the Way of Nature and Its
Powers. Garden

City Park, NY: Avery Pub. Group, 1992.
(Translation)

Muller, Charles. Tao Te Ching. 1997.
(Translation) Internet; URL at the time:

http://www2.gol.com/users/acmuller/contao/laotzu.htm
(see current links)

Red Pine.
Lao-tzu’s Taoteching. S.F.:
Mercury House, 1996. (Notes).

Richter, Gregory C. The Gate of All Marvelous Things:
A Guide to Reading the Tao Te

Ching. SF: Red Mansions Pub., 1998. Interlinear with Pinyin
& tones, some text errors (as distinct from text variations).

Roberts, Moss. Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way,
Laozi. Los Angeles: University of

California Press, 2001. More poetic than literal.

Rump,
Ariane and Wing-tsit Chan. Commentary on the Lao Tzu by Wang
Pi. Honolulu:

Univ. of Hawaii Press, 1979.

Star,
Johnathan. Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition. NY: Tarcher/Putnam, 2001. One

hopes the word “definitive” was the publisher’s idea.
His “Verbatim Translation”

or matix is quite useful, but his conventional
translation does not follow the Chinese very closely.

Waley, Arthur. The Way and Its Power. London: Allen & Unwin, 1934.

Wei, Henry.
The Guiding Light of Lao Tzu.
Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Pub. House,

1982. (Translation)

Wilhelm, Richard. Tao Te Ching. (tr. fr. German by H.G. Ostwald). London: Routledge

& Kegan Paul, 1910, 1986.

Wing,
R.L. The Tao of Power. Garden City,
NY: Doubleday, 1986.

Wu,
John C.H.(Ching-Hsiung) Lao Tzu. Tao Teh King. New York: St. John’s Univ. Pr.,

1961, 1990.

Yi
Wu. The Book of Lao Tzu (The Tao Te Ching). S.F.:
Great Learning Pub. Co.,

1989. (Literal translation; Side by side
English-Chinese)

Yutang, Lin. The Wisdom of Laotse. New York: Random House, 1948.

General Laozi and Daoism (all
of these were useful):

Blofeld, John. Taoism: The Road to
Immortality. Boston: Shambhala, 1978,

Chan,
Alan K. Two Visions of the Way.
Albany: SUNY Press, 1991.

Csikszentmihalyi, Mark and Philip Ivanhoe, eds.
Religious and Philosophical Aspects of

the Laozi.
SUNY Press, 1999.

Kaltenmark, Max. Lao Tzu and Taoism. Stanford University Press, 1965.

Kohn,
Livia & Michael LaFargue, eds. Lao Tzu and the Tao Te
Ching. Albany, NY:

SUNY Press, 1998.

Watts, Alan. Tao: The Watercourse Way. New York: Pantheon, 1975.

Welch, Holmes. Taoism: The Parting of the
Way. Boston: Beacon Press,
1957.

C List (redeeming features as
notes)

Bahm,
Archie. Tao Teh King. Albuquerque,
NM: World Books, 1958. (Good bibliogra-

phy)

Baskin, Wade. Classics in Chinese
Philosophy. Totowa, NJ: Littlefield,
Adams & Co.,

1974. (Chapters 1-30 of a translation by Dagobert
Runes)

Bruya, Brian. The Tao Speaks. NY: Doubleday, 1995. (Would be a good introduction for

young people but only portions are translated).

Bryce, Derek and Leon Wieger.
Tao-Te-Ching. York Beach, ME: Samuel
Weiser, 1999.

Bynner, Witter. The Way of Life According to Lao
Tzu.. New York: John Day, 1944.

(Well-written & fun to read, but not a very
literal translation)

Crowley, Aleister, Tao Te Ching, Liber
CLVII. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser,
1995.

Dreher, Diane. The Tao of Inner
Peace. NY: Harper, 1990.

Freke, Timothy. Lao Tzu’s Tao Te
Ching. London: Piatkus, 1995.
(Insightful but not

very literal).

Goddard, Dwight. “Tao-Teh-King,” A Buddhist
Bible. Boston: Beascon Pr., 1938, 1966.

(Text tr. with Bhikshu Wai-tao, 1936).

Grigg, Ray. The Tao of Being. Atlanta: Humanics, 1989.

Heider, John. The Tao of Leadership. New York: Bantam Books, 1985.

Heysinger, I.W. The Light of China, The Tao Teh King
of Lao Tsze. Philadelphia:
Re-

search Pub., 1903. (Meaning lost to rhyme; useful
section on vocabulary).

Hoff,
Benjamin. The Way to Life at the Heart of the Tao Te Ching. (Adapted from various

translations). New York: Weatherhill, 1981.

Hwang, Shi Fu. Tao Teh Chin. Austin, TX: Taoism Publisher, 1987.

Kaminski, Gerald. Another Way: the Tao of Lao
Tzu. Belmont, CA: Cove View Press,

1993.

Kwok,
Man-Ho, Martin Palmer and Jay Ramsay. Tao Te Ching. Gr. Br.: Element, 1993.

Mabrey, John R., The Little Book of the Tao Te
Ching. Gr. Br.: Element, 1994. (Only

contains fragments).

Mears, Isabella. Tao Teh King. London: Theosophical Publishing House,
1916.

Merel, Peter. TaoDeChing - Lao Tze. 1995. Internet; URL at the time:

http://www.chinapage.com/gnl.html
(see current links)

Mitchell, Stephen. Tao Te Ching. New York: Harper & Row, 1988. (the most popular

“translation” but he does not know any Chinese)

Ni,
Hua-Ching. The Complete Works of Lao Tzu. Malibu, CA: Shrine of the Eternal

Breath of Tao, 1979.

Reynolds, David K. Reflections on the Tao Te
Ching. New York: William Morrow,
1993.

Rasmussen, Jeff. Spirit of the Tao Te
Ching. Indianapolis, IN: Nisi Sunyyata,
1998.

Rosenthal, Stan. The Tao Te Ching. 1998? Internet; URL at the time:

http://www.class.ufl.edu/users/gthursby/taoism/ttcstan2.htm
(see current links)

Shrine of Wisdom, Publisher. The Simple Way of Lao
Tsze. Surry, England: 1924.

Simms, Bennett B. Lao Tzu and the Tao Te
Ching. New York: Franklin Watts,
1971.

Trapp, Jacob. Tao Teh Ching. Santa Fe, NM: Yucca Printing, 1985.

Unsong, Kim. Lao Tzu’s Tao-Te Ching. San Bruno, CA: One Mind Pesss, 1986. (Mean-

ing sacrificed for rhyme)

I have not seen any of the
following versions:

(and some of these may not even exist)

Agner, Lajos

Alexander, Gen. G.G. “Tao-Teh-King or Book of the Values
of Tao” Sacred Books and

Early Literature of the East. New York: Parke, Austin & Lipscomb, 1895,
1917.

Allen, Rupert C. The Yin-Yang Journal: An Alternate
Reading of the Tao Te
Ching.

Tucson: Inner Eye Press, 1996.

Arnold, Gary N. Way of Life, The Tao Te
Ching. Metaire, LA: Windhorse,
1996.

Balfour, Frederick Henry. Taoist Texts, Ethical,
Political and Speculative. London:

Trubner, 1884; NY: Gordon Press, 1975.

Bjerregaard, Carl H. A. The Inner Life and the
Tao-Teh King. London: Theosophical
Pub.

House, 1911.

Bokenkamp, Stephen R. Early Daoist Scriptures: Daoist
Classics No. 1. Univ. of Calif,

Press, 1999.

Burtt, George. The Explicated Tao. L.A.: Vector
Counseling Institute, 1977.

Chalmers, John. The Speculations on Metaphysics,
Polity and Morality of “The Old

Philosopher,” Lao-tze. London: Trubner, 1868.

Chang
Chi-chun and William Forthman. Lao Tzu.. New York: Meredith Pub., 1967.

Chang
Chung-yuan. Tao: A New Way of Thinking. NY: Harper & Row, 1975.

Ch’en
Ku-ying. Lao Tzu.: Text, Notes
& Comments. (trans. & adapted
by Young, Rhett

& Roger Ames). S.F.: Chinese Materials Center,
1935, 1977.

Cheng
Lin. The Works of Lao Tzyy: Truth and Nature. Taipei, Taiwan: World Book Co.,

1949, 1953.

Chiang Hsi-ch’ang. Lao Tzu chiao-ku (Lao Tzu
Collated and Explained). Shanghai:

Commercial Press; Taipei: Ming Lun Press, 1937,
1971.

Ch’ien-chih Chu Lao Tzu chiao-shih (Lao Tzu
Collated and Explained). Shanghai, Taipei

reprint: Ming Lun Press, 1958, 1971.

Dantzer, V.

Erkes, Eduard. “Ho-Shang-Kung’s Commentary on Lao Tse,”
Artibus Asiae, Vols. VIII,

IX & XII. Ascona, Switzerland: Artibus Asiae,
1945, 1950, 1958.

Ernest, Paul.

Evans, G. 1905.

Fu
Yi. Chiao-ting ku-pen Lao Tzu.

Giles, Herbert. “The Remains of Lao Tzu,” China
Mail, Vol. XIV, pp. 231-280. Hong

Kong, 1886.

Giles, Lionel. The Sayings of Lao Tzu.. London: John Murray, 1905, 1950.

Home,
A. Roger. The Great Art of Laotse.
Exeter: Newbard House, 1972.

Hsuing, Y.T. Lao Tze, Tao Te Ching. Chinese
Culture. Vol. 18. Taiwan: China
Academy,

June, 1977.

Hughes, Ernest R. “Tao Te Ching,” Chinese Philosophy
in Classical Times. London:

J.M. Dent, 1942, 1950.

Hu
Tse-ling. Lao Tzu, Tao Teh Ching.
Chengtu, Szechuan: Canadian Mission Press,

1936.

Huang, Paulos Zhanzhu. Lao Tzu’s Tao Te
Ching

Inouye, Shuten. Laotse, Tao Teh King. Tokoyo: Daitokaku, 1928.

Ju-Chou Yang and Edward K. Chook. Lao Tzyy Dow Der
Jing. Taipei, 1979.

Julien, Monsieur Stanislaus (French Jesuit).

Kao
Heng. Ch’ung-ting Lao Tzu cheng-ku
(Revised Collation of the Lao Tzu).
Peking:

Chung-hua Press, 1956.

Kaufman, Stephen F. The Living Tao: Meditations on
the Tao Te Ching. Tuttle.

Kingsmill, Thomas W. “Tao Teh King,” Shanghai
Mercury; The ChinaReview,
Vol.

XXIV, 1899.

Kitselman II, A.L. Tao teh king (The way of Peace) of
Lao Tzu.. Palo Alto, CA: The

School of Simplicity, 1936.

Ko
Lien-hsiang. Commentaries on Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching. Taipei: L.H. Ke, 1968.

Lao
C’en. The Way of the Dao: An Interpretation of the Writings of Lao
Tzu. La Jolla,

CA: Day Press, 1980.

Lau,
Dim Chuek. Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching. NY:
Knopf, 1994. Mawangdui tr.

Leebrick, John R. Tao Teh Ching: Classic of the Way
and Its Nature. Urbana, IL:
After-

image, 1980.

Li
Ying-chang.

Liu
I-Ming and Thomas Cleary. Awakening the Tao. Shambhala, 1988.

Lu
Te-ming. Lao Tzu yin-i
(Pronunciations and Meanings of the Lao Tzu). Taipei: I Wen

Press, 1965.

MacHovac, Frank J. The Book of Tao. Mt. Vernon, NY: Peter Pauper, 1962.

MacInnes, T. The Teachings of the Old
Boy. Toronto: J.M. Dent,
1927.

Maclagan, P.J. “The Tao Teh King,” The China
Review, Vols. XXIII & XXIV,
1898.

Ma
Hsu-lun. Lao Tzu chiao-ku (Lao
Tzu Collated and Explained). Peking:
T’ai Ping

Book Co., 1956, 1964.

Maspero, Henri. Taoism and Chinese
Religion. (Tr. Frank Kierman). Amherst:
Univ. of

Masschusetts Press, 1981.

Moran, Patrick Edwin. Three Smaller Wisdom Books: Lao
Zi’s Dao De Jing Lanham, NY:

University Press of America, 1993.

Nivison, David S.

Old,
Walter Gorn. The Simple Way, Laotze.
London: Philip Wellby, 1904, 1905.

Old,
Walter R. The Book of the Path of Virtue. Madras: Theosophical Pub. Soc., 1894.

Org,
Lee Sun Ching. Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching Translation Based on His
Taoism. Writers

Cub Press, 1999.

Ould,
Herman. The Way of Acceptance.
London: A. Dakers, 1946.

Parker, E.H. Studies in Chinese
Religion, pp. 96-131. New York, Dutton,
1903, 1905.

Parker, E.H. “The Tao Te Ching or Providential Grace
Classic.” Dublin Review, I:02,
364-

76; I:04, 162-77.

Parker, E.H. The Tao The King: A Translation of the
Chinese Classic. London: Luzac,

npd.

Payne, Robert.

Poynton, Orde. The Great Sinderesis, being a translation of the Tao Te
Ching. Adelaide,

Australia: Hassell Press, 1949.

Rodrigo, R. Tao Te Ching. NY: Avery Publishing,

Schmidt, Karl Otto. Tao-Teh-Ching: Lao Tzu’s Book of
Life. (tr. fr. German by Leone

Muller). Lakemont, GA: CSA Press, 1975.

Straus, Victor von. Lao-Tse Tao Te
King. Zurich: Manesse Verlag,
1959.

Sum
Nung Au-Young. Lao Tze’s Tao Teh King. New York: March & Greenwood,

Pub.1938.

Tang
Zi-chang. Wisdom of Dao. San Rafael,
CA: T.C. Press, 1969.

Thomas, Frederick B. The Tao Teh of
Laotse. Oakland, CA: 1948.

Wagner, Rudolf. The Craft of a Chinese Commentator:
Wang Bi on the Lao Zi. SUNY

Press.

Waley, Arthur. Laozi. Tr. into Modern Chinese by Chen Guying, annotated by
Fu Huisheng. Hunan: Foreign Languages Press, Library of Chinese Classics, 1999.
ISBN

7543820897.

Wu-wu-tze and L. P. Phelps. The Philosophy of
Lao-tzu.. Chengtu, Szechuan: Jeh Hsin

Press, 1926.

Yen
Ling-feng. A Reconstructed Lao Tzu.
(tr. fr. Chinese by Chu Ping-yi). Taipei:

Ch’eng Wen Pub., 1976.

Ying-Chang Li & Eva Wong. Lao Tzu’s Treatise on
the Response of the Tao.

Yu,
T.H. The Philosophy of Taoism. S.F.:
Falcon Pub., 1970.