Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing)
Classic of the Way and Virtue
道德經
Chapters 21-40

By Lao-Tzu (Laozi, Lao Tse, Lan Dan, Li Ehr)
Circa 500-300 BCE
Old Master, Old Sage, Long-eared Wise Man, Wise Child
老子

Thematic Index 21-40 Bibliography Thematic Index 1-81 Chapter Index 1-81 Taoism

"To talk little is natural.
High winds do not last all morning.
Heavy rain does not last all day.
Why is this? Heaven and Earth!
If heaven and Earth cannot make things eternal,
How is it possible for man?
He who follows the Tao
Is at one with the Tao.
He who is virtuous
Experiences Virtue.
He who loses the way
Is lost.
When you are at one with the Tao,
The Tao welcomes you.
When you are at one with Virtue,
The Virtue is always there.
When you are at one with loss,
The loss is experienced willingly.
He who does not trust enough
Will not be trusted."
- Translated by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English, 1989

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Chapter 24

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 24, by Lao Tzu

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Chapter 25

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 25, by Lao Tzu

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Chapter 26

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 26, by Lao Tzu

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Chapter 27

No Talents are Wasted, The Function of Skill, This is a Great Paradox, Dexterity in Using the Dao, Cultivating Perfection, A Good Walker Leaves no Tracks
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 24, by Lao Tzu

"A good traveler leaves no tracks,
A good speaker is without flaw.
A good planner does not calculate.
A good doorkeeper does not lock, yet it cannot be opened.
A good knotter does not use binding, yet it cannot be undone.
Therefore, the sage is good at his earnest demands upon people.
So no one is left out.
No talent is wasted.
This is called being in the tow of enlightenment.
And it ensures the good person.
For everything that is good is the teacher of the good person.
For everything that is bad becomes the resource for the good person.
No need to honor the teachers.
No need to love the resources.
Though knowing this is a great paradox,
It is the subtle principle."
- Translated by Edward Brennan and Tao Huang, 2002

The conduct of the virtuous leaves neither trace nor clue.
The words of the virtuous afford no ground for fault-finding.
The projects of the virtuous require no intrigue.
When the virtuous are obstructed in their policy, though there be no bolt to the door which shuts them in, it yet cannot be opened.
When the virtuous enter into relations with others, though they be not bound by the ties of contract, they yet may not release themselves from their obligations.
Thus the Sage ever uses his goodness in saving others; and therefore there are none who are abandoned.
He ever uses his goodness in saving the inanimate creation; and therefore there are none of these who are abandoned.
This is called being doubly enlightened.
Wherefore the virtuous man is the teacher, or patron, of the bad man, while the bad man is employed as material, on which to work, by the virtuous man.
If the bad man does not reverence the other as his teacher, nor the good man love the former as his material; then, in spite of any wisdom either may possess, they are both greatly blinded.
This doctrine is both important and sublime."
-   Translated by Frederic H. Balfour, 1884

"The perfect traveler leaves no trail to be followed;
The perfect speaker leaves no question to be answered;
The perfect accountant leaves no working to be completed;
The perfect container leaves no lock to be opened;
The perfect knot leaves no end to be raveled.
So the sage nurtures all men
And abandons no one.
He accepts everything
And rejects nothing.
He attends to the smallest details.
So the strong must guide the weak,
For the weak are raw material for the strong.
If the guide is not respected,
Or the material is not cared for,
Confusion will result, no matter how clever one is.
This is the secret of perfection;
When raw wood is carved, it becomes a tool;
When a man is employed, he becomes a tool;
The perfect carpenter leaves no wood to be carved."
- Translated by Peter A. Merel, 1992

"A good traveler leaves no trace.
A good speaker makes no slips.
A good accountant uses no devices.
A good door needs no bolts to remain shut.
A good fastener needs no rope to hold its bond.
Therefore the wise are good at helping people,
and consequently no one is rejected.
They are good at saving things,
and consequently nothing is wasted.
This is called using the Light.
Therefore the good teach the bad,
and the bad are lessons for the good.
Those who neither value the teacher nor care for the lesson
are greatly deluded, though they may be learned.
Such is the essential mystery."
- Translated by Sanderson Beck, 1996

"Good travelers leave no trace nor track,
Good speakers, in logic show no lack,
Good counters need no counting rack.
Good lockers bolting bars need not,
Yet none their locks can loose.
Good binders need no string nor knot,
Yet none unties their noose.
Therefore the holy man is always a good savior of men, for there are no outcast people.
He is always a good savior of things, for there are no outcast things.
This is called applied enlightenment.
Thus the good man does not respect multitudes of men.
The bad man respects the people's wealth.
Who does not esteem multitudes nor is charmed by their wealth, though his knowledge be greatly confused,
He must be recognized as profoundly spiritual."
- Translated by D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913

"A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good artist lets his intuition
lead him wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his mind open to what is.
Thus the Master is available to all people
and doesn't reject anyone.
He is ready to use all situations
and doesn't waste anything.
This is called embodying the light.
What is a good man but a bad man's teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man's job?
If you don't understand this, you will get lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great secret."
- Translated by Stephen Mitchell, 2006

"Good walking leaves no tracks
good talking reveals no flaws
good counting counts no beads
good closing locks no locks
and yet it can't be opened
good tying ties no knots
and yet it can't be undone
thus the sage is good at saving others
and yet abandons no one
nor anything of use
this is called cloaking the light
thus, the good instruct the bad
the bad learn from the good
not honoring their teachers
not cherishing their students
the wise alone are perfectly blind
this is called peering into the distance."
- Translated by Red Pine, 1996

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Chapter 28

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 28, by Lao Tzu

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Chapter 29

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 29, by Lao Tzu

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Chapter 30

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 30, by Lao Tzu

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Chapter 31

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 31, by Lao Tzu

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Chapter 32

The Tao with No Name, The Virtue of Holiness, Rivers that Run to the Sea
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 32, by Lao Tzu

"The Tao, considered as unchanging, has no name. Though in its primordial simplicity it may be small, the whole world dares not deal with (one embodying) it as a minister. If a feudal prince or the king could guard and hold it, all would spontaneously submit themselves to him. Heaven and Earth (under its guidance) unite together and send down the sweet dew, which, without the directions of men, reaches equally everywhere as of its own accord. As soon as it proceeds to action, it has a name. When it once has that name, (men) can know to rest in it. When they know to rest in it, they can be free from all risk of failure and error. The relation of the Tao to all the world is like that of the great rivers and seas to the streams from the valleys."
- Translation by James Legge, 1891.

"The Tao, eternally nameless
Its simplicity, although imperceptible
Cannot be treated by the world as subservient

If the sovereign can hold on to it
All will follow by themselves
Heaven and Earth, together in harmony
Will rain sweet dew
People will not need to force it; it will adjust by itself

In the beginning, there were names
Names came to exist everywhere
One should know when to stop
Knowing when to stop, thus avoiding danger

The existence of the Tao in the world
Is like streams in the valley into rivers and the ocean."
- Translation by Derek Lin, 2006

"Tao is absolute and has no name.
Though the uncarved wood is small,
It cannot be employed (used as vessel) by anyone.
If kings and barons can keep (this unspoiled nature),
The whole world shall yield them lordship of their own accord.

The Heaven and Earth join,
And the sweet rain falls,
Beyond the command of men,
Yet evenly upon all.

Then human civilization arose and there were names.
Since there were names,
It were well one knew where to stop.
He who knows where to stop
May be exempt from danger.
Tao in the world
May be compared to rivers that run into the sea."
- Translated by Lin Yutang, 1948

"Tao remains ever nameless.
However insignificant may be the simplicity of those who cultivate it
The Empire does not presume to claim their services as Ministers.
If Princes and Monarchs could but preserve this simplicity,
Every creature in the world would submit itself to them;
Heaven and Earth would be in mutual accord,
And shower down sweet dew;
The people would need no laws, but live in harmony of themselves.
It was in the beginning that a name was fabricated for the Tao.
This name once existing, Heaven, also, may be known;
And such knowledge ensures the indestructibility of the doctrine.
The presence of Tao in the world may be compared to streams which ever flow,
And mountain-gorges which are indestructible,
In their union with rivers and seas which are unfathomable."
- Translated by Frederic H. Balfour, 1884

"The Tao can't be perceived.
Smaller than an electron,
it contains uncountable galaxies.
If powerful men and women
could remain centered in the Tao,
all things would be in harmony.
The world would become a paradise.
All people would be at peace,
and the law would be written in their hearts.
When you have names and forms,
know that they are provisional.
When you have institutions,
know where their functions should end.
Knowing when to stop,
you can avoid any danger.
All things end in the Tao
as rivers flow into the sea."
- Translated by Stephen Mitchell, 2006

"The Way eternal has no name.
A block of wood untooled, though small,
May still excel in the world.
And if the king and nobles could
Retain its potency for good,
Then everything would freely give
Allegiance to their rule.
The earth and sky would then conspire
To bring the sweet dew down;
And evenly it would be given
To folk without constraining power.
Creatures came to be with order's birth,
And once they had appeared,
Came also knowledge of repose,
And with that was security.
In this world,
Compare those of the Way
To torrents that flow
Into river and sea."
- Translated by Raymond B. Blakney, 1955

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 32, Green Paths Blog Post, 8/2/2009

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Chapter 33

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 33, by Lao Tzu

"Knowing others is wisdom;
Knowing the self is enlightenment.
Mastering others requires force;
Mastering the self needs strength.
He who knows he has enough is rich.
Perseverance is a sign of willpower.
He who stays where he is endures.
To die but not to perish is to be eternally present."
- Translated by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English, 1989

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Chapter 34

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 34, by Lao Tzu

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Chapter 35

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 35, by Lao Tzu

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Chapter 36

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 36, by Lao Tzu

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Chapter 37

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 37, by Lao Tzu

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Chapter 38

Themes of Chapter
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 38, by Lao Tzu

"A truly good man is not aware of his goodness,
And is therefore good.
A foolish man tries to be good,
And is therefore not good.
A truly good man does nothing,
Yet leaves nothing undone.
A foolish man is always doing,
Yet much remains to be done.
When a truly kind man does something, he leaves nothing undone.
When a just man does something, he leaves a great deal to be done.
When a disciplinarian does something and no one responds,
He rolls up his sleeves in an attempt to enforce order.
Therefore when Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is kindness.
When kindness is lost, there is justice.
When justice is lost, there ritual.
Now ritual is the husk of faith and loyalty, the beginning of confusion.
Knowledge of the future is only a flowery trapping of Tao.
It is the beginning of folly.
Therefore the truly great man dwells on what is real and not what is on the surface,
On the fruit and not the flower.
Therefore accept the one and reject the other."
- Translated by Gia-fu Feng and Jane English, 1989