Chapter 12

Tao Te Ching  (Daodejing)
Classic of the Way and Virtue

 

By Lao Tzu  (Laozi)


 

Compiled and Indexed by Michael P. Garofalo

Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington

Chapter 11       Chapter 13       Index to All 81 Chapters     Daoism     Concordance     Cloud Hands Blog       

English       Chinese       Spanish

 

 

 

Chapter 12

Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu

Classic Book (Ching) about the Tao (Way, Nature, Patterns, Processes) and Te (Virtue, Potency, Power, Integrity, Wise Person, Sage)

 

Concordance: Indexing, Search Terms, Topics, Themes, Keys, Subjects, Words


English and Chinese (Wade-Giles) Terms:  Colors or Views or Sights (), Sounds, Activities or Actions (hsing), Tastes, Reduce Desires, Attend to the Inner Not the Outer, Deaf (lung), Insatiable Longing of the Eyes, Eye (mu), Sage, Dull or Ruined or Jaded (shuang), Values, Holy Man, Eating, Inner, Man or Person or One's (jên), Horse Racing, Hinder or Impede or Limit (fang), Hunting, Music, Heart or Mind (hsin), Greed, Cause or Make (ling), Craving, Excess (ch'êng), Sensuality, Attending or Caring or Concerned (wei), Notes or Tones or Sounds (yin), Simplicity, Madness or Wild or Crazed (k'uang), True Self, Calmness, Blind or Dark (mang), Striving, Flavors or Tastes (wei), Mouth (k'ou), Chasing, Treasures, Goods or Products (huo), Obtain (), Sage or Holy Man (shêng jên), Stomach or Belly or Feeling (fu), Excesses Offend the Senses, Accepts or Prefers or Chooses (ch'ü), Discards or Rejects (ch'ü), Hunting (lieh), Chasing or Racing (ch'ih), Five (wu),  檢欲  

Términos en Español:  Colores, Vistas, Sonidos, Actividades, Acciones, Gustos, Reducir Deseos, Sordo, Ojos, Sabio, Ruinas,  Valores, Hombre Santo, Comer, Interior, Carreras de Caballos, Obstaculizar, Impedir, Límite, Caza, Música, Corazón, Mente, Codicia, Causa, Marca, Sensualidad, Asistir, Atenta, Preocupados, Notas, Tonos, Sencillez, Salvaje, Enloquecido, Calma, Oscuro, Esforzándose, Sabores, Boca, Persiguiendo, Tesoros, Bienes, Productos, Obtenemos, Estómago, Vientre, Acepte, Prefiere, Descartes, Caza, Perseguir, Cinco. 

Electronic Concordance for all 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching

 

 

 

 

English Language Translations of the Tao Te Ching

 

"The five colors combined
the human eye will blind;
The five notes in one sound
the human ear confound;
The five tastes when they blend
the human mouth offend.

Racing and hunting will human hearts turn mad,
Treasures high-prized make human conduct bad.

Therefore,
The sage attends to the inner and not to the outer.
He abandons the latter and chooses the former."
-  Translated by Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 12  

 

 

"Color's five hues from the eyes their sight will take;
Music's five notes the ears as deaf can make;
The flavors five deprive the mouth of taste;
The chariot course, and the wild hunting waste
Make mad the mind;
And objects rare and strange,
Sought for,
Men's conduct will to evil change.
Therefore the sage seeks to satisfy the craving of the belly,
and not the insatiable longing of the eyes.
He puts from him the latter, and prefers to seek the former."
-   Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 12 

 

 

"Brilliance and splendors blind the eye
Competition and the hunt for fulfillment madden the mind
Grasping wealth leaves the hand useless for all else
Louder, faster, brighter: these things drown the senses
The tao is subtle, quiet, soft
A thread easily lost in the tumult
Therefore a wise leader feeds the belly and not the senses
Brings the people back rather than driving them on"
-  Translated by Ted Wrigley, Chapter 12  

 

 

"Five excessive colors make people blind;
five excessive sounds make people deaf;
five excessive flavors rob people's taste;
racing and hunting make people mad;
and rare goods make people steal.
Thus a Sage ruler took care of people's basic-needs (stomachs),
not their excessive-desires (luxuries).
Thus he eliminated desires and supplied needs."
-  Translated by Tang Zi-Chang, Chapter 12 

 

 

"The five colors make people's eyes blind;
Galloping and hunting make people's heart go wild;
Goods hard to come by make people's acts injurious.
The five flavors make people's mouth numb;
The five notes make people's ears deaf.
Hence, when the sage man ruled,
He supported the stomach, but not the eye.
Therefore, he abandoned that and chose this."
-  Translated by Huang Chichung, Chapter 12

 

 

"All together
colors blind the eyes
sounds deafen the ears
tastes deaden the palate.
Seeking and pursuing and looking for and chasing
make for
insanity.
Expensive tastes
make one a slave.
Wise people
attend to the intuition
of stomach and feelings
rather than the desires of eye, ear and hand.

Let go of that
take this."
-  Translated by Tom Kunesh, Chapter 12

 

 

 

Creative Commons License
This webpage work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington, USA © 2020 CCA 4.0

 

 

 

Revealing the Tao Te Ching: In-Depth Commentaries on an Ancient Classic  By Hu Xuzehi
Tao Te Ching  Annotated translation by Victor Mair  
Reading Lao Tzu: A Companion to the Tao Te Ching with a New Translation  By Ha Poong Kim
The Philosophy of the Daodejing  By Hans-Georg Moeller  

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices   By Mike Garofalo

Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation  By Roger T. Ames and David T. Hall
Tao Te Ching on The Art of Harmony   By Chad Hansen. 
The Way and Its Power: Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought   By Arthur Waley

 

                             

 

 

 

"The five colours blind the eyes of man.
The five musical notes deafen the ears of man.
The five flavours dull the taste of man.
Violent running and hunting disturb the emotions of man.
Greed for rare objects is hurtful to the actions of man.
That is why the self-controlled man occupies himself with the unseen,
he does not occupy himself with the things visible,
he puts away the latter and seeks the former."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 12

 

 

Cloud Hands Blog

 

 

"Interest in the varieties of colour diverts the eye from regarding the thing which is coloured.
Attention to the differences between sounds distracts the ear from consideration for the source of the sounds.
Desire for enjoyment of the various flavours misdirects the appetite from seeking foods which are truly nourishing.
Excessive devotion to chasing about and pursuing things agitates the mind with insane excitement.
Greed for riches ensnares one's efforts to pursue his healthier motives.
The intelligent man is concerned about his genuine needs and avoids being confused by dazzling appearances.
He wisely distinguishes one from the other."
-  Translated by Archie J. Bahm, 1958, Chapter 12  

 

 

"The five colors cause man's eyes to be blinded.
The five tones cause man's ears to be deafened.
The five flavors cause man's palate to be cloyed.
Racing about on horseback and hunting cause man's mind to be maddened.
Hard to obtain merchandise cause mankind to do wrong,
So the Sage concerns himself with the abdomen and not the eyes.
Therefore, he rejects the one and chooses the other."
Cheng Man-ch'ing, 1981, Chapter 12

 

 

"Altogether, the five colors -
Confuse, overwhelm and blind the eye.
Altogether, the five sounds -
Confuse, overwhelm and deafen the ear.
Altogether, the five flavors -
Confuse, overwhelm and dull the taste.
Compulsive activity or pursuit of possessions -
Confuses, overwhelms and maddens the mind.
Thus:
The Sage rejects the sensuous environment,
Being better guided by intuitive truth -
His inner nature."
-  Translated by Alan B. Taplow, 1982, Chapter 12 

 

 

"The five colors blind the eye.
The five tones deafen the ear.
The five flavors cloy the palate.
Racing and hunting madden the mind.
Rare goods tempt men to do wrong.
Therefore, the sage takes care of the belly, not the eye.
He prefers what is within to what is without."
-  Translated by Tien Cong Tran, Chapter 12 

 

 

"Lao Tze says,
A variety of colors (five colors) can blind the eyes.
A variety of sounds (five tones) can deafen the ears.
A mixture of flavors (five flavors) can vitiate the mouth of taste.
Hunting and horse chasing will make men's minds wild with excitement.
Goods hard to procure will bring character with harm.
Hence, the sage seeks to satisfy one's belly, rather than one's eyes.
Of the former one he does approve, of the latter he does reject."
-  Translated by Hwang Shi Fu, Chapter 12

 

 

 

The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching & Hua Hu Ching   Translation and elucidation by Hua Ching Ni
The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu   Translated by Brian Walker
Tao Te Ching  Translated by Arthur Waley
Tao - The Way   Translated by Lionel and and Herbert Giles
Taoism: An Essential Guide   By Eva Wong

 

                             

 

 

 

"The five colors make a man's eyes blind;
Horseracing and hunting make a man's mind go mad;
Goods that are hard to obtain make a man's progress falter;
The five flavors make a man's palate dull;
The five tones make a man's ears deaf.
For these reasons, In ruling, the sage attends to the stomach, not to the eye.
Therefore, He rejects the one and adopts the other."
-  Translated by Victor H. Mair, 1990, Chapter 12

 

 

 

A Chinese Language Version of Chapter 12 of the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
A note on my style of displaying the Chinese characters of the Tao Te Ching

 

 

五色令人目盲.
五音令人耳聾.
五味令人口
爽.
馳騁田獵, 令人心發狂.
難得之貨, 令人行妨.
是以聖人為腹不為目.
故去彼取此.
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 12 

 

 

wu sê ling jên mu mang.
wu yin ling jên erh lung.
wu wei ling jên k'ou shuang.
ch'ih ch'êng t'ien lieh, ling jên hsin fa k'uang.
nan tê chih huo, ling jên hsing fang.
shih yi shêng jên wei fu pu wei mu.
ku ch'ü pi ch'ü tz'u.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 12 

 


Audio Version in Chinese of Chapter 12 of the Tao Te Ching

 


wu se ling ren mu mang.
wu yin ling ren er long.
wu we ling ren kou shuang.
chi cheng tian lie, ling ren xin fa kuang.
nan de zhi huo, ling ren xing fang.
shi yi sheng ren wei fu bu wei mu.
gu qu bi qu ci.
-  Hanyu Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 12
 
 
 
 
 

Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters and English (includes a word by word key) from YellowBridge

Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters, Pinyin Romanization, English and German by Dr. Hilmar Alquiros  

Laozi Daodejing: Chapters with Chinese characters, seal script, detailed word by word concordance, Pinyin, German, French and English   

Chinese and English Dictionary, MDGB

Chinese Character Dictionary

Dao De Jing Wade-Giles Concordance by Nina, Dao is Open

Dao De Jing English and Wade-Giles Concordance by Mike Garofalo

Tao Te Ching in Pinyin Romanization with Chinese characters, WuWei Foundation

Tao Te Ching in Pinyin Romanization

Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters and English

Tao Te Ching: English translation, Word by Word Chinese and English, and Commentary from Center Tao by Carl Abbott

Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters, English, Word by word analysis, Zhongwen

Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition  Chinese characters, Wade-Giles Romanization, and a list of meanings for each character by Jonathan Star

Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters: Big 5 Traditional and GB Simplified

Convert from Pinyin to Wade Giles to Yale Romanizations of Words and Terms: A Translation Tool from Qi Journal

Chinese Characters, Wade-Giles and Pinyin Romanizations, and 16 English Translations for Each Chapter of the Daodejing by Mike Garofalo  

Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters, Pinyin and Wade Giles Romanization spellings, English; a word for word translation of the Guodian Laozi Version    

Lao Zi's Dao De Jing: A Matrix Translation with Chinese Text by Bradford Hatcher    

 

 

"The five colours will blind a man's sight.
The five sounds will deaden a man's hearing.
The five tastes will spoil a man's palate.
Chasing and hunting will drive a man wild.
Things hard to get will do harm to a man's conduct.
Therefore the sage makes provision for the stomach and not for the eye.
He rejects the latter and chooses the former."
-  Translated by Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 12

 
 
 
Simple Taoism: A Guide to Living in Balance   By Alexander Simkins
The Tao of Daily Life: The Mysteries of the Orient Revealed   By Derek Lin
Everyday Tao: Living with Balance and Harmony    By Ming-Dao Deng. 
Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices
The Tao of Pooh   By Benjamin Hoff. 
Scholar Warrior: An Introduction to the Tao in Everyday Life   By Ming-Dao Deng
Vitality, Energy, Spirit: A Taoist Sourcebook   Translated by Thomas Cleary

 

                             

 

 

 

"The fives colours confuse the eye,
The fives sounds dull the ear,
The five tastes spoil the palate.
Excess of hunting and chasing
Makes minds go mad.
Products that are hard to get
Impede their owner's movements.
Therefore the Sage
Considers the belly not the eye.
Truly, “he rejects that but takes this”."
-  Translated by Arthur Waley, 1934, Chapter 12

 

 

"Iridescent colours cause blindness.
Beautiful music causes deafness.
Delicious food causes loss of taste.
Racing and hunting cause madness.
Rare goods tempt people to rob and steal.
Therefore the sage only wants to feed the people rather than to dazzle them.
That's why he goes for the former and turns down the latter."
-  Translated by Jiyu Ren, 1985, Chapter 12

 

 

"The five colours
   blind the eye
The five tones
   deafen the ear
The five flavours
   dull the palate
Racing, hunting, and galloping about
   only disturb the mind
Wasting energy to obtain rare objects
   only impedes one growth
So the Sage is led by his inner truth
   not his outer eye
He holds to what is deep
   and not what
   lies on the surface"
-  Translated by Johathan Star, 2001, Chapter 12

 

 

"The five colors can blind,
The five tones deafen,
The five tastes cloy.
The race, the hunt, can drive men mad
And their booty leave them no peace.
Therefore a sensible man
Prefers the inner to the outer eye:
He has his yes, --he has his no."
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 12

 

 

Creative Commons License
This webpage work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington, USA © 2020 CCA 4.0

 

 

 

Lieh-Tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living  Translated by Eva Wong
The Daodejing of Laozi   Translated by Philip Ivahoe 
Daoism: A Beginner's Guide   By James Miller
Early Daoist Scriptures  Translated by Stephen Bokencamp
Lifestyle Advice from Wise Persons
Simple Taoism: A Guide to Living in Balance  By Alexander and Annellen Simpkins
Practical Taoism  Translated by Thomas Cleary
Daoism and Chinese Culture  By Livia Kohn

 

                                       

 

 

 

"An excess of light blinds the human eye; an excess of noise ruins the ear; an excess of condiments deadens the taste.
The effect of too much horse racing and hunting is bad, and the lure of hidden treasure tempts one to do evil.
Therefore the wise man attends to the inner significance of things and does not concern himself with outward appearances.
Therefore he ignores matter and seeks the spirit."
-  Translated by Dwight Goddard and Henri Borel, 1919, Chapter 12

 

 

"Five colors harm the eyes.
Five tones impair the ear.
Five flavors numb the taste.
Horse racing and hunting make people exuberant.
Hard-to-get things burden people.
Therefore, the sage seeks inner satisfaction, rather than showy appearance.
That is, emphasizing what is on the inside, instead of what is on the outside."
-  Translated by Thomas Z. Zhang, Chapter 12

 

 

"The flash of commingled colors will blind the eyes,

The jangle of musical sounds will deafen the ear,

By the jumbling of tastes change in the mouth will arise,

And with all of each five, sight, hearing and taste disappear.

The maddening rush of the race, the wild hunting waste,

And treasures hard to obtain, but hinder the mind;

So the sage only acts for his own inner self, and the taste

Far unsatisfied seeing and longing is left behind."
-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 12

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching  Translated by Stephen Addiss and Stanley Lombardo  

Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching  Translated by John C. Wu

Lao-Tzu and the Tao-Te-Ching  Translated by Livia Kohn

Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way Translated by Moss Roberts

 

                             

 

 

 

"Light will blind a man,
sound will make him deaf,
taste will ruin his palate,
the chase will make him wild,
and precious things will tempt him.
Therefore the wise man provides for the soul and not for the senses.
He ignores the one and takes the other with both hands."
-  Translated by Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 12

 

 

"The five colours, if unharmonized, confuse the eye;
The five tones, if uncoordinated, offend the ear;
The five tastes, if crudely blended, vitiate the palate.
Unrestraint in hunting and pursuing confounds the mind;
Eagerness in the acquisition of rare goods impedes right action.
That is why the Sage looks within and not without;
He disregards That and nurtures This."
-  Translated by Herman Ould, 1946, Chapter 12

 

 

"The five colours blind the eyes of men.
The five tones deafen their ears.
The five flavours vitiate their palates.
Galloping and hunting induce derangement of the mind.
Objects that are difficult of attainment lead them to incur obstacles or injury.
Thus the Sage cares for his inner self, and not for that which his eye can see;
for which reason he discards the latter and preserves the former."
-  Translated by Frederic Henry Balfour, 1884, Chapter 12

 

 

 

Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with the Tao Te Ching by Robert Meikyo Rosenbaum

The Tao of Zen by Ray Grigg

Tao Te Ching: Zen Teachings on the Taoist Classic by Takuan Soho 

Buddhism and Taoism Face to Face: Scripture, Ritual, and Iconographic Exchange in Medieval China by Christine Mollier  

 

                                     

 

 

 

"The five colors
blind our eyes.
The five notes
deafen our ears.
The five flavors
dull our taste.

Racing, chasing, hunting,
drives people crazy.
Trying to get rich
ties people in knots.

So the wise soul
watches with the inner
not with the outward eye,
letting that go,
keeping this."
-  Translated by Ursula K. Le Guin, 2009, Chapter 12 

 

 

"The five colors will blind one's eye.
The five tones will deafen one's ear.
The five flavors will jade one's taste.

Racing and hunting will drange one's mind.
Goods that are hard to get will obstruct one's way.

Therefore, Evolved Individuals
Regard teh center and not the eye.
Hence they discard one and receive the other."
-  Translated by R. L. Wing, 1986, Chapter 12

 

 

 

 
 

Tao Te Ching
by Lao Tzu

 

For each of the 81 Chapters:
25 English Translations
5 Spanish Translations
Chinese Characters
Pinyin & Wade-Giles
Concordance
Bibliography & Links
Directory
Commentary
Chapter Indexes

 

Daodejing 81 Website

 

Tao Te Ching
 Chapter Number Index


Standard Traditional Chapter Arrangement of the Daodejing
Chapter Order in Wang Bi's Daodejing Commentary in 246 CE
Compilation and Indexing by Michael P. Garofalo
Concordance
 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81                  

 


 

 

 

"Die fünferlei Farben machen der Menschen Augen blind.
Die fünferlei Töne machen der Menschen Ohren taub.
Die fünferlei Würzen machen der Menschen Gaumen schal
Rennen und Jagen machen der Menschen Herzen toll.
Seltene Güter machen der Menschen Wandel wirr.
Darum wirkt der Berufene für den Leib und nicht fürs Auge.
Er entfernt das andere und nimmt dieses."
-  Translated by Richard Wilhelm, 1911, Chapter 12

 

 

"Das Sinnliche -- ein Weg zum Sinn

Der Farben Vielfalt blendet die Augen.
Der Töne Fülle betäubt das Gehör.
Der Gewürze Reichtum verdirbt den Geschmack.
Der Leidenschaften Drang verwirrt das Herz.
Die Gier nach schwer Erreichbarem zerstört die Sitten.
Der Weyse, von seinem Inneren geleitet,
bestimmt seiner Sinne Grenzen.
Alles Sinnliche ist ihm auch nur ein Weg zum Sinn."
-  Translated by Rudolf Backofen, 1949, Chapter 12

 

 

"The five colours blind man's eye.
The five notes deafen man's ear.
The five tastes jade man's palate.
Galloping and hunting madden man's heart.
Goods that are difficult to obtain entangle man's conduct.
That is why the Saint cares for the belly and not for the eye.
For indeed, he rejects the one and chooses the other."
-  Translated by Jan J. L. Duyvendak, 1954, Chapter 12 

 

 

Creative Commons License
This webpage work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington, USA © 2020 CCA 4.0

 

 

 

Further Teachings of Lao-Tzu: Understanding the Mysteries (Wen Tzu)   Translated by Thomas Cleary

The Lunar Tao: Meditations in Harmony with the Seasons   By Deng Ming-Dao

Awakening to the Tao   By Lui I-Ming (1780) and translated by Thomas Cleary

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices   By Mike Garofalo

Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings with Selections from Traditional Commentaries   Translation and commentary by Brook Ziporyn

The Inner Chapters of Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi)   Translated by A. C. Graham

 

                                  

 

 

 

"The five colors blind the eyes;
the five musical tones deafen the ears;
the five flavors dull the taste.
Racing and hunting madden the mind.
Precious goods keep their owners on guard.
Therefore the wise satisfy the inner self
rather than external senses.
They accept the one and reject the other."
-  Translated by Sanderson Beck, 1996, Chapter 12 

 

 

"The five colors make man's eyes blind;
The five notes make his ears deaf;
The five tastes injure his palate;
Riding and hunting
Make his mind go wild with excitement;
Goods hard to come by
Serve to hinder his progress.
Hence the sage is
For the belly
Not for the eye.
Therefore he discards the one and takes the other."
-  Translated by D. C. Lau, 1963, Chapter 12 

 

 

"Light too glaring endangers sight
Noise too loud deafens hearing
Spices too strong spoil taste
Craving for pleasure kills knowledge.
This is why the Awakened Man turns inward and rules the senses.
He lets go what passes
And seizes what lasts."
-  Translated by K. O. Schmidt, 1975, Chapter 12

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching   Translated by David Hinton

The Book of Tao: Tao Te Ching - The Tao and Its Characteristics   Translated by James Legge

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: Growth of a Religion   By Isabelle Robinet

Zhuangzi (Chuang Tsu), Daoist Scripture: Bibliography, Links, Resources, Quotations, Notes

Zhuangzi: Basic Writings   Translated by Burton Watson

Zhuangzi Speaks: The Music of Nature   An illustrated comic by Chih-chung Ts'ai

Lifestyle Advice from Wise Persons

 

                                              

 

 

 

"The five colours cause one's eyes to be blinded.
The five tones cause one's ears to be deafened.
The five flavours cause one's palette to be cloyed.
Racing about on horseback and hunting cause one's mind to be maddened.
Hard to obtain merchandise causes mankind to do wrong,
So the Sage concerns himself with the abdomen and not the eyes.
Therefore, he rejects the one and chooses the other."
-  Translated by Tam C. Gibbs, 1981, Chapter 12

 

 

"Emancipation from the Enslavement of the Senses

Just as the five colors that we see can blind us,
So the five sounds that we hear can deafen us,
And the five tastes that we taste can dull our sense of taste.

As we hunt and chase after a moving target, our minds go wild.
So goods that are difficult to get
become hurdles in our life journey.

For this reason the Sage seeks to fill only the true needs
("the needs of the stomach")
Rather than to satisfy his senses
("the needs of the eyes").
He gives up the one,
And gains the other."
-  Translated by Ho Lok Sang, 2002, Chapter 12

 

 

"The five colors can make us blind.
The five sounds can make us deaf.
The five flavors can deaden our taste.
Racing, chasing, and hunting can drive us mad.
The pursuit of treasure knocks us off the path.
Therefore, the Tao–Master follows his inner vision
rather than his outer vision.
He chooses this but not that."
-  Translated by George Cronk, 1999, Chapter 12 

 

 

"Les cinq couleurs émoussent la vue de l'homme.
Les cinq notes de musique émoussent l'ouïe de l'homme.
Les cinq saveurs émoussent le goût de l'homme.
Les courses violentes, l'exercice de la chasse égarent le cœur de l'homme.
Les biens d'une acquisition difficile poussent l'homme à des actes qui lui nuisent.
De là vient que le saint homme s'occupe de son intérieur et ne s'occupe pas de ses yeux.
C'est pourquoi il renonce à ceci et adopte cela."
-  Translated by Stanislas Julien, 1842, Chapter 12

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching en Español


Lao Tsé Tao Te Ching   Traducido al español por Anton Teplyy

Tao Te Ching   Traducido por Stephen Mitchell, versión española  

Tao Te Ching   Traducido al español por el Padre Carmelo Elorduy

Lifestyle Advice from Wise Persons   Consejos de Estilo de Vida de Sabios

Tao Te Ching en Español

Lao Tzu-The Eternal Tao Te Ching   Traducido al español por Yuanxiang Xu y Yongjian Yin 

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices   By Mike Garofalo    Maduración Duraznos: Estudios y Prácticas Taoístas por Mike Garofalo

Tao Te Ching - Wikisource

Tao Te Ching   Traducido al español por William Scott Wilson. 

Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching   Traducido al español por Javier Cruz

Tao te king   Translated by John C. H. Wu, , versión española  

Daodejing   Español, Inglés, y Chino Versiones Lingüísticas de la Daodejing

 

                                      

 


 

 

Spanish Language Translations of the Tao Te Ching

 

"Los cinco colores ciegan al hombre.
Los cinco sonidos ensordecen al hombre.
Los cinco sabores embotan al hombre.
La carrera y la caza ofuscan al hombre.
Los tesoros corrompen al hombre.
Por eso, el sabio atiende al vientre
y no al ojo.
Por eso, rechaza esto y prefiere aquello."
-  Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 12 

 

 

"Demasiado color ciega el ojo,
Demasiado ruido ensordece el oido,
Demasiado condimento embota el paladar,
Demasiado jugar dispersa la mente,
Demasiado deseo entristece el corazón.
El sabio provee para satisfacer las necesidades, no los sentidos;
Abandona la sensación y se concentra en la sustancia."
-  Translated by Antonio Rivas Gonzálvez, 2004, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 12 

 

 

"Los cinco colores ciegan el ojo.
Las cinco notas ensordecen el oído.
Los cinco sabores empalagan el paladar.
La carrera y la caza enloquecen la mente.
Los objetos preciosos tientan al hombre a hacer el mal.
Por eso, el Sabio cuida del vientre, y no del ojo.
Prefiere lo que está dentro a lo que está afuera."
-  Translated into Spanish by Alfonso Colodrón from the English translation by
    John C. H. Wu, 1993, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 12  

 

 

"Los cinco colores ciegan la vista.
Los cinco sonidos ensordecen losoídos.
Los cinco sabores estragan el gusto.
Las carreras y la cazaenloquecen los corazones.
Los objetos costosos pierden al hombre.
En consecuencia, el sabio atiende a su estómago,
no a susojos.
Deja aquello y toma esto."
-  Translated by Carmelo Elorduy, 2006, Capítulo 12

 

 

"Los cinco colores ciegan el ojo del hombre.
Los cinco sonidos ensordecen el oído del hombre.
Los cinco sabores deterioran el gusto del hombre.
La carrera y la caza enloquecen la mente del hombre.
Las cosas raras y difíciles de obtener incitan al hombre al mal.
Por eso, el sabio alimenta lo interno y no lo externo.
Excluye lo uno y acoge lo otro."
-  Translated by Anonymous, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo 12 

 

 

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This webpage work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington, USA © 2020 CCA 4.0

 

 

Lao Tzu, Laozi

 

 

Next Chapter of the Tao Te Ching #13

Previous Chapter of the Tao Te Ching #11

Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching 

 

 

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching
Commentary, Interpretations, Research Tools, Resources
Chapter 12

 

"The meaning of the verses quoted in Chapter 12 carries out the principle enunciated in Chapter 11.  The utility of things, as well as the worth of life, is attained not by having everything in completion and in fullness, but by selecting some parts and omitting others, by moderation and by discrete elimination.  Together, all the colors blind you, while a discrete selection will make a picture.  Together, all the notes just make noise, while a few of them in proper succession make a melody.  Together, all the tastes mixed together are offensive, but a choice of them is pleasant.  Such is Lao-Tzu's method of teaching that the form of things is more important that the substance.  The phrase 'he attends to the inner and not to the outer: reads in a literal translation 'acts on the stomach, not acts on the eye'.  The outer and the inner are called in Chapter 38 the flower and the fruit, the former being more show, while the latter is the true import of life."
Paul Carus, 1913


 

Lao Tzu: Te-Tao Ching - A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered Ma-wang-tui Texts (Classics of Ancient China) Translated with and introduction and detailed exposition and commentary by Professor Robert G. Henricks.  New York, Ballantine Books, 1992.  Includes Chinese characters for each chapter.  Bibliography, detailed notes, 282 pages. 


Early Daoist Scriptures.  Translated by Stephen R. Bokenkamp.  Peter Nickerson, Contributor.  Berkeley, University of California Press, Revised Edition, 1999.  520 pages. 
ISBN: 978520219311.  This compilation includes a translation of "The Xiang'er Commentary to the Laozi," pages 78-148, with a long introduction to the same, pages 29-78.  Scholars think this document was created in the late 5th century, CE.  It was discovered in Buddhist Grottos in 1920, but parts were missing. 


Lao-Tzu: My Words are Very Easy to Understand.  Lectures on the Tao Teh Ching by Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing (1902-1975).  Translated from the Chinese by Tam C. Gibbs, 1981.  Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 1981, 1991.  240 pages.  Includes the Chinese characters for each of the 81 Chapters.  A brief biography of Professor Cheng is included.  


The Teachings of Lao-Tzu: The Tao Te Ching Translation, commentary, and notes by Paul Carus, 1913.  New York, St. Martin's Press, 2000. ISBN: 0312261098.  D.T. Suzuki worked and studied with Paul Carus around 1905 in Illinois, and translated together the Tao Te Ching.   


Daodejing by Laozi: Chapters with Chinese characters, seal script, detailed word by word concordance, Pinyin (tone#), German, French and English.  This is an outstanding resource for serious students of the Tao Te Ching


Tao Te Ching: A New Translation and Commentary.  By Ellen Chen.  Paragon House, 1998.  Detailed glossary, index, bibliography, notes, 274 pages. 


Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse.  Complete versions of all 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching by many different translators in many languages: 124 English, 24 German, 14 Russian, 7 Spanish, 5 French and many other languages.  Links are organized first by languages, and then alphabetically by translators.  Formatting varies somewhat.  The original website at Onekellotus went offline in 2012; but, the extensive collection of these Tao Te Ching versions was saved for posterity by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine and available as of 9/9/2015.  This is an outstanding original collection of versions of the Daodejing─ the Best on the Internet.  Caution: copyright infringement may sometimes be an issue at this website. 


Tao Te Ching, Translations into English: Terebess Asia Online (TAO).  124 nicely formatted complete English language translations, on separate webpages, of the Daodejing.  Alphabetical index by translators.  Each webpage has all 81 chapters of the Tao Te Ching translated into English.  A useful collection!  Many reformatted and colored versions from the original collection at Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse.  Caution: copyright infringement may sometimes be an issue at this website. 


The Tao and Method: A Reasoned Approach to the Tao Te Ching.  By Michael Lafargue.  New York, SUNY Press, 1994.  640 pages.  Detailed index, bibliography, notes, and tables.  An essential research tool. 


Two Visions of the Way: A Study of the Wang Pi and the Ho-Shang Kung Commentaries on the Lao-Tzu.  By Professor by Alan Kam-Leung Chan.   SUNY Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture.  State University of New York Press, 1991.  Index, bibliography, glossary, notes, 314 pages.  ISBN: 0791404560.     


Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition  By Jonathan Star.  Translation, commentary and research tools.  New York, Jeremy P. Tarcher, Penguin, 2001.  Concordance, tables, appendices, 349 pages.  A new rendition of the Tao Te Ching is provided, then a verbatim translation with extensive notes.  Detailed tables for each verse provide line number, all the Chinese characters, Wade-Giles Romanization, and a list of meanings for each character.  An excellent print reference tool! 


Chinese Reading of the Daodejing  Wang Bi's Commentary on the Laozi with Critical Text and Translation.  By Professor Rudolf G. Wagner.  A SUNY Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture.  English and Mandarin Chinese Edition.  State University of New York Press; Bilingual edition (October 2003).  540 pages.  ISBN: 978-0791451823.  Wang Bi (Wang Pi, Fusi), 226-249 CE, Commentary on the Tao Te Ching.


Tao Te Ching  Translated by D. C. Lau.  Addison Wesley, Reprint Edition, 2000.  192 pages.  ISBN: 978-0140441314. 

 

 

                                                            

 

 

The Taoism Reader  By Thomas Cleary.  Shambhala, 2012.  192 pages.


Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao  By Wayne W. Dyer.  Hay House, Reprint Edition, 2009.  416 pages. 


The Tao of Being: A Think and Do Workbook  By Ray Grigg.  Green Dragon Pub., 1988. 204 pages.


The Lunar Tao: Meditations in Harmony with the Seasons.  By Deng Ming-Dao.  New York, Harper Collins, 2013.  429 pages.  


The Classic of the Way and Virtue: A New Translation of the Tao-te Ching of Laozi as Interpreted by Wang Bi.  Translated by Richard John Lynn.  Translations from the Asian Classics Series.  New York, Columbia University Press, 1999.  Extensive index, glossaries, notes, 244 pages. 


Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters, Pinyin Romanization, English and German by Dr. Hilmar Alquiros. 


Stoicism and Hellenistic Philosophy  


How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons 


One Old Philosopher's Notebooks  Research, Reading, and Reflections by Mike Garofalo.


Virtues and a Good Life


Yellow Bridge Dao De Jing Comparison Table   Provides side by side comparisons of translations of the Tao Te Ching by James Legge, D. T. Suzuki, and Dwight Goddard.  Chinese characters for each paragraph in the Chapter are on the left; place your cursor over the Chinese characters to see the Pinyin Romanization of the Chinese character and a list of meanings. 


Translators Index, Tao Te Ching Versions in English, Translators Sorted Alphabetically by Translator, Links to Books and Online Versions of the Chapters 


Taoism and the Tao Te Ching: Bibliography, Resources, Links


Spanish Language Translations of the Tao Te Ching, Daodejing en Español, Translators Index 


Concordance to the Daodejing


The Tao of Zen.  By Ray Grigg.  Tuttle, 2012, 256 pages.  Argues for the view that Zen is best characterized as a version of philosophical Taoism (i.e., Laozi and Zhuangzi) and not Mahayana Buddhism. 


Chapter 41 in the Rambling Taoist Commentaries by Trey Smith.  The Rambling Taoists are Trey Smith and Scott Bradley. 


The Philosophy of the Daodejing  By Hans-Georg Moeller.  Columbia University Press, 2006, 176 pages.  


Valley Spirit, Gu Shen, Concept, Chapter 6   Valley Spirit Center in Red Bluff, California.   Sacred Circle in the Gushen Grove. 


Lao-tzu's Taoteching  Translated by Red Pine (Bill Porter).  Includes many brief selected commentaries for each Chapter draw from commentaries in the past 2,000 years.  Provides a verbatim translation and shows the text in Chinese characters.  San Francisco, Mercury House, 1996, Second Edition, 184 pages.  An invaluable resource for commentaries.   


Reading Lao Tzu: A Companion to the Tao Te Ching with a New Translation  By Ha Poong Kim.  Xlibris, 2003, 198 pages. 


Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation  By Roger T. Ames and David T. Hall.  Ballantine, 2003, 256 pages. 


Thematic Index to the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching


Lieh-Tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living.  Translated by Eva Wong.  Lieh-Tzu was writing around 450 BCE.  Boston, Shambhala, 2001.  Introduction, 246 pages. 


Revealing the Tao Te Ching: In-depth Commentaries on an Ancient Classic.  By Hu Huezhi.  Edited by Jesse Lee Parker.  Seven Star Communications, 2006.  240 pages. 


Cloud Hands Blog   Mike Garofalo writes about Mind-Body Arts, Philosophy, Taoism, Gardening, Taijiquan, Walking, Mysticism, Qigong, and the Eight Ways.


The Whole Heart of Tao: The Complete Teachings From the Oral Tradition of Lao Tzu. By John Bright-Fey.  Crane Hill Publishers, 2006.  376 pages.

 

 

 

                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Laozi, Dao De Jing

 

 

Gushen Grove Notebooks for the Tao Te Ching


Research and Indexing by
Michael P. Garofalo

Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington, 2017-2020
Green Way Research, 1998-2016. Red Bluff, California
Indexed and Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo

 

This webpage was last modified, edited, supplemented, weeded, or updated on March 20, 2020.
 
This webpage was first distributed online on February 9, 2011. 

 

Creative Commons License
This webpage work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington, USA © 2020 CCA 4.0


 

Michael P. Garofalo's E-mail

Brief Biography of Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.

 

 

 


 

Ripening Peaches: Daoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: Resources and Guides


Cloud Hands Blog


Valley Spirit Qigong

Ways of Walking

The Spirit of Gardening

Months: Cycles of the Seasons

Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu, Zhuang Zhou, Master Chuang)  369—286 BCE

Chan (Zen) and Taoist Poetry

Green Way Research

Yang Style Taijiquan

Chen Style Taijiquan

Taoist Perspectives: My Reading List

Meditation

Bodymind Theory and Practices, Somaesthetics

The Five Senses

 

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

 

Pleasures, Satisfaction, Desires

Grandmaster Chang San Feng

Virtues and a Good Life

Epicureanism

Qigong (Chi Kung) Health Practices

Valley Spirit Center

One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey: Notebooks of the Librarian of Gushen Grove

Cloud Hands: T'ai Chi Ch'uan

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Index to Cloud Hands and Valley Spirit Websites

 

Gushen Grove Notebooks for the Tao Te Ching 

Introduction

Bibliography  

Index to English Language Translators of the Tao Te Ching

Thematic Index 1-81  

Chapter Index 1-81    

Concordance to the Daodejing

Recurring Themes (Terms, Concepts, Leimotifs) in the Tao Te Ching

Spanish Language Translations of the Tao Te Ching

Resources

The Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) circa 500 BCE

 

 

 

Cloud Hands Blog

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching
 Chapter Number Index


Standard Traditional Chapter Arrangement of the Daodejing
Chapter Order in Wang Bi's Daodejing Commentary in 246 CE
Chart by Mike Garofalo
Subject Index
 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81                  

 

 

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