Chapter 18 Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing)
Classic of the Way and Virtue
道德經

By Lao Tzu (Laozi)

Chapter 18 Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu

The Decay of Manners, The Deterioration of Society, Disharmony and Disorder, 俗薄

"When humankind strayed from the natural way of life,
Relative social disciplines began to appear.
When intelligence and cleverness of mind are admired,
Great hypocrisy is born.
When disharmony manifested in family relations,
Children who respected their parents
And parents who respected their children
Became rare examples.
When chaos prevailed in the county,
Only a few loyal ministers were recognized.
Let all people return to their true nature.
Love, kindness, wisdom, family harmony, and loyalty
Should not be taught one by one,
Separately from an honest life.
Then, once again,
People will regain the natural virtue of wholeness.
The world will be naturally ordered.
There will be no one who singly and cunningly
Works for personal interest alone."
- Translated by Hua-Ching Ni, 1979, Chapter 18

"When the great Reason is obliterated, we have benevolence and justice.
Prudence and circumspection appear, and we have much hypocrisy.
When family relations no longer harmonize, we have filial piety and paternal devotion.
When the country and the clans decay through disorder, we have loyalty and allegiance."
- Translated by D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 18

"Therefore;
when the Heavenly Way was forgotten,
there arose 'humaneness' and 'righteousness;'
when cunning and Wit arose,
there came great falsity;
when the loving relations between people, as if all of one family,
was lost, there arose Religions in the world.
Once the state and royal house were in disarray,
there arose 'upright ministers!'"
- Translated by Jerry C. Welch, 1998, Chapter 18

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

Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation By Roger T. Ames and David T. Hall

Be Enlightened! A Guidebook to the Tao Te Ching and Taoist Meditation: Your Six-Month Journey to Spiritual Enlightenment By Wes Burgess

The Way and Its Power: Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought By Arthur Waley

"When the Way of the Great Dao ceased to be observed, benevolence and righteousness came into vogue.
Then appeared wisdom and shrewdness, and there ensued great hypocrisy.
When harmony no longer prevailed throughout the six kinships, filial sons found their manifestation.
When the states and clans fell into disorder, loyal ministers appeared."
- Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 18

"When the Great Way is abandoned,
we get benevolence and righteousness.

When wisdom and knowledge appear,
we get great deception.

When there is no harmony in the family,
we get family values and kindness.

When the homeland is in chaos and confusion,
we get loyal bureaucrats."
- Translated by Roderic and Amy Sorrell, 2003, Chapter 18

"Wherever the cosmic order is neglected,
Goodness and morality are born.

When the heart’s awareness is repressed,
The intellect is led into hypocrisy.

When the family loses its natural harmony,
The rules of duty and honor are enforced.

When the natural society is disrupted,
The dragon of state arises,
And powerful leaders take over."
- Translated by Brian Donohue, 2005, Chapter 18

"When Tao is abandoned,
Benevolence and morality arise.
When wisdom and knowledge arise,
Hypocrisy flourishes.

When there is discord in the family,ą
Filial piety and parental affection arise.
When the country is in darkness and turmoil,
Loyal ministers appear."
- Translated by Keith H. Seddon, Chapter 18

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

Tao Te Ching
Commentary, Interpretations, Research Tools, Resources
Chapter 18

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 reference tool!

Yellow Bridge Dao De Jing Comparison Table, Chapter 18 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.

The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching & Hua Hu Ching Translation and elucidation by Hua Ching Ni.

Tao Te Ching Commentaries - Google Search

Translators' Index, Tao Te Ching Translators Sorted Alphabetically by Translator, Links to Books and Online Versions

Tao Te Ching: A Bibliography and Index of Translations on the Web

Chapter 18 in the Rambling Taoist Commentaries by Trey Smith. The Rambling Taoists are Trey Smith and Scott Bradley.

Revealing the Tao Te Ching: In-Depth Commentaries on an Ancient Classic By Hu Xuzehi. Seven Star Communications, 2006, 240 pages.

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

Valley Spirit, Gu Shen, Concept, Chapter 18

Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse The largest collection of very nicely formatted complete versions of the Tao Te Ching. The collection includes 209 complete versions in 27 languages, plus 28 Chinese versions. There are 112 English language versions of the Tao Te Ching available at this website. A variety of search methods and comparision methods are provided, as well a a detailed index.

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.

Chapter 18, Line by Line Comparisons of 27 Translations of the Tao Te Ching Compiled by the St. Xenophon Wayist Seminary

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

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.