Humility, Few Desires, Crooked Becomes
Straight,
Partial Becomes Complete,
Not Boasting,
Not Gloating, Setting an Example, Avoid Idle Talking, Increase by Humility,
Yielding, Bending,
益謙
"The partial becomes complete; the crooked,
straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new.
He whose desires are few gets them; he whose desires are many goes astray.
Therefore the sage holds in his embrace the one thing of humility, and manifests
it to all the world.
He is free from self-display, and therefore he shines; from self-assertion, and
therefore he is distinguished;
from self-boasting, and therefore his merit is acknowledged;
from self-complacency, and therefore he acquires superiority.
It is because he is thus free from striving that therefore no one in the world
is able to strive with him.
That saying of the ancients that 'the partial becomes complete' was not vainly
spoken.
All real completion is comprehended under it."
- Translated by
James Legge, 1891,
Chapter 22
"In cultivating the Tao there are first the sprouts; then perfection.
First, there is perversion; then rectification.
First there is hollowness and receptivity; then plenitude.
First there is destruction of the old; then renovation.
First there is humility; then acquisition.
Self-sufficiency is followed by suspicion on the part of others.
Therefore, the Sage preserves unity in his heart and becomes a pattern to the
whole world.
He does not say of himself that he can see, and therefore he is perspicacious.
He does not say of himself that he is right, and therefore he is manifested to
all.
He does pot praise himself, and therefore his merit is recognized.
He is not self-conceited, and therefore he increases in knowledge.
And as he never strives with anybody, so the world does not strive with him.
Can that saying of the olden times—"First the sprouts, then perfection"—be
called meaningless?
The attainment of genuine perfection implies a reversion to the original nature
of man."
- Translated by
Frederic H. Balfour, 1884, Chapter 22
Translation and elucidation by Hua Ching Ni
Translated by Brian Walker
Translated by Arthur Waley
Translated by Lionel and and Herbert Giles
By Eva Wong
"The crooked shall be straight,
Crushed ones recuperate,
The empty find their fill.
The worn with strength shall thrill;
Who little have receive,
And who have much will grieve.
The holy man embraces unity and becomes for all the world a model.
Not self-displaying he is enlightened;
Not self -approving he is distinguished;
Not self-asserting he acquires merit;
Not self-seeking he gaineth life.
Since he does not quarrel, therefore no one in the world can quarrel with
him.
The saying of the ancients: "The crooked shall be straight," is it in any
way vainly spoken?
Verily, they will be straightened and return home."
- Translated by
Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki and
Paul Carus, 1913, Chapter 22
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching
Translated by Livia Kohn
Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way
"Submit to Nature if you would reach your goal.
For, whoever deviates
from Nature's way, nature forces back again.
Whoever gives up his desire
to improve upon Nature will find Nature satisfying all his needs.
Whoever finds his desires extinguished will find more desires arising of
their own accord.
Whoever desires little is easily satisfied. Whoever
desires much suffers frustration.
Therefore, the intelligent person is at one with Nature, and so serves as a model for others.
By not showing off, he is exemplary.
By not asserting that he is
right, he does the right thing.
By not boasting of what he will do, he
succeeds in doing more than he promises.
By not gloating over his successes, his achievements are acclaimed by
others.
By not competing with others, he achieves without opposition.
Therefore the old saying is not idle talk: "Submit to Nature if you would reach your goal."
For that is the only genuine way."
- Translated by
Archie J. Bahm, 1958, Chapter 22
By Alexander Simkins. 
By Derek Lin.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
By Benjamin Hoff.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
Translated by Thomas Cleary.
"'Yield and you need not break:
Bent you can straighten,
Emptied you can hold,
Torn you can mend;
And as want can reward you
So wealth can bewilder.
Aware of this, a wise man has the simple return
Which other men seek:
Without inflaming himself
He is kindled,
Without explaining himself
Is explained,
Without taking credit
Is accredited,
Laying no claim
Is acclaimed
And, because he does not compete,
Finds peaceful competence.
How true is the old saying,
'Yield and you need not break'!
How completely it comes home!"
- Translated by
Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 22
By Hu Xuzehi
Annotated translation by Victor Mair 
By Ha Poong Kim
By Hans-Georg Moeller 
By Roger T. Ames and David T. Hall
By Wes Burgess
By Arthur Waley
"Bent, thus (tse) preserved whole,
Unjustly accused, thus exonerated (chih),
Hollow, thus filled (ying),
Battered (pi), thus renewed,
Scanty, thus receiving (te),
Much, thus perplexed.
Therefore the sage embraces the One (pao i).
He becomes the model (shih) of the world.
Not self-seeing, hence he is enlightened (ming).
Not self-justifying, hence he is outstanding.
Not showing off (fa) his deeds, hence he is meritorious.
Not boasting (ching) of himself, hence he leads (chang).
Because he is not contentious (pu cheng),
Hence no one under heaven can contend with him.
What the ancients say: "Bent, thus preserved whole,"
Are these empty words?
Be preserved whole and return (kuei)."
- Translated by
Ellen Marie Chen, 2000, Chapter 22
Translated by Eva Wong 
Translated by Philip Ivahoe
By James Miller
Translated by Stephen Bokencamp
By Alexander and Annellen Simpkins
Translated by Thomas Cleary
By Livia Kohn
"Yield, and become whole,
Bend, and become straight.
Hollow out, and become filled.
Exhaust, and become renewed
Small amounts become obtainable,
Large amounts become confusing.
Therefore the Sage embraces the One, and so is a shepherd fro the whole world.
He does not focus on himself and so is brilliant.
He does not seek self-justification and so becomes his own evidence.
He does not make claims and hence is given the credit.
He does not compete with anyone and hence, no-one in the world can compete with him.
How can that which the ancients expressed as "yield, and become whole" be meaningless?
If wholly sincere, you will return to them."
- Translated by
Tam C Gibbs, 1981, Chapter 22
Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with the Tao Te Ching
The Tao of Zen
Tao Te Ching: Zen Teachings on the Taoist Classic
Buddhism and Taoism Face to Face: Scripture, Ritual, and Iconographic Exchange in Medieval China
"Whosoever adapteth himself shall be preserved to the end.
Whosoever bendeth himself shall be straightened.
Whosoever emptieth himself shall be filled.
Whosoever weareth himself away shall be renewed.
Whosoever humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased.
Therefore doth the Sage cling to simplicity, and is an example to all men.
He is not onstentatious, and therefore he shines.
He is not egotistic, and therefore he is praised.
He is not vain, therefore he is esteemed.
He is not haughty, and therefore he is honoured.
And because he does not compete with others, no man is his enemy.
The ancient maxim, "Whosoever adapteth himself shall be preserved to the end," verily it is no idle saying.
Without doubt he shall go back to his Home in peace."
- Translated by
Walter Gorn-Old, 1904, Chapter 22
Next Chapter of the Tao Te Ching #23
Previous Chapter of the Tao Te Ching #21
Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching
Tao Te Ching
Commentary, Interpretations, Research Tools, Resources
Chapter 22
Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition
Yellow Bridge
Dao De Jing Comparison Table, Chapter 22 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.
Center Tao.
Includes a commentary on each Chapter.
The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching & Hua Hu Ching
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 22 in the
Rambling
Taoist Commentaries by Trey Smith. The
Rambling Taoists are Trey Smith and Scott Bradley.
By Hans-Georg Moeller. Columbia University Press, 2006, 176 pages.
Valley Spirit, Gu Shen,
Concept, Chapter 6
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 comparison methods are provided, as well a a detailed
index.
Offline on 4/25/2012.
Tao Te Ching
English Translations from Terebess Asia Online.
Over 30 translations.
Lao-tzu's Taoteching
Reading Lao Tzu: A Companion to the Tao Te Ching with a New Translation
Ripening Peaches: Taoist
Studies and Practices
Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation
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)
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 Taoism, Gardening, Taijiquan, Walking, Mysticism,
Qigong, and the Eight Ways.
Tao Te
Ching: A New Translation and Commentary. By Ellen Chen. Paragon
House, 1998. 274 pages.
The Tao
and Method: A Reasoned Approach to the Tao Te Ching. By Michael
Lafargue. New York, SUNY Press, 1994. 660 pages.
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.
Gushen Grove Notebooks for the Tao Te Ching
Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Grove, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Red Bluff, California
This webpage was last modified or updated on May
19, 2013.
This webpage was first distributed online on February 2, 2011
Brief Biography of Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.
Valley Spirit Grove, Red Bluff, California
Weekend Qigong Workshops with Mike Garofalo in Beautiful Red Bluff, California
Ripening Peaches: Daoist Studies and Practices
Taoist Perspectives: My Reading List
One Old Druid's Final Journey: Notebooks of the Librarian of Gushen Grove
Index to Translators of the Tao Te Ching
The Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) circa 500 BCE
Vacation and Learn in Beautiful Red Bluff, California
Beginning T'ai Chi Ch'uan Options: Yang 24, Chen 18, Sun 24, Cane 18
Beginning Chi Kung Options: Eight Brocades, Magic Pearl, Dragon Rain
Lectures, Private Lessons,
Classes, Consulting, Questions and Answers
Reasonable Hourly Rates
Instructor: Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.
Excellent Recreational Opportunities
for Persons of All Ages in the North Sacramento Valley
The Perfect Weekend Getaway for You, Friends and Family
Beautiful Scenery, Pleasant Weather, and Clear Skies for the Outdoor Enthusiast
Activities:
Sight Seeing, Reading, Relaxing, Walking, Shopping, Spas, Antiques
The Valley Spirit Center includes extensive gardens
for Tai Chi practice and a Sacred
Circle
A Full Array of Services and Excellent Accommodations in
Redding or
Red Bluff
Contact Mike: Email or Phone 530-200-3546
My Daily Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Kung Training Program
