Difficult to Understand, They Who Know Me Are Few, Hide Your Jewels,
Easy
to Know and Easy to Practice,
知難
"My words are very easy to understand and very easy to practice:
but in the world no one can understand, no one can practice them.
Words have an ancestor; Deeds have a master - Reason.
Since he is not understood, therefore I am not understood.
Those who understand me are few, and thus I am distinguished.
Therefore the holy man wears wool, and hides in his bosom his jewels."
- Translated by
D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913,
Chapter 70
"This way of living and leading groups is easy to
understand.
It is easy to do.
But not many leaders understand this approach.
Very few use it in their work.
Frankly, it is too simple and ancient to attract much attention.
As a rule, the greatest interest goes to the greatest novelty.
The wise leader, sticking to the single principle of how everything happens,
does nothing new or original.
The wise leader appeals to a very few followers, to those who recognize that
traditional wisdom is a treasure which often lies hidden beneath an ordinary
appearance."
- Translated by
John Heider, 1985,
Chapter 70
"My words are very easy to know, and very easy to practice;
But there is no one in the world who is able to know and able to practice them.
There is an originating and all-comprehending (principle) in my words,
And an authoritative law for the things which I enforce.
It is because they do not know these, that men do not know me.
They who know me are few, and I am on that account the more to be prized.
It is thus that the sage wears a poor garb of hair cloth, while he carries his
signet of jade in his bosom."
- Translated by
James Legge, 1891, Chapter 70
By Alexander Simkins. 
By Derek Lin.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
By Benjamin Hoff.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
Translated by Thomas Cleary.
"My words are very easy to understand, very easy to
practice, yet none among all under Heaven can understand them, and none can
practice them.
My words have a progenitor, and my undertakings have a sovereign.
It is just because there is no understanding of this that they do not understand
me.
As long as those who understand me are rare, someone like me is precious.
Thus it is that the sage wears coarse woolen cloth but harbors jade in his
bosom."
- Translated by
Richard John Lynn,
Chapter 70
"The way of the master is simple, and easy to practice.
But your mind cannot understand, and you can’t try to attain it.
Ordinary people are interested in the mundane world, and even if they hear of
the Tao they don’t grasp its depth.
Few and far between are those who follow the way.
They realise those who don’t follow, aren’t ready, so don’t try to persuade
them.
Those who become ready have to lose all hope.
Once all hope is lost, there is hope."
- Translated by
David Bullen,
Chapter 70
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
"My words are very easy to understand
And very easy to put into practice.
Yet no one under heaven understands them;
No one puts them into practice.
But my words have an ancestry, my deeds have a lord;
And it is precisely because men do not understand this
That they are unable to understand me.
Few then understand me, but it is upon this very fact my value depends.
It is indeed in this sense that “the Sage wears hair-cloth on top,
But carries jade under neath his dress.”"
- Translated by
Arthur Waley,
1934, Chapter 70
"My words are very easy to understand and very easy to
put into practice; but in all the world there is no one who can understand them
and can put them into practice.
My words have a system, my actions have a governor.
Indeed, it is just because they are not understood, that men do not understand
me.
Those who understand me are rare, those who pattern themselves after me are
highly prized.
Thus the Saint wears hair-cloth, but carries jade in his breast."
- Translated by
Jan Julius Duyvendak,
Chapter 70
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
"It is very easy to comprehend my teachings and to put
them into practice.
Yet there is no one in the world who is able either to comprehend, or to
practice them.
There is an originating principle for speech, an authoritative law for conduct,
but because this knowledge is lacking I am unknown. Those who know Me are few;
those who imitate Me are worthy.
Hence the Holy Man wears coarse garments, but carries a jewel in his bosom."
- Translated by
C. Spurgeon Medhurst,
1905, Chapter 70
"My sayings are easy to recognize, and very easy to
apply.
But no one in the world can recognize them, and no one can apply them.
Sayings have a source, events have a leader.
It is only through ignorance that I am not known.
Those who know me are rare; those who emulate me are noble.
This is why sages dress plainly, and conceal what is precious."
- Translated by
Thomas Cleary,
1991, Chapter 70
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching
Translated by Livia Kohn
Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way
"Though the words of the sage are simple,
and his actions easily performed,
they are few among many,
who can speak or act as a sage.
For the ordinary man it is difficult
to know the way of a sage,
perhaps because his words
are from the distant past,
and his actions naturally disposed.
Those who know the way of the sage
are few and far between,
but those who treat him with honesty,
will be honoured by him and the Tao.
He knows he makes no fine display,
and wears rough clothes, not finery.
It is not in his expectancy of men
that they should understand his ways,
for he carries his jade within his heart."
- Translated by
Stan Rosenthal,
1984, Chapter 70
"My words are so simple to understand
and so easily put into practice
that no one in all beneath heaven understands them
and no one puts them into practice.
Words have their ancestral origins and actions their sovereign:
it's only because people don't understand this that they don't understand me.
And the less people understand me the more precious I become.
So it is that a sage wears sackcloth, keeping pure jade harbored deep."
- Translated by
David Hinton,
Chapter 70
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
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Lao Tzu: Te-Tao Ching - A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered Ma-wang-tui
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Revealing the Tao Te Ching: In Depth Commentaries on an Ancient Classic.
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Mike Garofalo writes about Taoism, Gardening, Taijiquan, Walking, Mysticism,
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Tao Te
Ching: A New Translation and Commentary. By Ellen Chen. Paragon
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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
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The Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) circa 500 BCE