道德經

Tao Te Ching 2 · 2

Nourishing the Body

天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已；皆知善之為善，斯不善已。故有無相生，難易相成，長短相形，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨。是以聖人處無為之事，行不言之教。萬物作焉而不辭，生而不有，為而不恃，功成而弗居。夫惟弗居，是以不去。

When the whole world knows beauty as beauty, that is already ugly. When all know good as good, that is already not good. So being and non-being give birth to each other, hard and easy complete each other, long and short shape each other, high and low lean on each other, tone and voice answer each other, before and after follow each other. So the sage abides in the work of non-doing and practises the teaching without words. The ten thousand things arise, and he does not turn them away; he gives life but does not possess, acts but does not rely on it; the work is done, and he does not dwell in it. It is only because he does not dwell in it that it does not leave him.

Word by word

天下tiān xiàthe worldWhen皆jiēwhole知zhīknows美měibeauty之zhī(’s)為wéias美měibeauty，斯sīthat is惡èugly已yǐalready；When皆jiēall知zhīknow善shàngood之zhī(’s)為wéias善shàngood，斯sīthat is不bùnot善shàngood已yǐalready。故gùSo有yǒubeingand無wúnon-being相xiāngeach other生shēnggive birth to，難nánhardand易yìeasy相xiāngeach other成chéngcomplete，長chánglongand短duǎnshort相xiāngeach other形xíngshape，高gāohighand下xiàlow相xiāngeach other傾qīnglean on，音yīntoneand聲shēngvoice相xiāngeach other和hèanswer，前qiánbeforeand後hòuafter相xiāngeach other隨suífollow。是以shì yǐSo聖人shèng rénthe sage處chǔabides in無為wú wéinon-doing之zhīof事shìthe work，and行xíngpractises不言bù yánwithout words之zhī(’s)教jiàothe teaching。萬物wàn wùThe ten thousand things作zuòarise焉yān(there)而érandhe不bùdoes not辭cíturn them away，he生shēnggives life而érbut不bùdoes not有yǒupossess，為wéiacts而érbut不bùdoes not恃shìrely on it，功gōngthe workis成chéngdone而érandhe弗fúdoes not居jūdwell in it。It is夫fú(now)惟wéionly becausehe弗fúdoes not居jūdwell in it，是以shì yǐthatit不bùdoes not去qùleave him。，。，。，，，，，。。，；，；，。。

The setting

The second chapter. Heshang Gong titles it 養身 “Nourishing the Body”.

A note on this passage

To name a quality is to make its opposite, and each of the six pairs is defined by its other half. The balance of the lines is the argument, and a reader can see it without any grammar.

The sage is the person who lives inside that balance. The last line is the paradox the whole book keeps returning to: because he does not hold on, he is never left. Heshang Gong titled this chapter “Nourishing the Body”.

Read the full commentary — and tap any word for its dictionary entry — in the interlinear reader.

Open Tao Te Ching 2 in the full reader

Always open passages in the reader

From the Great Library

You are reading a page of the Tao Te Ching — the whole book is free in our interlinear reader.

The Great Library Project presses the classics in their original languages, glossed word by word — free to read, always. Browse the whole library.

Also on our shelves:

❦

Tao Te Ching 2 — The Great Library Project interlinear edition · greatlibraryproject.com/book/tao/2/