Words to return to.
A little space to read them.
不出戶知天下；不閥牗見天道。其出彌遠，其知彌少。是以聖人不行而知，不見而名，不為而成。
Without going outside his door, one understands (all that takes place) under the sky; without looking out from his window, one sees the Tao of Heaven. The farther that one goes out (from himself), the less he knows.
Therefore the sages got their knowledge without travelling; gave their (right) names to things without seeing them; and accomplished their ends without any purpose of doing so.
The Chinese text follows our sister site, Longhu Mountain. The English is James Legge’s public-domain translation, first published in 1891, transcribed from the Project Gutenberg edition. Paragraph numbering is omitted; wording, parenthetical explanations and period language are retained. Chinese readings vary between editions.
The Tao Te Ching is traditionally attributed to Laozi. Its date and authorship are debated. Chapter titles are reading aids; they are not part of the ancient Chinese chapter text. The reflection boxes on this site are contemporary editorial questions, distinct from the translation.
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Read in order.
Or follow a thought.
Names, origins and the language of the Dao.
Images of yielding, flexibility and quiet persistence.
The usefulness of emptiness and the practice of less.
Character, leadership and a life beyond accumulation.