Dao De Jing

The Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) is a book attributed to Laozi (Lao Tzu) written some 2,500 years ago. This provides the basis for the ancient Chinese philosophy of Daoism (Taoism). It outlines how one can live in accordance with the Dao or “Way” of the universe and have a much more satisfying life. Main themes include:

• Daoism
• constancy
• compassion
• flexibility
• Yin/Yang
• Wu Wei
• leadership
• emptiness

It is divided into 81 Chapters and is very poetic. It starts off describing the eternal Dao, which translates into “Way” and says the Dao is so mysterious and incomprehensible that it can’t be put into words.

“The Way that can be walked is not the eternal Way. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.”

Dao De Jing, Chapter 1

It often uses analogies from nature including water and valleys.

“The Way swirls round and round Like a whirlpool, And at its center it may seem to not be full. It is like dark water whirling at the bottom of an abyss.”

Dao De Jing, Chapter 4, B.H.

Laozi is thought to be a public official for the emperor, however it is unclear if he existed. Laozi actually translates to “Old Master.” The legend suggests he had tired of politics and decided to leave China. When he stopped on the border, the guard asked him to write down his knowledge. (Taoism Explained, pages 14-15).

The book is approximately 5,000 words with two parts, Dao, the Way, and De (Te), virtue. It may be that the book is a collection of stories from many authors (Taoism Explained, pages 15-16).

Two good translations include:

Tao Te Ching: The Taoism of Lao Tzu Explained, Stefan Stenudd, author. CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2nd edition 2015. An easy to read translation and commentary on the Dao De Jing.

The Eternal Tao Te Ching: The Philosophical Masterwork of Taoism and Its Relevance Today, Benjamin Hoff, Author, Abrams Books, 2021. An English interpretation of the Dao De Jing using the pre-writing Chinese brush characters. Most translations on this website are from this source.

Here is an outline of selected chapters of the Dao De Jing taken from the Tao Te Ching: The Taoism of Lao Tzu Explained, Stefan Stenudd, author. CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2nd edition 2015.

Chapter	Theme	Keywords
1	The Way	“The Way that can be walked is not the eternal Way. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.The nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth.The named is the mother of all things.”
2	Yin Yang	“When everyone in the world sees beauty,Then ugly exists.When everyone sees good,Then bad exists.”
3	Leadership, Compassion, Emptiness, Wu Wei	“The sage governs by emptying senses and filling bellies, curbing strife and strengthening backs, keeping the people ignorant and without desire, making the learned afraid to act. If he acts without action, order will prevail.”
4	The Way	“The Way is empty, yet inexhaustible, like an abyss! It seems to be the origin of all things.”
5	Emptiness	“It is empty, but lacks nothing. The more it moves, the more comes out of it. A multitude of words is tiresome,Unlike remaining centered.”
6	Flexibility, Wu Wei	“The valley spirit never dies. It is called the mystical female.”
7	Compassion	“The sage puts himself last and becomes the first,Neglects himself and is preserved.”Is it not because he is unselfish that he fulfills himself?”
8	Flexibility, Wu Wei	“Water greatly benefits all things, without conflict. It flows through places that people loathe.Thereby it is close to the Way.”
9	Yin-Yang	“Filling all the way to the brim is not as good as halting in time.” “To retreat after a work well done is Heaven’s Way.”
10	Flexibility, Wu Wei	“To give birth to them and nourish them,Carry them without taking possession of them,Care for them without subduing them,Raise them without steering them.That is the greatest virtue.”
11	Emptiness	“Thirty spokes are joined in the wheel’s hub.The hole in the middle makes it useful.”
12	Yin-Yang	“The five colors blind the eye.” “Therefore, the sage attends to the belly, and not to what he sees.”
13	Flexibility, Emptiness	“Therefore: He who treasures his body as much as the world can care for the world. He who loves his body as much as the world can be entrusted with the world.”
14	The Way	“Look, it cannot be seen,So it is called invisible.Listen, it cannot be heard,So it is called soundless.”
15	The Way, Flexibility	“Yielding, like ice about to melt. Simple, like uncarved wood. Open, like a valley. Obscure, like muddy waters.”
16	Constancy	“Returning to the source is stillness. It is returning to one’s fate.Returning to one’s fate is eternal.”
21	The Way	“Its nature is utterly vague and evasive.”
25	The Way	“There was something that finished chaos,Born before Heaven and Earth.” “Man is ruled by Earth. Earth is ruled by Heaven. Heaven is ruled by the Way. The Way is ruled by itself.”
27	Compassion	“Therefore the sage takes care of all people, Forsaking no one.He takes care of all things, Forsaking nothing.This is called following the light.”
28	Ying-Yang	“Knowing the manly, but clinging to the womanly, you become the valley of the world.”
30	Leadership, Wu Wei	“Those who advise the ruler on the Way, do not want the world subdued with weapons. Such deeds bring on retaliation.”
32	Flexibility, Yin-Yang	“If princes and kings could follow it, all things would by themselves abide, Heaven and Earth would unite and sweet dew would fall.”
34	Flexibility	“It demands no honor for what it accomplishes. It clothes and feeds all things without ruling them.”
35	Emptiness	“Hold on to the great image, and the whole world follows, follows unharmed, content and completely at peace.”
37	Wu Wei	“The Way is ever without action, yet nothing is left undone.”
38	Flexibility	“The highest virtue does nothing. Yet, nothing needs to be done.”
40	Yin-Yang	“All things in the world are born out of being. Being is born out of non-being.”
41	Constancy, Flexibility	“The superior student listens to the WayAnd follows it closely.”
42	The Way, Yin-Yang	“The Way gave birth to one. One gave birth to two. Two gave birth to three. Three gave birth to all things.” “All things carry yin and embrace yang. They reach harmony by blending with the vital breath.”
47	Emptiness	“Without stepping out the door, you can know the world. Without looking through the window, you can see Heaven’s Way.”
48	Leadership	“Never take over the world to tamper with it. Those who want to tamper with it are not fit to take over the world.”
49	Compassion, Yin-Yang, Emptiness	“The sage has no concern for himself, but makes the concerns of others his own. He is good to those who are good. He is also good to those who are not good.“ “The sage is one with the world, and lives in harmony with it. People turn their eyes and ears to him, and the sage cares for them like his own children.”
51	Flexibility	“So, the Way gives birth to them, nourishes them, raises them, nurtures them, protects them, matures them, takes care of them.”
52	Compassion	“Seeing the small is called clarity. Holding on to the weak is called strength. Use the light to return to clarity.”
57	Leadership, Wu Wei	“Use justice to rule a country. Use surprise to wage war. Use non-action to govern the world.” “The more restrictions and prohibitions there are, the poorer the people will be. The more sharp weapons people have in a country, the bigger the disorder will be.”
61	Flexibility, Leadership	“A great country is like the lower outlet of a river.” “If a great country yields to a small country, it will conquer the small country. If a small country yields to a great country, it will be conquered by the great country.”
64	Constancy	“A tree as wide as a man’s embrace grows from a tiny shoot. A tower of nine stories starts with a pile of dirt.”
67	Compassion, Flexibility, Leadership	“I have three treasures that I cherish. The first is compassion. The second is moderation. The third is not claiming to be first in the world.”
69	Flexibility, Leadership	“I dare not advance an inch, but would rather retreat a foot. This is called marching without marching, grabbing without arms, charging without enemy, seizing without weapons.”
73	Wu Wei, The Way	“Heaven’s Way does not contend, yet it certainly triumphs.” “Heaven’s net is very vast.It is sparsely meshed, yet nothing slips through.”
76	Flexibility	“People are born soft and weak. They die hard and stiff.”
78	Flexibility	“Nothing in the world is softer and weaker than water. Yet, to attack the hard and strong, nothing surpasses it.”
79	Compassion	“The sage honors his part of the settlement, but does not exact his due from others.”