| Chinese Text Project |
| (Keeping the people at rest) | |
| 不尚賢， | Not to value and employ men of superior ability |
| 使民不爭； | is the way to keep the people from rivalry among themselves; |
| 不貴難得之貨， | not to prize articles which are difficult to procure |
| 使民不為盜； | is the way to keep them from becoming thieves; |
| 不見可欲， | not to show them what is likely to excite their desires |
| 使心不亂。 | is the way to keep their minds from disorder. |
| 是以聖人之治，虛其心，實其腹，弱其志，強其骨。 | Therefore the sage, in the exercise of his government, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bones. |
| 常使民無知無欲。 | He constantly (tries to) keep them without knowledge and without desire, |
| 使夫1知者不敢為也。 | and where there are those who have knowledge, to keep them from presuming to act (on it). |
| 為無為， | When there is this abstinence from action, |
| 則無不治。 | good order is universal. |
1. 夫 : Originally read: "天". 據河上公本、《馬王堆老子乙》改。
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 不 | 一+3 | 不 𠀚 𠙐 | bù ㄅㄨˋ | Not have. / To not be. / Negational adverb, used before verbs, adjectives, etc. to indicate negation. / Negational adverb expressing prohibition: do not. / Negational adverb expressing rhetorical question: is not...? | v1,p0011#06 | p.76#15 | p.30r1c01 |
| fǒu ㄈㄡˇ | Same as 「否(1.2)」 fǒu ㄈㄡˇ: Adverb used together with an affirmative word, expressing its negative or opposite. / Same as 「否(1.3)」 fǒu ㄈㄡˇ: Adverb used at the end of a question to form a yes-no question. | ||||||
| fū ㄈㄨ | Sepal of a flower. | ||||||
| pī ㄆㄧ | Same as 「丕(1)」 pī ㄆㄧ: Large. | ||||||
| bǐ ㄅㄧˇ | Show disdain for. | ||||||
| 尚 | 小+5 | 尙 | shàng cháng ㄕㄤˋ ㄔㄤˊ | still, yet; even; fairly, rather | v1,p0563#05 | p.297#11 | |
| 賢 | 貝+8 | 臤 贒 贤 | xián ㄒㄧㄢˊ | virtuous, worthy, good; able | v6,p3646#06 | p.1209#28 | p.1276r5c02 |
| 使 | 人+6 | 𡥐 𠭆 | shǐ ㄕˇ | Order, send (on a mission). / Cause, make. / Allocate, use. / Indulge in.. / Send as an envoy. / Envoy, messenger. / Connective: if, supposing. | v1,p0145#02 | p.101#05 | p.101r3c03 |
| 民 | 氏+1 | 𠘽 | mín ㄇㄧㄣˊ | people, subjects, citizens | v3,p2131#01 | p.598#01 | p.750r3c01 |
| 爭 | 爪+4 | 争 𠫩 𠄙 | zhēng zhèng ㄓㄥ ㄓㄥˋ | to dispute, fight, contend, strive | v3,p2031#03 | p.688#33 | p.863r1c01 |
| 貴 | 貝+5 | 𡭙 𧸋 贵 | guì ㄍㄨㄟˋ | expensive, costly, valuable | v6,p3632#09 | p.1206#15 | p.1271r6c01 |
| 難 | 隹+11 | 𩁢 𩁬 𩀙 𩁣 𩁲 𩁩 𩀏 𩁤 难 | nán ㄋㄢˊ | Difficult, not easy. / Make difficult, think difficult. | v6,p4108#05 | p.1370#05 | p.1446r3c01 |
| nàn ㄋㄢˋ | Disaster. / Blame. / Censure, reject. / Resent. / Hate. / Doctrine, thesis. | ||||||
| nǎn ㄋㄢˇ | Fear. | ||||||
| nuó ㄋㄨㄛˊ | Luxuriant. / Ceremony to banish sprits thought responsible for contagion. / How, why. | ||||||
| 得 | 彳+8 | 𢔶 䙷 𢔨 | dé ㄉㄜˊ | Get, obtain. / Plunder. / Covet. / Success. / Fitting, appropriate. / Compatible. / Satisfied, pleased. / Possible, can. / Same as 「德(1)」 dé ㄉㄜˊ: Morals, morality. / Same as 「德(3)」 dé ㄉㄜˊ: Reward kindness, thank. | v2,p0828#03 | p.367#31 | p.513r6c02 |
| 之 | 丿+3 | 㞢 | zhī ㄓ | Towards; go to. / Demonstrative pronoun: this, these. / Third person pronoun: him, her, it. / Auxiliary word: of. / Auxiliary word: used between subject and predicate, cancels independence of a clause. / Auxiliary word: used in a sentence for aesthetic purpose only, no meaning. | v1,p0043#01 | p.82#04 | p.47r2c02 |
| 貨 | 貝+4 | 䞈 𣱷 货 | huò ㄏㄨㄛˋ | goods, commodities, products | v6,p3627#01 | p.1205#12 | p.1270r4c01 |
| 為 | 火+5 | 爲 为 | wéi ㄨㄟˊ | Create, make. / Build, construct. / Do. / Plant, grow. / Govern. / Research, study. / Serve as. / Change into, become. / As, in the role of. / Count as, be considered as. / Called, named. / Expresses judgement: is. / Make, cause (to). / Have. / Take part in. / Write, author. / Connective: if. / Particle used in the middle of a sentence to move forward the object. / Modal particle used at the end of a sentence to express a rhetorical question. | v3,p2198#11 | p.669#10 | p.844r4c03 |
| wèi ㄨㄟˋ | Help, assist. / Preposition: for, on behalf of. / Preposition: by (passive). / Preposition: because of, due to. / Preposition: with, together with. / Connective: because. / Say. / False, fake. | ||||||
| 盜 | 皿+7 | 𠪁 𠉭 𤋆 𨹇 盗 | dào ㄉㄠˋ | rob, steal; thief, bandit | v4,p2564#13 | p.794#21 | p.940r1c01 |
| 見 | 見+0 | 現 见 | jiàn ㄐㄧㄢˋ | See, catch sight of. / Feel, perceive. / Meet, come across. / Meet with, see. / Meet in battle. / Go to see. / Have come to see, have visit. / Grant an interview. / Recommend, introduce. / Introduce, present. / Hear. / Know, understand. / Experience, insight. / Intent, plan. / Used before a verb to indicate passive tense. / Used before a verb to indicate one is the receipient of anothers actions. / Particle used after a verb to indicate simultaneous action. / Coffin clothes. / Mix, mingle. | v6,p3663#01 | p.1133#01 | p.1229r1c01 |
| xiàn ㄒㄧㄢˋ | Appear, become visible. / Manifest, make evident. / Now, at present. / Existing, ready prepared. | ||||||
| 可 | 口+2 | 歌 厥 | kě kè ㄎㄜˇ ㄎㄜˋ | may, can, -able; possibly | v1,p0567#07 | p.172#12 | p.244r1c02 |
| 欲 | 欠+7 | 慾 | yù ㄩˋ | desire, want, long for; intend | v3,p2140#07 | p.567#36 | p.729r4c02 |
| 心 | 心+0 | 㣺 忄 | xīn ㄒㄧㄣ | heart; mind, intelligence; soul | v4,p2267#01 | p.375#01 | p.521r1c01 |
| 亂 | 乙+12 | 𠧎 𠧏 𠮗 乱 | luàn ㄌㄨㄢˋ | (2) 昏亂，惑亂。 Confusion, confused state of mind. | v1,p0057#10 | p.84#33 | p.57r5c01 |
| 是 | 日+5 | 昰 𣆞 | shì ㄕˋ | Straight. / Right, correct. / Believe accurate, affirm. / Demonstrative pronoun: this. / Be (copula). / Auxiliary word, used after moving forward the object. | v2,p1497#05 | p.493#26 | p.639r1c01 |
| 以 | 人+3 | 㠯 | yǐ ㄧˇ | Use. / Believe. / Command. / Lead. / Connect, implicate. / Have. / Cause, reason. / Preposition: because. / Preposition: from, in. / Preposition: at [some time]. / Preposition: using. / Preposition: in accordance with. / Preposition: relying upon. / Preposition: in the capacity of. / Preposition: with, together with. / Connective: indicates the following action is the objective of the preceding one. / Connective: used between adverbial clause and verb to express modification. / Connective: and. / Connective: but. / Connective: and so, thus. / Particle: used together with some words expressing direction and time. / Modal particle. / Same as 「已(1)」 yǐ ㄧˇ: Stop, discontinue. / Same as 「已(7.2)」 yǐ ㄧˇ: Adverb: already. / Same as 「已(7.3)」 yǐ ㄧˇ: Adverb: extremely. | v1,p0105#07 | p.94#01 | p.87r6c01 |
| 聖人 | 耳+7 人+0 | 堊 𦕡 𠄵 圣 𠔽 亻 | shèng rén ㄕㄥˋ ㄖㄣˊ | 出類拔萃的人。 Sage, outstanding person. | v4,p2789#06 v1,p0101#10 | p.967#22 p.91#01 | p.1082r6c06 p.80r2c01 |
| 治 | 水+5 | 乿 | zhì ㄓˋ | Rule, administer. / Well ruled, peaceful and orderly. / Punish, execute. / Cure, treat (an illness). / Prepare. / Construct. / Research, study. | v3,p1599#06 | p.614#07 | p.776r5c02 |
| 虛 | 虍+6 | 𣦄 虚 | xū ㄒㄩ | false, worthless; empty, hollow | v4,p2825#06 | p.1074#11 | p.1184r1c06 |
| 其 | 八+6 | 丌 亓 | qí ㄑㄧˊ | Third-person possessive pronoun: his, her, its, their. / Demonstrative pronoun: that, those. / Adverb expressing estimation or guess. / Adverb expressing imperative. / Adverb expressing rhetorical question. / Adverb expressing future tense. / Connective expressing hypothesis: if, supposing. / Connective expressing choice: or. / Connective expressing concession: even if. / Particle used after an adjective. / Particle: of. / Particle used for emphasis after single-character adjectives or onomatopoeia. / Particle used in the middle of a sentence to alter the tempo. | v1,p0245#01 | p.127#18 | p.162r5c01 |
| jì ㄐㄧˋ | Particle used after bi and he. | ||||||
| jī ㄐㄧ | Modal particle expressing interrogative tone. / A year. | ||||||
| 實 | 宀+11 | 実 宲 𡾍 寔 实 | shí ㄕˊ | Prosperous, wealthy. / Wealth, possessions. / Goods, supplies. / Full. / Fit into, stuff into. / Fruit, seed. / Result. / Real thing, actual content. / Fact, thing which happened. / True, honest. / Firm, unwavering. / In fact, actually. / Prove, show to be true. / Carry out, implement. / Term in arithmetic for a multiplicand or dividend. / Really, indeed so. / This. / Particle used in a sentence after moving forward the object. | v2,p0952#03 | p.291#04 | p.427r6c01 |
| 腹 | 肉+9 | fù ㄈㄨˋ | stomach, belly, abdomen; inside | v3,p2097#01 | p.990#02 | p.1101r4c01 | |
| 弱 | 弓+7 | ruò ㄖㄨㄛˋ | weak; fragile, delicate | v2,p0996#16 | p.358#24 | p.502r1c02 | |
| 志 | 心+3 | 誌 𢗍 志 | zhì ㄓˋ | purpose, will, determination; annals | v4,p2269#04 | p.376#21 | p.523r3c03 |
| 強 | 弓+8 | 强 彊 | qiáng qiǎng jiàng ㄑㄧㄤˊ ㄑㄧㄤˇ ㄐㄧㄤˋ | strong, powerful, energetic | v2,p0999#07 | p.359#23 | p.504r5c01 |
| 骨 | 骨+0 | gǔ gū gú ㄍㄨˇ ㄍㄨ ㄍㄨˊ | bone; skeleton; frame, framework | v7,p4406#01 | p.1447#25 | p.1512r1c02 | |
| 常 | 巾+8 | cháng ㄔㄤˊ | common, normal, frequent, regular | v1,p0744#01 | p.333#12 | p.477r2c01 | |
| 無 | 火+8 | 𣟒 𣚨 𠘩 无 橆 | wú ㄨˊ | Not have. / Philosophical category referring to absence, non-existence, or vacuity. / Adverb expressing negation: not. / Adverb expressing questioning: or not. / Connective: regardless of. / Connective: even if. / Particle used at the beginning of a sentence, no meaning. / Do not. / Barren, uncultivated. | v3,p2211#15 | p.673#26 | p.848r2c04 |
| 知 | 矢+3 | 𢇻 𥎿 | zhī ㄓ | (3.2) 知識。 Knowledge. | v4,p2581#02 | p.824#01 | p.955r5c02 |
| 夫 | 大+1 | fū ㄈㄨ | General term for adult men. / Adult labourers in particular. / Soldier. / Respectful term for a man. / Husband. / Unit of area equal to one hundred mu. | v1,p0521#01 | p.248#11 | p.367r2c01 | |
| fú ㄈㄨˊ | Demonstrative pronoun: this, these. / Modal particle used at the start of a sentence for emphasis or to indicate an assertion. / Modal particle used in the middle of a sentence to soften the tone. / Modal particle used at the end of a sentence to express exclamation. | ||||||
| 知 | 矢+3 | 𢇻 𥎿 | zhī ㄓ | Know, understand. / Perception. / Recognize. / Knowledge. / Know about, make sense of. / Be friendly with. / Control, get on top of. | v4,p2581#02 | p.824#01 | p.955r5c02 |
| zhì ㄓˋ | Wisdom. | ||||||
| 者 | 老+4 | zhě ㄓㄜˇ | Pronoun used after verbs, adjectives, etc. in place of a person or thing. / Pronoun used after numbers in place of a thing. / Pronoun used after time or negation to express "when" or "if". / Expressive particle used in a declarative sentence after the subject. / Expressive particle used in a sentence after the subject to express cause or explanation. | v4,p2780#05 | p.961#01 | p.1080r1c01 | |
| zhuó ㄓㄨㄛˊ | In, located in. | ||||||
| 不 | 一+3 | 不 𠀚 𠙐 | bù ㄅㄨˋ | (3.1) 否定副詞：用於動詞、形容詞等前面，表示否定。 Negational adverb, used before verbs, adjectives, etc. to indicate negation. | v1,p0011#06 | p.76#15 | p.30r1c01 |
| 敢 | 攴+8 | 𠭖 𢽤 𣪏 | gǎn ㄍㄢˇ | to dare, venture; bold, brave | v2,p1463#09 | p.472#26 | p.605r4c02 |
| 也 | 乙+2 | 𠃟 匜 | yě ㄧㄝˇ | Modal particle used at the end of a sentence, expressing assertion and affirmation. / Modal particle used at the end of a question for emphasis. / Modal particle used at the end of a cause-effect sentence to express explanation. / Modal particle used in the middle of a sentence to express a pause. | v1,p0050#05 | p.84#04 | p.55r1c01 |
| 則 | 刀+7 | 𠟻 𠟭 𠞋 𠟔 则 | zé ㄗㄜˊ | Method, rule. / Mimic, emulate. / Level, grade. / Adverb used to emphasize an assertion. / Adverb used to express scope: only. / Connective expressing continuation: then, and then. / Connective emphasizing comparison. / Connective expressing contrast. / Connective expressing allowance: yet, even so. / Connective expressing unexpected turn of events. / Connective expressing suppostion: if. | v1,p0340#06 | p.139#31 | p.183r5c05 |
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