| Chinese Text Project | |
| Simplified Chinese version |
| (Dexterity in using the Dao) | |
| 善行无辙迹， | The skilful traveller leaves no traces of his wheels or footsteps; |
| 善言无瑕讁； | the skilful speaker says nothing that can be found fault with or blamed; |
| 善数不用筹策； | the skilful reckoner uses no tallies; |
| 善闭无关楗而不可开， | the skilful closer needs no bolts or bars, while to open what he has shut will be impossible; |
| 善结无绳约而不可解。 | the skilful binder uses no strings or knots, while to unloose what he has bound will be impossible. |
| 是以圣人常善救人， | In the same way the sage is always skilful at saving men, |
| 故无弃人； | and so he does not cast away any man; |
| 常善救物， | he is always skilful at saving things, |
| 故无弃物。 | and so he does not cast away anything. |
| 是谓袭明。 | This is called 'Hiding the light of his procedure.' |
| 故善人者， | Therefore the man of skill |
| 不善人之师； | is a master (to be looked up to) by him who has not the skill; |
| 不善人者， | and he who has not the skill |
| 善人之资。 | is the helper of (the reputation of) him who has the skill. |
| 不贵其师， | If the one did not honour his master, |
| 不爱其资， | and the other did not rejoice in his helper, |
| 虽智大迷， | an (observer), though intelligent, might greatly err about them. |
| 是谓要妙。 | This is called 'The utmost degree of mystery.' |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 善 | 口+9 | 譱 𦎍 𠾄 𧮟 | shàn ㄕㄢˋ | Good. / Take to be good, like. / Good person. / Strong point, merit. / Perfect. / Gentle, kind. / Friendly. / Good at doing. / Improve, make good. / Control, regulate. / Food. | v1,p0660#02 | p.197#18 | p.282r3c04 |
| 行 | 行+0 | 行 | xíng ㄒㄧㄥˊ | Walk, move (on foot). / Advance, move forward. / Leave, exit. / Patrol, go on inspection. / Inspection of the realm by the Son of Heaven. / Be married off. / Flow, circulate. / Channel, guide. / Revolution, circular motion. / Experience. / Luggage, belongings taken on a journey. / Do, carry out. / Actions. / Accomplishments. / Use, utilize. / Take over (an official duty). / Offer, present. / Moral conduct, behaviour. / A type of classical poem. / A piece of music. / Semi-cursive script. / Adverb: will, about to. / Adverb: again, once more. / Adverb: by chance, luckily. / Ambassador (official title). / Measure word for number of pourings of drinks. | v2,p0811#06 | p.1108#31 | p.1203r5c05 |
| háng ㄏㄤˊ | Road. / Track, pattern. / Row, line. / Row of soldiers in battle. / Unit of 25 soldiers. / Shaft of a feather (and by extension, wings). / Measure word for things which form rows. / Rank, position. | ||||||
| 无 | 火+8 | 𣟒 𣚨 𠘩 无 无 | 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 |
| 辙 | 车+12 | 辙 | chè zhé ㄔㄜˋ ㄓㄜˊ | wagon ruts, wheel tracks | v5,p3557#01 | p.1248#23 | p.1307r4c04 |
| 迹 | 辵+6 | 迹 迹 𨒏 速 | jī jì ㄐㄧ ㄐㄧˋ | traces, impressions, footprints | v6,p3831#04 | p.1255#26 | p.1314r3c01 |
| 言 | 言+0 | 訁 𢍗 𢍬 | yán ㄧㄢˊ | Speak, say. / Discuss, debate. / Tell. / Doctrine, theory, words. / One word. / Sentence. / Particle, no meaning. | v6,p3936#01 | p.1146#01 | p.1236r5c03 |
| 瑕 | 玉+9 | xiá ㄒㄧㄚˊ | flaw in gem; fault, defect | v2,p1128#14 | p.737#18 | p.898r2c03 | |
| 讁 | 言+15 | 谪 | zhé ㄓㄜˊ | punish; fault, blame, reprove | v6,p4030#10 | p.1185#30 | p.1257r6c01 |
| 数 | 攴+11 | 数 | shù shǔ cù shuò ㄕㄨˋ ㄕㄨˇ ㄘㄨˋ ㄕㄨㄛˋ | number; several; count; fate | v2,p1474#01 | p.475#04 | p.607r4c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 用 | 用+0 | 𤰆 𠛁 | yòng ㄩㄥˋ | use, employ, apply, operate; use | v1,p0097#05 | p.755#24 | p.908r6c02 |
| 筹策 | 竹+14 竹+6 | 筹 筞 | chóu cè ㄔㄡˊ ㄘㄜˋ | (1) 古代计算用具。 Instruments used for calculation. | v5,p3024#10 v5,p2963#09 | p.903#08 p.883#18 | p.1023r1c02 p.1013r6c01 |
| 闭 | 门+3 | 閇 闭 | bì ㄅㄧˋ | shut, close; obstruct, block up | v7,p4283#08 | p.1330#14 | p.1405r2c02 |
| 关 | 门+11 | 寡 関 闗 关 | guān ㄍㄨㄢ | frontier pass; close; relation | v7,p4316#10 | p.1341#09 | p.1412r2c03 |
| 楗 | 木+9 | jiàn jiǎn ㄐㄧㄢˋ ㄐㄧㄢˇ | bar of door, bolt of lock | v2,p1240#02 | p.539#18 | p.708r4c03 | |
| 而 | 而+0 | ér ㄦˊ | Whiskers. / Like, similar to. / Pronoun: you. / Pronoun: this, like this. / Connective: and, with. / Connective: and, then. / Connective: if, supposing. / Connective: yet, however. / Connective: therefore, hence. / Connective: expresses method or state. / Particle: of. / Expressive particle. | v4,p2810#01 | p.961#18 | p.1080r2c03 | |
| néng ㄋㄥˊ | Same as “能(3)” néng ㄋㄥˊ: Able to, competent. / Same as “能(2.1)” néng ㄋㄥˊ: Ability, talent. | ||||||
| 不 | 一+3 | 不 𠀚 𠙐 | bù ㄅㄨˋ | (3.1) 否定副词：用于动词、形容词等前面，表示否定。 Negational adverb, used before verbs, adjectives, etc. to indicate negation. | v1,p0011#06 | p.76#15 | p.30r1c01 |
| 可 | 口+2 | 歌 厥 | kě kè ㄎㄜˇ ㄎㄜˋ | may, can, -able; possibly | v1,p0567#07 | p.172#12 | p.244r1c02 |
| 开 | 门+4 | 𨴂 𨵑 开 | kāi ㄎㄞ | open; initiate, begin, start | v7,p4286#02 | p.1331#05 | p.1405r4c01 |
| 结 | 糸+6 | 揭 结 | jié jì jiē ㄐㄧㄝˊ ㄐㄧˋ ㄐㄧㄝ | knot, tie; join, connect | v5,p3390#03 | p.921#34 | p.1040r4c03 |
| 绳 | 糸+13 | 縄 绳 䋲 绳 | shéng mǐn yìng shèng ㄕㄥˊ ㄇㄧㄣˇ ㄧㄥˋ ㄕㄥˋ | rope, string, cord; measure, restrain | v5,p3457#09 | p.940#04 | p.1060r5c05 |
| 约 | 糸+3 | 约 | yuē yāo yào dì ㄩㄝ ㄧㄠ ㄧㄠˋ ㄉㄧˋ | treaty, agreement, covenant | v5,p3364#15 | p.915#21 | p.1029r4c03 |
| 解 | 角+6 | 觧 | jiě jiè xiè ㄐㄧㄝˇ ㄐㄧㄝˋ ㄒㄧㄝˋ | loosen, unfasten, untie; explain | v6,p3925#10 | p.1142#01 | p.1234r3c02 |
| 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 |
| 圣人 | 耳+7 人+0 | 垩 𦕡 𠄵 圣 𠔽 亻 | shèng rén ㄕㄥˋ ㄖㄣˊ | 出类拔萃的人。 Sage, outstanding person. | v4,p2789#06 v1,p0101#10 | p.967#22 p.91#01 | p.1082r6c06 p.80r2c01 |
| 常 | 巾+8 | cháng ㄔㄤˊ | common, normal, frequent, regular | v1,p0744#01 | p.333#12 | p.477r2c01 | |
| 救 | 攴+7 | 𣪋 | jiù ㄐㄧㄡˋ | save, rescue, relieve; help, aid | v2,p1460#01 | p.471#09 | p.604r2c02 |
| 人 | 人+0 | 𠔽 亻 | rén ㄖㄣˊ | Man, person. / Others, other people. / The people, ordinary men. / Talent, material. / [A man's] character. / Affairs of men, world of man. / Benevolence. | v1,p0101#10 | p.91#01 | p.80r2c01 |
| 故 | 攴+5 | gù ㄍㄨˋ | Cause. / State of affairs. / Event, incident. / Plot. / Old. / Past, original. / Death. / On purpose. / Originally. / Hence, thus. | v2,p1453#05 | p.469#25 | p.601r5c01 | |
| 弃 | 木+8 | 弃 𢍞 𨓋 | qì ㄑㄧˋ | reject, abandon, discard | v2,p1237#07 | p.531#15 | p.702r4c01 |
| 物 | 牛+4 | wù ㄨˋ | thing, substance, creature | v3,p1805#03 | p.699#09 | p.869r5c01 | |
| 谓 | 言+9 | 谓 | wèi ㄨㄟˋ | To (when speaking to someone). / Say, speak. / Call, name. / Meaning, what is meant. / Discuss, comment on (a person). / How? / Same as “为(21.3)” wèi ㄨㄟˋ: Preposition: because of, due to. | v6,p3997#06 | p.1173#12 | p.1251r6c01 |
| wéi ㄨㄟˊ | Same as “为(10)” wéi ㄨㄟˊ: Count as, be considered as. | ||||||
| 袭 | 衣+16 | 㦻 𧟛 褶 袭 | xí ㄒㄧˊ | raid, attack; inherit | v5,p3121#02 | p.1127#06 | p.1221r3c04 |
| 明 | 日+4 | 朙 | míng ㄇㄧㄥˊ | Bright, brilliant. / Daytime. / Clear, obvious. / Clarify, make clear. / Understand. / Straightforwardly, clearly. / Clear, clean. / Wise. / Make wise. / Spirit, god. / Respect. / Eyesight. / Good eyesight. / See clearly. / The following (day, month, year, etc.). | v2,p1491#08 | p.491#12 | p.631r3c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 |
| 师 | 巾+7 | 𠵀 𠦵 𢂖 𩇱 师 | shī ㄕ | Unit of 2500 soldiers. / Troops in general. / The masses. / Teacher. / Take ... as one's teacher. / Model, example. / Follow, mimic, learn from. / Specialist, expert. / Official, chief. / Lion. | v1,p0740#02 | p.331#35 | p.475r3c05 |
| 资 | 贝+6 | 资 | zī zì ㄗ ㄗˋ | property; wealth; capital | v6,p3640#04 | p.1208#05 | p.1274r3c05 |
| 贵 | 贝+5 | 𡭙 𧸋 贵 | guì ㄍㄨㄟˋ | expensive, costly, valuable | v6,p3632#09 | p.1206#15 | p.1271r6c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 爱 | 心+9 | 𤔤 𢟪 𢛭 爱 | ài ㄞˋ | love, be fond of, like | v4,p2323#01 | p.395#13 | p.538r1c01 |
| 虽 | 隹+9 | 𨾡 虽 | suī ㄙㄨㄟ | Type of insect. / Even, though, even if. / Only. | v6,p4103#05 | p.1368#22 | p.1440r6c01 |
| 智 | 日+8 | 𥏼 | zhì zhī ㄓˋ ㄓ | wisdom, knowledge, intelligence | v2,p1518#15 | p.497#15 | p.644r3c02 |
| 大 | 大+0 | 𠘲 | dà ㄉㄚˋ | Large, great. / Exceed, be greater than. / Venerate, treat as being great. / Many. / Thick, coarse. / Elder. / Respectful term of address. / Adverb expressing high level or broad range. | v1,p0520#01 | p.248#01 | p.342r3c03 |
| tài ㄊㄞˋ | Most (superlative). / Too much. / Peaceful, tranquil. | ||||||
| 迷 | 辵+6 | mí mèi mì ㄇㄧˊ ㄇㄟˋ ㄇㄧˋ | bewitch, charm, infatuate | v6,p3832#07 | p.1255#23 | p.1313r6c01 | |
| 要 | 襾+3 | 𡢗 𦥼 𠾅 | yāo ㄧㄠ | Waist. / Wear around the waist. / Restrict, constrain. / Intercept. / Invite, call upon. / Coerce, threaten. / Seek. / Seek to gain trust and favour. / End, put a stop to. / Confirm, verify. | v4,p2805#08 | p.1128#16 | p.1226r2c01 |
| yào ㄧㄠˋ | The key, the main point. / The important. / Summarize. / Ultimately, in the end. / Need, require. / Will, shall. / Desire, wish. | ||||||
| yǎo ㄧㄠˇ | Same as “騕” yǎo ㄧㄠˇ: See "騕褭". | ||||||
| 妙 | 女+4 | 妙 | miào ㄇㄧㄠˋ | mysterious, subtle; exquisite | v2,p1030#10 | p.256#24 | p.380r1c02 |
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