| Chinese Text Project |
| 以本為精， | To take the root (from which things spring) as the essential (part), |
| 以物為粗， | and the things as its coarse (embodiment); |
| 以有積為不足， | to see deficiency in accumulation; |
| 澹然獨與神明居， | and in the solitude of one's individuality to dwell with the spirit-like and intelligent |
| 古之道術有在於是者。 | - such a course belonged to the Dao of antiquity, |
| 關尹、老聃聞其風而悅之。 | and it was appreciated by Guan Yin and Lao Dan. When they heard of such ways, they were delighted with them. |
| 建之以常無有， | They built their system on the assumption of an eternal non-existence, |
| 主之以太一， | and made the ruling idea in it that of the Grand Unity. |
| 以濡弱謙下為表， | They made weakness and humility their mark of distinction, |
| 以空虛不毀萬物為實。 | and considered that by empty vacuity no injury could be sustained, but all things be preserved in their substantiality. |
| Character | Composition | Variants | Reading | Meaning | Hanyu | Kangxi | Cihai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 本 | 木+1 | 夲 楍 㮺 𡴡 | běn ㄅㄣˇ | root, origin, source; basis | v2,p1151#01 | p.509#07 | p.666r3c01 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 精 | 米+8 | 精 | jīng qíng jìng ㄐㄧㄥ ㄑㄧㄥˊ ㄐㄧㄥˋ | essence; semen; spirit | v5,p3150#11 | p.910#10 | |
| 物 | 牛+4 | wù ㄨˋ | thing, substance, creature | v3,p1805#03 | p.699#09 | p.869r5c01 | |
| 粗 | 米+5 | 麄 麤 觕 | cū ㄘㄨ | rough, thick, course; rude | v5,p3144#13 | p.907#37 | p.1025r5c01 |
| 有 | 月+2 | | yǒu ㄧㄡˇ | Have, possess. / Store, collect. / Occupy. / Hold on to, retain. / Have in abundance. / Good harvest. / Obtain. / Only. / Be, exist. / Occur, happen. / Make. / Particle used before a noun with no meaning. / Particle used before a monosyllabic adjective with no meaning. / Particle used before a verb with no meaning. / Still, yet. / Some people. / Region. | v3,p2041#05 | p.504#20 | p.656r5c01 |
| yòu ㄧㄡˋ | Help, assist. / Same as 「又(3)」 yòu ㄧㄡˋ: Moreover. | ||||||
| 積 | 禾+11 | 积 | jī ㄐㄧ | accumulate, store up, amass | v4,p2626#16 | p.859#24 | p.996r2c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 足 | 足+0 | 疋 𤴕 | zú jù ㄗㄨˊ ㄐㄩˋ | foot; attain, satisfy, enough | v6,p3686#01 | p.1221#17 | p.1287r6c03 |
| 澹 | 水+13 | 淡 | dàn dán shàn tán dān ㄉㄢˋ ㄉㄢˊ ㄕㄢˋ ㄊㄢˊ ㄉㄢ | calm, quiet, tranquil | v3,p1762#01 | p.653#36 | p.834r5c01 |
| 然 | 火+8 | 燃 𤓉 | rán ㄖㄢˊ | Burn. / Demonstrative pronoun: like this, like that. / Expresses affirmation: true, indeed so. / Believe correct, affirm. / Adverb: actually, thus. / Connective: but, however, yet. / Particle used at the end of a sentence to express comparison. Like, as if. / Particle used after an adjective or adverb to express state. / Particle used at the end of a sentence to express affirmative mode. | v3,p2213#05 | p.675#12 | p.852r5c01 |
| 獨 | 犬+13 | 独 | dú ㄉㄨˊ | alone, single, solitary, only | v2,p1372#03 | p.719#25 | p.879r5c02 |
| 與 | 臼+8 | 与 𢌱 𦦲 𠔔 | yǔ ㄩˇ | Give. / Follow, go along with. / Comrade, ally. / Association, contact. / Oppose. / Engage [an enemy]. / Approve, consent to. / Help. / Wait. / Preposition indicating passive tense. / Preposition: to, with. / Preposition: with. / Preposition: as. / Preposition: in, on. / Connective: and, with. / Connective: with its ... / Connective: or. | v1,p0251#04 | p.1004#13 | p.1113r2c03 |
| yù ㄩˋ | Participate, take part in. | ||||||
| yǔ ㄩˇ | Interfere in. | ||||||
| yú ㄩˊ | Auxiliary word: used at the end of a sentence to express questioning , exclamation, or a rhetorical question. / Auxiliary word: used in the middle of a sentence to express a pause. | ||||||
| 神 | 示+5 | 神 𥛠 | shén shēn ㄕㄣˊ ㄕㄣ | spirit, god, supernatural being | v4,p2392#01 | p.842#03 | |
| 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 |
| 居 | 尸+5 | 㞐 㝒 | jū ㄐㄩ | Sit down. / Wait. / Live, dwell. / Dwelling, residence. / Tomb. / Rank, position occupied. / Person occupying the rank of ruler. / Live peacefully. / Usually, normally. / Located in. / Defend (a post), guard (a region). / Remain behind to handle matters. / Have, possess. / Employ, implement. / Stop, rest, remain. / Store, stockpile. / Raise, rear (livestock). / Used before times expressing time elapsed: after. | v2,p0968#04 | p.300#30 | p.448r1c02 |
| jǔ ㄐㄩˇ | Movement, action. | ||||||
| jù ㄐㄩˋ | Arrogant. / Straight. / Saw. | ||||||
| jī ㄐㄧ | Modal particle expressing exclamation or questioning. | ||||||
| 古 | 口+2 | 𠖠 𡇣 | gǔ ㄍㄨˇ | old, classic, ancient | v1,p0568#03 | p.171#08 | p.240r1c02 |
| 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 |
| 道 | 辵+9 | 𨕥 衟 𡬹 | dào ㄉㄠˋ | Road, path. / Journey. / Method. / Law, reason. / Doctrine, claim. / Skill, technique. / Principle, right way. / The Dao, the origin of all things in Daoism. / Speak, talk. / Take a course of action. / Take a course of action. / Rites paid to the spirit of roads. / Ancient administrative unit. / Daoism. | v6,p3864#01 | p.1262#06 | p.1326r3c02 |
| dǎo ㄉㄠˇ | Lead. / Flow smoothly. | ||||||
| 術 | 行+5 | 术 | shù ㄕㄨˋ | art, skill, special feat; method, technique | v2,p0826#13 | p.1109#12 | p.1206r4c02 |
| 在 | 土+3 | zài ㄗㄞˋ | Exist, be alive. / Be in a certain place. / Inquire after, pay one's respects to. / Preposition: due to, being that. / Preposition: specifies location or time of an action - in, at. | v1,p0418#07 | p.223#10 | p.312r2c07 | |
| 於 | 方+4 | 烏 𣱏 𤕘 于 亏 扵 | yú ㄩˊ | Be (copula). / Be, exist. / Preposition: in. / Preposition: from or to. / Preposition: compared to. / Preposition: to, for, towards. / Preposition: by (indicating passive tense). / Preposition: with, using. / Preposition: due to, because of. / Preposition: by, according to. / Connective: just as. / Auxiliary word, no meaning. | v3,p2175#02 | p.481#11 | p.622r2c03 |
| 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 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 關尹 | 門+11 丿+3 | 寡 関 闗 关 𢃵 𢃹 𢃁 𢃂 | guān yǐn ㄍㄨㄢ ㄧㄣˇ | [人名] [Name of a person] | v7,p4316#10 v2,p0964#01 | p.1341#09 p.299#27 | p.1412r2c03 p.445r5c01 |
| 老聃 | 老+0 耳+5 | 耂 𠄰 耼 𨈭 | lǎo dān ㄌㄠˇ ㄉㄢ | 傳說中《道德經》的作者。 Laozi, supposed author of the Daodejing. | v4,p2778#01 v4,p2786#11 | p.960#25 p.966#19 | p.1077r3c03 p.1082r6c02 |
| 聞 | 耳+8 | 𦕁 䎽 䎹 𦖫 𥹢 闻 | wén ㄨㄣˊ | Hear. / Make hear. / Have heard, become aware of. / Knowledge, experience. / Rumour, saying. / Renowned, well-known. / Spread, disseminate. | v7,p4294#12 | p.968#11 | p.1084r3c01 |
| wèn ㄨㄣˋ | Reputation, fame. / Same as 「問(2)」 wèn ㄨㄣˋ: Inquire after, give regards to. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 風 | 風+0 | 𠙊 𠙈 凬 飌 檒 风 | fēng fěng fèng ㄈㄥ ㄈㄥˇ ㄈㄥˋ | wind; air; manners, atmosphere | v7,p4480#01 | p.1411#01 | p.1483r6c02 |
| 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. | ||||||
| 悅 | 心+7 | 悦 恱 | yuè ㄩㄝˋ | Happy, pleased, like. / Same as 「侻(1)」 tuō ㄊㄨㄛ: Simple. | v4,p2306#15 | p.386#26 | p.531r5c04 |
| 建 | 廴+6 | jiàn ㄐㄧㄢˋ | build, establish, erect, found | v1,p0404#10 | p.353#04 | p.496r6c01 | |
| 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 |
| 主 | 丶+4 | 丶 宔 | zhǔ ㄓㄨˇ | master, chief owner; host; lord | v1,p0044#03 | p.80#20 | p.45r2c01 |
| 太 | 大+1 | tài ㄊㄞˋ | very, too, much; big; extreme | v1,p0524#01 | p.248#10 | p.354r5c01 | |
| 一 | 一+0 | 弌 壹 | yī ㄧ | one; a, an; alone | v1,p0001#01 | p.75#01 | p.1r1c01 |
| 濡 | 水+14 | rú nuán ruǎn ér nuò ㄖㄨˊ ㄋㄨㄢˊ ㄖㄨㄢˇ ㄦˊ ㄋㄨㄛˋ | immerse, moisten; wet, damp | v3,p1768#03 | p.656#08 | p.836r5c01 | |
| 弱 | 弓+7 | ruò ㄖㄨㄛˋ | weak; fragile, delicate | v2,p0996#16 | p.358#24 | p.502r1c02 | |
| 謙 | 言+10 | 𥡝 谦 | qiān qiàn zhàn ㄑㄧㄢ ㄑㄧㄢˋ ㄓㄢˋ | humble, modest | v6,p4009#02 | p.1175#20 | p.1252r4c02 |
| 下 | 一+2 | 丅 厥 𠄟 | xià ㄒㄧㄚˋ | under, underneath, below; down; inferior; bring down | v1,p0007#01 | p.76#10 | p.28r1c01 |
| 表 | 衣+3 | 𧘝 𧞧 𧜫 錶 | biǎo ㄅㄧㄠˇ | show, express, manifest, display | v1,p0021#12 | p.1111#13 | p.1209r2c03 |
| 空 | 穴+3 | kōng kòng kǒng ㄎㄨㄥ ㄎㄨㄥˋ ㄎㄨㄥˇ | empty, hollow, bare, deserted | v4,p2719#08 | p.863#01 | p.997r6c01 | |
| 虛 | 虍+6 | 𣦄 虚 | xū ㄒㄩ | false, worthless; empty, hollow | v4,p2825#06 | p.1074#11 | p.1184r1c06 |
| 毀 | 殳+9 | 𢾌 𣪷 毁 | huǐ huì ㄏㄨㄟˇ ㄏㄨㄟˋ | destroy, ruin, injure; slander | v3,p2162#04 | p.586#12 | p.744r4c01 |
| 萬 | 禸+8 | 万 卍 㸘 𤍚 𢁭 | wàn ㄨㄢˋ | ten thousand; innumerable | v5,p3247#08 | p.1042#33 | p.1149r4c02 |
| 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 |
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