Translated by James Legge, 1891
The Tao Te Ching
Laozi · eighty-one chapters · the Chinese text with pinyin, and James Legge's 1891 English translation beside it
81chapters
339commentary notes
18key terms
The eighty-one chapters
Each chapter page carries the full Chinese text, the Legge translation, and the commentary for that chapter.
The Book of the Way
01
The Tao That Cannot Be Told
天地之始 · Tiān Dì Zhī Shǐ
02
When One Thing Is Called Beautiful
功成弗居 · Gōng Chéng Fú Jū
03
The Rule That Keeps the People Quiet
圣人之治 · Shèng Rén Zhī Zhì
04
The Tao Is an Empty Vessel
和光同尘 · Hé Guāng Tóng Chén
05
Heaven and Earth Are Not Kind
多言数穷 · Duō Yán Shuò Qióng
06
The Valley Spirit
谷神不死 · Gǔ Shén Bù Sǐ
07
Longer Than Heaven and Earth
天长地久 · Tiān Cháng Dì Jiǔ
08
The Highest Good Is Like Water
上善若水 · Shàng Shàn Ruò Shuǐ
09
Leave the Cup Unfilled
持而盈之 · Chí Ér Yíng Zhī
10
Holding Body and Soul Together
明白四达 · Míng Bái Sì Dá
11
The Use of What Is Not There
无之为用 · Wú Zhī Wèi Yòng
12
The Five Colours Blind the Eye
去彼取此 · Qù Bǐ Qǔ Cǐ
13
Favour and Disgrace
宠辱不惊 · Chǒng Rǔ Bù Jīng
14
What Has No Shape
执古之道 · Zhí Gǔ Zhī Dào
15
The Masters of Old
微妙玄通 · Wēi Miào Xuán Tōng
16
Returning to the Root
致虚守静 · Zhì Xū Shǒu Jìng
17
The Best Ruler
功成事遂 · Gōng Chéng Shì Suì
18
When the Great Tao Is Lost
大仁大义 · Dà Rén Dà Yì
19
Return to the Uncarved
少私寡欲 · Shǎo Sī Guǎ Yù
20
Alone Among Men
独异于人 · Dú Yì Yú Rén
21
The Power That Follows the Tao
孔德之容 · Kǒng Dé Zhī Róng
22
The Crooked Becomes Whole
圣人抱一 · Shèng Rén Bào Yī
23
Few Words, and the Wind Drops
希言自然 · Xī Yán Zì Rán
24
The One Who Stands on Tiptoe
物或恶之 · Wù Huò È Zhī
25
Something Before Heaven and Earth
道法自然 · Dào Fǎ Zì Rán
26
The Heavy Is the Root of the Light
宜戒轻躁 · Yí Jiè Qīng Zào
27
The Skilful Traveller
常善救人 · Cháng Shàn Jiù Rén
28
Knowing the Male, Keeping the Female
常德乃足 · Cháng Dé Nǎi Zú
29
The World Cannot Be Coerced
去奢去泰 · Qù Shē Qù Tài
30
A General Who Will Not Use Force
不以兵强 · Bù Yǐ Bīng Qiáng
31
Weapons Are Ill-Omened
恬淡为上 · Tián Dàn Wèi Shàng
32
The Tao Has No Name
知止不殆 · Zhī Zhǐ Bù Dài
33
Knowing Others and Knowing Yourself
自知者明 · Zì Zhī Zhě Míng
34
The Great Tao Overflows
不自为大 · Bù Zì Wèi Dà
35
The Great Image
往而不害 · Wǎng Ér Bù Hài
36
What Must First Be Weakened
柔弱刚强 · Róu Ruò Gāng Qiáng
37
Nothing Done, Nothing Left Undone
道常无为 · Dào Cháng Wú Wéi
The Book of Virtue
38
The Highest Virtue Does Not Claim Virtue
处实去华 · Chù Shí Qù Huá
39
The Things That Got the One
贱为贵本 · Jiàn Wèi Guì Běn
40
Turning Back
有生于无 · Yǒu Shēng Yú Wú
41
Scholars and the Tao
大器晚成 · Dà Qì Wǎn Chéng
42
One, Two, Three
或损或益 · Huò Sǔn Huò Yì
43
The Softest Thing
无为之益 · Wú Wèi Zhī Yì
44
Fame or Life
知足不辱 · Zhī Zú Bù Rǔ
45
Ready, Yet Always Unfinished
大成若缺 · Dà Chéng Ruò Quē
46
When the Tao Prevails
知足常足 · Zhī Zú Cháng Zú
47
Without Leaving the Door
不为而成 · Bù Wèi Ér Chéng
48
Less Every Day
为学日益 · Wèi Xué Rì Yì
49
The Sage Has No Fixed Mind
圣无常心 · Shèng Wú Cháng Xīn
50
Out of Life, Into Death
出生入死 · Chū Shēng Rù Sǐ
51
The Tao Gives Birth
尊道贵德 · Zūn Dào Guì Dé
52
The Mother of All Things
天下有始 · Tiān Xià Yǒu Shǐ
53
The Great Road
行于大道 · Xíng Yú Dà Dào
54
What Is Planted by the Tao
善抱大道 · Shàn Bào Dà Dào
55
The Infant's Grip
物壮则老 · Wù Zhuàng Zé Lǎo
56
Those Who Know Do Not Speak
知者不言 · Zhī Zhě Bù Yán
57
Ruling by Correction
以正治国 · Yǐ Zhèng Zhì Guó
58
Misfortune Waits Inside Fortune
福祸相倚 · Fú Huò Xiāng Yǐ
59
Ruling People and Serving Heaven
长生久视 · Cháng Shēng Jiǔ Shì
60
Cooking a Small Fish
治国烹鲜 · Zhì Guó Pēng Xiān
61
The Great State Is a Low River
各得其所 · Gè Dé Qí Suǒ
62
The Treasure of the World
万物之奥 · Wàn Wù Zhī Ào
63
Act Without Acting
为大于细 · Wèi Dà Yú Xì
64
Careful at the End
慎终如始 · Shèn Zhōng Rú Shǐ
65
The Ancients Who Practised the Tao
善为道者 · Shàn Wèi Dào Zhě
66
The Sea Is Below the Rivers
不争之争 · Bù Zhēng Zhī Zhēng
67
Three Treasures
持保三宝 · Chí Bǎo Sān Bǎo
68
The Good Soldier
不争之德 · Bù Zhēng Zhī Dé
69
Daring to Be the Guest
哀者胜矣 · Āi Zhě Shèng Yǐ
70
My Words Are Easy
被褐怀玉 · Pī Hè Huái Yù
71
Knowing That One Does Not Know
知不知矣 · Zhī Bù Zhī Yǐ
72
When the People Do Not Fear
自知自爱 · Zì Zhī Zì Ài
73
Heaven's Net
天网恢恢 · Tiān Wǎng Huī Huī
74
The People Do Not Fear Death
民不畏死 · Mín Bù Wèi Sǐ
75
Why the People Starve
民之轻死 · Mín Zhī Qīng Sǐ
76
Soft at Birth
柔弱处上 · Róu Ruò Chù Shàng
77
The Way of Heaven Is a Bow
功成不处 · Gōng Chéng Bù Chù
78
Nothing Is Softer Than Water
柔之胜刚 · Róu Zhī Shèng Gāng
79
After the Quarrel
报怨以德 · Bào Yuàn Yǐ Dé
80
A Small State, Few People
小国寡民 · Xiǎo Guó Guǎ Mín
81
True Words Are Not Beautiful
为而不争 · Wèi Ér Bù Zhēng
Eighty-one short chapters, written some twenty-five centuries ago and still quoted wherever people talk about how to act. This edition prints the Chinese text with a reading above every character, sets James Legge's 1891 English translation beside it, and keeps the traditional Chinese commentary for each chapter at the end of the page.
How this edition is set
The translation readers still quote
James Legge, the first professor of Chinese at Oxford, published this version in 1891. It is still the English Tao Te Ching most often quoted in print.
A dictionary behind every character
Tap any character in the Chinese text to see how it is read and open its full entry.
Nothing between you and the page
No sign-up needed — open any chapter and read. The whole book is on one site, in reading order.
Lines people remember
天下皆知美之为美，斯恶已
All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is.
Chapter 2
是以圣人处无为之事，行不言之教
Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech.
Chapter 2
上善若水。
The highest excellence is like (that of) water.
Chapter 8