Tao Te Ching Chapter 11
第11章
三十輻共一轂，當其無，有車之用。埏埴以為器，當其無，有器之用。鑿戶牖以為室，當其無，有室之用。故有之以為利，無之以為用。
The thirty spokes unite in the one nave; but it is on the empty space (for the axle), that the use of the wheel depends. Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness, that their use depends. The door and windows are cut out (from the walls) to form an apartment; but it is on the empty space (within), that its use depends. Therefore, what has a (positive) existence serves for profitable adaptation, and what has not that for (actual) usefulness.
English: James Legge (1891), The Tâo Teh King, Sacred Books of the East vol. 39 (1891) — public domain. Chinese: Wang Bi recension (王弼本), commentary removed.
Character glossary
- 三sānthree
- 十shíten, tenth; complete; perfect
- 輻fúray, spoke
- 共gòngall, total; together; to share
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 轂gǔthe hub of a wheel
- 當dāngappropriate, timely; to act, to serve; t
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 車chēcart, vehicle; to move in a cart
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 埏shānboundary, limit
- 埴zhísoil with high clay content
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 器qìdevice, instrument, tool; receptacle, ve
- 鑿záochisel; to bore, to pierce
- 戶hùdoor; family
- 牖yǒuwindow; to enlighten
- 室shìhouse, home; room, chamber
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
Similar passages
- Zhuangzi The Secret of Life
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Mencius 3B.3
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 28
- The Great Learning Passage 11
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.