Tao Te Ching Chapter 13
第13章
寵辱若驚，貴大患若身。何謂寵辱若驚？寵為下，得之若驚，失之若驚，是謂寵辱若驚。何謂貴大患若身？吾所以有大患者，為吾有身，及吾無身，吾有何患？故貴以身為天下，若可寄天下；愛以身為天下，若可託天下。
Favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared; honour and great calamity, to be regarded as personal conditions (of the same kind).
What is meant by speaking thus of favour and disgrace? Disgrace is being in a low position (after the enjoyment of favour). The getting that (favour) leads to the apprehension (of losing it), and the losing it leads to the fear of (still greater calamity):--this is what is meant by saying that favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared.
And what is meant by saying that honour and great calamity are to be (similarly) regarded as personal conditions? What makes me liable to great calamity is my having the body (which I call myself); if I had not the body, what great calamity could come to me?
Therefore he who would administer the kingdom, honouring it as he honours his own person, may be employed to govern it, and he who would administer it with the love which he bears to his own person may be entrusted with it.
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
- 寵chǒngto love; to favor, to pamper, to spoil;
- 辱rǔto insult, to humiliate, to abuse
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 驚jīngto frighten, to startle; surprise, alarm
- 貴guìexpensive, costly; valuable, precious
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 患huànsuffering; misfortune; trouble; to suffe
- 身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 失shīto lose; to make a mistake, to neglect
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 及jíto extend; to reach; and; in time
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 寄jìto mail, to send, to transit; to deposit
- 愛àito love, to like, to be fond of; love, a
- 託tuōto commission, to entrust, to rely on
Similar passages
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
- Zhuangzi The Evidence of Virtue Complete
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 39
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
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.