Tao Te Ching Chapter 21
第21章
孔德之容,惟道是從。道之為物,惟恍惟惚。惚兮恍兮,其中有象;恍兮惚兮,其中有物。窈兮冥兮,其中有精;其精甚真,其中有信。自今及古,其名不去,以閱眾甫。吾何以知眾甫之狀哉?以此。
The grandest forms of active force
From Tao come, their only source.
Who can of Tao the nature tell?
Our sight it flies, our touch as well.
Eluding sight, eluding touch,
The forms of things all in it crouch;
Eluding touch, eluding sight,
There are their semblances, all right.
Profound it is, dark and obscure;
Things' essences all there endure.
Those essences the truth enfold
Of what, when seen, shall then be told.
Now it is so; 'twas so of old.
Its name--what passes not away;
So, in their beautiful array,
Things form and never know decay.
How know I that it is so with all the beauties of existing things? By this (nature of the Tao).
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
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 容róngappearance, looks; form, figure; to cont
- 惟wéibut, however, nevertheless; only
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 從cóngfrom, by, since, whence, through
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 物wùthing, substance, matter; creature
- 恍huǎngabsent-minded; distracted; indistinct; s
- 惚hūconfused, absent-minded
- 兮xīexclamatory particle
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 中zhōngcentral; center, middle; amidst; to hit
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 象xiàngelephant; ivory; figure, image
- 窈yǎoobscure, secluded; quiet, refined
- 冥míngdark, gloomy, night; deep
- 精jīngessence, germ, spirit
- 甚shénconsiderably; very, extremely; a great e
- 真zhēnreal, actual, true, genuine
- 信xìnto trust, to believe; letter, sign
- 自zìself; private, personal; from
- 今jīnmodern, current; today, now
- 及jíto extend; to reach; and; in time
- 古gǔold, classic, ancient
- 名míngname; position, rank, title
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 去qùto go away, to leave, to depart
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 閱yuèto examine, to inspect; to read, to revi
- 眾zhòngmultitude, crowd; masses, public
- 甫fǔto begin; man, father; great; a distance
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 狀zhuàngstate, condition; shape, appearance, for
- 哉zāifinal exclamatory particle
- 此cǐthis, these; in this case, then
Similar passages
- Zhuangzi The Tao of God
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 54
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 57
- Zhuangzi The Secret of Life
- Mencius 6A.6
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.