Tao Te Ching Chapter 35
第35章
執大象，天下往。往而不害，安平太。樂與餌，過客止。道之出口，淡乎其無味，視之不足見，聽之不足聞，用之不足既。
To him who holds in his hands the Great Image (of the invisible Tao), the whole world repairs. Men resort to him, and receive no hurt, but (find) rest, peace, and the feeling of ease.
Music and dainties will make the passing guest stop (for a time). But though the Tao as it comes from the mouth, seems insipid and has no flavour, though it seems not worth being looked at or listened to, the use of it is inexhaustible.
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
- 執zhíto execute; to grasp, to hold; to keep;
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 象xiàngelephant; ivory; figure, image
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 往wǎngto go, to depart; past, former
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 害hàito injure, to harm; to destroy, to kill
- 安ānpeaceful, tranquil, quiet
- 平píngflat, level, even; peaceful
- 太tàivery, too much; big; extreme
- 樂lècheerful, happy, laughing; music
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 餌ěrbait; cake; dumplings; to bait, to entic
- 過guòpass; to go across, to pass through
- 客kèguest, traveller; customer
- 止zhǐto stop, to halt; to detain; to desist
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 出chūto go out, to send out; stand; produce
- 口kǒumouth; entrance, gate, opening
- 淡dànwatery, dilute; insipid, tasteless
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 味wèitaste; smell, odor; delicacy
- 視shìto look at, to inspect, to observe, to r
- 足zúfoot; to attain, to satisfy; enough
- 見jiànto see, to observe, to meet, to appear
- 聽tīngto hear, to listen; to understand; to ob
- 聞wénnews; to hear, to smell; to make known
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 既jìalready, since, then; both; de facto
Similar passages
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
- Zhuangzi The Empire
- Mencius 3A.4
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 63
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 41
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.