Tao Te Ching Chapter 37
第37章
道常無為而無不為。侯王若能守之，萬物將自化。化而欲作，吾將鎮之以無名之樸。無名之樸，夫亦將無欲。不欲以靜，天下將自定。
The Tao in its regular course does nothing (for the sake of doing it), and so there is nothing which it does not do.
If princes and kings were able to maintain it, all things would of themselves be transformed by them.
If this transformation became to me an object of desire, I would express the desire by the nameless simplicity.
Simplicity without a name
Is free from all external aim.
With no desire, at rest and still,
All things go right as of their will.
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
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 常chángcommon, general, normal; always, frequen
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 侯hóumarquis, lord; target in archery
- 王wángking, ruler; royal; surname
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 守shǒuto defend, to guard, to protect; to cons
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 萬wànten thousand; innumerable
- 物wùthing, substance, matter; creature
- 將jiāngthe future, what will be; ready, prepare
- 自zìself; private, personal; from
- 化huàto change, to convert, to reform; -ize
- 欲yùdesire, want, longing, intent
- 作zuòto make; to write, to compose; to act, t
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 鎮zhèncalm, composed; to control, to suppress
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 名míngname; position, rank, title
- 樸pǔplain, simple; sincere; surname
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 靜jìngstill, quiet, motionless, gentle
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 定dìngto decide, to fix, to settle; to order;
Similar passages
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 32
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 1
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 57
- Mencius 1A.7
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.