Tao Te Ching Chapter 40
第40章
反者道之動，弱者道之用。天下萬物生於有，有生於無。
The movement of the Tao
By contraries proceeds;
And weakness marks the course
Of Tao's mighty deeds.
All things under heaven sprang from It as existing (and named); that existence sprang from It as non-existent (and not named).
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
- 反fǎnreverse, opposite; contrary, anti-
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 動dòngto move, to happen; movement, action
- 弱ruòweak, fragile, delicate
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 萬wànten thousand; innumerable
- 物wùthing, substance, matter; creature
- 生shēnglife, lifetime; birth; growth
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
Similar passages
- Zhuangzi Kêng Sang Ch’u
- Zhuangzi The Tao of God
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 76
- Zhuangzi Tien Tzŭ Fang
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
- Zhuangzi Transcendental Bliss
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.