Tao Te Ching Chapter 42
第42章
道生一，一生二，二生三，三生萬物。萬物負陰而抱陽，沖氣以為和。人之所惡，唯孤﹑寡﹑不穀，而王公以為稱。故物或損之而益，或益之而損。人之所教，我亦教之。強梁者不得其死，吾將以為教父。
The Tao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced All things. All things leave behind them the Obscurity (out of which they have come), and go forward to embrace the Brightness (into which they have emerged), while they are harmonised by the Breath of Vacancy.
What men dislike is to be orphans, to have little virtue, to be as carriages without naves; and yet these are the designations which kings and princes use for themselves. So it is that some things are increased by being diminished, and others are diminished by being increased.
What other men (thus) teach, I also teach. The violent and strong do not die their natural death. I will make this the basis of my teaching.
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
- 生shēnglife, lifetime; birth; growth
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 二èrtwo; twice
- 三sānthree
- 萬wànten thousand; innumerable
- 物wùthing, substance, matter; creature
- 負fùload, burden; to carry, to bear
- 陰yīnthe female principle; dark, shaded; hidd
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 抱bàoto embrace, to hold in one's arms; to en
- 陽yángthe male principle; bright, sunny; clear
- 沖chōngwash, rinse, flush; dash; soar
- 氣qìair, gas; steam, vapor; anger
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 和héharmony, peace; calm, peaceful
- 人rénman, person; people
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 唯wéionly; sole
- 孤gūorphaned; alone, lonely, solidary
- 寡guǎwidowed; friendless, alone
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 穀gǔvalley, gorge, ravine
- 王wángking, ruler; royal; surname
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 稱chēngbalanced; name, brand; to say, to call
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 或huòor, either, else; maybe, perhaps, possib
- 損sǔnto damage, to harm
- 益yìto profit, to benefit; advantage
- 教jiàoschool, education
- 我wǒI, me, my; our, us
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 強qiángstrong, powerful, energetic
- 梁liángbridge; beam, rafter; surname
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 死sǐdead; death; impassable, inflexible
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 將jiāngthe future, what will be; ready, prepare
- 父fùfather, dad
Similar passages
- Zhuangzi The Evidence of Virtue Complete
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 39
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Zhuangzi The Identity of Contraries
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 29
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.