Tao Te Ching Chapter 45
第45章
大成若缺，其用不弊。大盈若沖，其用不窮。大直若屈，其用不居。大巧若拙，其用不輟。大辯若訥，其用不差。躁勝寒，靜勝熱。清靜為天下正。
Who thinks his great achievements poor
Shall find his vigour long endure.
Of greatest fulness, deemed a void,
Exhaustion ne'er shall stem the tide.
Do thou what's straight still crooked deem;
Thy greatest art still stupid seem,
And eloquence a stammering scream.
Constant action overcomes cold; being still overcomes heat. Purity and stillness give the correct law to all under heaven.
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
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 成chéngto accomplish; to become; to complete, t
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 缺quēto lack, to be short; vacancy, gap, defi
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 弊bìevil, bad, wrong; fraud, harm
- 盈yíngfull, overflowing; surplus; to fill
- 沖chōngwash, rinse, flush; dash; soar
- 窮qióngpoor, destitute; to exhaust
- 直zhístraight, vertical; candid, direct, fran
- 屈qūto bend, to flex; bent, crooked, crouche
- 居jūto live, to reside; to dwell; to sit
- 巧qiǎoskillful, ingenious, clever
- 拙zhuōawkward, clumsy; dull, stupid
- 輟chuòto suspend, to stop, to halt
- 辯biànto argue, to dispute; to discuss, to deb
- 訥nèinarticulate, slow; to mumble, to stamme
- 差chàdifference, gap; almost, nearly; in erro
- 躁zàotense, irritable; rash, hot-tempered
- 勝shèngvictory; to excel, to truimph
- 寒hánchilly, cold; poor; to shiver, to trembl
- 靜jìngstill, quiet, motionless, gentle
- 熱rèheat, fever, zeal
- 清qīngclean, pure; clear, distinct; peaceful
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 正zhèngstraight, right, proper, correct, just,
Similar passages
- Zhuangzi Opening Trunks
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 61
- Zhuangzi The Identity of Contraries
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Zhuangzi Language
- Zhuangzi Mountain Trees
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.