Tao Te Ching Chapter 47
第47章
不出戶，知天下；不闚牖，見天道。其出彌遠，其知彌少。是以聖人不行而知，不見而名，不為而成。
Without going outside his door, one understands (all that takes place) under the sky; without looking out from his window, one sees the Tao of Heaven. The farther that one goes out (from himself), the less he knows.
Therefore the sages got their knowledge without travelling; gave their (right) names to things without seeing them; and accomplished their ends without any purpose of doing so.
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
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 出chūto go out, to send out; stand; produce
- 戶hùdoor; family
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 闚kuīflash; flashing; steal look
- 牖yǒuwindow; to enlighten
- 見jiànto see, to observe, to meet, to appear
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 彌mícomplete, extensive, full; to fill
- 遠yuǎndistant, remote, far; profound
- 少shǎofew, little; less; inadequate
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 聖shèngholy, sacred; sage, saint
- 人rénman, person; people
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 名míngname; position, rank, title
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 成chéngto accomplish; to become; to complete, t
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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.