Tao Te Ching Chapter 48
第48章
為學日益，為道日損。損之又損，以至於無為。無為而無不為。取天下常以無事，及其有事，不足以取天下。
He who devotes himself to learning (seeks) from day to day to increase (his knowledge); he who devotes himself to the Tao (seeks) from day to day to diminish (his doing).
He diminishes it and again diminishes it, till he arrives at doing nothing (on purpose). Having arrived at this point of non-action, there is nothing which he does not do.
He who gets as his own all under heaven does so by giving himself no trouble (with that end). If one take trouble (with that end), he is not equal to getting as his own 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
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 學xuélearning, knowledge, science; to study,
- 日rìsun; day; daytime
- 益yìto profit, to benefit; advantage
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 損sǔnto damage, to harm
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 又yòuand, also, again, in addition
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 取qǔto take, to receive, to obtain; to selec
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 常chángcommon, general, normal; always, frequen
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 及jíto extend; to reach; and; in time
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 足zúfoot; to attain, to satisfy; enough
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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.