Tao Te Ching Chapter 50
第50章
出生入死。生之徒,十有三;死之徒,十有三;人之生,動之死地,亦十有三。夫何故?以其生生之厚。蓋聞善攝生者,陸行不遇兕虎,入軍不被甲兵;兕無所投其角,虎無所措其爪,兵無所容其刃。夫何故?以其無死地。
Men come forth and live; they enter (again) and die.
Of every ten three are ministers of life (to themselves); and three are ministers of death.
There are also three in every ten whose aim is to live, but whose movements tend to the land (or place) of death. And for what reason? Because of their excessive endeavours to perpetuate life.
But I have heard that he who is skilful in managing the life entrusted to him for a time travels on the land without having to shun rhinoceros or tiger, and enters a host without having to avoid buff coat or sharp weapon. The rhinoceros finds no place in him into which to thrust its horn, nor the tiger a place in which to fix its claws, nor the weapon a place to admit its point. And for what reason? Because there is in him no place of death.
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
- 出chūto go out, to send out; stand; produce
- 生shēnglife, lifetime; birth; growth
- 入rùto enter, to come in; to join
- 死sǐdead; death; impassable, inflexible
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 徒túdisciple, follower; only, merely; in vai
- 十shíten, tenth; complete; perfect
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 三sānthree
- 人rénman, person; people
- 動dòngto move, to happen; movement, action
- 地deearth, ground, soil; land, region; struc
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 厚hòugenerous; substantial; deep (as a friend
- 蓋gàito cover, to hide, to protect
- 聞wénnews; to hear, to smell; to make known
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 攝shèto absorb, to take in; to photograph; to
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 陸lùland, continent; six (bankers' anti-frau
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 遇yùto meet, to encounter, to come across
- 兕sìa female rhinoceros
- 虎hǔtiger; brave, fierce; surname
- 軍jūnarmy, military; soldiers, troops
- 被bèibedding; a passive particle meaning "by"
- 甲jiǎarmor, shell; fingernails; 1st heavenly
- 兵bīngsoldier; troops, an army; warlike
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 投tóuto pitch, to throw; to bid, to invest
- 角jiǎoangle, corner; horn, horn-shaped
- 措cuòto arrange; to execute on; to manage
- 爪zhǎoclaws, nails, talons
- 容róngappearance, looks; form, figure; to cont
- 刃rènedged tool, cutlery, knife edge
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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.