Tao Te Ching Chapter 56
第56章
知者不言，言者不知。塞其兌，閉其門，挫其銳，解其分，和其光，同其塵，是謂玄同。故不可得而親，不可得而疏；不可得而利，不可得而害；不可得而貴，不可得而賤。故為天下貴。
He who knows (the Tao) does not (care to) speak (about it); he who is (ever ready to) speak about it does not know it.
He (who knows it) will keep his mouth shut and close the portals (of his nostrils). He will blunt his sharp points and unravel the complications of things; he will attemper his brightness, and bring himself into agreement with the obscurity (of others). This is called 'the Mysterious Agreement.'
(Such an one) cannot be treated familiarly or distantly; he is beyond all consideration of profit or injury; of nobility or meanness:--he is the noblest man 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
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 塞sāito stop up, to seal, to cork, to block;
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 兌duìcash, check; to exchange
- 閉bìto shut, to close; to obstruct, to block
- 門méngate, door, entrance, opening
- 挫cuòto check, to obstruct, to push down
- 銳ruìsharp, pointed; keen, acute
- 解jiěto explain; to loosen; to unfasten, to u
- 分fēnto divide, to allocate; fraction; small
- 和héharmony, peace; calm, peaceful
- 光guānglight; bright, brilliant; only, merely
- 同tóngsame, similar; together with, alike
- 塵chéncinders, ashes, dust, dirt
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 玄xuándeep, profound, abstruse
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 親qīnrelatives, parents; intimate; the hazeln
- 疏shūto neglect; to dredge, to clear away; la
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
- 害hàito injure, to harm; to destroy, to kill
- 貴guìexpensive, costly; valuable, precious
- 賤jiàncheap, low, mean, worthless
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
Similar passages
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 4
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 52
- Zhuangzi Opening Trunks
- Zhuangzi Contingencies
- Zhuangzi The Identity of Contraries
- Zhuangzi Exercise of Faculties
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.