Tao Te Ching Chapter 6
第6章
谷神不死，是謂玄牝。玄牝之門，是謂天地根。緜緜若存，用之不勤。
The valley spirit dies not, aye the same;
The female mystery thus do we name.
Its gate, from which at first they issued forth,
Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth.
Long and unbroken does its power remain,
Used gently, and without the touch of pain.
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
- 谷gǔvalley, gorge, ravine
- 神shéngod, spirit; divine, mysterious, superna
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 死sǐdead; death; impassable, inflexible
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 玄xuándeep, profound, abstruse
- 牝pìnfemale animal; keyhole; valley
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 門méngate, door, entrance, opening
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 地deearth, ground, soil; land, region; struc
- 根gēnroot, basis, foundation
- 緜miáncotton wad; wool; soft, downy
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 存cúnto exist; to survive, to maintain; to ke
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 勤qínindustrious, diligent, attentive
Similar passages
- Analects 14.46
- Zhuangzi Perfect Happiness
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 41
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 52
- Analects 18.7
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.