Tao Te Ching Chapter 8
第8章
上善若水。水善利萬物而不爭，處眾人之所惡，故幾於道。居善地，心善淵，與善仁，言善信，正善治，事善能，動善時。夫唯不爭，故無尤。
The highest excellence is like (that of) water. The excellence of water appears in its benefiting all things, and in its occupying, without striving (to the contrary), the low place which all men dislike. Hence (its way) is near to (that of) the Tao.
The excellence of a residence is in (the suitability of) the place; that of the mind is in abysmal stillness; that of associations is in their being with the virtuous; that of government is in its securing good order; that of (the conduct of) affairs is in its ability; and that of (the initiation of) any movement is in its timeliness.
And when (one with the highest excellence) does not wrangle (about his low position), no one finds fault with him.
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
- 上shàngabove, on top, superior; to go up; to at
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 水shuǐwater, liquid, lotion, juice
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
- 萬wànten thousand; innumerable
- 物wùthing, substance, matter; creature
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 爭zhēngto dispute, to fight, to contend, to str
- 處chùto reside at, to live in; place, locale;
- 眾zhòngmultitude, crowd; masses, public
- 人rénman, person; people
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 幾jǐsmall table; how many; a few, some
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 居jūto live, to reside; to dwell; to sit
- 地deearth, ground, soil; land, region; struc
- 心xīnheart; mind; soul
- 淵yuānabyss, depth; to surge up, to bubble up
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 信xìnto trust, to believe; letter, sign
- 正zhèngstraight, right, proper, correct, just,
- 治zhìto administer, to govern, to regulate
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 動dòngto move, to happen; movement, action
- 時shítime, season; period, era, age
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 唯wéionly; sole
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 尤yóuespecially, particularly
Similar passages
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 49
- Zhuangzi The Old Fisherman
- Zhuangzi Perfect Happiness
- Tao Te Ching Chapter 22
- Zhuangzi Horses' Hoofs
- Mencius 1B.12
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.