Compiled and Indexed by Michael P. Garofalo
Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington
Chapter 19 Chapter 21 Index to All 81 Chapters Daoism Concordance Cloud Hands Blog
Classic Book (Ching) about the Tao (Way, Nature, Patterns, Processes) and Te (Virtue, Potency, Power, Integrity, Wise Person, Sage)
Concordance: Indexing, Search Terms, Topics, Themes, Keys, Subjects, Words
English and Chinese (Wade-Giles) Terms: Learning, Being Different from Ordinary People
(jên), Enjoying or Partaking (hsiang),
Isolation of the Sage, Mother (mu), Doubt, Fear, No or Disapproval (a), Simplicity,
Return or Go Back (kuei), Baby,
Ocean or Sea (hai), Doubts of the Hermit, Springtime (ch'un), Homeless,
Joyful or Merry (hsi), Solitary Life, Rustic Living, Worldly or Common (su), Stupidity,
Loneliness, Mind or Heart (hsin), Calm or Steady (p'o), Stop or
Anchor (chih), Not Learning, Sign or Omen (chao), Innocence,
Alert or Sharp (cha), Useless, Alone or Solitary (tu), Meditation, Sitting, Multitude, People,
Differ (ch'ü), Convention, Stop Learning,
Weary or Tired (lei), Fear or Dread (wei), Good or Virtuous (shan),
Confused or Chaotic (t'un), Dull or Dejected (mên), Bright, Use or
Purpose (yi), Climbing or Ascending (têng), Little or Minute or
Few (chi), Rustic or Unrefined (pi), Bright or Luminous (chao), Dull, Ordinary,
Gale or Whirlwind (liu), Wilderness or Uncultivated (huang), Food
or Nourishment or Milk (shih), Value or Cherish (kuei), Alike or
Similar (jo), Unique, Yes (wei), One of a Kind, Stubborn or
Thickhead (wan), Great Feast (ta lao), Smile (hai), Impractical,
Newborn Baby (ying erh), Bad or Evil (wu), Foolish or Stupid (yü),
Dark or Dim (hun), Excess or Surplus (yü), End or Limit (yang),
Tower or Terrace (t'ai), Tranquil or Placid (tan), Uselessness of the Wise Man,
異俗
Términos en Español: Aprendizaje,
Disfrutar, Sabio, Madre, Duda, Miedo, Sencillez, Devolución, Volver,
Océano, Mar, Primavers, Alegre, Feliz, Solitario, Mundano,
Estupidez, Soledad, Corazón, Calma, Aprender, Presagio, Inocencia, Alerta,
Inútil,
Meditación, Sentado
, Multitud , Personas, Convención, Bueno, confundido,
Utilización, Poco, Brillante, Ordinario, Silvestre, Leche, Valor, Igual,
Obstinado,
Sonrisa, Bebé, Nacido, Malo, Estúpido, Oscuro, Exceso,
Final,
Límite, Terraza, Tranquil.
Electronic Concordance for all 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching
English Language Translations of the Tao Te Ching
"Give up learning, and put an end to your
troubles.
Is there a difference between yes and no?
Is there a difference between good and evil?
Must I fear what others fear? What nonsense!
Other people are contented, enjoying the sacrificial feast of the ox.
In spring some go to the park, and climb the terrace,
But I alone am drifting, not knowing where I am.
Like a newborn babe before it learns to smile,
I am alone, without a place to go.
Others have more than they need, but I alone have nothing.
I am a fool. Oh, yes! I am confused.
Others are clear and bright,
But I alone am dim and weak.
Others are sharp and clever,
But I alone am dull and stupid.
Oh, I drift like the waves of the sea,
Without direction, like the restless wind.
Everyone else is busy,
But I alone am aimless and depressed.
I am different.
I am nourished by the great mother."
- Translated by
Gia-fu Feng and Jane
English, 1989, Chapter 20
"Abandon learnedness, and you have no
vexation.
The "yes" compared with the "yea," how little do they differ!
But the good compared with the bad, how much do they differ!
If what the people dread cannot be made dreadless, there will be desolation;
Alas! and verily, there will be no end of it.
The multitudes of men are happy, so happy, as though celebrating a great feast.
They are as though in springtime ascending a tower.
I alone remain quiet;
Alas! like one that has not yet received an omen.
I am like unto a babe that does not yet smile.
Forlorn am I, O so forlorn!
It appears that I have no place whither I may return home.
The multitude of men all have plenty and I alone appear empty.
Alas! I am a man whose heart is foolish.
Ignorant am I, O, so ignorant!
Common people are bright, so bright, I alone am dull.
Common people are smart, so smart, I alone am confused, so confused.
Desolate am I, alas! like the sea.
Adrift, alas! like one who has no place where to stay.
The multitude of men all possess usefulness. I alone am awkward and a rustic
too.
I alone differ from others, but I prize seeking sustenance from our mother."
- Translated by
D. T. Suzuki and Paul
Carus, 1913, Chapter 20
"Detach from learning and you have no worries.
How far apart are yes and yeah?
How far apart are good and bad?
The things people fear cannot but be feared.
Wild indeed the uncentered!
Most people celebrate as if they were barbecuing a slaughtered cow, or
taking in the springtime vistas;
I alone am aloof, showing no sign, like
an infant that doesn't yet smile, riding buoyantly as if with nowhere
to go.
Most people have too much; I alone seem to be missing something.
Mine is
indeed the mind of an ignoramus in its unadulterated simplicity.
Ordinary people try to shine; I alone seem to be dark.
Ordinary people
try to be on the alert; I alone am unobtrusive, calm as the ocean
depths, buoyant as if anchored nowhere.
Most people have ways and means; I alone am unsophisticated and simple.
I
alone am different from people in that I value seeking food from the
mother."
- Translated by
Thomas Cleary, 1991, Chapter 20
"Don’t spend too much time thinking about stupid shit.
Why should you care if people agree or disagree with you?
Why should you care if others find you attractive or not?
Why should you care about the things that worry others?
Call bullshit on all that.
Let other people get worked up
as they try to enjoy themselves.
I’m not going to give myself away.
A baby doesn’t know how to smile, but it’s still happy.
Let other people get excited about stuff.
I’m not going to hang on to anything.
I’m not going to fill my mind with ideas.
I’m not going to get stuck in a rut,
tied down to any one place.
Other people are clever;
I guess I must be stupid.
Other people have goals;
I guess I must be aimless.
Like the wind. Or the waves.
I’m not like other people.
I’m getting right with Tao."
- Translated by
Ron
Hogan, 1995, Chapter 20
"End the study of pretentiousness and surface formality,
And much sorrow, trouble and nuisance will cease.
The distinctions between yes and no, good and evil,
Between what people fear and fail to fear:
- Are often semantic.
- Are often contradictory.
- Are often false.
- Are often superficial.
While many may be content -
Partaking of party and feast,
Viewing the land from a-high in the springtime,
I alone am inert, without animation,
Like an infant who has yet to learn to smile.
Alas ! I am alone, with nowhere to go.
While others appear to have abundant possessions and grace,
I alone appear to have nothing.
I feel inferior, foolish and left out.
While others are clear, bright and confident,
I alone feel muddled, dull and confused.
While others look lively, penetrating and self assured,
I alone feel depressed, aimlessly adrift in sea
Blown by the winds on an ever changing course
While others seemingly have a purpose,
I alone feel awkward.
Wherein am I so different?
I alone value drawing my sustenance from the
mysterious Mother of Nature."
- Translated by
Alan B. Taplow, 1982, Chapter 20
"Be done with knowing and your worries will disappear.
How much
difference is there between yes and no?
How much distinction between
good and evil?
Fearing what others fear, admiring what they admire-nonsense.
Conventional people are jolly and reckless, feasting on worldly things
and carrying on as though
every day were the beginning of spring.
I
alone remain uncommitted, like an infant who hasn't yet smiled:
lost,
quietly drifting, unattached to ideas and places and things.
Conventional people hoard more than they need, but I possess nothing at all,
know nothing at all, understand nothing at all.
They are bright; I am dark.
They are sharp; I am dull.
Like the sea, I
am calm and indifferent.
Like the wind I have no particular direction.
Everyone else takes his place and does his job;
I alone remain wild and
natural and free.
I am different from others; my sustenance comes
directly from the Mother."
- Translated by
Brian Browne Walker, 1996, Chapter 20
"Discard the academic; have no anxiety.
How much difference is there between agrement and servility?
How much difference is there between good and evil?
That one should revere what others revere - how absurd and uncentered!
The Collective Mind is expansive and flourishing,
As if receiving a great sacrifice,
As if ascending a living observatory.
I alone remai uncommitted,
Like an infant who has not yet smiled,
Unattached, without a place to merge.
The Collective Mind is all-encompassing.
I alone seem to be overlooked.
I am unknowing to the core and unclear, unclear!
Ordinary people are bright and obvious;
I alone am dark and obscure.
Ordinary people are exacting and sharp;
I alone am subdued and dull.
Indifferent like the sea,
Ceaseless like a penetrating wind,
The Collective Mind is ever present.
And yet, I alone am unruly and remote.
I alone am different from the others
In treasuring nourishment from the Mother."
- Translated by
R. L. Wing, 1986, Chapter 20
Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington © 2011-2021 CCA 4.0
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching
Translated by Livia Kohn
Dao De Jing: The Book of the Way
"Renounce learning, it brings loss to the Inner Life.
How slight the difference between Yes and Yea!
How great the difference between Good and Evil!
That which men fear is indeed to be feared.
When men give themselves up to disorder it never stops.
Many men rejoice and rejoice over a supply of good food, over being in a high and exalted position.
I am calm, I do not feel the slightest emotion, like a new-born child
which cannot yet smile at its mother, without attachment to anything,
returning always to the Inner Life.
Many men have superfluous possessions.
I have nothing that I value; I desire that my heart be completely subdued, emptied to emptiness.
Men of wealth are in the daylight of prosperity.
I am in the dark.
Men of wealth are endowed with penetration.
I appear confused and ignorant.
Suddenly I am, as it were, on a vast sea, floating on the sea of Inner Life which is boundless.
Many men are full of ability.
I appear to be stupid and rustic.
Thus I am different from other men.
But I revere the Mother, Sustainer of all beings."
- Translated by
Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 20
"Between Yes and No
What after all is the difference?
Can it be compared to the difference between good and bad?
The saying “what others avoid I too must avoid”
How false and superficial it is?
All men, indeed, are wreathed in smiles,
As though feasting after the Great Sacrifice,
As though going up to the Spring Carnival.
I alone am inert, like a child that has not yet given sign;
Like an infant that has not yet smiled.
I droop and drift, as though I belonged nowhere.
All men have enough and to spare;
I alone seem to have lost everything.
Mine is indeed the mind of a very idiot,
So dull am I.
The world is full of people that shine;
I alone am dark.
They look lively and self-assured;
I alone depressed.
(I seem unsettled as the ocean;
Blown adrift, never brought to a stop.)
All men can be put to some use;
I alone am intractable and boorish.
But wherein I most am different from men
Is that I prize no sustenance that comes not from the Mother's breast."
- Translated by
Arthur Waley, 1934, Chapter 20
"What is the difference between saying yes because you agree
and saying yes because you want to please?
What is the difference between good and evil?
When everybody avoids something,
Does it mean it must be avoided?
How ridiculous all this is!
This mode of thinking takes one far from the ultimate Truth!
The crowds are busily involved with their daily routines.
As if they are attending a feast,
or walking up a beautiful terrace in Spring.
I alone am deserted.
The future seems unknown,
Just as an infant's future is unknown.
I appear to be tired in a directionless journey.
When everybody appears to have more than enough
I alone seem like someone who have lost everything.
Is my mind that of a fool?
People in their mundane worlds look bright.
I on the other hand look dull.
People in the mundane worlds look clever,
I on the other hand look boring.
My mind is unsettled like the open sea
and never restless like the wind.
Everyone has his properties and status.
I alone look poor and lonely.
I am different from the crowd.
I alone value drawing my nutrients from Mother."
- Translated by
Lok Sang Ho,
2002, Chapter 20
"Transcend learning; there will be no sorrow.
Between "yea" and "nay", what is the difference?
Between "good" and "evil", what is the distinction?
What other people fear, I cannot but fear.
Of wandering, there will be no end.
Most people are busy coming and going
As if enjoying a feast,
As if ascending a tower in the springtime.
I alone am unmoved, showing no sign,
Like a baby who has not yet become a child;
Weary, as if I have no home to return to.
Most people have more than enough; I alone seem to be left out.
My mind is like a fool's! Chaotic, chaotic!
Ordinary people are bright; I alone am dim.
Ordinary people inspect [everything]; I alone am obscurant,
Indifferent as the sea, endless as a high wind.
Most people are reasonable; I alone am stubborn and mean.
I am different from others; I value being fed by the Mother."
- Translated by
Yi Wu, Chapter
20
"How much difference is seen
Between Yes and No?
How much disparity is shown
Between good and evil?
What other people fear
One must fear;
What a difference - so vast and endless!
The multitude are jubilant
As if enjoying a magnificent feast
Or ascending a terrace to command a view of spring scene.
While I, alone and inactive, remain aloof and indifferent,
Like a baby that has not yet learned to smile;
I am tired, like a homeless wanderer.
The multitude all have more than enough,
While I, alone, seem to have nothing.
I am one, indeed, with a heart of a fool.
Vulgar people all look sober and complacent,
While I alone seem muddleheaded.
The multitude all appear clever and capable,
While I alone seem slow-witted and clumsy.
I am indeed different from them all
Because I take the greatest interest in obtaining the Tao."
- Translated by
Zhengkun Gu,
Chapter 20
"By removing the cause of suffering, suffering will disappear.
Both 'Yes' or 'No' are relative.
Be it considered as 'Good' or 'Bad',
The relativity of it still remains.
If other people are afraid of
something,
Is this a good cause for us to be afraid as well?
The truth
behind could be entirely different.
People of the world will continue to
marry,
Organize festivals and parties.
It's only me without wishes like
a baby unable to be happy.
Living without certainty I have no possessions.
People of the world want to accumulate things,
Nothing I have, some
might call me fool.
Other people have acquired knowledge,
I look too
simple to attract any interest.
People see great variety of things, I see
everything as one.
I look like having no goal like a sea wave moving,
Blown by wind, I seam to go nowhere.
People have aims in their actions
that I don't have in mine.
Looking no ordinary, I am on the Tao Way."
- Translated by
Sarbatoare,
Chapter 20
By Alexander Simkins. 
By Derek Lin.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
By Benjamin Hoff.
By Ming-Dao Deng.
Translated by Thomas Cleary.
"When we renounce learning we have no
troubles.
The (ready) 'yes,' and (flattering) 'yea;'
Small is the difference they display.
But mark their issues, good and ill;
What space the gulf between shall fill?
What all men fear is indeed to be feared;
But how wide and without end is the range of questions asking to be discussed!
The multitude of men look satisfied and pleased; as if enjoying a full banquet,
as if mounted on a tower in spring.
I alone seem listless and still, my desires having as yet given no indication of
their presence.
I am like an infant which has not yet smiled.
I look dejected and forlorn, as if I had no home to go to.
The multitude of men all have enough and to spare.
I alone seem to have lost everything.
My mind is that of a stupid man;
I am in a state of chaos.
Ordinary men look bright and intelligent, while I alone seem to be benighted.
They look full of discrimination, while I alone am dull and confused.
I seem to be carried about as on the sea, drifting as if I had nowhere to rest.
All men have their spheres of action, while I alone seem dull and incapable,
like a rude borderer.
Thus I alone am different from other men, but I value the nursing-mother Dao."
- Translated by
James Legge, 1891,
Chapter 20
A Chinese Language Version of Chapter 20 of
the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
A
note
on my style of displaying the Chinese characters of the Tao Te Ching
唯之與阿, 相去幾何.
善之與惡, 相去若何.
人之所畏, 不可不畏.
荒兮其未央哉.
衆人熙熙.
如享太牢.
如春登臺.
我獨怕兮其未兆, 如嬰兒之未孩.
儽儽兮若無所歸.
衆人皆有餘, 而我獨若遺.
我愚人之心也哉, 沌沌兮.
俗人昭昭.
我獨昏.
昏俗人察察.
我獨悶悶.
澹兮其若海.
飂兮若無止.
衆人皆有以.
而我獨頑似鄙.
我獨異於人,而貴食母.
- Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 20
wei chih yü a, hsiang ch'ü chi ho.
shan chih yü wu, hsiang ch'ü jo ho.
jên chih so wei, pu k'o pu wei.
huang hsi ch'i wei yang tsai.
chung jên hsi hsi.
ju hsiang ta lao.
ju ch'un têng t'ai.
wo tu p'o hsi ch'i wei chao, ju ying erh chih wei hai.
lei lei hsi jo wu so kuei.
chung jên chieh yu yü, erh wo tu jo yi.
wo yü jên chih hsin yeh tsai, t'un t'un hsi.
su jên chao chao.
wo tu hun.
hun su jên ch'a ch'a.
wo tu mên mên.
tan hsi ch'i jo hai.
liu hsi jo wu chih.
chung jên chieh yu yi.
erh wo tu wan ssu pi.
wo tu yi yü jên, erh kuei shih mu.
- Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 20
Audio Version in Chinese of Chapter 20 of the Tao Te Ching
wie zhi yu e, xiang qu ji he. shan zhi yu e, xiang qu ruo he. ren zhi suo wei, bu ke bu wei. huang xi qi wei yang zai. zhong ren xi xi. ru xiang tai lao. ru chun deng tai. wo du bo xi qi wei zhao, ru ying er zhi wei hai. lei lei xi ruo wu suo gui. zhong ren jie you yu, er wo du ruo yi. wo yu ren zhi xin ye zai, dun dun xi. su ren zhao zhao. wo du hun. hun su ren cha cha. wo du men men. zhong ren jie you yi. er wo du wan si bi. wo du yi yu ren, er gui si mu. - Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 20
Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters and English (includes a word by word key) from YellowBridge
Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters, Pinyin Romanization, English and German by Dr. Hilmar Alquiros.
Laozi Daodejing: Chapters with Chinese characters, seal script, detailed word by word concordance, Pinyin (tone#), German, French and English.
Chinese and English Dictionary, MDGB
Dao De Jing Wade-Giles Concordance by Nina, Dao is Open
Dao De Jing English and Wade-Giles Concordance by Mike Garofalo
Tao Te Ching in Pinyin Romanization with Chinese characters, WuWei Foundation
Tao Te Ching in Pinyin Romanization
Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters and English
Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters, English, Word by word analysis, Zhongwen
Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition
Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters: Big 5 Traditional and GB Simplified
Chinese Characters, Wade-Giles and Pinyin Romanizations, and 16 English Translations for Each Chapter of the Daodejing by Mike Garofalo.
Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters, Pinyin and Wade Giles Romanization spellings, English; a word for word translation of the Guodian Laozi Dao De Jing Version.
Lao Zi's Dao De Jing: A Matrix Translation with Chinese Text by Bradford Hatcher.
"Renounce knowledge and your problems will end.
What is the difference between yes and no?
What is the difference between good and evil?
Must you fear what others fear?
Nonsense, look how far you have missed the mark!
Other people are joyous,
as though they were at a spring festival.
I alone am unconcerned and expressionless,
like an infant before it has learned to smile.
Other people have more than they need;
I alone seem to possess nothing.
I am lost and drift about with no place to go.
I am like a fool, my mind is in chaos.
Ordinary people are bright;
I alone am dark.
Ordinary people are clever;
I alone am dull.
Ordinary people seem discriminating;
I alone am muddled and confused.
I drift on the waves on the ocean,
blown at the mercy of the wind.
Other people have their goals,
I alone am dull and uncouth.
I am different from ordinary people.
I nurse from the Great Mother's breasts."
- Translated by
John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 20
By Hu Xuzehi
Annotated translation by Victor Mair 
By Ha Poong Kim
By Hans-Georg Moeller Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices By Mike Garofalo
By Roger T. Ames and David T. Hall
By Arthur Waley
"Leave off fine
learning! End the nuisance
Of saying yes to this and perhaps to that,
Distinctions with how little difference!
Categorical this, categorical that,
What slightest use are they!
If one man leads, another must follow,
How silly that is and how false!
Yet conventional men lead an easy life
With all their days feast days,
A constant spring visit to the Tall Tower,
While I am a simpleton, a do-nothing,
Not big enough yet to raise a hand,
Not grown enough to smile,
A homeless, worthless waif.
Men of the world have a surplus of goods,
While I am left out, owning nothing.
What a booby I must be
Not to know my way round,
What a fool!
The average man is so crisp and so confident
That I ought to be miserable
Going on and on like the sea,
Drifting nowhere.
All these people are making their mark in the world,
While I, pig-headed, awkward,
Different from the rest,
Am only a glorious infant still nursing at the breast."
- Translated by
Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 20
"Without thinking, you cannot worry.
There is nothing good or bad.
You
can neither succeed nor fail.
The master may still think of good or bad,
but he is aware that it is a thought and simply watches it pass.
An
ordinary man thinks of good or bad and believes it.
This is the
difference between enlightenment and delusion.
Ordinary people try
different hobbies in the pursuit of happiness.
The master drifts around
doing nothing in particular, indifferent like a baby before it can
smile.
Ordinary people have an identity.
The master has none.
Therefore
he seems like an idiot.
Ordinary people try to shine outwardly through
their achievements.
The master's achievements are not known by others.
The intentions of ordinary people are evident.
The master has no
intentions.
Ordinary people know what to do.
The master doesn't.
He
drifts along like a cloud in the sky.
He is different from ordinary
people.
He is nourished by the Tao."
- Translated by
David Bullen, Chapter 20
"Between yea and nay, how much difference is there?
Between good and evil, how much difference is there?
What are feared by others, we must fear.
Vastly they are unlimited!
The people in general are happy as if enjoying a great feast.
Or, as going up a tower in spring.
I alone am tranquil, and have made no signs,
Like a baby who is yet unable to smile;
Forlorn as if I had no home to go to.
Others all have more than enough,
And I alone seem to be in want.
Possibly mine is the mind of a fool,
Which is so ignorant!
The vulgar are bright,
And I alone seem to be dull.
The vulgar are discriminative, and I alone seem blunt.
I am negligent as if being obscure;
Drifting, as if being attached to nothing.
The people in general all have something to do,
And I alone seem to be impractical and awkward.
I alone am different from others.
But I value seeking sustenance from the Mother."
- Translated by
Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904, Chapter 20
Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington © 2011-2021 CCA 4.0
Translation and elucidation by Hua Ching Ni
Translated by Brian Walker
Translated by Arthur Waley
Translated by Lionel and and Herbert Giles
By Eva Wong
"Eliminate (chüeh) learning so as to have no worries,
Yes and no, how far apart are they?
Good and evil, how far apart are they?
What the sages (jen) fear,
I must not not fear.
I am the wilderness (huang) before the dawn (wei yang).
The multitude (chung jen) are busy and active,
Like partaking of the sacrificial feast,
Like ascending the platform in spring;
I alone (tu) am bland (p'o),
As if I have not yet emerged (chao) into form.
Like an infant who has not yet smiled (hai),
Lost, like one who has nowhere to return (wu so kuei).
The multitudes (chung jen) all have too much (yu yü);
I alone (tu) am deficient (i).
My mind (hsin) is that of a fool (yü),
Nebulous.
Worldly people (su jen) are luminous (chao);
I alone (tu) am dark (hun).
Worldly people are clear-sighted (ch'a);
I alone (tu) am dull (men),
I am calm like the sea,
Like the high winds I never stop (chih).
The multitudes (chung jen) all have their use (i);
I alone (tu) am untamable like lowly material.
I alone (tu) am different from others.
For I treasure feeding on the Mother (mu)."
- Translated by
Ellen Marie Chen, 2000, Chapter 20
"If you give up learning, troubles end.
How much difference is there between yes and no?
And is there a difference between lovely and ugly?
If we can't stop fearing
those things people fear,
it's pure confusion, never-ending confusion.
People all radiate such joy,
happily offering a sacrificial ox
or climbing a tower in spring.
But I go nowhere and reveal nothing,
like a newborn child who has yet to smile,
aimless and worn out
as if the way home were lost.
People all have enough and more.
But I'm abandoned and destitute,
an absolute simpleton, this mind of mine so utterly
muddled and blank.
Others are bright and clear:
I'm dark and murky.
Others are confident and effective:
I'm pensive and withdrawn,
uneasy as boundless seas
or perennial mountain winds.
People all have a purpose in life,
but I'm inept, thoroughly useless and backward.
I'll never be like other people:
I keep to the nurturing mother."
- Translated by
David Hinton,
Chapter 20
"Scholarship abandoned, sorrow vanishes.
Yes and yea, are they not almost alike?
Goodness and evil, are they not akin?
Untrammeled and without limits ?yet that may not be lightly
esteemed which all men reverence.
The multitude are joyful and merry ?as though feasting on a day
of sacrifice, or ascending a high tower in spring.
I alone am
anchored without giving any sign ?like an infant, undeveloped.
My homeless heart wanders among the things of sense, as if it
had nowhere to stay.
The multitude have enough and to spare ?I alone am as one who
has lost something.
Have I then the mind of a fool? Am I so very confused?
Ordinary men are bright enough. I alone am dull.
Ordinary men are full of excitement. I alone am heavy-hearted.
Boundless as the sea, drifting to and fro, as if without a place
to rest.
All men have some purpose. I alone am thick-headed as a boor.
I am alone ?differing from others, in that I reverence and seek
the Nursing Mother."
- Translated by
C.
Spurgeon Medhurst, 1905, Chapter 20
Translated by Eva Wong 
Translated by Philip Ivahoe
By James Miller
Translated by Stephen Bokencamp
By Alexander and Annellen Simpkins
Translated by Thomas Cleary
By Livia Kohn
"On the Solitary Nature ...
Be done with rote learning
And its attendant vexations;
For is there distinction
Of a "yes" from a "yea"
Comparable now to the gulf
Between evil and good?
"What all men fear, I too must fear"-
How barren and pointless a thought!
The reveling of multitudes
At the feast of Great Sacrifice,
Or up on the terrace
At carnival in spring,
Leave me, alas, unmoved, alone,
Like a child that has never smiled.
Lazily, I drift
As though I had no home.
All others have enough to spare;
I am the one left out.
I have the mind of a fool,
Muddled and confused!
When common people scintillate
I alone make shadows.
Vulgar folks are sharp and knowing:
Only I am melancholy.
Restless like the ocean,
Blown about, I cannot stop.
Other men can find employment,
But I am stubborn; I am mean.
Alone I am and different,
Because I prize and seek
My sustenance from the Mother!"
- Translated by
Raymond Blakney, 1955, Chapter 20
"Abolish study and you will be free from care.
"What the distinction is between 'yea' and 'aye'", "what the difference
is between 'good' and 'evil'";
that "one should stand in awe of what
others stand in awe of"; - how vast (is the study of these things)!
There is no end to it!
But when all men are joyous as if celebrating the Great Sacrifice or
climbing the heights in spring, then I alone,
so passive, - giving no
sign, like an infant that has not yet smiles; - so forlorn,
like one
who has nowhere to turn! When all men have plenty, I alone am like one
who is left out.
I have indeed the heart of a fool, - so obtuse!
Let ordinary men be bright and intelligent, I alone am stupid and confused.
Let ordinary men be astute and far-sighted, I alone am dull and mope-eyed.
Wan like the waning moon; adrift like one who has nowhere to rest!
Let all men have a purpose, I alone am ignorant like a boor.
I alone am different from others because I prize feeding on "the Mother". "
- Translated by Jan J. L. Duyvendak, 1954, Chapter 20
"What is actually the difference between "yes" and "no"?
What is actually the difference between good and bad?
Must we fear what others fear?
The complexity is limitless!
In general, the people are happy, as if they were enjoying a royal feast,
Or as if they had climbed to the top of the tower on a spring day.
I alone am indifferent and quiet, I show no signs,
Like a baby who cannot smile yet,
Depressed as if I do not have a home to go back to.
All the others have more than enough,
And I alone, it seems, have a need to make up for what is missing.
Perhaps my thoughts are the thoughts of a fool,
Ignorant of knowledge, despised by everyone!
The vulgar person is bright,
I alone am so dull and toneless.
The vulgar person is clear,
I alone am so dull and opaque.
I am drifting, I am not anchored,
Swinging back and forth, I am not attached.
In general, everybody has something to do,
I alone am at a loose end, aimless.
I alone am different from the others,
But I value the quest for
Existence that comes from the big mother.
Good and bad, like "yes" and "no," are identical in the eyes of the omniscient sage.
But he is afraid of them, since they are infinite, and can therefore not be foreseen.
However, all told, he, the sage, is different from the people."
- Translated by
Chohan Chou-Wing, Chapter 20
Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with the Tao Te Ching
The Tao of Zen
Tao Te Ching: Zen Teachings on the Taoist Classic
Buddhism and Taoism Face to Face: Scripture, Ritual, and Iconographic Exchange in Medieval China
"By looking always on the reality of things, and
preserving the simple truth,
the people will become less selfish and have fewer
desires;
and by pursuing their researches into the Doctrine to the utmost limit,
they may avoid sorrow.
How small is the distance dividing a prompt
affirmative from a sycophantic acquiescence;
yet how great is that
between virtue and immorality!
I cannot but fear that which is feared by
others.
Their scholarship, how neglected is it!
It is still night
with them.
The world is joyful and merry as on a day of
sacrifice, or as those who mount a belvedere in spring-time.
I alone
prefer solitude and quiet, and seek not to pry into futurity.
I am like
an infant ere it has grown to be a child; listlessly I roam hither and
thither, as though I had no home to go to.
The multitude have abundance
and to spare; I alone am like one who has relinquished everything.
Have
I, therefore, the heart of a fool?
Confused and dim, while the vulgar
are apparently] enlightened; I alone am in the dark.
Tossed to and fro,
like the sea; roving without cessation.
The multitude have whereupon to
employ their energies; I alone am doltish as a clown.
But I alone
differ from all others in that I reverence my Nursing Mother."
- Translated by
Frederic Henry Balfour,
1884, Chapter 20
"Banish learning, no more grief.
Between Yes and No How much difference?
Between good and evil How much difference??
What others fear I must fear - How pointless!
People are wreathed in smiles
As if at a carnival banquet.
I alone am
passive, giving no sign,
Like an infant who has not yet smiles.
Forlorn
as if I had no home.
Others have enough and more, I alone am left out.
I have the mind of a fool,
Confused, confused.
Others are bright and intelligent, I alone and dull, dull,
Drifting on the ocean,
Blown about endlessly.
Others have plans,
I alone am wayward and stubborn,
I alone am different from others,
Like a baby in the womb."
- Translated by
Stephen Addis, 1993, Chapter 20
"Cease learning, no more worries
Respectful response and scornful response
How much is the difference?
Goodness and evil
How much do they differ?
What the people fear, I cannot be unafraid
So desolate! How limitless it is!
The people are excited
As if enjoying a great feast
As if climbing up to the terrace in spring
I alone am quiet and uninvolved
Like an infant not yet smiling
So weary, like having no place to return
The people all have surplus
While I alone seem lacking
I have the heart of a fool indeed so ignorant!
Ordinary people are bright
I alone am muddled
Ordinary people are scrutinizing
I alone am obtuse
Such tranquility, like the ocean
Such high wind, as if without limits
The people all have goals
And I alone am stubborn and lowly
I alone am different from them
And value the nourishing mother"
- Translated by
Derek Linn,
2006, Chapter 20
Further Teachings of Lao-Tzu: Understanding the Mysteries (Wen Tzu)
By Thomas Cleary
The Lunar Tao: Meditations in Harmony with the Seasons
By Lui I-Ming (1780) and translated by Thomas Cleary
Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices By Mike Garofalo
Zhuangzi: The Essential Writings with Selections from Traditional Commentaries
"Get rid of "learning" and there will
be no anxiety.
How much difference is there between "yes" and "no"?
How
far removed from each other are "good" and "evil"?
Yet what the people are in
awe of cannot be disregarded.
I am scattered, never having been in a
comfortable center.
All the people enjoy themselves, as if they are at the
festival of the great sacrifice,
Or climbing the Spring Platform.
I alone
remain, not yet having shown myself.
Like an infant who has not yet
laughed.
Weary, like one despairing of no home to return to.
All the
people enjoy extra
While I have left everything behind.
I am ignorant of
the minds of others.
So dull!
While average people are clear and bright, I
alone am obscure.
Average people know everything.
To me alone all seems
covered.
So flat!
Like the ocean.
Blowing around!
It seems there is
no place to rest.
Everybody has a goal in mind.
I alone am as ignorant as
a bumpkin.
I alone differ from people.
I enjoy being nourished by the
mother."
- Translated by
Charles Muller, 1891, Chapter 20
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"If we stop fussing about grammatical trivialities, we will get along
much better.
The difference between "Yes" and "ya" is insignificant as
compared with a genuine distinction like "Good" and "Bad".
Yet some people are as fearful of making a grammatical mistake as of
committing a vital error.
How stupid to waste our lives in infinite
details!
While others enjoy devoting themselves to ceremonious holiday
celebrations,
such as the spring festivals, I stay at home as
unperturbed as a helpless babe.
So while others are feasting, I appear neglected.
Am I the one who is a misguided fool?
When everyone else is exuberant, I continue to be disinterested.
When
everyone else is alert to the niceties of etiquette, I persist in being
indifferent.
I am as unconcerned as the rolling ocean, without a care to
bother me.
While others behave like busybodies, I alone remain placid and resist
arousement.
How can I withstand the pressure of public opinion?
Because I
am succored by Mother Nature herself."
- Translated by
Archie J. Bahm, 1958, Chapter 20
"Zwischen Gewiß und Jawohl:
was ist da für ein Unterschied?
Zwischen Gut und Böse:
was ist da für ein Unterschied?
Was die Menschen ehren, muß man ehren.
O Einsamkeit, wie lange dauerst Du?
Alle Menschen sind so strahlend,
als ginge es zum großen Opfer,
als stiegen sie im Frühling auf die Türme.
Nur ich bin so zögernd, mir ward noch kein Zeichen,
wie ein Säugling, der noch nicht lachen kann,
unruhig, umgetrieben als hätte ich keine Heimat.
Alle Menschen haben Überfluß;
nur ich bin wie vergessen.
Ich habe das Herz eines Toren, so wirr und dunkel.
Die Weltmenschen sind hell, ach so hell;
nur ich bin wie trübe.
Die Weltmenschen sind klug, ach so klug;
nur ich bin wie verschlossen in mir,
unruhig, ach, als wie das Meer,
wirbelnd, ach, ohne Unterlaß.
Alle Menschen haben, ihre Zwecke;
nur ich bin müßig wie ein Bettler.
Ich allein bin anders als die Menschen:
Doch ich halte es wert,
Nahrung zu suchen bei der Mutter."
- Translated by Richard Wilhelm, 1911, Chapter
20
"Die Unbekümmertheit des Weisen um dasUrteil der Masse
Gebt eure Scheinbildung auf,
so lösen sich alle Schwierigkeiten.
Wie klein ist doch der Unterschied
zwischen (dem herzhaften) Ja (eines Mannes)
und (dem lieblichen) Ja (eines Weibes)!
Wie bedingt ist doch das Urteil über gut und böse!
Wie töricht ist es doch, keine Ehrfurcht zu zeigen vor dem,
was anderen Ehrfurcht ein-flößt!
0 Einsamkeit, wann umfängst Du mich ganz ...?
Die Menschen lustwandeln so fröhlich,
als ob das Leben ein einziges Volksfest wäre,
als ob alle auf des Maien Höhen gingen.
Ich allein bin verlassen und weiß nicht, was ich tun soll.
Wie ein Kind bin ich, das noch nicht lächeln kann,
wie ein Flüchtling, der keine Heimat mehr hat.
Die andern haben die Fülle, ich habe nichts.
Ich bin voller Einfalt, wie ein Tor,-
es ist zum Verzweifeln!
Froh und vergnügt sind die andern,
gedrückt und traurig bin ich!
Umsichtig sind sie, voll munteren Strebens,
bei mir aber rührt sich nichts.
Unruhig, ach, wie die Wogen des Meeres, so walle ich dahin.
Mich wirbelt das Leben umher, als ob ich haltlos wäre.
Das Leben der anderen hat Sinn und Zweck,
das meine nur scheint unnütz und leer.
Ich allein bin anders als alle anderen;-
doch sei still, mein Herz:
Du lebst am Herzen der Weltenmutter."
- Translated
by Rudolf
Backofen, 1949, Chapter 20
"Stop thinking, and end your problems.
What difference between yes and no?
What difference between success and failure?
Must you value what others value,
avoid what others avoid?
How ridiculous!
Other people are excited,
as though they were at a parade.
I alone don't care,
I alone am expressionless,
like an infant before it can smile.
Other people have what they need;
I alone possess nothing.
I alone drift about,
like someone without a home.
I am like an idiot, my mind is so empty.
Other people are bright;
I alone am dark.
Other people are sharper;
I alone am dull.
Other people have a purpose;
I alone don't know.
I drift like a wave on the ocean,
I blow as aimless as the wind.
I am different from ordinary people.
I drink from the Great Mother's breasts."
- Translated by
Edwin Shaw, 1996, Chapter 20
Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington © 2011-2021 CCA 4.0
Tao Te Ching: An Illustrated Journey
Tao Te Ching
The Book of Tao: Tao Te Ching - The Tao and Its Characteristics
Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices
Taoism: Growth of a Religion
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tsu), Daoist Scripture: Bibliography, Links, Resources, Quotations, Notes
Zhuangzi: Basic Writings
Zhuangzi Speaks: The Music of Nature
Lifestyle Advice from Wise Persons
"Cease learning many things, we shall have peace;
Between the flattering "yea" and honest "yes,"
The difference is small, but the effect
World-wide, when good or evil we reject;
The evil that men fear not, no one fears,
And wastefulness without restraint appears.
The multitude of men look satisfied,
They feed at feasts, they mount on towers of pride,
And I alone seem timorous and still,
No signs of promise act upon my will,
A babe not yet matured, sad and forlorn,
Without a home, to desolation born.
The multitude of men have goods to spare,
Tis only I who wander everywhere
Bereft of all, with dull and stupid gaze,
Myself a chaos and my mind a maze.
The multitude of common men are bright,
And critical and keen, and full of light,
While I alone confused appear to be,
Drifting about on some dark, lonely sea;
The multitude on doing things are bent,
While I alone appear incompetent,
A rustic rude, I differ from all others,
But oh! the food I prize and seek
is Our Eternal Mother's."
- Translated by
Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 20
"Discard relentless learning, and put an end to the anxiety in your harried mind.
What is the difference between yes and no?
What is the distinction between success and failure?
Must the sage fear what all others fear?
How preposterous, these questions can be asked for as long as one seeks enlightenment.
It is to the sage's advantage that he need not fear what others fear.
But it is to the advantage of most that they can enjoy the feast,
and celebrate in the terraced parks in the springtime.
I alone seem tranquil and still amidst the smiling revelers.
I am as expressionless as an infant before it learns to smile.
I do not know the minds of other people,
My mind is that of a fool, muddied and cloudy.
I am alone, with no true home.
Other people have enough and to spare,
I alone seem to have lost everything.
Other people enjoy all they need and more,
I alone have left everything behind.
Other people appear bright;
I alone seem wrapped in darkness.
Other people seem razor-sharp;
I alone am dull.
Other people are lucid,
I alone am obscure.
Everyone seems to know everything,
I alone have no knowledge.
I am like a wave on the ocean;
blowing as aimlessly as the wind, with no place to rest.
Others have purpose, taste and a sphere of action:
I alone am purposeless, unrefined and uncentered.
I do not share the fears of the people,
For creation nourishes me."
- Translated by
Rivenrock, Chapter 20
"Give up learning, and you will be free from all your worries.
What is
the difference between yes and no about which the rhetoricians have so
much to say?
What is the difference between good and evil on which the
critics never agree?
These are futilities that prevent the mind from
being free.
Now freedom of mind is necessary to enter into relation with
the Principle.
Without doubt, among the things which common people fear, there are
things that should be feared; but not as they do, with a mind so
troubled that they lose their mental equilibrium.
Neither should one permit oneself to lose equilibrium through pleasure,
as happens to those who have a good meal or view the surrounding
countryside in spring from the top of a tower with the accompaniment of
wine, etc.).
I, the Sage, seem to be colourless and undefined; neutral
as a new-born child that has not yet experienced any emotion; without
design or aim.
The common people abound in varied knowledge, but I am poor having
rid myself of all uselessness and seem ignorant, so much have I
purified myself.
They seem full of light, I seem dull.
They seek and scrutinize, I remain
concentrated in myself.
Indeterminate, like the immensity of the
oceans, I float without stopping.
They are full of talent, whereas I seem limited and uncultured.
I differ
thus from the common people, because I venerate and imitate the
universal nourishing mother, the Principle."
- Translated by
Derek Bryce, 1999, Chapter 20
"Renoncez à l'étude, et vous serez exempt de chagrins.
Combien est petite la différence de weï un oui bref et de o
un oui lent!
Combien est grande la différence du bien et du mal!
Ce que les hommes craignent, on ne peut s'empêcher de le craindre.
Ils s'abandonnent au désordre et ne s'arrêtent jamais.
Les hommes de la multitude sont exaltés de joie comme celui qui se repaît de
mets succulents,
comme celui qui est monté, au printemps, sur une tour élevée.
Moi seul je suis calme: mes affections n'ont pas encore germé.
Je ressemble à un nouveau-né qui n'a pas encore souri à sa mère.
Je suis détaché de tout, on dirait que je ne sais où aller.
Les hommes de la multitude ont du superflu; moi seul je suis comme une homme qui
a perdu tout.
Je suis un homme d'un esprit borné, je suis dépourvu de connaissances.
Les hommes de la multitude sont remplis de lumières; moi seul je suis comme
plongé dans les ténèbres.
Les hommes du monde sont doués de pénétration; mois seul j'ai l'esprit trouble
et confus.
Je suis vague comme la mer; je flotte comme si je ne savais où m'arrêter.
Les hommes de la multitude ont tous de la capacité; moi seul je suis stupide; je
ressemble à un homme rustique.
Mois seul je diffère des autres hommes parce que je révère la mère qui nourrit
tous les êtres."
- Translated by Stanislas Julien, 1842, Chapter
20
Spanish
Language Versions of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing)
Tao Te Ching en Español
Lao Tsé. Tao Te Ching
Tao Te Ching Translated by Stephen Mitchell, Spanish version
Tao Te Ching Translated into Spanish by Father Carmelo Elorduy
Lao Tzu-The Eternal Tao Te Ching
Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices By Mike Garofalo
Tao Te Ching - Translations into the Spanish Language
Tao Te Ching
Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching
Tao te king
Spanish Language Translations of the Tao Te Ching
"Suprime el estudio y no habrá preocupaciones.
¿Qué diferencia hay entre el sí y el no?
¿Qué diferencia hay entre el bien y el mal?
No es posible dejar de temer
lo que los hombres temen.
No es posible abarcar todo el saber.
Todo el mundo se enardece y disfruta,
como cuando se presencia un gran sacrificio,
o como cuando se sube a una torre en primavera.
Sólo yo quedo impasible,
como el recién nacido que aún no sabe sonreír.
Como quien no sabe adónde dirigirse,
como quien no tiene hogar.
Todo el mundo vive en la abundancia,
sólo yo parezco desprovisto.
Mi espíritu está turbado
como el de un ignorante.
Todo el mundo está esclarecido,
sólo yo estoy en tinieblas.
Todo el mundo resulta penetrante,
sólo yo soy torpe.
Como quien deriva en alta mar.
Todo el mundo tiene algo que hacer,
sólo yo soy un inútil.
Sólo yo soy diferente a todos los demás
porque aprecio a la Madre que me nutre."
- Spanish Version Online at
RatMachines, Capítulo 20
"No conozco nada y nada me preocupa.
No veo diferencia entre sí y no.
No veo diferencia entre bien y mal.
No temo aquello que la gente teme en la noche.
La gente está feliz como en una fiesta suntuosa
O jugando en el campo en primavera;
Pero yo permanezco tranquilo y vagabundeando,
Como un recién nacido antes de aprender a sonreir,
Solitario, sin hogar.
La gente tiene lo suficiente y para compartir,
Pero yo no poseo nada,
Y mi corazón es ignorante,
turbio y ensombrecido.
La gente está rediante y segura,
Mientras yo sigo ciego y confuso;
La gente es inteligente y sabia,
Mientras permanezco torpe e ignorante,
Sin objetivo, como una ola en la superficie del mar,
Sujeto a nada.
La gente está ocupada con un propósito,
Mientras sigo impractico y tosco.
Estoy aparte del resto de la gente
Todavía sostenido por la Naturaleza."
- Translated by
Antonio Rivas Gonzálvez, 1998, Tao Te Ching, Capítulo # 20
"Abandona el estudio y no tendrás angustias.
Entre "wai"
y "a"
¿qué diferencia existe?
Entre bien y mal.
¿qué diferencia existe?
Lo que los hombres temen, ¿de veras es temible?
Esto es como un desierto sin
límites, la gente del mundo está de fiesta.
Como en los días de los grandes
sacrificios, o cuando en primavera se asoman a las terrazas.
Yo sólo estoy
tranquilo, sin tareas que cumplir, como chiquillo que no sonríe todavía;
Siempre desamparado, como quien no tiene hogar.
La gente de¡ mundo tiene de
sobra, aun para guardar.
Yo sólo soy pobre.
Tengo la mente de un loco, estoy
confundido, oscurecido.
La gente vulgar es clara y brillante.
Yo sólo soy como
una sombra.
Ellos son agudos, seguros de sí mismos.
Yo estoy decaído, me muevo
como se mueve el océano, voy a la deriva, sin rumbo.
La gente del mundo tiene
un propósito que cumplir.
Yo sólo soy torpe, estoy fuera de ambiente.
Soy
diferente de todos los demás.
Yo me nutro del seno de la madre."
- Translation from
Logia Medio Dia, 2015,
Capítulo 20
"Eliminando el aprendizaje no habrá desgracia.
Entre consentir y rechazar, qué distancia hay?
Entre lo bueno y lo malo, qué distancia hay?
Todo lo que los hombres temen
No es conveniente no temer.
Ah! Esta tierra salvaje, aún sin agotarse!
Todo el mundo está contento
Como ofrendando buey, carnero y cerdo en sacrificio,
Como subiendo a las terrazas en primavera.
Sólo yo estoy quieto,
Como quien aún no ha comenzado,
Como un recién nacido que aún no sabe reír.
Abatido, como alguien que no tiene adónde regresar.
Todo el mundo tiene más que suficiente,
Sólo yo parezco quedar atrás.
Mi mente es como la de un tonto,
Tan confusa y caótica!
La gente vulgar es clara.
Sólo yo soy oscuro.
La gente vulgar es meticulosa y puede discernir.
Sólo yo estoy aturdido y embotado.
Imperturbable, como el mar.
Como un viento huracanado que no cesa.
Todo el mundo tiene un propósito.
Sólo yo soy tonto e ignorante, además de rústico.
Sólo yo soy extraño entre los hombres
Porque aprecio el ser alimentado por la madre."
- Translated
by Álex Ferrara,
2003, Capítulo # 20
"Suprime el adoctrinamiento y no habrá preocupaciones.
¿Qué diferencia hay entre el sí y el no?
¿Qué diferencia hay entre el bien y el mal?
¡El dicho “lo que otros evitan, yo también deberé evitar”
cuán falso y superficial es!
No es posible abarcar todo el saber.
Todo el mundo se distrae y disfruta,
como cuando se presencia un gran sacrificio,
o como cuando se sube a los jardines de una torre en primavera.
Sólo yo doy cabida a la duda,
no copiando lo que otros hacen,
como un recién nacido que aún no sabe sonreír.
Como quien no sabe a dónde dirigirse,
como quien no tiene hogar.
Todo el mundo vive en la abundancia,
sólo yo parezco desprovisto.
Consideran mi mente como la de un loco
por sentir umbrías confusiones y críticas.
Todo el mundo brilla porque solo las luces buscan,
sólo yo me atrevo a transitar por las tinieblas.
Todo el mundo se conforma con su felicidad,
sólo yo me adentro en mi depresión.
Soy como quien deriva en alta mar,
voy contra la corriente sin un rumbo predestinado.
Todo el mundo es puesto en algún uso;
sólo yo soy un ermitaño intratable y aburrido.
Sólo yo soy diferente a todos los demás
porque aprecio a la Madre Naturaleza que me nutre."
- Translation from
Wikisource, 2013, Capítulo 20
Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington © 2011-2021 CCA 4.0
Next Chapter of the Tao Te Ching #21
Previous Chapter of the Tao Te Ching #19
Chapter and Thematic Index to the Tao Te Ching
Tao Te Ching
Commentary, Interpretations, Research Tools, Resources
Chapter 20
Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse. Complete versions of all 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching by many different translators in many languages: 124 English, 24 German, 14 Russian, 7 Spanish, 5 French and many other languages. Links are organized first by languages, and then alphabetically by translators. Formatting varies somewhat. The original website at Onekellotus went offline in 2012; but, the extensive collection of these Tao Te Ching versions was saved for posterity by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine and available as of 9/9/2015. This is an outstanding original collection of versions of the Daodejing─ the Best on the Internet. Caution: copyright infringement may sometimes be an issue at this website.
Tao Te Ching, Translations into English: Terebess Asia Online (TAO). 124
nicely formatted complete English language translations, on separate webpages, of the Daodejing.
Alphabetical index by translators. Each webpage has all 81 chapters of the Tao Te
Ching translated into English. A useful collection! Many
reformatted and colored versions from the original collection at
Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse. Caution: copyright infringement may
sometimes be an
issue at this website.
Lao Tzu: Te-Tao Ching - A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered Ma-wang-tui
Texts (Classics of Ancient China)
Daodejing by Laozi: Chapters with Chinese characters, seal script,
detailed word by word concordance, Pinyin (tone#), German, French and English.
This is an outstanding resource for serious students of the Tao Te Ching.
Tao Te
Ching: A New Translation and Commentary. By Ellen Chen. Paragon
House, 1998. Detailed glossary, index, bibliography, notes, 274 pages.
The Tao
and Method: A Reasoned Approach to the Tao Te Ching. By Michael
Lafargue. New York, SUNY Press, 1994. 640 pages. Detailed
index, bibliography, notes, and tables. An essential research tool.
Two Visions of the Way: A Study of the Wang Pi and the Ho-Shang Kung Commentaries on the Lao-Tzu.
By Professor by Alan Kam-Leung Chan. SUNY Series in Chinese
Philosophy and Culture. State University of New York Press, 1991.
Index, bibliography, glossary, notes, 314 pages.
ISBN: 0791404560.
Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition
Chinese Reading of the Daodejing
Wang Bi's Commentary on the Laozi with Critical Text and Translation.
By Professor Rudolf G. Wagner. A SUNY Series in Chinese Philosophy and
Culture. English and Mandarin Chinese Edition.
State University of New York Press; Bilingual edition (October 2003). 540
pages. ISBN: 978-0791451823.
Wang Bi (Wang Pi, Fusi), 226-249 CE,
Commentary on the Tao Te
Ching.
Tao Te Ching
The Taoism Reader
Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao
The Tao of Being: A Think and Do Workbook
The Lunar Tao: Meditations in Harmony with the Seasons
The Classic of the Way and Virtue: A New Translation of the Tao-te Ching of Laozi as Interpreted by Wang Bi.
Translated by Richard John Lynn. Translations from the Asian Classics
Series. New York, Columbia University Press, 1999. Extensive index,
glossaries, notes, 244 pages.
Tao Te Ching in Chinese characters,
Pinyin Romanization, English and German by Dr. Hilmar
Alquiros.
Stoicism and Hellenistic
Philosophy
How to Live a Good Life:
Advice from Wise Persons
One Old Philosopher's
Notebooks Research, Reading, and Reflections by Mike Garofalo.
Yellow Bridge
Dao De Jing Comparison Table Provides side by side comparisons of
translations of the Tao Te Ching by James Legge, D. T. Suzuki, and Dwight
Goddard. Chinese characters for each paragraph in the Chapter are on the
left; place your cursor over the Chinese characters to see the Pinyin
Romanization of the Chinese character and a list of meanings.
Translators Index,
Tao Te Ching Versions in English, Translators Sorted Alphabetically by Translator, Links to Books and
Online Versions of the Chapters
Taoism and the Tao Te
Ching: Bibliography, Resources, Links
Spanish Language
Translations of the Tao Te Ching, Daodejing en Español, Translators Index
The Tao of Zen
Chapter 41 in the
Rambling
Taoist Commentaries by Trey Smith. The
Rambling Taoists are Trey Smith and Scott Bradley.
By Hans-Georg Moeller. Columbia University Press, 2006, 176 pages.
Valley Spirit, Gu Shen,
Concept, Chapter 6
Valley Spirit Center in Red
Bluff, California.
Sacred
Circle in the Gushen Grove.
Lao-tzu's Taoteching
Reading Lao Tzu: A Companion to the Tao Te Ching with a New Translation
Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation
Thematic Index to the
81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching
Lieh-Tzu: A Taoist Guide to Practical Living
Revealing the Tao Te Ching: In-depth Commentaries on an Ancient Classic
Cloud Hands Blog
Mike Garofalo writes about Mind-Body Arts, Philosophy, Taoism, Gardening, Taijiquan, Walking, Mysticism,
Qigong, and the Eight Ways.
The Whole Heart of Tao:
The Complete Teachings From the Oral Tradition of Lao Tzu.
Gushen Grove Notebooks for the Tao Te Ching
Green Way Research, Valley Spirit
Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Red Bluff, California
Green Way Research, 2011-2021.
Indexed and Compiled by
Michael P. Garofalo
This webpage was last edited, improved, revised, modified or updated on
September 12, 2020.
This webpage was first distributed online on February 5, 2011.
Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington © 2011-2021 CCA 4.0
Brief Biography of Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.
Valley Spirit Center, Red Bluff, California
Study Chi Kung or Tai Chi with Mike Garofalo
Ripening Peaches: Daoist Studies and Practices
Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu, Zhuang Zhou, Master Chuang) 369—286 BCE
Taoist Perspectives: My Reading List
Bodymind Theory and Practices, Somaesthetics
How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons
Pleasures, Satisfaction, Desires
Qigong (Chi Kung) Health Practices
One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey: Notebooks of the Librarian of Gushen Grove
Index to Cloud Hands and Valley Spirit Websites
Index to English Language Translators of the Tao Te Ching
Recurring Themes (Terms, Concepts, Leimotifs) in the Tao Te Ching
Spanish Language Translations of the Tao Te Ching
The Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) circa 500 BCE
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