Dao De Jing, Laozi, Chapter 39

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 39


"These are they which from of Old have obtained Unity.
Heaven obtained Unity by purity;
he earth obtained Unity by repose;
Spiritual beings obtained Unity by lack of bodily form;
The valleys obtained Unity by fulness;
All beings obtained Unity by life;
Princes and people obtained Unity by being under the rule of Heaven.
These all obtained permanence by Unity.
The innermost of Heaven is purity, if not so, it would be obscured;
The innermost of Earth is repose, it not so, it would disintegrate;
The innermost of spiritual beings is lack of bodily form, if not so, they would die;
The innermost of valleys is fulness of water, if not so, they would be sterile;
The innermost of creatures is life, if not so, they would perish.
The high honour of prince and people is in their being together under the rule of Inner Life, if not so, they would soon lose harmony,
The root of honour is in humility,
The standpoint of high estate is in lowliness.
That is why prince and people call themselves orphans, solitary men, chariots without wheels.
The active principle of their Unity is in lowliness.
Who can deny this?
If you take a chariot to pieces, you have no chariot (it has lost its Unity).
Do not desire to be isolated as a single gem, nor to be lost in a crowd as pebbles on the beach."
-  Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 39


"The things which from of old have got the One, the Tao, are: 
Heaven which by it is bright and pure;
Earth rendered thereby firm and sure;
Spirits with powers by it supplied;
Valleys kept full throughout their void
All creatures which through it do live
Princes and kings who from it get
The model which to all they give.
All these are the results of the One, the Tao.  
If heaven were not thus pure, it soon would rend;
If earth were not thus sure, it would break and bend;
Without these powers, the spirits soon would fail;
If not so filled, the drought would parch each vale;
Without that life, creatures would pass away;
Princes and kings, without that moral sway,
However grand and high, would all decay.
Thus it is that dignity finds its firm root in its previous meanness, and what is lofty finds its stability in the lowness from which it rises. 
Hence princes and kings call themselves 'Orphans,' 'Men of small virtue,' and as 'Carriages without a nave.'
Is not this an acknowledgment that in their considering themselves mean they see the foundation of their dignity?
So it is that in the enumeration of the different parts of a carriage we do not come on what makes it answer the ends of a carriage.
They do not wish to show themselves as elegant-looking as jade, but prefer to be coarse-looking as an ordinary stone."
-   Translated by James Legge, 1891, Chapter 39 


"Of old, these attained the One: Heaven attaining the One Became clear.
Earth attaining the One Became stable.
Spirits attaining the One Became sacred.
Valleys attaining the One Became bountiful.
Myriad beings attaining the One Became fertile.
Lords and kings attaining the One Purified the world.
If Heaven were not clear, It might split.
If Earth were not stable, It might erupt.
If spirits were not sacred, They might fade.
If valleys were not bountiful, They might wither.
If myriad beings were not fertile, They might perish.
If rulers and lords were not noble, They might stumble.
Therefore, Noble has humble as its root, High has low as its foundation.
Rulers and lords call themselves Poor and lonely orphans.
Isn't this using humility as a root?
They use many carriages, But have no carriage;.
They do not desire to glisten like jade, But drop like a stone."
-  Translated by Stephen Addis, 1993, Chapter 39  


"The wholeness of life has, from of old, been made manifest in its parts:
Clarity has been made manifest in heaven,
Firmness in earth,
Purity in the spirit,
In the valley conception,
In the river procreation;
And so in a leader ate the people made manifest
For wholeness of use.
But for clarity heaven would be veiled,
But for firmness earth would have crumbled,
But for purity spirit would have fumbled,
But for conception the valley would have failed,
But for procreation the river have run dry;
So, save for the people, a leader shall die:
Always the low carry the high
On a root for growing by.
What can stand lofty with no low foundation?
No wonder leaders of a land profess
Their stature and their station
To be servitude and lowliness!
If rim and spoke and hub were not,
Where would be the chariot?
Who will prefer the jingle of jade pendants if
He once has heard stone growing in a cliff!"
-  Translated by Witter Bynner, 1944, Chapter 39 



昔之得一者.
天得一以清.
地得一以寧.
神得一以靈.
谷得一以盈.
萬物得一以生.
侯王得一以為天下貞. 
其致之. 
天無以清 將恐裂.
地無以寧 將恐發.
神無以靈 將恐歇.
谷無以盈 將恐竭. 
萬物無以生將恐滅.
侯王無以貴高將恐蹶. 
故貴以賤為本.
高以下為基. 
是以侯王自稱孤寡不穀. 
此非以賤為本耶非乎.
故致數譽無譽. 
不欲琭琭如玉.
珞珞如石. 
-  Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 39 


xi zhi de yi zhe.   
tian de yi yi qing.   
di de yi yi ning.   
shen de yi yi ling.
gu de yi yi ying.   
wan wu de yi yi sheng.   
hou wang de yi yi wei tian xia zhen. 
qi zhi zhi.
tian wu yi qing jiang kong lie.   
di wu yi ning jiang kong fa.   
shen wu yi ling jiang kong xie.   
gu wu yi ying jiang kong jie.   
wan wu wu yi sheng jiang kong mie.   
hou wang wu yi gui gao jiang kong jue. 
gu gui yi jian wei ben.   
gao yi xia wei ji.  
shi yi hou wang zi wei gu gua bu gu. 
ci fei yi jian wei ben ye fei hu? 
gu zhi shu yu wu yu. 
bu yu lu lu ru yu.   
luo luo ru shi.
-   Pinyin Romanization, Daodejing, Chapter 39  



"The masters of old attained unity with the Tao.
Heaven attained unity and became pure.
The earth attained unity and found peace.
The spirits attained unity so they could minister.
The valleys attained unity that they might be full.
Humanity attained unity that they might flourish.
Their leaders attained unity that they might set the example.
This is the power of unity.

Without unity, the sky becomes filthy.
Without unity, the earth becomes unstable.
Without unity, the spirits become unresponsive and disappear.
Without unity, the valleys become dry as a desert.
Without unity, human kind can't reproduce and becomes extinct.
Without unity, our leaders become corrupt and fall.

The great view the small as their source,
and the high takes the low as their foundation.
Their greatest asset becomes their humility.
They speak of themselves as orphans and widows,
thus they truly seek humility.
Do not shine like the precious gem,
but be as dull as a common stone."
-  Translated by John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 39  


"In harmony with the Tao,
the sky is clear and spacious,
the earth is solid and full,
all creature flourish together,
content with the way they are,
endlessly repeating themselves,
endlessly renewed.

When man interferes with the Tao,
the sky becomes filthy,
the earth becomes depleted,
the equilibrium crumbles,
creatures become extinct.

The Master views the parts with compassion,
because he understands the whole.
His constant practice is humility.
He doesn't glitter like a jewel
but lets himself be shaped by the Tao,
as rugged and common as stone."
-   Translated by Stephen Mitchell, Chapter 39 


"Desde antiguo, los seres que han alcanzado el Uno son:
El cielo por el Uno tuvo la claridad;
La tierra por el Uno tuvo la estabilidad;
El Espíritu por el Uno tuvo la actividad;
El Valle por el Uno tuvo la plenitud.
Por el Uno, todos los seres entraron en la existencia:
Si el cielo no fuese puro, podría desgarrarse.
Si la tierra no fuese estable, podría derrumbarse:
Si el Espíritu no fuese activo, dejaría de existir;
Si el Valle no fuese pleno, se consumiría. 
Sin la potencia creadora de vida, los seres se extinguirían. 
Se reyes y príncipes no fueran gobernantes podrían ser depuestos. 
El noble debe formarse en términos del humilde. 
El de alta posición debe considerar al inferíor como su fundamento. 
Por tanto, reyes y príncipes se llaman a sí mismos (el ignorante, el injusto, el indigno). 
No significa esto que toman al humilde como su origen?"
-  Translated from Chinese into English by Ch'u Ta-Kao, Translated from English into Spanish by Caridad Diaz Faes, Capitulo 39  

"There were those in ancient times possessed of the One;
Through possession of the One, the Heaven was clarified,
Through possession of the One, The Earth was stabilized,
Through possession of the One, the gods were spiritualized,
Through possession of the One, the valleys were made full,
Through possession of the One, all things lived and grew,
Through possession of the One, the princes and dukes
   became the ennobled of the people.
   - that was how each became so.

Without clarity, the Heavens would shake,
Without stability, the Earth would quake,
Without spiritual power, the gods would crumble,
Without being filled, the valleys would crack,
Without the life-giving power, all things would perish,
Without the ennobling power, the princes and dukes would stumble.
therefore the nobility depend upon the common man for support,
And the exalted ones depend upon the lowly for their base.

That is why the princes and dukes call themselves
   "the orphaned," "the lonely one," "the unworthy."
Is is not true then that they depend upon the common man for support?
Truly, take down the parts of a chariot,
   And there is no chariot (left).
Rather than jingle like the jade,
   Rumble like the rocks."
-  Translated by Lin Yutang, 1955, Chapter 39   

Chapter 39 of the Tao Te Ching

Chapter and Thematic Index (Concordance) to the Tao Te Ching

English Language Translators' Index

Ripening Peaches: Taoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: A Selected Reading List

 A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo on a Chapter of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes at least 16 different translations or interpolations of the Chapter in English, two Spanish translations, the Chinese characters for the Chapter, a Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin Romanization of the Mandarin Chinese words for the Chapter, recommended reading lists, a detailed bibliography, indexing by key words and terms for the Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization, and other resources for the Chapter.