Cloud Hands: Dao De Jing 45 Tao Te Ching

Thursday, October 05, 2023

Dao De Jing 45 Tao Te Ching

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Chapter 45

"What is most perfect seems imperfect,
But using it doesn't use it up.
What is most full seems empty,
But using it doesn't wear it down.
Great straightness seems crooked;
Great skill seems clumsy;
Great eloquence seems hesitant.
Movement conquers cold,
But stillness conquers heat.
Clearness and serenity
Are beneath-heaven's norm."
- Translated by Herrymon Maurer, 1985, Chapter 45

"Sit quietly
focus and forget
rest with the great achievement.
The ancient child asks
"what is the great achievement?"
It is beyond description in any language
it can only be felt intuitively
it can only be expressed intuitively.
Engage a loose, alert, and aware
body, mind, and sound
then look into the formless
and perceive no thing.
See yourself as a sphere
small at first
growing to encompass
the vastness of infinite space.
Sit quietly
focus and forget then
in a state of ease and rest
secure the truth of the great achievement.
Employing the truth will not exhaust its power
when it seems exhausted it is really abundant
and while human art will die at the hands of utility
the great achievement is beyond being useful.
Great straightness is curved and crooked
great intelligence is raw and silly
great words are simple and naturally awkward.
Engaged movement drives out the frozen cold
mindful stillness subdues the frenzied heart.
Sit quietly
focusing
forgetting
summon order from the void
that guides the ordering of the universe."
- Translated by John Bright-Fey, 2006, Chapter 45

"The greatest perfection seems inadequate,
But it is unfailing in its usefulness;
What is brimful seems empty,
But it is inexhaustible in its usefulness.
The completely straight seems crooked, the greatest skill seems awkward,
The greatest eloquence seems like stammering.
Activity overcomes cold,
But stillness overcomes heat.
Only by purity and stillness will the world be governed."
- Translated by Herman Ould, 1946, Chapter 45

"Esteem lightly your greatest accomplishment, your patience will not fail.
Reckon your great fullness to be emptiness, your strength will not become exhausted.
Count your rectitude as foolishness,
Know your cleverness to be stupidity,
Recognize your eloquence to be stammering words,
And you will find that
As movement overcomes cold, and as stillness overcomes heat, even so, he who knows the true secret of tranquility
Will become a pattern for all mankind."
- Translated by Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 45

大成若缺.
其用不弊.
大盈若沖.
其用不窮.
大直若屈.
大巧若拙.
大辯若訥.
躁勝寒.
靜勝熱.
清靜為天下正.
- Chinese characters, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 45

ta ch'êng jo ch'üeh.
ch'i yung pu pi.
ta ying jo ch'ung.
ch'i yung pu ch'iung.
ta chih jo ch'u.
ta ch'iao jo cho.
ta pien jo no.
tsao shêng han.
ching shêng jê.
ch'ing ching wei t'ien hsia chêng.
- Wade-Giles Romanization, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 45

"The highest perfection is like imperfection,
And its use is never impaired.
The greatest abundance seems meager,
And its use will never fail.
What s most straight appears devious,
The greatest skill appears clumsiness;
The greatest eloquence seems like stuttering.
Movement overcomes cold,
But keeping still overcomes heat.
Who is calm and quiet becomes the guide for the universe."
- Translated by Lin Yutang, 1955, Chapter 45

"La Gran Perfección parece insuficiente,
pero surte un efecto infinitamente eficaz.
La Gran Plenitud es de apariencia vacía,
pero su acción es inagotable.
La Gran Rectitud es en apariencia torcida.
La Gran Habilidad es en apariencia torpe.
La Gran Elocuencia es en apariencia incongruente.
El movimiento vence al frío.
La quietud vence al calor.
Lo pacífico y sereno son las cosas que restauran
el orden del Universo."
- Translation from Wikisource, 2013, Capitulo 45

"He who sees that his highest attainments are always incomplete may go on working indefinitely.
He who sees his greatest possessions to be inadequate may go on acquiring forever.
His highest rectitude is but crookedness.
His greatest wisdom is but foolishness.
His sweetest eloquence is but stammering.
Action overcomes cold; inaction overcomes heat.
With virtue and quietness one may conquer the world."
- Translated by Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 45

A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses, Sections) of the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) includes over 25 different English language translations or interpolations for that Chapter, 5 Spanish language translations for that Chapter, the Chinese characters for that Chapter, the Wade-Giles and Hanyu Pinyin transliterations (Romanization) of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter. Each webpage includes a Google Translate option menu for reading the entire webpage in many other languages. Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching [246 CE Wang Bi version] includes extensive indexing by key words, phrases, and terms (concordance) for that Chapter in English, Spanish, and the Wade-Giles Romanization. Each webpage on a Chapter of the Daodejing includes recommended reading in books and websites, a detailed bibliography, some commentary, links, research leads, translator sources, and other resources for that Chapter.

A Top Tier online free resource for English and Spanish readers, researchers, Daoist devotees, scholars, students, fans and fellow travelers on the Way.