Daodejing, Chapter 80

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Chapter 80


"You want a small state with a minimal population.
Have ready to hand weaponry for a sufficient number of military units
Yet have no recourse to use them.
Make sure that the common people take dying seriously
So that they have no taste for venturing far from home.
Though you have ships and chariots enough
Have no reason to man them;
Though you have armor and weapons enough
Have no reason to parade them.
Bring the common people back to keeping their records with knotted stong,
To relishing their food,
To finding beauty in their garments,
To enjoying their customs,
An to finding security in their homes.
Although your neighboring states are within eyesight
And the sounds of their dogs and cocks are within earshot,
Your people will grow old and die without having anything to do with them."
-  Translated by Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall, 2003, Chapter 80

"The wise person reduces the importance of governments
And simplifies the modes of living,
So that people use fewer tools and wares
And treasure simplicity in their lives,
So that, though there are vehicles,
People do not take them.
And, though there are weapons,
People do not carry them.
And, though there are records,
Tying knots will serve the record-keeping purpose.
Thus, the highest political achievement is one
In which people savor their food,
Like the beauty of their clothes,
Appreciate their safe and peaceful homes,
Enjoy their social customs;
And in which roosters and dogs
Can be heard between countries;
But people, all their lives,
Have no need to go across the borders."
-  Translated by Liu Qixuan, Chapter 80   

"A small state with few people.
Let the implements (ch'ih) for ten and hundred men be unused,
Let the people fear death such that they do not move far away.
Although there are boats and carriages,
There are no places to ride them to.
Although there are weapons and armours,
There are no occasions to display them.
Let the people again tie ropes and use them (as memory aids).
Let them enjoy their food,
Consider their clothing beautiful,
Be contented with their dwellings,
And happy with their customs.
The neighbouring states overlooking one another,
The dogs' barkings and cocks' crowings are heard from other states,
Yet till they are old and dying the people do not visit one another."
-  Translated by Ellen M. Chen, Chapter 80 


小國寡民.
使有什伯之器而不用.
使民重死而不遠徙.
雖有舟輿無所乘之.
雖有甲兵無所陳之. 
使民復結繩而用之.
甘其食.
美其服安其居.
樂其俗. 
鄰國相望.
雞犬之聲相聞.
民至老死不相往來. 
-  Chinese characters, Chapter 80, Tao Te Ching


hsiao kuo kua min.
shih yu shih po chih ch'i erh pu yung.
shih min chung ssu erh pu yüan hsi.
sui yu chou yü wu so ch'êng chih.
sui yu chia ping wu so ch'ên chih.
shih jên fu chieh shêng erh yung chih.
kan ch'i shih.
mei ch'i fu an ch'i chü. 
lo ch'i su.
lin kuo hsiang wang.
chi ch'üan chih shêng hsiang wên.
min chih lao ssu pu hsiang wang lai.
-  Wade-Giles Romanization, Chapter 80, Tao Te Ching


"The ideal state is a small intimate community.
Where all the necessities of life are present in abundance.
There everyone is satisfied to live and die without looking around for greener pastures.
Even if they have cats or boats, they do not use them for traveling abroad.
Even if they have police and fortifications, these are never put to use.
Business transactions are simple enough to be calculated on one's fingers rather than requiring complicated bookkeeping.
The people are satisfied with their food,
Contented with their clothing,
Comfortable in their dwellings,
And happy with their customs.
Even though neighboring communities are within sight,
And the crowing of the neighbor's cocks and barking of the neighbor's dogs are within hearing,
They grow old and die without ever troubling themselves to go outside of their own communities."
-  Translated by Archie J. Bahm, Chapter 80  


"Let every state be simple like a small village with few people
There may be tools to speed things up ten or a hundred times yet no one will care to use them
There may be boats and carriages yet they will remain without riders
There may be armour and weaponry yet they will sit collecting dust
The people must take death seriously and not waste their lives in distant lands
Let them return to the knotting of cord
Let them enjoy their food and care for their clothing
Let them be content in their homes and joyful in the way they live
Neigbouring villages are within sight of each other
Roosters and dogs can be heard in the distance
Should a man grow old and die without ever leaving his village let him feel as though there was nothing he missed "
-  Translated by Jonathan Star, 2001, Chapter 80 



"Imaginemos que gobierno un pequeño país de pocos habitantes.
Mis súbditos tendrían embarcaciones que no utilizarían.l
Les enseñaría a temer a la muerte y a no alejarse.
Por muchos carruajes que hubiese, no viajarían en ellos.
Aunque tuviesen armas y corazas, no las mostrarían. 
Les llevaría de nuevo al uso de cuerdas con nudos (en lugar de escritura).
Encontrarían sabroso su alimento;
Ricos sus vestidos;
Cómodas sus casas;
Felicidad en sus costumbres.
Aunque los reinos vecinos se hallasen tan cerca
Que pudiesen oír el ladrido de los perros y el canto de los gallos,
Los hombres de este pequeño reino no desearían nunca abandonarlo."
-  Translated by Caridad Diaz Faes, 1970, Capítulo 80  

"Suppose I had a country small,

With people few, and I had there

Some officers of ten,

Or of a hundred men,

I'd not employ those men at all;

Though death were feared, unfrightened then,

My people would not emigrate elsewhere.

They might have carriages and boats,

But not in them to ride away,

They might have warlike arms,

But never war s alarms

Would call them with their hateful notes;

They d even forget how writing charms,

And knotted cords again they would display.

Then would they relish homely food,

Their plain clothes would seem elegant,

Though dwellings might be poor,

Content would guard the door,

And simple habits, plain and good, Far better than they knew before,

A sense of fresh enjoyment would implant.

A neighboring state might be in sight,

The voice of fowls and dogs be heard,

But life like that would make

My people such joy take

In their own state, that till the night
Of age should their enjoyment slake,

And they should die, they'd not exchange a word."
-  Translated by Isaac Winter Heysinger, 1903, Chapter 80  

"If I had a small kingdom and but ten or a hundred men of ability, I would not administrate with them.
I would teach the people to look upon death as a grievous thing, and then they would not go abroad to meet it.
Though they had boats and carriages, yet they would not go away in them.
Though they had armour, yet they would never have occasion to wear it.
The people would return to the use of the quipu.
They should find their coarse food sweet, think their plain clothes grand, regard their homes as places of rest, and take delight in their own simple pleasures.
Though the neighbouring state could be seen by us, and the crowing of the cocks and the barking of the dogs could be heard,
Yet my people would grow old, and die before ever feeling the need of having intercourse with it."
-  Translated by Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 80



A typical webpage created by Mike Garofalo for each one of the 81 Chapters (Verses) 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 Romanization of the Mandarin Chinese words for that Chapter, and 2 German and 1 French translation of that Chapter.  Each webpage for each one of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching includes extensive indexing by key words and terms 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, research leads, translation sources, and other resources for that Chapter.   

Chapter 80, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

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

English Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

Spanish Language Daodejing Translators' Source Index

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