Laozi’s Dao De Jing was composed around the same time as Confucius, about 2,500 years ago. It is divided into 81 chapters, totaling approximately 5,000 characters.

Chapters 1–6: The Virtue of Dao

Chapter 1
The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao;
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth;
The named is the mother of all things.
Therefore, always desireless, one can observe its subtlety;
With desire, one sees its manifestations.
These two emerge together but differ in name;
Both are called the mystery of mysteries,
The gateway to all marvels.

Chapter 2
When everyone knows beauty as beauty, ugliness arises;
When everyone knows good as good, evil arises.
Thus existence and nonexistence produce each other,
Difficulty and ease complement each other,
Long and short define each other,
High and low depend on each other,
Sound and voice harmonize,
Front and back follow one another.
Thus the Sage acts without striving,
Teaches without words,
All things arise, yet he does not reject them;
He creates but does not claim possession,
Accomplishes but does not rely on it,
Because he does not assert his accomplishments,
He does not lose them.

Chapter 3
Do not exalt the worthy,
So that the people will not compete;
Do not value rare treasures,
So that the people will not steal;
Do not display what arouses desire,
So that hearts remain undisturbed.
Therefore the Sage governs:
Empty their hearts, fill their bellies,
Weaken their intellect, strengthen their bones,
Keep the people without knowledge and desire,
So that the clever do not act.
Acting by non-action,
Nothing remains ungoverned.

Chapter 4
The Dao is like an empty vessel,
The root of all things,
Vast and deep,
Yet its use is inexhaustible.
Sharpening it dulls its edge,
Untangling it resolves confusion;
Harmonize its light, blend with its dust.
Profound and seemingly present,
I do not know whose child it is;
It existed before the divine.

Chapter 5
Heaven and Earth are not benevolent,
They treat all things as straw dogs;
The Sage is not benevolent,
He treats the people as straw dogs.
Between Heaven and Earth,
It is like a bellows, empty yet inexhaustible;
The more it moves, the more it produces.
Words are finite,
Better to hold to the center.

Chapter 6
The Spirit of the Valley never dies;
It is called the mysterious female.
The gate of the mysterious female
Is the root of Heaven and Earth,
Continuous as if it exists,
Its use is inexhaustible.

Chapters 7–13: Lessons of Dao

Chapter 7
Heaven and Earth endure long;
They endure because they do not live for themselves,
Therefore they last long.
Thus the Sage places others first,
And is foremost;
He regards himself lightly,
And yet remains.

Chapter 8
The highest goodness is like water.
Water benefits all without competing,
It dwells in places despised by all,
Thus it is close to the Dao.
It settles on good ground,
Its heart is deep,
Its interactions are benevolent,
Its words are trustworthy,
Its governance is proper,
Its deeds are competent,
Its movements timely.
Because it does not compete,
It is without blame.

Chapter 9
Fill to the brim and it will not last;
Sharpen a blade and it cannot remain;
Fill a hall with gold and jade, none can protect it;
Wealth and pride invite their own downfall.
Accomplish and withdraw,
This is the Way of Heaven.

Chapter 10
Carrying body and soul as one,
Can you remain unified?
Focus energy to achieve softness,
Can you be like a newborn?
Cleanse the mirror of the mind,
Can you remain flawless?
Love the people and govern,
Can you act without action?
Heaven’s gates open and close,
Can you remain untouched?
Understand all directions,
Can you be without knowledge?
Create and nurture,
Give without possessing,
Act without relying,
Lead without dominating—
This is the mysterious virtue.

Chapter 11
Thirty spokes converge upon a hub,
Yet the emptiness makes the wheel useful.
Clay is shaped into a vessel,
Yet the emptiness makes it useful.
Doors and windows carve the house,
Yet the emptiness gives light.
Being is beneficial,
Non-being is useful.

Chapter 12
Five colors blind the eye;
Five tones deafen the ear;
Five flavors dull the taste;
Hunting and chasing make the mind wild;
Rare treasures lead astray.
Thus the Sage focuses on the belly, not the eye,
Choosing substance over pleasure.

Chapter 13
Favor and disgrace are startling;
Great trouble is as if your body itself.
Why startling? Because one confuses honor with life.
Thus those who value themselves as the world
Can entrust the world;
Those who love themselves as the world
Can be entrusted with it.

Chapters 14–25: The Essence of Dao

Chapter 14
Look but cannot see, called the obscure;
Listen but cannot hear, called the faint;
Touch but cannot grasp, called subtle.
These three cannot be fully described;
They merge into one.
Above not bright, below not dark,
Impossible to name, returns to nothing.
This is the Formless Form, the Immaterial Image,
Approach and cannot see the beginning, follow and cannot see the end.
Grasp the ancient Dao to govern the present,
This is the record of the Dao.

Chapter 15
The ancient masters of the Dao
Were subtle, profound, and incomprehensible.
They appeared cautious like crossing frozen rivers in winter,
Fearful like wary neighbors,
Solemn like honored guests.
Yet they were open, simple, broad-minded, and unrefined.
How to stop chaos?
Through stillness comes clarity;
Through clarity comes renewal.

Chapter 16
Attain extreme emptiness,
Hold to stillness.
All things move, returning to their roots;
Return to the root is stillness;
Stillness is life restored;
Life restored is constant;
Knowing constancy is enlightenment.

Chapter 17
The highest rulers are unknown to the people;
Next, they are loved;
Next, they are feared;
Last, they are despised.
Those whose trust is insufficient naturally encounter distrust.

Chapter 18
When the Dao is abandoned, benevolence and righteousness appear;
When wisdom arises, great falsity emerges;
Family discord occurs, yet filial piety is shown;
A chaotic country produces loyal ministers.

Chapter 19
Abandon wisdom and cleverness,
The people benefit a hundredfold.
Abandon benevolence and righteousness,
The people restore filial piety and love.
Abandon skill and profit,
No thieves arise.
But these three alone are insufficient;
Hence keep the heart simple, reduce desires, cultivate learning without worry.

Chapter 20
How far are truth and falsehood?
Beauty and ugliness?
What people fear cannot not be feared.
The masses are busy and frivolous,
While I alone am calm as an infant.
The masses are filled with surplus,
While I alone feel deprived.

Chapter 21
The virtue of the sage accommodates all minds;
Only the Dao is to be followed.
The Dao exists in a hazy, indistinct form;
Within it, one perceives forms, substances, and essence;
This is how the sages understand the myriad things.

Chapter 22
Yielding leads to preservation,
Bending leads to straightness,
Being low leads to fullness,
Discarding the old brings new,
Less leads to gain, more to confusion.
Thus the Sage embraces oneness,
Setting an example for the world.

Chapter 23
Few words align with nature;
Storms and rains do not last long.
Who does this? Heaven and Earth.
He who follows the Dao associates with the Dao,
Virtue with virtue, loss with loss;
The Dao accepts them gladly.

Chapter 24
Those who stand on tiptoe cannot stand;
Those who stride cannot walk.
Self-righteous cannot see clearly;
Self-praising cannot display truth.
Those who grasp the Dao do not dwell in such ways.

Chapter 25
There is a thing formed before Heaven and Earth,
Silent, empty, independent, and unchanging.
It circulates endlessly and can be called the Mother of the World.
I do not know its name; I call it Dao,
And forcefully name it Great.
The Great passes on, the Far returns,
Thus Dao, Heaven, Earth, and Humanity are great,
Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows Dao, Dao follows nature.

Chapters 26–40: Self-Cultivation · Source of Strength

Chapter 26
Weight is the root of lightness;
Stillness is master of agitation.
Thus the Sage carries burdens without leaving them,
Though living in splendor, he remains detached.
Lightness loses roots, agitation loses mastery.

Chapter 27
The skilled act without leaving traces,
Speak without blemish,
Calculate without tools,
Close doors without locks,
Bind without ropes.
Thus the Sage saves all things and no one is abandoned.
The good are teachers of the unskilled;
The unskilled are resources for the good.

Chapter 28
Know the strong, hold to the weak,
Become the valley of the world.
Know glory, hold to humility,
Become the valley of the world.
Thus one returns to simplicity and is fit for greatness.

Chapter 29
To conquer the world forcibly is impossible;
The world is sacred and cannot be forced.
Those who overreach fail;
Those who cling too tightly lose.

Chapter 30
Aid rulers by the Dao,
Not by force.
Where armies encamp, brambles grow;
After war comes famine.
Achieve and withdraw,
Do not be arrogant, do not overreach.

Chapter 31
A good soldier is not a glorious tool;
Those who love killing cannot achieve unity.
Joy in victory should be tempered with mourning;
Victory is treated with funeral rites.

Chapter 32
The Dao is always nameless;
Though subtle, the world cannot subdue it.
Rulers who follow it see all things submit naturally.

Chapter 33
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing oneself is wisdom.
Conquering others is strength; conquering oneself is true power.
Contentment is wealth; perseverance is determination.
Those who do not lose their way endure;
Those who die without perishing are truly long-lived.

Chapter 34
The Dao is vast,
Influences all things,
Nurtures without claiming,
Accomplishes without fame,
Gives without dominating.
Thus the Sage never exalts himself,
Yet achieves greatness.

Chapter 35
Hold the great image,
The world will go there.
Go and be unharmed,
Safe and at peace.
Pleasure draws travelers,
The Dao benefits infinitely though its expression is plain.

Chapter 36
Those who wish to contract must first expand;
Those who wish to weaken must first strengthen;
The subtle victory of softness over hardness.

Chapter 37
The Dao is constant,
Acting without action produces all things.
Rulers who follow it see natural transformation.
Those who desire will be restrained by simplicity,
Without desire comes tranquility,
And the world is naturally at peace.

Chapter 38
Highest virtue has no concept of virtue,
Yet virtue exists.
Ordinary virtue acts with expectation,
Thus seeming lack of virtue.
Great virtue acts unconsciously,
Ordinary virtue seeks recognition.

Chapter 39
Those in ancient times who attained oneness:
Heaven clears, Earth rests, spirits are vital, valleys are full,
All things live, rulers bring order.
Greatness is rooted in humility.

Chapter 40
Movement of the Dao is reversal;
The weak harness the Dao.
All things arise from being,
Being arises from non-being.

Chapters 41–56: Life Guidelines · Path of Nurturing

Chapter 41
The superior man hears of the Dao and practices diligently;
The average hears and is skeptical;
The inferior hears and laughs.
The Dao is demonstrated in subtle, paradoxical ways:
Great simplicity seems complex,
Great perfection seems incomplete,
Great skill seems clumsy,
Great wisdom seems dull.

Chapter 42
The Dao generates One,
One generates Two,
Two generates Three,
Three generates all things.
All things carry yin, embrace yang;
Energy interacts to create harmony.

Chapter 43
The softest conquers the hardest;
The benefits of non-action are clear to those who perceive.

Chapter 44
Fame versus life, wealth versus health—
Excessive attachment leads to loss;
Contentment preserves life and virtue.

Chapter 45
Perfection appears flawed, fullness appears empty,
Straightness appears bent, skill appears clumsy,
Discourse appears slow.
Activity conquers cold, stillness conquers heat,
Stillness governs the world.

Chapter 46
When the Dao prevails, horses labor in the fields;
When the Dao is lost, war arises.
Disaster comes from insatiable desire;
Contentment ensures sufficiency.

Chapter 47
Without leaving one’s home,
One can know the world;
Without looking out the window,
One sees the workings of Heaven.

Chapter 48
The learner accumulates daily;
The practitioner of Dao diminishes daily;
Through reduction to nothing, one attains non-action,
And accomplishes all.

Chapter 49
The Sage has no constant mind,
Takes the people’s mind as his own;
Treats the good with goodness,
The unvirtuous also with goodness;
Treats the faithful with faith,
The unfaithful also with faith.
Thus all harmonize.

Chapter 50
Birth and death,
Life is movement, death is repose;
The adept avoids deadly places,
Thus nothing harms him.

Chapter 51

The Dao gives life to all things; virtue nurtures and sustains them.
Things take form, and circumstances bring success.
Thus all things, by instinct, honor the Dao and value virtue.
When the Dao is honored and virtue respected,
It is not by anyone’s command,
But by the natural order.

Therefore, the Dao gives life naturally,
Virtue nurtures naturally.
It grows and nourishes;
It matures and protects;
It nourishes and maintains all things.
It gives life without possessing,
Acts without claiming credit,
Governs without domination—
This is called profound virtue.

Chapter 52

All things have a beginning,
Which can be called the mother of the world.
Knowing the mother, one can know the children;
Knowing the children, one returns to the mother.
If one follows this, one will never be in danger.
Seal the senses,
Close the doors of desire,
And one will not be wearied all life.
Open the senses,
Pursue distractions,
And one will be beyond remedy.
Seeing constancy is called wisdom;
Holding to gentleness is called strength.
Use your light to return to the clarity of all things,
And no harm will befall you.
This is called following the constant way.

Chapter 53

If one has a little wisdom,
And walks the great Dao,
One fears only deviation from the path.
The Dao is broad and level,
Yet people love shortcuts.
Governments decay, fields lie fallow, granaries are empty.
People adorn themselves with silk and weapons,
Yet are dissatisfied with food,
Greedy for wealth—
This is called banditry, not the Dao.

Chapter 54

The skillful builder is unshakable;
The skillful preserver never lets go.
Descendants continue the rituals.
By cultivating oneself, virtue becomes true;
By cultivating the family, virtue is abundant;
By cultivating the village, virtue is long-lasting;
By cultivating the state, virtue is rich;
By cultivating the world, virtue is universal.
Thus, from the individual, one observes all;
From the family, one observes the household;
From the village, the state;
From the world, the world itself.
How can I know the outcome of all things?
Through this method.

Chapter 55

Those with deep virtue are like infants.
Poisonous creatures do not sting,
Fierce beasts do not attack,
Birds of prey do not strike.
Bones are weak, sinews flexible yet strong,
Without knowing sexual union, reproductive force rises—
This is the fullness of energy.
Crying all day without hoarseness—
This is the fullness of harmony.
Knowing harmony is constancy;
Knowing constancy is clarity;
Using harmony to nourish brings auspiciousness;
Using will to control energy brings strength.
Things forced to grow too fast age quickly;
This is not the natural Dao.

Chapter 56

Those who understand do not speak;
Those who speak do not understand.
Seal the senses,
Close the gates of desire,
Tame sharpness,
Resolve confusion,
Harmonize light,
Merge with dust—
This is called profound unity.
They are neither particularly intimate nor distant,
Neither particularly beneficial nor harmful,
Neither particularly honored nor despised.
Thus, they are truly valued by the world.

Chapters 57–75: Governance and Warfare

Chapter 57
Govern the state by uprightness,
Use surprise in warfare,
Win the world by doing nothing.
How do I know this?
Because the more prohibitions exist, the poorer the people;
The more weapons the people have, the more disorder reigns;
The more cunning people are, the more strange phenomena arise;
The more laws, the more thieves.
The Sage says:
Act without interference, and people transform themselves;
Remain still, and people self-correct;
Do nothing, and people grow rich;
Have no desire, and people return to simplicity.

Chapter 58
Lenient governance brings rich, harmonious people;
Strict governance brings deficient, discontented people.
Disaster hides in fortune,
Fortune hides in disaster.
Who can understand this fully?
The Sage is upright but gentle,
Sharp but does not harm,
Straight but not reckless,
Bright but not dazzling.

Chapter 59
Govern the people like offering sacrifice to Heaven;
Cherish them,
And the Dao will manifest early.
Accumulating virtue,
No one can resist;
With such foundation, the state endures.

Chapter 60
Governing a large country is like cooking a small fish.
Using the Dao to rule,
Even spirits cannot harm people.
Not that spirits lose power,
But that even spirits cannot injure.
The Sage also harms no one;
Where both do not harm, virtue returns to the source.

Chapter 61
A great country is like the lower reaches of rivers, receiving all streams.
The world’s female yields to the male;
Quietness conquers strength.
Thus a great country treats smaller countries with humility,
And wins their trust;
Treating larger powers humbly also wins their trust.
Desire should follow the people, not dominate them.

Chapter 62
The Dao is the mystery of all things.
Good people treasure it;
Bad people use it for protection.
Beautiful words command respect;
Beautiful deeds attract participation.
Thus the Dao is valued universally.

Chapter 63
Act through non-action;
Affairs through inaction;
Taste through blandness.
Difficult matters start from the easy;
Great tasks start with small details.
The Sage never sees himself as doing great things,
Yet achieves greatness.

Chapter 64
Stability is easy to maintain;
Trouble easily prevented;
Weakness easily removed;
Small matters easily dispersed.
Act before things exist;
Govern before disorder arises.
Even large endeavors begin from small beginnings.
Those who force things fail;
Those who cling to things lose.
The Sage avoids both, and failure does not occur.

Chapter 65
The ancient rulers, skilled in the Dao,
Did not govern by cleverness,
But by simplicity.
Those who rule by cunning are like thieves;
Those who rule by the Dao bring blessing.
The profound virtue returns to simplicity,
And ultimately achieves harmony.

Chapter 66
The oceans rule the valleys because they remain below.
To lead the people, speak humbly;
To go before the people, stay behind.
The Sage leads without burden,
And the people willingly follow.

Chapter 67
All may praise me as great,
Yet I act as unworthy.
I hold three treasures:
Compassion, frugality, and humility.
With compassion comes courage;
With frugality, generosity;
With humility, being honored.

Chapter 68
The good leader is not aggressive;
The good fighter is not angry;
The good victor avoids confrontation;
The good user of talent treats people humbly.
This is the virtue of non-contention.

Chapter 69
In war: do not lead, but respond;
Do not advance, but yield;
Strike without showing the arm,
Attack without showing the weapon,
Subdue without seeming to confront.
The greatest disaster is underestimating the enemy.

Chapter 70
My words are easy to understand,
My actions easy to perform,
Yet the world does not know nor follow.
Those who understand are rare,
And so the Dao practitioner is precious.

Chapter 71
Knowing what you do not know is wisdom;
Not knowing that you do not know is illness.
The Sage recognizes his shortcomings,
And thus has none.

Chapter 72
When people do not fear authority, great power declines.
Respect their space and lives;
The Sage is self-aware, not self-important,
Self-respecting, not self-exalting.

Chapter 73
Courage in violating the Dao brings death;
Courage in obeying the Dao brings life.
Even the Sage cannot fully explain why.
Heaven’s way:
Wins without contention, responds without speaking,
Calls without summoning, plans simply but effectively.

Chapter 74
When people do not fear death, how can death control them?
Punishment must be carefully applied.

Chapter 75
People are hungry because rulers over-tax;
People are hard to govern because rulers overact;
People disregard life because rulers live in excess.
Only those who do not cling to life are wise.

Chapters 76–81: Maxims

Chapter 76
Life is soft and weak, death is hard and strong;
All living things are soft, all dead things hard.
Strength belongs to death, weakness to life.
Thus the strong do not conquer; the rigid breaks;
The gentle and weak prevail.

Chapter 77
The Dao is like a bow: the top is bent downward, the bottom lifted.
Excess is diminished, deficiency is supplemented.
Heaven balances all things; humans often do not.

Chapter 78
Nothing in the world is softer than water, yet nothing conquers the hard.
Weakness overcomes strength, softness overcomes rigidity.
The Sage accepts insult and misfortune,
And thus becomes master of the state and king in people’s hearts.

Chapter 79
Harmonizing great resentment leaves residual resentment;
How can one achieve perfect goodness?
The Sage honors contracts without forcing repayment.
The virtuous enforce duties; the unvirtuous exploit them.

Chapter 80
Small states with few people:
Each has sufficient tools, values life, enjoys peace,
No need for ostentatious vehicles or weapons.
People live simply and harmoniously,
Neighbors hear each other’s chickens and dogs,
But rarely travel far to interact.

Chapter 81
True words are not beautiful; beautiful words are not true.
The good do not argue; the argumentative are not good.
The wise do not hoard; the more one gives, the more one has.
Heaven’s way benefits without harm;
The Sage acts without striving.