Laozi · Complete work
Chapter 15
Chapter 15 of 81. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Classical Chinese
古之善為士者，微妙玄通，深不可識。夫唯不可識，故強為之容。豫兮若冬涉川；猶兮若畏四鄰；儼兮其若容；渙兮若冰之將釋；敦兮其若樸；曠兮其若谷；混兮其若濁；孰能濁以靜之徐清？孰能安以久動之徐生？保此道者，不欲盈。夫唯不盈，故能蔽不新成。
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the original source for fidelity, modern clarity, beauty, symbolism, and structure.
The ancients who excelled as masters were subtle, wondrous, darkly penetrating, deep beyond knowing.Only because they were beyond knowing, I must strain to describe their bearing.Wary, as if crossing a river in winter;Watchful, as if fearing neighbors on every side;Grave, as if receiving a guest;Melting, like ice about to thaw;Solid, like uncarved wood;Open, like a valley;Blended, like turbid water.Who can, through stillness, let the turbid slowly clear?Who can, through lasting movement, let the still slowly come alive?Those who keep to this Way do not desire fullness.Only because they are not full can they remain veiled, never newly completed.
OpenTao
Complete CC BY 4.0 translation made directly from the received Chinese text; source line structure preserved.
The skilled practitioners of old were subtle and refined, mysterious and penetrating, too deep to fathom.Because they were beyond fathoming, I can only attempt to describe how they bore themselves.Cautious as one fording a river in winter;wary as one who fears the neighbors on every side;grave and formal as a guest;loosening like ice on the verge of melting;plain and solid as uncarved wood;wide and empty as a valley;mingled and murky as muddy water.Who can let muddy water rest until it slowly clears?Who can take what is settled and, by moving it patiently over time, slowly bring it to life?Those who hold to this Way do not seek to brim over.Because they stop short of fullness, they can remain worn—unrenewed, unfinished.
James Legge (1891)
Complete public-domain translation made directly from the original source text.
1. The skilful masters (of the Tao) in old times, with a subtle and exquisite penetration, comprehended its mysteries, and were deep (also) so as to elude men's knowledge. As they were thus beyond men's knowledge, I will make an effort to describe of what sort they appeared to be.
2. Shrinking looked they like those who wade through a stream in winter; irresolute like those who are afraid of all around them; grave like a guest (in awe of his host); evanescent like ice that is melting away; unpretentious like wood that has not been fashioned into anything; vacant like a valley, and dull like muddy water.
3. Who can (make) the muddy water (clear)? Let it be still, and it will gradually become clear. Who can secure the condition of rest? Let movement go on, and the condition of rest will gradually arise.
4. They who preserve this method of the Tao do not wish to be full (of themselves). It is through their not being full of themselves that they can afford to seem worn and not appear new and complete.