Laozi · Complete work
Chapter 2
Chapter 2 of 81. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Classical Chinese
天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已。皆知善之為善，斯不善已。故有無相生，難易相成，長短相較，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨。是以聖人處無為之事，行不言之教；萬物作焉而不辭，生而不有。為而不恃，功成而弗居。夫唯弗居，是以不去。
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the original source for fidelity, modern clarity, beauty, symbolism, and structure.
All under heaven know beauty as beauty, and ugliness is already there.All know good as good, and the not-good is already there.Thus being and nonbeing give birth to each other, hard and easy complete each other, long and short measure each other, high and low incline toward each other, tone and voice harmonize with each other, before and after follow each other.Therefore the sage abides in the work of nonaction and practices the teaching without words;The ten thousand things arise, and he does not turn away; he gives them life but does not possess them.He acts but does not rely on what he has done; the work is accomplished, but he does not dwell in it.Only because he does not dwell in it, it does not depart.
OpenTao
Complete CC BY 4.0 translation made directly from the received Chinese text; source line structure preserved.
When all the world knows beauty as beauty, ugliness is already there.When all the world knows the good as good, what is not good is already there.So being and nonbeing bring each other forth; the difficult and the easy complete each other; long and short measure each other; high and low lean on each other; notes and tones harmonize with each other; before and after follow each other.So the sage manages affairs without forcing and teaches without words;All things spring to life, and he turns none away; he gives them life but never makes them his.He acts without resting on what he has done; when the work is complete, he claims no place in it.Precisely because he does not claim a place in the achievement, it never leaves him.
James Legge (1891)
Complete public-domain translation made directly from the original source text.
1. All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skilful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is.
2. So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other; that (the ideas of) height and lowness arise from the contrast of the one with the other; that the musical notes and tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another; and that being before and behind give the idea of one following another.
3. Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech.
4. All things spring up, and there is not one which declines to show itself; they grow, and there is no claim made for their ownership; they go through their processes, and there is no expectation (of a reward for the results). The work is accomplished, and there is no resting in it (as an achievement).
The work is done, but how no one can see;'Tis this that makes the power not cease to be.