Laozi · Complete work
Chapter 26
Chapter 26 of 81. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Classical Chinese
重為輕根，靜為躁君。是以聖人終日行不離輜重。雖有榮觀，燕處超然。奈何萬乘之主，而以身輕天下？輕則失本，躁則失君。
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the original source for fidelity, modern clarity, beauty, symbolism, and structure.
The heavy is the root of the light; stillness is the lord of restlessness.Therefore the sage, traveling all day, never leaves the laden wagon.Though glorious vistas appear, he rests at ease, aloof beyond them.How could the lord of ten thousand chariots treat his own person lightly before all under Heaven?Lightness loses the root; restlessness loses the lord.
OpenTao
Complete CC BY 4.0 translation made directly from the received Chinese text; source line structure preserved.
Weight is the root of lightness; stillness is the master of unrest.So the sage travels all day, never straying from the laden wagons.Though the prospect is glorious, he rests at ease, standing clear of the spectacle.How, then, can the lord of ten thousand chariots carry himself lightly before the world?When he makes himself light, he loses his root; when he grows restless, he loses command.
James Legge (1891)
Complete public-domain translation made directly from the original source text.
1. Gravity is the root of lightness; stillness, the ruler of movement.
2. Therefore a wise prince, marching the whole day, does not go far from his baggage waggons. Although he may have brilliant prospects to look at, he quietly remains (in his proper place), indifferent to them. How should the lord of a myriad chariots carry himself lightly before the kingdom? If he do act lightly, he has lost his root (of gravity); if he proceed to active movement, he will lose his throne.