Laozi · Complete work
Chapter 46
Chapter 46 of 81. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Classical Chinese
天下有道，卻走馬以糞。天下無道，戎馬生於郊。禍莫大於不知足；咎莫大於欲得。故知足之足，常足矣。
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the original source for fidelity, modern clarity, beauty, symbolism, and structure.
When the Way prevails under heaven, galloping horses are turned back to manure the fields.When the Way is absent under heaven, warhorses breed at the borders.No calamity is greater than not knowing enough;No fault is greater than desiring to gain.Therefore, know the enoughness of enough, and you will always have enough.
OpenTao
Complete CC BY 4.0 translation made directly from the received Chinese text; source line structure preserved.
When the world follows the Way, swift horses are sent home to haul manure to the fields.When the world loses the Way, war mares foal at the frontier.No calamity is greater than not knowing what is enough;no fault is greater than the desire to gain more.So knowing what is enough is enough—and always will be.
James Legge (1891)
Complete public-domain translation made directly from the original source text.
1. When the Tao prevails in the world, they send back their swift horses to (draw) the dung-carts. When the Tao is disregarded in the world, the war-horses breed in the border lands.
2. There is no guilt greater than to sanction ambition; no calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot; no fault greater than the wish to be getting. Therefore the sufficiency of contentment is an enduring and unchanging sufficiency.