Tao Te Ching Chapter 10
Original Chinese Text
载营魄抱一，能无离乎？
专气致柔，能婴儿乎？
涤除玄览，能无疵乎？
爱民治国，能无知乎？
天门开阖，能无雌乎？
明白四达，能无为乎？
生之畜之，生而不有，
为而不恃，长而不宰，
是谓玄德。
Pinyin (Pronunciation)
Zài yíng pò bào yī, néng wú lí hū?
Zhuān qì zhì róu, néng yīng’ér hū?
Dí chú xuán lǎn, néng wú cī hū?
Ài mín zhì guó, néng wú zhī hū?
Tiānmén kāi hé, néng wú cí hū?
Míngbái sì dá, néng wúwéi hū?
Shēng zhī xù zhī, shēng ér bù yǒu,
Wéi ér bù shì, zhǎng ér bù zǎi,
Shì wèi xuán dé.
白话文翻译 (Plain Chinese Translation)
- 载营魄抱一，能无离乎？
- 精神和形体合一，能不分离吗？
- Can you unify body and soul without separation?
- 专气致柔，能婴儿乎？
- 凝聚气息达到柔和，能像婴儿一样吗？
- Can you soften your vital breath like a newborn?
- 涤除玄览，能无疵乎？
- 清除杂念深入观照，能没有瑕疵吗？
- Can you cleanse your inner vision to spotless clarity?
- 爱民治国，能无知乎？
- 爱护百姓治理国家，能不用智巧吗？
- Can you govern people without cunning?
- 天门开阖，能无雌乎？
- 感官接触外界时，能保持宁静吗？
- When senses engage the world, can you remain receptive?
- 明白四达，能无为乎？
- 心智通达四方，能自然无为吗？
- Though enlightened, can you practice non-action?
- 生之畜之…是谓玄德
- 创造养育万物却不占有，施为却不恃功，引导却不主宰，这就是最深远的德。
- To create yet not possess, act yet not claim, guide yet not control—this is Mystic Virtue.
Key Concepts Explained
- 抱一 (bào yī): The ideal unity of opposites (body/soul, action/non-action).
- 玄德 (xuán dé): The Tao’s hidden virtue—selfless nurturing (呼应 Chapter 51).
- 婴儿 (yīng’ér): Symbol of pure, unforced vitality (see Chapter 55’s “含德之厚”).
Philosophical Essence
- Self-Cultivation:
- Six rhetorical questions outline Taoist practice:
- Physical harmony (verse 1)
- Emotional purity (verse 2)
- Mental clarity (verse 3)
- Six rhetorical questions outline Taoist practice:
- Governance Paradox:
- True leadership (“爱民治国”) requires relinquishing control (“无知”).
- Mystic Virtue:
- Contrasts with Confucian “明德”—here, virtue is invisible like the Tao itself.
“The Sage rules like the sky nourishes earth—silently, expecting no thanks.”
— Metaphor for “生而不有” (create without possessing).
Can you unify body and soul without separation? I can’t.