Translation Info: beck | blakney | byrn | feng | ganson | gnl | hansen | legge | mccarroll | mcdonald | merel | merel2 | mitchell | muller | rosenthal |
| all Prev Next | Chapter 40 All Translations . beck . blakney . byrn . feng . ganson . gnl . hansen . legge . mccarroll . mcdonald . merel . merel2 . mitchell . muller . rosenthal . | headers Prev Chapter Chapter 40 Next Chapter |


beck

Movement of the Way
Returning is the movement of the Way.
Gentleness is the method of the Way.
All things in the world come from being,
and being comes from non-being.
blakney

The Movement of the Way is a Return ...

The movement of the Way is a return;
In weakness lies its major usefulness.
From What-is all the world of things was born
But What-is sprang in turn from What-is-not.
byrn

Reversion is the action of dao. In dao the only motion is a return;
and the one useful quality is named soft [or polite] gentleness, So polite or weak gentleness [or humility] is the function of dao.
The creatures and things of this world come from being. And being from not-yet-being. though all

feng

Returning is the motion of the Tao.
Yielding is the way of the Tao.
The ten thousand things are born of being.
Being is born of not being.
ganson

Tao is an endless circle, ever returning.
Serenity is its ultimate function.
Everything rises from existence.
Existence rises from non-existence.
gnl

Motion and Use
The motion of the Way is to return;
The use of the Way is to accept;
All things come from the Way,
And the Way comes from nothing.

hansen

Reversal
That which is converse is the action of a guide.
That which is weak is the use of a guide.
The cosmos and the ten-thousand natural kinds arise from 'existing.'
'Existing' arises from 'non-existing.'
legge

The movement of the Tao
By contraries proceeds;
And weakness marks the course
Of Tao's mighty deeds.

All things under heaven sprang from It as existing (and named);
that existence sprang from It as non-existent (and not named).
mccarroll

Returning is the direction of the Tao.
Yielding is the way of the Tao.

The ten thousand things are born of Being
and Being is born of Nonbeing.
mcdonald

All movement returns to the Tao.
Weakness is how the Tao works.

All of creation is born from substance.
Substance is born of nothing-ness.
merel

Application of Tao

The motion of Tao is to return;
The use of Tao is to accept;
All things are made of Tao,
And Tao is made of nothing.
merel2

Motion and Use
The motion of the Way is to return;
The use of the Way is to accept;
All things come from the Way,
And the Way comes from nothing.
mitchell

Return is the movement of the Tao.
Yielding is the way of the Tao.

All things are born of being.
Being is born of non-being.


muller

Return is the motion of the Tao.
Softening is its function.
All things in the cosmos arise from being.
Being arises from non-being.
rosenthal

BEING AND NOT BEING
The motion of nature
is cyclic and returning.
Its way is to yield,
for to yield is to become.
All things are born of being;
being is born of non-being.

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