Tao Te Ching - Chapter 21 to 30
DaoXuanziChapter 21
孔德之容，惟道是从。道之为物，惟恍惟惚。惚兮恍兮，其中有象；恍兮惚兮，其中有物。窈兮冥兮，其中有精；其精甚真，其中有信。自今及古，其名不去，以阅众甫。吾何以知众甫之状哉？以此。
True virtue mirrors the Way's rhythm —
that subtle pulse humming through:
In the fog you sense shapes forming
In the static patterns emerge
In the soil's silence life's blueprints stir
Deeper than darkness yet precise as DNA, this code writes reality with perfect integrity.
How do I know creation's secrets?
By tracing the invisible ink that's signed every leaf, every star's birth certificate — the timeless signature we simply call The Way.
Chapter 22
曲则全，枉则直，洼则盈，敝则新，少则多，多则惑。 是以圣人抱一为天下式。不自见，故明；不自是，故彰；不自伐，故有功；不自矜，故长。夫唯不争，故天下莫能与之争。古之所谓「曲则全」者，岂虚言哉！诚全而归之。
Life's Contradiction Code
→ Bend like bamboo to stay rooted
→ Hollow valleys gather rain
→ Worn threads make space for new weave
→ Less focus sharpens vision
→ Excess choices breed paralysis
- The wise hold this paradox compass:
- No self-promotion → clarity emerges
- No stubbornness → truth surfaces
- No boasting → work speaks
- No arrogance → growth continues
True strength flows around obstacles
like water shapes canyons without struggle.
Ancient wisdom whispers: "What seems weak holds ultimate resilience — storm-proof but never rigid."
Chapter 23
希言自然。故飘风不终朝，骤雨不终日。孰为此者？天地。天地尚不能久，而况于人乎？故从事于道者，同于道；德者，同于德；失者，同于失。同于道者，道亦乐得之；同于德者，德亦乐得之；同于失者，失亦乐得之。信不足焉，有不信焉。
The Sustainability Code
True wisdom speaks through quiet action — notice how hurricanes exhaust themselves by noon, how cloudbursts drain their rage by dusk. If even cosmic forces can't sustain extremes, why do humans chase endless growth like crypto bros chasing NFTs?
Alignment shapes reality:
→ Sync with nature's pulse → become the forest that outlives wildfires
→ Anchor in integrity → become the river deepening its course
→ Chase shortcuts → become the plastic choking that same river
Trust compounds like carbon:
Half-hearted commitments breed skepticism — authenticity attracts authentic allies.
(Ask Greta Thunberg's Fridays for Future vs greenwashing corporate pledges)
Chapter 24
企者不立；跨者不行；自见者不明；自是者不彰；自伐者无功；自矜者不长。其在道也，曰：馀食赘形。物或恶之，故有道者不处。
The Law of Natural Balance
- Standing on tiptoes cannot last
- Overstriding disrupts walking
- Self-display clouds clarity
- Self-righteousness obscures truth
- Self-praise nullifies merit
- Self-importance stunts growth
These behaviors are like leftover food and tumors — even nature rejects such excess.
Therefore, those aligned with the Way:
→ Ground instead of strain
→ Observe instead of assert
→ Let actions speak
→ Grow through quiet nurturing
Chapter 25
有物混成，先天地生。寂兮寥兮，独立而不改，周行而不殆，可以为天地母。吾不知其名，强字之曰道，强为之名曰大。大曰逝，逝曰远，远曰反。故道大，天大，地大，人亦大。域中有四大，而人居其一焉。人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。
The Prime Rhythm
Before stars drew breath, there existed an undivided whole — silent, boundless, self-contained, circling through eternity as the womb of existence.
I name this mystery the Way, though words crumble at its edge.
Call it Vastness: expanding into flow, flowing into distance, distance returning to source.
Thus four greats shape reality:
The Way → Cosmos → Earth → Humanity —a sacred chain of becoming.
Human rhythms mirror Earth's pulse, Earth's cycles follow celestial laws, Cosmos dances with the Way's pattern, the Way simply is — the self-renewing code of nature.
Chapter 26
重为轻根，静为躁君。是以君子终日行不离辎重。虽有荣观，燕处超然。奈何万乘之主，而以身轻天下？ 轻则失根，躁则失君。
The Law of Anchored Presence
Substance anchors the insubstantial (as roots hold leaves), Stillness masters restlessness (as deep sea calms storms).
Thus the wise walk through life tethered to their essence (like ships anchored in harbor),
unswayed by fleeting glories (as mountains ignore passing clouds).
Why would a ruler of a great nation float rootless in power's stream?
Lose weight, lose foundation.
Lose calm, lose command.
Chapter 27
善行无辙迹，善言无瑕谪；善数不用筹策；善闭无关楗而不可开，善结无绳约而不可解。是以圣人常善救人，故无弃人；常善救物，故无弃物。是谓袭明。故善人者，不善人之师；不善人者，善人之资。不贵其师，不爱其资，虽智大迷，是谓要妙。
The Art of Effortless Mastery
True movement leaves no tracks. True speech bears no flaws. True calculation needs no tools. True closure requires no locks. True bonds need no knots.
Thus the wise salvage value in all:
No person discarded. No object abandoned. This is embedded wisdom.
The skilled are guides for the unskilled; The unskilled are mirrors for the skilled. Reject neither guide nor mirror — for even the wise stray in this eternal dance of mutual becoming.
This is the pivot of all subtlety.
Chapter 28
知其雄，守其雌，为天下溪。为天下溪，常德不离，复归于婴儿。知其白，知其白，守其黑，为天下式。为天下式，常德不忒，复归于无极。知其荣，守其辱，为天下谷。为天下谷，常德乃足，复归于朴。朴散则为器，圣人用之，则为官长。故大智不割。
The Harmony of Opposites
Knowing strength, yet embracing softness — become the valley stream of the world.
As the valley stream, virtue endures — returning to newborn simplicity.
Knowing light, yet dwelling in shadow — become the pattern of the world.
As the cosmic pattern, virtue holds true — returning to primordial unity.
Knowing glory, yet rooted in humility — become the mountain valley of the world.
As the mountain valley, virtue fills — returning to uncarved wood.
When wood is shaped into vessels, the wise steward them — guardians of natural order.
Thus supreme wisdom remains whole — like unbroken water cycles nourishing earth.
Chapter 29
将欲取天下而为之，吾见其不得已。天下神器，不可为也，不可执也。为者败之，执者失之。是以圣人无为，故无败；无执，故无失。夫物或行或随；或嘘或吹；或强或羸；或载或隳。是以圣人去甚，去奢，去泰。
The Paradox of Governance
To seize and control the world is futile — this sacred vessel (like a volcano's perfect equilibrium) cannot be forced or gripped. Force it, it crumbles. Clutch it, it slips away.
Thus the wise govern through non-interference — no forcing, so no ruin; no clinging, so no loss.
Observe nature's rhythms:
Some lead, others follow; Some warm, others chill; Some thrive, others fade; Some build, others erode.
Therefore, the wise prune extremes:
→ Cut excess
→ Trim luxury
→ Balance extremes
True power flows like water
around the rocks of human ambition.
Chapter 30
以道佐人主者，不以兵强天下。其事好远。师之所处，荆棘生焉。大军之后，必有凶年。善有果而已，不以取强。果而勿矜，果而勿伐，果而勿骄。果而不得已，果而勿强。物壮则老，是谓不道，不道早已。
The Law of Restrained Power
Guiding Principle
Those who counsel rulers with the Way, never enforce dominance through arms.
War's Aftermath
Where armies camp, thorns reclaim land; After great battles, famine follows.
Purposeful Restraint
True skill achieves the aim and stops — no need to flaunt strength.
→ Succeed without arrogance.
→ Complete without boasting.
→ Finish without pride.
All that hardens, ages; All that forces, decays. What violates the Way withers early — like saplings stretched too fast crack before reaching the canopy.