---
title: "Daodejing 老子道德經 – English Interpretation | Daozang"
url: "https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0065/"
canonical: "https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0065/"
lang: "en"
edition:
  - "Source: Kanripo (Kyoto University)"
  - "Daozang section: 洞神部"
  - "Kanripo ID: KR5c0065"
  - "Base edition (Kanripo): 四部叢刊 (SBCK)"
  - "Witness (Kanripo): 正統道藏・涵芬樓版 (HFL)"
  - "Commentary: 河上公章句"
  - "Size: 3 volumes · 23,217 characters"
source: "Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ（京都大学）"
license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

# 《老子道德經》

Dongshen 洞神部 · 3 volumes · 23,217 characters

**版本说明**：本页所载《老子道德經》实为**河上公章句**本（河上公注，分八十一章，章名如「體道第一」「養身第二」），经文与河上公注文相连并录；白话解读依此原文及注疏逐段生成。

## Introduction

### What this book is

《老子道德經》 (Laozi Daode Jing, “The Classic of the Way and Its Power”) is a Daoist classic centered on the thought of Laozi. It is usually abbreviated as 《老子》 and is also known as 《道德经》. The book focuses mainly on discussing the Way, self-cultivation, and governing the world. The version on this site is the Heshanggong Commentary edition: the main text records the classic and Heshanggong’s commentary together. Its base text is from Kyoto University’s Kanripo Chinese Classics Repository.

### Authorship and date

Traditionally, 《老子》 is considered to have been written by Laozi in the late Spring and Autumn period, though Laozi’s identity and biographical record remain disputed. As for the formation of the received text of 《老子》, scholars generally consider that it was compiled gradually and that it reached its present form around the Warring States period; the specific date and compilation process remain unsettled. The Heshanggong Commentary is traditionally attributed to Heshanggong, and there are also differing accounts of when the commentary was composed, making its date difficult to determine precisely.

### Structure

The version on this site comprises three volumes, approximately 23,200 characters, divided into eighty-one chapters, with titles such as “體道第一” (“Embodying the Way,” Chapter One), “養身第二” (“Cultivating the Self,” Chapter Two), and “安民第三” (“Pacifying the People,” Chapter Three). The chapters begin with discussions of the Way and self-cultivation, and also address themes such as governing the people, military affairs, and conduct in the world.

### Core ideas

The book presents the “Way” as the root of Heaven, Earth, and the myriad things. It discusses the nameless and the named, nonaction and action, and uses paired relations such as presence and absence, difficulty and ease, and length and shortness to explain how things depend on one another. The Heshanggong Commentary often connects the classic to nourishing the spirit, pacifying the people, and preserving oneself, emphasizing the reduction of desires, holding to equilibrium, and following nature. Different chapters and passages place emphasis in different ways; in reading, it is advisable to attend to the relationship between the classic and the commentary.

### How to read it on this site

The original text and a plain-language interpretation are presented side by side, paragraph by paragraph. The page can be switched to Traditional Chinese or a foreign-language interpretation. Longer classics are read volume by volume.

本站编辑整理；原文据 Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ KR5c0065

## About this edition

- **Source**: Kanripo (Kyoto University)
- **Daozang section**: 洞神部
- **Kanripo ID**: [`KR5c0065`](https://github.com/kanripo/KR5c0065)
- **Base edition (Kanripo)**: 四部叢刊 (`SBCK`)
- **Witness (Kanripo)**: 正統道藏・涵芬樓版 (`HFL`)
- **Commentary**: 河上公章句
- **Size**: 3 volumes · 23,217 characters

## Contents (2 volumes)

- [Vol. 2](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0065/juan/2/index.md)
- [Vol. 3](https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0065/juan/3/index.md)

---

原文底本：Kanripo 漢籍リポジトリ（京都大学），CC BY-SA 4.0。  
Source text: Kanripo Chinese Classics Repository (Kyoto University), CC BY-SA 4.0.  
HTML version: https://daozang.app/en/text/KR5c0065/