《道德真經玄德纂疏》Vol. 14

Collected Annotations on the Mysterious De of the True Scripture of the Dao

Volume Fourteen: A Plain-Language Interpretation

Scripture

Collected Annotations on the Mysterious De of the True Scripture of the Dao, Volume Fourteen (approximately five thousand characters)

Imperial commentary and subcommentary by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang

Commentaries by Heshang Gong, Yan Junping, and Li Rong

Subcommentary by Master Cheng Xuan-ying of Western Florescence

Compiled by Mengyang Qiang Siqi

Chapter Fifty: Emerging from Birth and Entering Death

(Before the chapter “Emerging from Birth and Entering Death”; the chapter clarifies that ordinary people are deluded by the senses.)

(The previous chapter discussed blending the mind into obscurity; this chapter follows by clarifying that all beings undergo birth and death. The meanings of becoming immersed in birth and death connect the two chapters, which is why this one comes next. Its meaning unfolds in four parts: first, it distinguishes ordinary people from sages and shows how their deluded attachments differ; second, it poses a question and answer to explain why; third, it shows that those who are skilled at nurturing life are not harmed by the three poisons; fourth, it raises another question, expresses admiration, and draws the discussion to a close.)

First: It distinguishes ordinary people from sages and shows how their deluded attachments differ

(The revered one at the Purple Pole, beyond all names, follows the profound Dao of mysterious De. At ease in the realm above, he dwells freely in the palace of the Supreme Ultimate, far removed from those who come and go, and utterly beyond birth and extinction. On the mountains of Langyuan rise lofty towers of white jade; before Hangu Pass, purple clouds gather at the edge of the celestial terraces. Alas for ordinary, lowly people: they pass from death into life, their love and desires keeping them long in darkness. They follow the course of the thirteen affairs, and, deluded in their feelings, cling to them, hoping to live a hundred years. Their lives speed past like an arrow shot toward the dark springs below. Their souls drift through shadowy prisons. Once the tomb is sealed, all that remains is the sound of wind through the pines and cypresses; once the body is buried, how could it ever again behold the moon above the palace courtyard? The Great Sage sheds tears and grieves deeply. This passage says:)

Emerging from birth and entering death

Imperial Commentary

With awakening, one emerges from birth; with deluded attachment, one enters death. This is the chapter’s opening statement.

Imperial Subcommentary

To awaken to birth and death and not cherish one’s life is called “emerging from birth.” To be deludedly attached to self and others, and thus set in motion toward death, is called “entering death.” This introduces the chapter’s subject.

Heshang Gong says

Emerging from birth means that desires leave the five inner organs, the Hun soul settles, and the Po soul grows calm; thus one emerges from birth.

Entering death means that desires enter the breast and heart, wearing down and confusing the spirit and vital essence; thus one dies.

Li Rong says

To pass from the hidden to the manifest is called emerging from birth; to return from being to nonbeing is called entering death.

Cheng’s Subcommentary

Emerging from birth means to transcend the Three Realms.

Those who transcend life and death, and those who enter death: Those who can free themselves from life and death are one kind of person; those who sink into the “Three Paths” (three states of suffering) and circle endlessly through life and death are another.

What do life and death mean? When something emerges from “nonbeing” into “being,” this is called life. When it returns from “being” to “nonbeing,” this is called death, or extinction.

The Jing says: “Of those who follow life, three in ten; of those who follow death, three in ten.”

The Imperial Commentary: Of those who are alive, roughly three in ten belong to this group; of those who die, roughly three in ten do as well. This is a broad statement about living beings: those who are at ease when it is time to live, and live in accord with the principles of life; and those who follow death when it is time to die, and proceed in accord with the principles of death. Roughly three in ten are like this.

The Imperial Subcommentary: “Group” means “kind” or “class.” This is a general discussion of living beings: those who can be at ease with the principles of life without becoming arrogant; who respond to the proper time when it comes, without being inwardly rigid. Roughly three in ten are like this. In other words, few follow the Way, while many go against it.

Heshang Gong: Three in ten belong to the class of the living, and three in ten to the class of the dead: this means that each class has its own “thirteen.” Here, “thirteen” refers to the nine apertures and four gates—the nine openings in the human body and four passages that must be guarded.

While alive: the eyes do not look recklessly, the ears do not listen recklessly, the nose does not smell recklessly, the mouth does not taste recklessly, the hands do not grasp recklessly, the feet do not wander recklessly, and Jing is not recklessly discharged. In death, the reverse is true.

Yan Zun: Emptiness, nonbeing, purity, stillness, subtlety, few desires, softness, weakness, humility, reduction, timeliness, harmony, and restraint—these are the thirteen qualities. Emptiness gives rise to fullness; nonbeing endures; purity brings clarity and understanding; stillness brings inner illumination… Applied to self-cultivation, they allow one to endure as long as Heaven and Earth; applied to governing a state, they help its fortunes endure.

Rong: The three in ten who follow life and the three in ten who follow death also refer to the nine apertures and four gates, making thirteen in all. Those who can cut off desire belong to the class of the living; those who indulge themselves belong to the class of the dead.

Cheng’s Subcommentary: “Group” means “kind.” “Thirteen” refers to the four gates and nine apertures, which are found in both ordinary people and sages. Sages do not treat the body as their true self and do not cling to it, so they can leave the Three Realms. Ordinary people cling to delusion, and thoughts of right and wrong ceaselessly arise and perish; thus they become confused and fall into the Six Paths. Entering the Six Paths is to belong to the class of the dead; leaving the Three Realms is to belong to the class of the living.

Summary: The various commentators explain “three in ten” in different ways: it may mean three people out of ten, or the thirteen bodily passages—the nine apertures and four gates. The central point is the same: restraint, few desires, and following the Way are close to “life”; indulgence and attachment are close to “death.” Sages leave the Three Realms, while ordinary people are trapped in the Six Paths.

A Plain-Language Interpretation of the Collected Commentaries on the Mysterious De of the True Classic of the Dao and Its Virtue

Imperial Commentary: This also speaks, in general, of the way to accept death, resist no change, and depart in peace. Such people make up about three in ten.

Yan Zun: There are indeed thirteen kinds of conduct that bring disaster: muddiness, agitation, ostentation, conformity, rigidity, arrogance, excess, depletion, overindulgence, and extravagance, among them. Muddiness blocks the ears; agitation dims the eyes; ostentation makes one’s vitality faint; conformity weakens vitality; rigidity harms the soft Qi; arrogance puts one in a low position; excess brings loss; excessive emptiness leads to blockage; overabundance leads to hardship; and extravagance invites calamity. These are all inauspicious paths to death.

Scripture: Of those who live, three in ten move toward the realm of death.

Imperial Commentary: Clinging to life and overdoing the practices of health preservation instead harm the body. Fixated on boasting, “This is my life,” they move toward the realm of death at every turn. Such people have lost the principles of life and also fall short in the principles of death. They make up about three in ten.

Imperial Commentary, Subcommentary: This explains those who are deluded and those who practice health preservation in the wrong way. Though they wish to live forever, they cannot grasp the principles; their actions often lead them to places where life is lost. They have lost the way of living in peace and strayed from the way of accepting death. Such people make up about three in ten.

Heshang Gong: People want to seek life but do the opposite; three in ten head toward the realm of death.

Rong: They end up in the realm of death because they commit the faults described earlier as “three in ten.”

Cheng’s Commentary: Those who, from the moment they are born, move toward the realm of death at every turn do so because they are attached to the taint of “three in ten,” clinging to what came before and unable to free themselves.

Section Two: A Question and Answer Explaining the Reason

Why is this so?

Imperial Commentary: “Why is this so?” It is because of “excessive devotion to life.” The question is: Why do people move toward the realm of death at every turn? The answer: because they seek life and nurture the body too intensely.

Imperial Commentary, Subcommentary: Here the question is posed: Why do living beings move toward the realm of death?

Heshang Gong: The question is: Why do people move toward the realm of death at every turn?

Rong: “Why is this so? Because of excessive devotion to life.” Why do they end up in the realm of death? Because they value life too highly and nurture it too intensely. They overuse the nine openings—the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—and the four limbs, or four bodily gates; they engage in many actions that lead to death, and constantly cherish the body beyond what is fitting. Thus, at every turn, they enter the realm of death.

Cheng’s Commentary: First a question is raised, then it is answered with “excessive devotion to life.”

Because of excessive devotion to life

Imperial Commentary, Subcommentary: This gives the direct answer: living beings move toward the realm of death because they sink into “excessive devotion to life”—valuing being alive and nurturing the body too greatly and too intensely.

An Explanatory Commentary on the Mysterious Virtue of the True Classic of the Dao and Its Virtue

Scripture

Stuck in deliberate action, immersed in emotion and desire, lavish in self-indulgence, seeking through this to preserve life. They nourish life too lavishly, and so every movement brings them toward death.

• Stuck in deliberate action: Clinging to deliberate action—contrived effort and excessive exertion.
• Immersed in emotion and desire: Indulging in passion and desire, and giving free rein to one’s wants.
• Lavish in self-indulgence, seeking through this to preserve life: Providing lavishly for oneself in the hope of “nourishing life.”
• They nourish life too lavishly, and so every movement brings them toward death: They over-nourish themselves, so every action leads toward danger and death.

The Commentary of Heshanggong says: They are brought toward death because they pursue the affairs of making a living too intensely, go against the Great Dao, defy Heaven’s will, and act recklessly without restraint.

The Commentary of Cheng says: They cannot understand the Great Dao or let go of their attachment to “life.” Instead, they cling to life as something real, accumulate great wealth, and lavishly support this life, pursuing its maintenance to excess. This is why every movement brings them toward death. This sentence answers the question posed earlier.

Third: The Virtuous Person Who Preserves Life Is Not Harmed by the Three Poisons

I have heard that those skilled at preserving life—those who are adept at guarding and nourishing life—

The Imperial Commentary: I have heard that those skilled at preserving life do not encounter rhinoceroses or tigers when traveling on land, and are not struck by weapons when entering battle. The rhinoceros finds nowhere to thrust its horn, the tiger nowhere to place its claws, and weapons nowhere to land their blades. Those who skillfully guard and nourish life have minds clear and pure, free of the intent to covet and seize. Thus, external things cannot harm them. They do not encounter rhinoceroses or tigers on land, nor are they struck by armored soldiers in battle. This is because they do not seek to harm other beings. Since other beings harbor no intent to harm them, there is nowhere for horns to thrust, claws to strike, or blades to land.

The Subcommentary to the Imperial Commentary: To preserve means to guard and protect. This refers to those who skillfully use the Dao to nourish life. They perceive with subtle insight that life’s source is pure from the beginning. They forget life while living, do not let emotion and desire disturb their harmony, and nourish their nature only through emptiness and stillness. Nothing can harm them; hence they are called skilled at preserving life.

The Commentary of Heshanggong says: “Preserve” means “nourish.”

Rong’s Commentary says: I have heard that those skilled at preserving life do not encounter rhinoceroses or tigers when traveling on land, and are not struck by weapons when entering battle. Those who cannot nourish their nature are harmed inwardly by emotion and desire and outwardly by venomous creatures. Those skilled at preserving life do not become absorbed in sensual indulgence or harm their unpoisoned mind; thus, other beings do not harm them.

The Commentary of Cheng says: “I have heard” indicates that the claim is not completely certain; “heard” is similar to saying, “I have heard it said.” To preserve means to guard and protect, and also to nourish. This refers to those skilled at guarding and nourishing life: their minds are detached and still, and they are not easily tainted by external circumstances. What follows explains the key principles for guarding and nourishing life.

They Do Not Encounter Rhinoceroses or Tigers When Traveling on Land, Nor Are They Struck by Weapons When Entering Battle

The Subcommentary to the Imperial Commentary: An unexpected meeting is called an encounter. According to the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the rhinoceros comes from the Xiang River and is dark gray-black. The Erya says that it resembles a wild ox, has one horn, and weighs a thousand jin. Those who are skilled at preserving life do not form an intention to harm other beings. Therefore, when traveling on land, they do not seek …

Plain-Language Interpretation

The general meaning of the passage: When walking on land, one does not encounter rhinoceroses or tigers; when entering an army, one is not wounded by weapons and armor. Tigers, rhinoceroses, and weapons have no intention of causing harm.

Heshang Gong’s commentary: Not encountering rhinoceroses or tigers while walking on land means that they naturally keep their distance, and calamity does not touch you. Not being wounded by weapons and armor when entering an army means that you do not delight in war or make killing your business.

Cheng’s subcommentary: “When walking on land, one does not encounter rhinoceroses or tigers”: “Land” means level ground. The rhinoceros is a venomous beast with one horn, shaped like an ox and blue-green in color. This means that a person skilled in nurturing life is not touched by venomous beasts. “Inner understanding” means remaining calm in everyday life, undisturbed by worry. “When entering an army, one is not wounded by weapons and armor”: even if a person who nurtures life enters the ranks, they are not harmed by weapons of war. “Inner understanding” means that even when living amid the world, one is not harmed by sensual desire and the like.

“The rhinoceros finds nowhere to thrust its horn, the tiger nowhere to set its claws, and weapons nowhere to lodge their blades.”

The Imperial Commentary’s subcommentary: The passage above explains that a person skilled in nurturing life has no harmful intent within and therefore does not encounter rhinoceroses or tigers without. Here it explains that even if such a person meets them, their lack of harmful intent leaves the other without an opening to attack. We can see that one who forgets attachment to things can tame and befriend the gulls on the sea, and can lead or roam alongside beasts on land—how much less would they cause harm? Hence the phrase “finds no place to do so.”

Heshang Gong’s commentary: For one who nurtures life, tigers and rhinoceroses have no way to cause harm, and blades have no way to reach the body.

Rong’s commentary: By nurturing life through the Dao and accumulating good deeds, the earlier passage showed that one does not encounter evil. This passage makes clear that even if one does encounter it, one is not harmed.

Cheng’s subcommentary: “Thrust” means to strike; “set” means to place. The rhinoceros strikes whatever it meets, which serves as a metaphor for delusion. The tiger is by nature irritable and violent, which serves as a metaphor for anger. Blades are sharp and can wound people, which serves as a metaphor for greed. One skilled in nurturing life embodies wondrous, true emptiness and, though living in the world, is not harmed by the Three Poisons.

The fourth layer: raising a question, expressing admiration, and drawing the conclusion

“Why is this so?”

The Imperial Commentary: Why is this so? Because such a person has no place of death. Why do rhinoceroses, tigers, and weapons have nowhere to thrust their horns, set their claws, or lodge their blades? Because such a person follows transformation without selfishness and does not regard death as death. Thus things cannot harm their life, and so it is said that they have no place of death.

The Imperial Commentary’s subcommentary: The question is this: tigers, rhinoceroses, and weapons are naturally things that harm people. Why, then, do they not thrust their horns, set their claws, or lodge their blades? The question asks the reason so that people may understand.

Heshang Gong’s commentary: The question asks why tigers, rhinoceroses, and weapons behave this way.

Therefore they do not suffer harm. Rong says: Why is this possible? Because they have no place of death. What gives me life is spirit; what kills me is the mind. I am killed by the mind, and the mind itself is the place of death. If one can empty the mind, quiet anxious thoughts, and refrain from contrived action, then there is no place of death.

The Cheng Commentary asks what makes this possible and answers: they have no place of death. The Yu Commentary says this is the direct answer. Those who cling to the existence of their bodies become entangled in life; those who cling too strongly to life meet death. But people who are skilled at nurturing life see that the nature of things is empty and realize that the body’s form is provisional. Thus, they can let go of life while living, avoid the excesses of overindulgent care, and follow transformation without selfishness. They have no place of death to occupy. If the mind has no place of death, how could tigers, rhinoceroses, weapons, or blades harm their lives? The Heshang Gong Commentary says they do not enter any of the thirteen deadly situations described above. Their spirit protects them, so such things dare not harm them. The Cheng Commentary says that those who cling to the body take it to be a place of death. But those who are skilled at nurturing life forget the body’s form: the body is without a fixed self, and so there is no place where death can occur. Since there is no place of death, where could the Three Poisons take hold? This answers the earlier question.

The Dao Gives Birth to Them, Chapter 51

Why this chapter follows the preceding one: the previous chapter directly identifies those who are skilled at nurturing life. When a person can establish what is provisional, the meaning of this chapter unfolds in four parts: first, it explains how Dao and De respond to transformation and give birth to all beings; second, it urges people to honor Dao and value De; third, it elaborates on the open, unobstructed compassion through which beings are brought forth and transformed; and fourth, it concludes by showing how the mysterious De benefits beings while forgetting its own achievements.

First: How Dao and De Respond to Transformation and Give Birth to All Beings

All forms of living things, all that are born, rely on the blending of vital energies to grow and reproduce, and draw on what is subtle and profound to spread their animating spirit. Their capacities differ, from foolish to wise; their forms vary in rank and status. The great roc and the little quail do not know what is far or near; the cicada does not distinguish spring from autumn. Plum and willow trees above bloom fragrant with the passing month; flowers and butterflies brighten the garden below. These are not the achievements of rank or title. How could one fathom the Dao of nature, which abides as it is? It is like the great sea, which contains everything, and like the sky, which covers everything: in every flower and every leaf, the Dao is present.

The Dao gives birth to them; De nurtures them.

This scripture passage explains how the Dao creates and nurtures all things. The core message is that the Dao (the cosmic origin and principle) generates all beings through subtle functioning, while De (the manifestation of Dao) nourishes them.

First, regarding "the Dao generates them": The supreme Dao releases harmonious Qi (vital energy) to become the foundation of all existence. This creative process is called the "mysterious origin" (miaoben), as the Dao reveals its wondrous function through movement. As the Sage of the Riverbank (Heshang Gong) stated, the Dao is the source of all things, while Cheng Xuanying further explained that the formless, mysterious Dao universally gives birth to all beings.

Next comes "De nurtures them": De represents the power all things receive from the Dao to nourish themselves. The character "畜" (xu) means to rear or cultivate. All beings are sustained through the Dao's functioning, and this nourishing capacity is called De. Cheng Xuanying clarifies that supreme De (shangde) nurtures all creatures with compassionate heart.

Then "things take form": After the Dao generates beings and De nourishes them, concrete forms emerge. This resembles the Yijing's teaching where Qian (Heaven) initiates creation and Kun (Earth) gives form, together determining the shapes and positions of all things. This entire process manifests the Dao's function through Heaven and Earth.

Finally, "circumstances complete them": All things reach maturity through favorable timing, geographical conditions, and the transformations of Yin-Yang. As Heshang Gong observed, the Dao establishes forms for all beings, then matures them through natural rhythms like seasonal changes. Master Yan Junping explained that the alternation of cold and heat facilitates each being's growth. Cheng Xuanying added that De also cultivates and refines human hearts, perfecting virtuous conduct.

In essence, this passage describes the complete process where the Dao generates, De nourishes, Heaven-Earth shapes forms, and natural patterns bring maturity—presenting Daoism's systematic understanding of cosmic creation and the growth of all existence.

Second: Explaining the exhortation to honor the Dao and value De

Scripture: Therefore, among all things, none fails to honor the Dao and cherish De.

Imperial Commentary: All things depend on the Dao and De to come into being, grow, be nourished, and accumulate; for this reason, they ought to honor and value them. The Dao has the power to bring forth and nurture all things. Every living being therefore esteems the Dao and respects De. This is an exhortation to all beings to strengthen their roots and revere the Great Dao. In the world, honor usually comes from a ruler’s granting titles and appointments. But the Dao is honored and De is valued because they bring forth and complete all things—not because of any rank or title.

Imperial Subcommentary: As above: all things come into being and are nourished through the Dao and De, and so they ought to honor them. This exhorts all beings to strengthen their roots and revere the Dao. Worldly honor often requires a ruler’s grant of rank; the Dao is honored and De valued because their power to bring forth and complete things extends to all beings. Thus all things honor them naturally, without any grant of rank.

Heshanggong: What the Dao and De accomplish inspires reverence and care in all things; every movement and stillness commands respect.

Yan: All things are brought forth and nurtured by the Dao and De, and so they ought to honor and value them.

Rong: We owe our birth to our parents and are sheltered and supported by Heaven and Earth; these are indeed worthy of honor. Yet the grace of the Dao and De surpasses that of our parents, and their achievements exceed those of Heaven and Earth. They should rightly be honored and valued.

Cheng’s Subcommentary: The Dao and De nourish and shelter all things, as explained above. Living beings rely on them every day without realizing it. They must therefore be exhorted and shown the way, so that they will revere them.

Scripture: The Dao’s honor and De’s worth are not granted by anyone’s conferral of rank; they have always been naturally precious.

Imperial Commentary: The honor of the Dao and the worth of De do not depend on titles or appointments. Because their power to bring forth all things extends to them, all things honor them constantly and naturally.

Imperial Subcommentary: Worldly honor usually requires a ruler’s grant of rank; the Dao is honored and De valued because their power to bring forth things extends to all beings. Thus all things naturally honor them, without any grant of rank.

Heshanggong: The Dao is one in essence and myriad in its manifestations. It does not issue commands to summon the things of the world, yet they constantly respond of their own accord, as a shadow follows its form.

Yan: The honor of the Dao and the worth of De do not depend on titles or appointments. They are naturally precious because their power to bring forth things extends to all beings.

Rong: The Dao and De are empty, still, and Wuwei (non-action); their worth is natural and does not depend on rank or appointment. This is why all beings respect them.

Cheng’s Subcommentary: Worldly honor is necessarily tied to rank, and so it cannot endure. The honor of the Dao and the worth of De have nothing to do with titles or appointments, and so they are naturally constant.

Third: Expounding broadly on emptiness, openness, compassion, and transformation

Scripture: Therefore, the Dao brings forth all things and nourishes them.

(The supplied passage ends here. If the following lines, such as “It gives them life and nurtures them…,” and the commentaries by various authors are available, they can be provided for translation.)

Imperial Commentary: To increase and extend is called “growth.”

Imperial Subcommentary: This passage gathers together and echoes the opening idea, “The Dao gives birth to them”: first comes “giving birth,” then “nurturing and storing up.”

Heshanggong says: The Dao does more than bring the myriad things into being. It also nurtures them over time until they mature, shelters and preserves them, and keeps their lives and nature whole. A ruler governing a state and cultivating himself should act in the same way.

Yan Zun says: The phrases “gives birth” and “nurtures” conclude the earlier passage. What follows corresponds in turn: “increase” to “growth,” “comfort” to “nurturing,” “assist” to “completion,” “bring to fullness” to “maturity,” “provide resources” to “sustenance,” and “shelter and protect” to “covering.” These eight aspects are all workings of Dao and De, which is why the myriad things honor the Dao and prize De.

Rong Yinhao says: This further explains what it means for Dao and De to “give birth” and “nurture”: increasing benefit is called “growth”; consoling and comforting is called “nurturing”; establishing and bringing to completion is called “completion”; attaining fullness is called “maturity”; providing resources is called “sustenance”; and covering and sheltering is called “protection.”

Cheng Xuanying’s Subcommentary: The earlier passage is repeated to introduce what follows. Here only “Dao” is mentioned, without “De,” because De and Dao are originally one; the wording is simply abbreviated. Thus the Scripture of the Western Ascension says: “Dao and De are undifferentiated and mysterious; their subtlety is the same.”

Growing and Nurturing Them

Imperial Commentary: To comfort and cultivate is called “nurturing.”

Imperial Subcommentary: Increasing is called “growth”; comforting is called “nurturing.”

Cheng’s Subcommentary: “Growing them” means allowing the sprouts of goodness to grow; “nurturing them” means advancing their practice and achievement.

Bringing Them to Completion and Maturity

Imperial Commentary: “Completing them,” “bringing them to maturity,” “sustaining them,” and “sheltering them”—this is why none among the people fails to honor the Dao and prize De.

Imperial Subcommentary: Assisting something to completion is called “completion”; bringing it ultimately to fullness is called “maturity.”

Cheng’s Subcommentary: By moistening the hearts of the myriad things with the unsurpassed, wondrous teaching, one enables their realization of the Dao to reach completion and their work in De to mature in purity. The wording from the earlier passage is again repeated here to introduce what follows.

Sustaining and Sheltering Them

Imperial Subcommentary: Providing resources is called “sustenance”; sheltering and protecting is called “covering.” These eight terms name the workings of Dao and De. That is why the myriad things honor and prize them.

Cheng’s Subcommentary: “Sustaining them” means rewarding them with the fruits of their actions; “sheltering them” means protecting them with great compassion. The four pairs above explain the De that benefits the myriad things; the three phrases below explain how one can forget one’s own accomplishments.

Fourth Conclusion: Realizing Mysterious De—Benefiting the Myriad Things While Forgetting One’s Accomplishments

Giving Birth Without Possessing

Imperial Commentary: “Giving birth without possessing, acting without relying on one’s work, growing without ruling—this is called mysterious De.” The full meaning is explained in the chapter “Carrying the Soul and Embracing the One.” That chapter discusses how people can cultivate the Dao and unite with it; this chapter clarifies that the workings of the Dao are the same as those of a person.

Imperial Subcommentary: The Dao gives birth to the myriad things, yet does not claim them as its own. It acts without relying on its work and helps them grow without ruling them; this is mysterious De, or profound virtue.

The text discusses how the Dao (the Way), as the cosmic origin and fundamental principle, nurtures all things. Though the Dao creates all beings, it never claims possession; though it sustains all things, it never boasts of merit; though it fosters growth, it never seeks to dominate or control. This state is called "Xuan De" (Mystic Virtue), the most profound form of virtue.

Heshang Gong (a Han Dynasty commentator) explains that the Dao nurtures all things without seeking benefit. Master Rong's annotation adds that true virtue does not flaunt its achievements, and the greatest De (Virtue/Power) does not rely on its own virtue. Though the Dao enables all things to grow and mature, it never assumes the role of a ruler—this is the deepest and most wondrous virtue.

Cheng Xuanying (a Tang Dynasty Daoist master) elaborates further: Though the Dao gives birth to all things, there is actually no concrete "thing" being created. Like straw dogs (sacrificial offerings) that appear substantial yet are illusory, the Dao nurtures without possession—seeming to exist yet not existing. This paradoxical state embodies the profound mystery of the Dao.

Regarding "acting without relying" (wei er bu shi), the commentary notes: The Dao's nurturing work is invisible and intangible; it imparts teachings yet expects no reward. Just as a ruler governs a nation, one should emulate the Dao's nature—nourishing the people without claiming credit.

"Fostering growth without domination" (zhang er bu zai) means that though the Dao allows all things to mature, it never asserts itself as a ruler. Cheng Xuanying describes this as "gong mou zao hua" (merit equal to creation itself), yet the Dao itself is formless—there is no concrete dominator.

Finally, "Xuan De" is explained: "Xuan" signifies unfathomable depth. Though the Great Dao can give life and sustenance to all things, it never claims merit or control. Its virtue permeates all yet leaves no trace—this immeasurable state is the most profound virtue. Heshang Gong states that this grace is so subtle and obscure that it defies perception. Cheng Xuanying concludes that those who, like the Dao, benefit all beings yet forget their own merit—and emulate the cultivation of sages—may truly be said to possess "Xuan De."

This is a commentary on Chapter 52 of the Daode Jing from the Collected Commentaries on the Mysterious De of the True Scripture of Dao and De. Its general meaning is as follows.

Overview of the Chapter’s Main Idea

The right Dao is luminous. It gives life to and transforms the myriad things, benefiting them without claiming credit. This is why the text proceeds to this chapter. The chapter makes clear that the Dao is the beginning of all existence and the mother of the myriad things, and urges people to cultivate it. It has four sections: the first explains that the Dao is the beginning and the mother, and encourages people to begin their cultivation; the second reveals methods of cultivation and the subtle art of closing off the openings; the third broadly presents approaches such as emptiness and existence, stillness and wisdom, understanding and practice; and the fourth explains how to conceal one’s traces and veil one’s light in order to continue along the constant Dao.

First Section: The Dao as Beginning and Mother, and the Call to Begin Cultivation

Only when principle and reality are perfectly integrated and pure can they be called the “wondrous source.” Only when this wondrous source is empty yet all-pervading can it be called the “mother.” It can therefore bring forth the myriad things and serve as the matrix of all forms. It responds to the world with great authority, holding emptiness within the palm of its hand. Though still and unmoving, it can roam among things at their beginning. Quiet and serene, it opens the heart to illuminate the principle at the root of the Dao. Confucius once wrote with a sigh of the Dao, “It is like a dragon”; Zhuangzi, in his writings, spoke of “sinking his form and being among the ants.” One should constantly close the “opening” (the mouth or portal) and keep its gate shut. Then, without exertion throughout one’s life, one can sustain life and preserve one’s nature and life.

Scripture: “The world has a beginning; this is the mother of the world.”

Imperial Commentary: “Beginning” refers to the undifferentiated Qi, the subtle energy of harmony and balance. This wondrous Qi generates the myriad things and has the virtue of nourishing them abundantly, so it can be called the mother of the world.

Imperial Subcommentary: Qi is the “beginning,” while generation is the “mother.” The Dao generates the myriad things through the subtle Qi of undifferentiated harmony. Things are thereby born, just as a mother gives birth to a child; hence the phrase “this is the mother of the world.” “Beginning” and “mother” are different names, but in the Dao they are one: a single Qi spreads through transformation, and its original constancy remains one. The upper section says, “The nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth; the named is the mother of the myriad things.” This is meant to teach people to know the source and recognize the root, guarding the mother so as to preserve the child.

Heshang Gong: “The world has a beginning”: the beginning is the Dao. “This is the mother of the world”: the Dao is the mother of all things in the world.

Rong (possibly Master Rong): The Dao is the root of things, so it is called the beginning. De can store up and nourish them, so it is called the mother.

Cheng’s Commentary: The beginning is the Dao’s root; the mother is the Dao’s manifestation. The mysterious Dao is the wondrous source and origin of great wisdom. It transcends names and words and is apart from all forms and appearances. All things in the world are born from it. The text speaks broadly of “the world” in order to teach practitioners to recognize the root and know the source. The upper section says, “The nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth.” Taking this as the mother means that manifestations descend from the root, guiding and leading living beings and nurturing them as a mother loves her child. That is why the upper section also says, “The named is the mother of the myriad things.”

Note: This book, written by Cheng Xuanying and others during the Tang dynasty, offers chapter-by-chapter commentary on the Daode Jing, bringing together philosophical interpretation and spiritual practice. Terms in the text such as “opening,” “guarding the mother to preserve the child,” and “undifferentiated Qi” are connected with Daoist teachings on guarding the One, embracing simplicity, and knowing the root and returning to the mother. The “Imperial Commentary” and “Imperial Subcommentary” cited here generally refer to the system of commentary on the Daode Jing associated with Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

Having found the Mother, one can know the children.

Imperial Commentary: All things are nourished and flourish through the Qi of balance and harmony. From this, one can know that one’s own body is a child of this Qi.

Imperial Subcommentary: Since people are nourished and flourish by the balanced and harmonious Qi that is their Mother, they should know that their bodies are children of this Qi.

Heshanggong says: “Child” refers to the One. Having known and attained the Dao, one must also come to know the One.

Rong says: This expresses the meaning of the Dao and De as the “Mother that gives birth and nurtures.” Things are born from the Dao, so their children can be known.

Cheng’s Subcommentary: The original gives rise to its manifestations, and manifestations give rise to things. Once one has come to know the Dao and its great compassion, which can guide and receive ordinary people, one knows that it is one’s Mother. Then one knows that one’s own body is a child of the Dao, born from the Dao. The scripture says: “Emptiness and spontaneity are the true father and mother.”

Having come to know the children, return to and keep to their Mother; to the end of one’s life, there will be no danger.

Imperial Commentary: Once one knows that one’s body is a child of the Qi of balance and harmony, one should keep to this wondrous Qi, not letting it scatter. Then, to the end of one’s life, one’s body will remain free from danger.

Imperial Subcommentary: Once people know that their bodies are children of the Dao’s Qi, born from it, they should keep to the Dao’s purity, free from defiling delusions, and cherish their Qi and nourish their spirit so that neither scatters. People are born from the Dao and look to the Dao as their origin. Now they return to the Dao and keep to the Mother; hence the words “return to and keep.” “To the end of one’s life, there will be no danger” means that if people can remain free of desire and return to the Dao’s function, they can complete their allotted years without danger.

Heshanggong says: Having come to know the One, one must again keep to the Dao and return to Wuwei (non-action); then there is no danger.

Rong says: A child is born of its parent and must be filial to that parent. Things are born of the Dao and must keep to the Dao. When a child is filial to its Mother and the Mother is loving toward the child, they accord with Heaven and Earth and move the spirits; things suffer no harm. When people keep to the Dao and the Dao cherishes people, merit accumulates and deeds become evident to both the hidden and manifest realms; things are unharmed. Hence the words “there is no danger.” This shows that when Mother and child keep to one another, the root and its branches gather back together, and those who practice this bring peace to their families and states.

Cheng’s Subcommentary: Having come to know that I am a child of the Dao, I should return and keep to my Mother. If I can return to the root, keep to the Mother, embody the Dao, and unite with the Real, then whether my bodily traces remain or disappear, the original has no danger or peril. Why? The Dao can give birth to things, so the Dao is the root. Things are born from the Dao, so things are the branches. The root can gather in the branches; therefore one must return to the Mother. The Dao can give birth to its children; therefore one must keep to it. Keeping to the Mother, one reaches the end of life without danger.

Thus one can preserve life for a long time. Returning to the root, even when the body dies, one does not fall into danger or ruin in the realm of the Dao. This passage is therefore an exhortation: Do not keep circling among the branches and leaves—among the myriad things, names, and functions. Put your effort into knowing the Mother, keeping to the Mother, and returning to the root.

The Scripture of the Ascent to the West (Xisheng Jing) says: “One who can always nourish the Mother will have a body that endures.” Another Daoist scripture likewise teaches that one’s body—or the cultivation of the Dao on which it depends—can endure only by continually nourishing and keeping to the Mother. This follows the same thread as “knowing the Mother” and “keeping to the Mother.”

Section Two: Revealing the Methods of Cultivation and the Subtlety of Closing Off

“Block its openings; close its gates; throughout life, one will not be burdened with toil.”

This follows the meaning of chapter 52 of the Laozi: block the openings through which one seeks pleasure in external things, and close the gates through which trouble enters and leaves. Then one need not spend a lifetime driven to exhaustion by external things.

Imperial Commentary: “Openings” refers to craving and pleasure. The eyes take pleasure in colors, the ears in sounds, and each of the six senses has something it delights in. Indulging these pleasures gives rise to trouble, so they must be blocked, preventing the six senses from following their cravings at will. When the six senses no longer indulge in craving and pleasure, the gate of trouble is closed; one is therefore “not burdened with toil throughout life”—that is, one need not be driven to exhaustion by desires and their afflictions.

Imperial Subcommentary: This passage explains how to cut off desires and keep to the Mother. “Openings” means delight and affection: the ears and eyes delight in sounds and forms, while the nose and mouth delight in scents and flavors. Each of the six senses has its own pleasures. “Gate” means a passage for going in and out; it is where the senses interact with objects of perception. Block the sight, hearing, and other senses that delight in such things, and the gate of trouble will close. Once it is closed, there is no toil throughout life. Hence the phrase “not burdened with toil throughout life.”

Heshanggong says: “Block its openings”—the openings refer to the eyes, which should not look carelessly. “Close its gates”—the gate refers to the mouth, which should not speak carelessly or utter what is wrong. If people keep their eyes from careless looking and their mouths from careless speech, they will not suffer toil throughout life.

Rong says: “Cover the eyes and close the mouth, and troubles from outside will not arise. With no exhaustion, people are free of hardship. They meet the beginning before names and return to the Mother of all that has a name. This is the way to cultivate oneself.”

The Cheng Commentary says: The passage above urges people to keep to the Mother, but has not yet shown in detail how to keep to her and return to the root. Beginning with “Block its openings,” it therefore sets out the methods of keeping and returning in full. Closing and blocking are their essential points.

“Openings” means the mouth. Among the six senses, the mouth is singled out because it belongs to the three kinds of action and, among the senses, is especially implicated in the commission of wrongs.

“Gates” means the five gates—the outward-facing doors of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body. To close the five gates is to avoid becoming attached to the objects of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. The earlier mention of “openings” refers specifically to one sense; “gates” here refers collectively to all the senses.

“Closing and blocking” has two meanings. First, one may cut off desire, endure the sight of forms without responding to them, and dwell in the mountains and forests: one forcefully blocks and closes the senses so as not to encounter what is desirable, or simply shuts oneself away deep in the mountains. Second, one may realize that the six sense objects are illusory and that the senses themselves have no true substance. There is no craving within, and nothing outside to stain one. Although the eyes still see and the ears still hear the external world, one remains continually in the field of the Dao and does not depart from the true realm. This is not simply plugging the ears and covering the eyes; through awakening, one naturally ceases to be pulled along by sensory objects.

Note: In the various commentaries, “not burdened with toil throughout life” is explained either as freedom from hardship and striving, or as freedom from being troubled and driven by desires. Both readings connect the phrase with blocking the openings, closing the gates, keeping to the Mother, and returning to the root. The Cheng Commentary includes both forms of closure: renouncing desire in the mountains and forests, and remaining unstained through awakening. This is a common way of speaking in the Neidan and Chongxuan traditions. When reading the full text of chapter 52 of the Dao De Jing, read “block the openings and close the gates” together with “know the child and keep to the Mother.”

When the eyes cling to visible forms and the ears chase after illusory sounds, this outward pursuit is true obstruction. The Dao practitioner must understand that genuine closure (referring to sensory withdrawal) is in fact the wondrous method of cultivation, for only then can one avoid lifelong suffering and toil.

Methods of Dao cultivation are manifold: some practice by quieting the mind and withdrawing from worldly affairs, while others realize the true Dao amidst the dust of human life. The depth of practice varies—as the Scripture of Western Ascension states, clinging to deliberate cultivation only brings more tribulations. Simply by withdrawing the senses while maintaining an authentic heart within worldly existence, one's nature naturally becomes spacious and serene, neither wearied nor exhausted. Thus one may peacefully fulfill their heavenly years without laborious striving.

If one indulges the six roots (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind), allowing the senses to chase external objects and drown in sensual pleasures, misfortunes will accumulate until self-rescue becomes impossible. This manifests the loss of the great Dao: opening the gates of perception to feed greedy pursuits invites disasters that grow daily, becoming irremediable in one's lifetime. As Master Heshang said, opening the eyes to chase desires while constantly feeding worldly pursuits inevitably leads to calamity.

The truly wise method is this: close the sensory passages (the "Heavenly Gate" refers to the crown point), guard the mouth with the tongue (meaning observing silence), and guard the heart with intention. Achieve hearing without listening (referring to inner observation), seeing without looking (referring to inner illumination), and transformation without speaking—thus naturally merging with the heavenly Dao. What need remains for outward pursuit?

Those who lose the great Dao drown in worldly affairs, abandoning the root for the branches, indulging the six emotions (joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, hate, and desire) and opening the gates to the five cravings (wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep). Though they may achieve worldly success, they forfeit the way of wuwei (non-action), ultimately destroying their lives beyond redemption. Like the ignorant who indulge their eyes and ears in sensual pleasures, becoming lifelong slaves to them—even the most sagely and compassionate beings witnessing this could hardly offer deliverance.

Dao cultivation begins with subtle attention. The ability to detect faint omens and correct them promptly constitutes true wisdom. This reveals the principle of preventing trouble before it arises: discerning the first sprouts of misfortune with perfect clarity, noticing subtle signs before regret takes form, and guarding the fundamental Dao.

Preventing Trouble While It Is Still Small: “Seeing the Small” and “Using Gentleness”

When people can prevent trouble from taking root and deal with it according to the Dao before disorder has taken shape, this may be called clarity.

Heshanggong says: To act while the “sprout” has not yet stirred and trouble has not yet come to light is to work on things at their smallest.

Yan Zun says: Those who can perceive changes that have no visible form and prevent even the slightest harm from occurring will not be harmed by calamity themselves.

Rong Ying says: Seeing the small is clarity; using gentleness is strength. When disorder first arises, it is still slight. To guard against trouble in advance is clarity; to follow the Dao without resisting it is gentleness, and to remain unharmed throughout is strength.

Cheng Xuanying explains: “Seeing” means observing; “small” refers to what is subtle, that is, the most wondrous principle. If those who study the Dao can observe the wondrous realm, their wisdom will grow clearer day by day. That is why the previous chapter says, “Always observe its subtlety.” Keeping to gentleness is called strength.

Emperor Xuanzong’s Imperial Commentary says: By keeping to weakness and gentleness, others will find it hard to overcome you; this can be called strength.

Cheng Xuanying adds: When one can see the small, one’s wisdom grows clearer; when one also follows the Dao with humility and gentleness, one’s virtue and accomplishments grow stronger day by day. At the beginning of studying the Dao, there are meditative stability, wisdom, practice, and understanding. Seeing the small is a gateway to wisdom and understanding; using gentleness is a method of stability and practice. Of the Six Perfections—giving, keeping the precepts, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom—the first five emphasize practice, while the last emphasizes understanding. Understanding is wisdom; in practice, stability and wisdom are both present. One uses emptiness to guide what is, and what is to support emptiness. To clarify how they guide one another, the text speaks of using gentleness and seeing the small.

Section Four: Concealing One’s Traces and Hiding One’s Radiance, to Continue the Constant Dao

“Use its radiance, then return to its clarity.”

Imperial Commentary: Seeing the small brings clarity, and keeping to gentleness brings strength. If you pride yourself on your cleverness and display your toughness, you will lose the essentials of keeping to gentleness and seeing the small. Therefore, you should use radiance to illuminate things outwardly, then return to the clarity kept within. In this way, you can endure without growing weary.

Explanation: Radiance shines outward and is constantly active; clarity is integrated inwardly and is constantly still. Seeing the small and keeping to gentleness bring strength. Since one does not boast of clarity or display toughness, even when using radiance to illuminate things outwardly, one must still return to inner clarity. This restates the ideas of seeing the small and keeping to gentleness: let activity subside outwardly and return inwardly.

The True Scripture of the Dao and Its Virtue: Collected Commentary on the Mysterious Virtue · A Plain-Language Reading

The Scripture

“It is called returning to one’s own brightness.”

Commentary by Heshanggong

“Use its light” means to turn one’s light outward and use one’s eyes to judge right and wrong, advantage and harm in the world. “Return to one’s own brightness” means to gather that light back and turn it toward the heart, rather than letting the spirit spill outward and dissipate.

Commentary by Yan Zun

When the spirit moves outward, it uses its light to shine on things outside. One does not go beyond what is needed for food and clothing or seek excess. In a lowly position, one does not envy the wealthy; in poverty, one does not envy those who have plenty. To be able to live this way is to return to one’s own brightness, so that the spirit is not depleted. I can enter the Dao, and the Dao can enter me; I and the Dao merge as one. I maintain stillness and attain emptiness, taking myself as the root of the Dao. This is the natural response between them.

Commentary by Rong Yi

“Use its light, return to its own brightness, and no calamity will befall the body.” Use wisdom to perceive subtle signs and guard against misfortune: this is called using one’s light. To see things before they begin to take shape, with clear and faultless insight, and to turn inward in reflection: this is called returning to one’s own brightness. Then one will encounter no calamity, and the body will suffer no harm.

Subcommentary by Cheng Xuanying

“Light” means the insight of wisdom. Having emptied oneself of attachment to being and brought one’s practice to completion, one can use the light of wisdom to perceive all things. Though one shines this light on all things, one immediately forgets the act of shining, conceals one’s brilliance and leaves no trace, and returns one’s brightness to obscurity. Hence the phrase “return to one’s brightness.” The passage below says, “Be bright, but do not dazzle.” Zhuangzi says, “The slippery, dubious glare is what the sage seeks.”

The Scripture

“Allow no calamity to befall the body; this is called cleaving to the Constant.”

Imperial Commentary

“Befall” means “bring upon.” It says that if one continues to keep one’s inner brightness, one will not bring calamity upon the body. This is the secret practice of the true and Constant Dao.

Imperial Subcommentary

“Befall” means “bring upon,” and “calamity” means misfortune. It says that one uses one’s light to illuminate things without becoming attached to them, keeps one’s inner brightness, does not flaunt oneself, preserves the mother and safeguards the child, and turns one’s illumination back toward the source. Naturally, no misfortune will follow. As for “cleaving to the Constant”: to use something secretly is to cleave to it. Those who can perceive what is subtle and far-reaching, keep away from harm, and remain yielding while holding their brightness are practitioners who know the child and safeguard the mother, secretly practicing the true and Constant Dao.

Commentary by Heshanggong

“Allow no calamity to befall the body” means to look inward and preserve the spirit, preventing it from leaking away and dissipating. “This is called cleaving to the Constant” means that one who can practice this is cultivating the Constant Dao.

Commentary by Rong Yi

Hence the phrase “cleaving to the Constant.” If one indulges one’s desires, pursues them to their limit, violates what is fundamental, and chases after what is secondary, calamity will arrive. To return to impermanence is to turn away from the Constant Dao.

Subcommentary by Cheng Xuanying

Once one understands that illumination should be immediately forgotten, one’s practice is complete and one’s Virtue is fulfilled; all burdens have been exhausted, and no calamity remains to befall one. Another interpretation says that “befall” means “bring upon”: no calamity or offense connected with the body remains. One’s practice is complete, all burdens are again exhausted, and the highest teaching is passed on like a lamp.

Overview of the Scripture

The passage above has already identified “that person”: one who can inherit the constant Dao and carry forward the true teaching.

Chapter 53: “If I Had Even the Least Knowledge” (“The ‘If I Had’ Chapter”)

This chapter follows the one before it. The previous chapter spoke of a person who forgets perception and illumination, and can therefore inherit the true, constant Dao; this chapter comes next.

The chapter laments that the true, constant Dao is naturally level and straightforward, yet as soon as a person arrogantly gives rise to knowledge, they stray from the highest principle. Its meaning unfolds in three parts:

1. It clarifies the Dao’s subtle, mysterious, and wondrous nature

2. It shows that those who do not cherish the Dao are greedy and insatiable

3. It points out that these greedy, thieving people stray from the highest principle

First part: Clarifying the Dao’s subtle, mysterious, and wondrous nature

The most fully realized sages awaken completely to the Dao: it is blended and whole like an egg, before Heaven and Earth have taken shape; vast as Turtle Mountain, its measure cannot be fathomed by waves and torrents. How could they be like Confucians and Mohists, distinguishing shallow from profound through mistaken understanding? Lü Qian returned the sword he had been given; Wang Xiang understood the weight of his position; Guo Pu swore by the Huai River to proclaim the eminence of Wang Dao’s family. All sank into the ford of entangling delusion and never reached the realm of the subtle and mysterious. The common crowd, failing to understand, calls what is rotten and putrid wondrous. They sink into the sea of desire and are crushed beneath the mountain of falsehood, unaware of the true principle. That is where they go astray.

Scripture

If I had even the least knowledge, and walked the Great Dao, I would fear only what I might do.

Imperial Commentary (Commentary by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang)

Laojun says: If I were upright and self-important, priding myself on having knowledge, and wished to walk the Great Dao, I would already be at odds with the Dao. Therefore, everything I did would be cause for fear.

Subcommentary

“ If I had” is a hypothetical expression used by Laojun. “Even the least” describes someone who is upright and self-important, thinking they possess knowledge. The Dao cannot be followed through “knowledge,” yet people wish to follow it by relying on knowledge. Laojun is concerned that this will cloud and obscure them, so he says: If I were upright and self-important, priding myself on my knowledge, and wished to practice the Great Dao of Wuwei (non-action) under Heaven—having knowledge would put me at odds with the Dao. I would lose the clarity and purity of Wuwei’s transformative power, and everything I did would harm living things and be deeply troubling.

Commentary by Heshanggong

“ If I had even the least knowledge, and walked the Great Dao”: If I had even great knowledge of governing, I would then walk the Great Dao of Wuwei. Laozi deplored the rulers of his time for not following the Great Dao, and so offered these words as a hypothetical.

A Collected Commentary on the Mysterious Virtue of the True Scripture of the Dao and De

1. On “Fear” and Deliberate Action (continued)

The Sage replaces government through authority with instruction and transformation. The only thing to fear is “deliberate action.”

Once one deliberately acts, one has departed from the Dao. If one seeks to reward good conduct, one must fear that hypocrisy will arise; if one seeks to make people loyal, one must fear that false loyalty will emerge.

2. Rong Gong’s Commentary: A King Who Grieved for His Age

Rong Gong says: The Old Master lamented that the kings of his time did not follow the level, broad Great Way, but instead took dangerous paths. They wore fine clothes, carried sharp swords, indulged in food and drink, and amassed treasures, while their fields lay fallow and their storehouses stood empty. These are people who boast of their mastery of the Dao—how could they understand the pure, authentic practice?

If I were to take even a slight hand in governing, I would follow the Great Way of Wuwei (non-action), not the narrow path of deliberate action. I would be especially wary of acting deliberately, and would refrain from it.

3. Cheng Xuanying’s Subcommentary: “If I” and “Slightly Know”

Cheng’s subcommentary says: “If I” is a hypothetical expression. “Know” means to distinguish; “slightly” means a small amount.

The pure Dao is supremely level and broad. If, on the basis of even the slightest distinction, I stirred my mind to “know” or practice the Dao, I would be deludedly grasping at things and fall into agitation, a state too deep to fathom.

Why? The highest Dao is empty and unobstructed, wondrously beyond distinctions. In the realm of the illusory, it is not illusory; abiding in the real, it is not real. Reality and illusion are equal in their nature, and life and death form a single thread. Entering the Nine Netherworlds, it is not obscured; emerging from the Three Realms, it is not illuminated. It walks through danger always at ease and faces great peril without fear. Thus, there is nothing to fear.

But now the mind makes distinctions, going against its original nature. Whatever one undertakes leads toward death, and so it is frightening.

The Great Way Is Level and Easy, Yet People Favor Byways

Imperial Commentary: The Great Way is level and easy. What is to be feared is having intelligence and many clever schemes, and wishing to cut corners—as when travelers prefer to take crooked paths. The harm caused by these paths is explained below.

Imperial Subcommentary: “Level” means smooth; a “byway” is a crooked path that offers a shortcut. The Great Way is open, level, and easy, yet people prefer crooked paths. The transformation brought about by the Great Way prizes Wuwei; Wuwei makes things level and easy. Those who govern in place of the true ruler cannot quiet their cleverness through freedom from desire. Instead, they labor over affairs with their minds. At first they may favor shortcuts to reach their goals, but in the end they lose the Dao and destroy their inner harmony. Hence the saying, “People greatly favor byways.”

Heshang Gong: The Great Way is very level and easy, yet people favor byways. A byway is crooked, uneven, and unrighteous. The Great Way is level and easy, but people prefer crooked, uneven paths.

Rong Gong: The right path is level and easy; crooked byways are dangerous and difficult. Those who govern a state often take dangerous paths, while few who cultivate themselves follow the level and easy way. Those who manage a state often tread the difficult path; few who cultivate themselves choose what is easy.

Note: This section brings together commentaries from different periods on the Dao De Jing passage “The Great Way is level and easy, yet people favor byways” and related lines. The central point remains that the Great Way is inherently level, while people favor shortcuts and deliberate action. Making distinctions and grasping at things leads toward death; therefore, one should “fear” deliberate action. Proper names and technical terms are retained in keeping with the commentators’ intended meanings, with brief explanations.

Collected Commentaries on the Mysterious Virtue of the True Classic of the Dao and Its De — A Plain-Language Interpretation

I. Rejecting the Abandonment of the Dao (Cheng’s Commentary)

Cheng’s Commentary says: “‘Level’ means flat and even; ‘path’ means a crooked, narrow track. The principle of ultimate truth is equal and has no distinctions of high and low. But people whose views are upside down and confused turn away from the right Dao and favor crooked paths. As a result, the Great Dao declines, while shallow techniques of ‘small achievement’ become widespread.”

II. Those Who Do Not Cherish the Great Dao: Seeking More Without Restraint

The court is kept in splendid order

The Imperial Commentary: Esteeming the worthy and boasting of cleverness give rise to artifice. Here, “kept in order” refers to methods of governing. A ruler who favors crooked paths does not esteem the transformation brought about by Wuwei (non-action); instead, he treats deliberate action as the principle of governing the state. Though he may claim to have made the court “very orderly,” deliberate action harms simplicity and breeds cunning and deceit. Hence the commentary says, “Esteeming the worthy and priding oneself on cleverness give rise to artifice and falsehood.” Another interpretation is that the court undertakes extensive construction, raising lofty halls and adorning walls; hence it is called “kept in splendid order.”

Heshang Gong: Build high terraces and pavilions, and renovate the palace buildings.

Rong, in his commentary: The court is kept in splendid order, while the fields lie deeply overgrown. Walls are carved and buildings raised high; old structures are continually torn down and replaced. Those below neglect farming, and fertile land lies uncultivated. They pursue fame and profit, abandon what is small in order to seek more, fail to cultivate the Dao, and leave the Dantian (energy center) neglected.

Cheng’s Commentary: Rulers who have lost the Dao favor crooked paths. They do not esteem simplicity, but only ornate display. They demolish old houses and build new palaces, carving pillars and rafters and indulging in every kind of ornament.

The fields lie deeply overgrown

The Imperial Commentary: Extravagant food and drink, and neglect of one’s proper work, leave farming abandoned.

The Imperial Subcommentary: Land is called “overgrown” when weeds grow and it is not tilled. Extravagant indulgence and living off others’ labor leave the fields uncultivated. With no good harvest, how could anyone expect grain to be piled high in storage?

Heshang Gong: Farming is neglected, and the time for sowing and planting is missed.

Cheng’s Commentary: Forced labor is burdensome, and farmers are driven from their work. The eastern fields go untilled, and the southern plots lie waste.

The granaries are very empty

The Imperial Commentary: The southern fields yield no harvest, and there are no reserves.

The Imperial Subcommentary: In a good year, the granaries are full; when farming is neglected, they are empty. This is only natural.

Heshang Gong: The five grains are lost, and the state has no stored provisions.

Rong: In a good year, the granaries are full; when farming is neglected, they are empty. When De (Virtue/Power) is shallow, one’s work is empty; when De is abundant, the Dao is substantial.

Cheng’s Commentary: The harvest is limited, while the state’s expenditures are without restraint. The looms stand idle, and the granaries are emptied.

Wearing embroidered finery

The Imperial Commentary: Carving, ornament, and embroidery harm the livelihoods of artisans and the benefits of farming.

The Imperial Subcommentary: “Pattern” refers to blue and red; “color” refers to dyed silk. The phrase means that people despise substance and prize appearance.

Heshang Gong: They favor artificial adornment and value outward splendor.

Rong: “Wearing embroidered finery” is linked in meaning with “carrying a sharp sword” in the following text.

Cheng’s Commentary: In the original text, the various commentaries under “wearing embroidered finery” often continue with “carrying a sharp sword” and related material. Here, only their comments on “wearing embroidered finery” are included.

Note: This work belongs to the Collected Commentaries on the Mysterious Virtue of the True Classic of the Dao and Its De, compiled in the Tang dynasty by Cheng Xuanying and others. It gathers interpretations of passages associated with Chapter 53 of the Dao De Jing—such as “the court is kept in splendid order, the fields lie deeply overgrown, the granaries are very empty”—from the Imperial Commentary (by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang), Heshang Gong’s commentary, Cheng’s Commentary, and Rong’s commentary (or that of another commentator). It contrasts the failings of “rulers who have lost the Dao, ornate display and deliberate action, neglected farming and empty granaries” with the neglect of Wuwei and the agricultural foundations of the state. “Cheng’s Commentary” refers to Cheng Xuanying’s commentary. “Heshang Gong” is the traditional attribution for the author of the Laozi Heshang Gong Commentary. In Rong’s commentary, Dantian refers to a focus of cultivation, set against the failure to cultivate the Dao in the pursuit of worldly concerns.

Plain-Language Interpretation

General Meaning of the Scripture

These people have always prized outward display and looked down on civil governance and moral instruction, while valuing military force more than virtue. They claim to cultivate themselves and seek the truth, yet have no morality in their hearts. They adorn themselves with a show of authority, and though they have not rid themselves of wrongful thoughts, they wear sharp swords at their waists.

“Wearing embroidered finery and carrying sharp swords”

They wear brocade and embroidered robes and carry keen swords. They adorn their bodies with splendid clothes and guard their lives with famous swords such as Gan Jiang and Mo Ye. Fine wine, delicacies, and rich, strongly flavored foods satisfy their appetites. They do not honor high Virtue or care for the people. Alas, their greed and cruelty have reached such depths.

Imperial Commentary: They neglect civil Virtue and prize military preparedness alone.

Imperial Subcommentary: Sharp swords represent military preparedness. Civil Virtue is the foundation of governing a state; military prowess is its support. Civil governance is the root, while military force is secondary. To pursue military prowess alone is to abandon the root and chase after what is secondary.

Heshanggong: They prize military strength and live extravagantly.

“Being sated with food and drink”

Imperial Commentary: They cook rich meats and serve fresh delicacies, prize strong flavors, and eat until they are full and weary of food.

Imperial Subcommentary: “Sated” means full. Their kitchens overflow with rich flavors and rare delicacies. When those above feast on fine food in excess, the people below go hungry and cold.

Heshanggong: They are sated with food and drink, have more wealth than they need, and indulge their desires without restraint.

Rong’s Commentary: Having more than enough resources and being weary of food could accord with “tasting what has no flavor,” “drinking harmony and bathing in De,” and Wuwei. One might honor worthy people with plain food and give away wealth rather than hoard it, bringing things into balance both within and without. But these people take pleasure in stockpiling delicacies and jewels. This is the conduct of thieves who flaunt their gains, not a foundation for governing a household or a state.

“Having more wealth and goods than they need”

Imperial Commentary: They gather and amass wealth, storing up rare treasures.

Imperial Subcommentary: Wealth and goods refer to money, silk, pearls, jade, and the like. They impose heavy levies and accumulate a surplus. Those who study the Way should take freedom from greed as their treasure, but these people only seek to amass wealth and deceive the people.

Cheng’s Commentary: They govern recklessly and wantonly, impose excessive taxes, and extort the people, while keeping surplus wealth for themselves.

Third section: This refers to greedy, thieving people who violate the highest principle

“This is called thievery and boastfulness; it is not the Dao.”

Imperial Commentary: They think themselves wise, yet everything they do brings harm. They behave like thieves and then boast about it. Such thieving and boasting is contrary to the Dao and truly lamentable.

Imperial Subcommentary: Taking what is not rightfully theirs is “thievery”; flaunting what they possess is “boastfulness.” They plunder the poor and take from those who already have too little. They indulge and squander freely, while keeping more than enough to support themselves. None of this follows the right way.

Cheng’s Commentary (continuing from the previous passage): These people violate the highest principle.

(“Alas” is an exclamatory particle.)

Plain-Language Interpretation

To take pride in one’s own arrogance and treat it as something admirable is called “robbery.” Is that not fitting?

To act this way is not the Dao I wish to follow. The phrase “Is that not so?” expresses sorrow and lament.

The Lord of the Riverbank says: This is what is meant by “robbery”: the people have too little while the ruler has too much. This brings about violent theft, which the ruler then displays as ornamentation and uses to boast before others, unaware that death and the ruin of the household will follow, taking even the family and kin with them. This is contrary to the Dao! When a ruler acts this way, it is contrary to the Dao. The phrase “Is that not so?” is repeated as an expression of deep sorrow.

Yan says: The Dao and De do not rely on cleverness, and so they can shape and nurture all under Heaven and bring Yin-Yang into transformation. Heaven and Earth do not rely on cleverness, and so they can contain and release transformations; nothing among the myriad things can escape them. The Dao is plain and free of corruption, simple and easy to follow. Through Wuwei, things are skillfully accomplished; when nothing is forced, blessings arise. How sorrowful! To turn away from the Dao and resort to cleverness is to act violently in the world and violate the order of Heaven. Since this is not the Great Dao, it is truly lamentable!

Rong says: Taking from those who have too little and accumulating what is already abundant is called “robbery.” Loving fine ornament and indulging in luxury is what it means to boast. Both robbery and boasting are contrary to the Dao.

Commentary on Cheng’s Commentary: Levying many taxes and making heavy collections is like robbery and banditry; hoarding and accumulating, then acting proud and boastful, violates principle and goes against De. This is called being contrary to the Dao. If we interpret these lines as referring to the conduct of a Dao practitioner: “the court is thoroughly swept” means there is no virtuous achievement; “the fields are terribly overgrown” means the mind has been neglected; “the granaries are completely empty” means there is no Dao or De; “wearing fine patterned clothes” means delighting in ornate speech; “wearing a sharp sword” means the heart’s greed is keen; “being sated with food and drink” means indulging in flavors; “possessions and goods in excess” means accumulating without giving anything away.

Explanation: The passage continues the Dao De Jing’s critique of “robbery and boasting”: rulers who are arrogant and extravagant, who hoard wealth and flaunt it, embody the pattern of “taking from those who have too little to provide for those who already have enough.” The Lord of the Riverbank discusses the political consequences—the ruler’s death and the ruin of the household. Yan, Rong, and Cheng’s Commentary explain the passage respectively in terms of “turning away from the Dao and relying on cleverness,” “robbery and boasting,” and “heavy collection, pride, and ostentation.” The final section of Cheng’s Commentary interprets phrases such as “the court is thoroughly swept,” “the fields are terribly overgrown,” and “the granaries are completely empty” as signs of the ruin of one’s mind and conduct. This is a reading in the tradition of inner cultivation and outward rule.