Tao Te Ching Chapter 56 – 玄德 (道德經 第56章)
Paul PengShare
Tao Te Ching — Chapter 56: The Mysterious Excellence
道德經 第五十六章 · 玄德 · Lao Tzu · Bilingual Edition with Classical Commentaries
Original Text — 原文
English Translation — James Legge
He who knows the Dao does not care to speak about it; he who is ever ready to speak about it does not know it.
He who knows it will keep his mouth shut and close the portals of his nostrils. He will blunt his sharp points and unravel the complications of things; he will attemper his brightness, and bring himself into agreement with the obscurity of others. This is called ‘the Mysterious Agreement.’
Such a one cannot be treated familiarly or distantly; he is beyond all consideration of profit or injury; beyond all consideration of nobility or meanness. As shown in Chapter 55, the one who holds abundant virtue is like an infant — untouched by harm, beyond all ordinary distinctions. He is the noblest man under heaven.
✦ Key Insight
Chapter 56 opens with one of the most quoted lines in the Tao Te Ching: those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know. The chapter then describes six practices of the sage: block the openings, close the gates, blunt sharpness, untangle knots, harmonize light, blend with dust. Together these constitute xuan tong (玄同) — mysterious unity or agreement. The result is a person who is beyond all ordinary categories: neither close nor distant, neither beneficial nor harmful, neither noble nor base. Such a person is the most honoured under heaven.
Classical Commentaries — 古典注释
王弼注 Wang Bi's Commentary
Wang Bi says those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know. Block the passages, close the doors, blunt sharpness, untangle knots, harmonize light, blend with dust — this is mysterious unity. Such a person is beyond intimacy or distance, benefit or harm, nobility or baseness.
河上公注 Heshang Gong's Commentary
Heshang Gong says those who know value action over words. Close the sources of desire, blunt what is sharp, harmonize what is bright, blend with the common world — this is unity with Heaven. Such a person transcends all distinctions.
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is the curator of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
Read his full story →
