Tao Te Ching Chapter 6 – 成象 (道德經 第6章)
Paul PengShare
Tao Te Ching — Chapter 6: The Completion of Material Forms
道德經 第六章 · 成象 · Lao Tzu · Bilingual Edition with Classical Commentaries
Original Text — 原文
綿綿若存，用之不勤。
English Translation — James Legge
The valley spirit dies not, aye the same;
The female mystery thus do we name.
Its gate, from which at first they issued forth,
Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth.
Long and unbroken does its power remain, used gently, and without the touch of pain. This image of the inexhaustible Dao as a valley — hollow, receptive, and eternal — is one of the most poetic in all 81 chapters.
✦ Key Insight
Chapter 6 presents the Dao through the image of the Valley Spirit (gu shen 谷神) and the Mysterious Feminine (xuan pin 玄牝). The valley is empty, yet it sustains all things; the feminine gives birth without exhaustion. This is the root of Heaven and Earth — not a force that dominates, but one that endures through yielding. It is the same principle that underlies all Taoist ritual and inner cultivation: gentle, continuous, and inexhaustible.
Classical Commentaries — 古典注释
王弼注 Wang Bi's Commentary
Wang Bi identifies the Valley Spirit as the mysterious feminine — the gateway to Heaven and Earth. The valley is empty at its center: formless, shadowless, still, and never declining. Though invisible, it is the root of all existence. It cannot be named, yet all things are born from it. Endlessly productive, it never wearies.
河上公注 Heshang Gong's Commentary
Heshang Gong interprets the Valley Spirit as the spirit of the five organs. Nourishing the spirit prevents death. The mysterious feminine corresponds to the nose (Heaven) and mouth (Earth) in the human body. The nose receives the five heavenly breaths — essence, spirit, clarity, intelligence, and voice. The mouth receives the five earthly flavors that form the body. The gate of the mysterious feminine is the pathway for primal breath to circulate. Breath should be gentle, subtle, and unhurried.
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 →
