歸根章第十六
Key Takeaway: "Push far enough towards the Void, hold fast enough to Quietness, and of the ten thousand things none but can be worked on by you." — Laozi, Daodejing Chapter 16
Reach the utmost limit of the Void, guard stillness steadfastly. Though myriad things flourish in abundance, each inevitably returns home to its primary root—a foundational perspective explored in Daodejing Chapter 16 Translation.
Daodejing Chapter 16 Translation: Stillness as the True Law of Nature
The wisdom of Daodejing Chapter 16 Translation addresses a fundamental human dynamic: how we navigate ambition, quietude, and the natural flow of existence. In the classical tradition, this passage serves as both a metaphysical mirror and a practical compass for daily living and leadership. Explore how this principle translates into contemporary daily life in our guide to Returning to Your Root: Laozi’s Antidote to the Modern Noise.
By shifting our focus from outer coercion to internal stillness, we uncover a more resilient way of relating to ourselves and the world around us.
Complete Chapter Translation: Modern Western Reading
Push far enough towards the Void, Hold fast enough to Quietness, And of the ten thousand things none but can be worked on by you. I have beheld them, where they go back.
See, all things howsoever they flourish Return to the root from which they grew. This return to the root is called Quietness; Quietness is called submission to Fate; What has submitted to Fate has become part of the always so.
To know the always-so is to be Illumined; Not to know it, means to go blindly to disaster. He who knows the always-so has room in him for everything; He who has room in him for everything is without prejudice.
To be without prejudice is to be kingly; To be kingly is to be of heaven; To be of heaven is to be in Tao. Tao is forever and one who possess it, Though his body ceases, is not destroyed.
道德经中文原文与对照
【原文】 致虛極，守靜篤。萬物並作，吾以觀復。夫物芸芸，各復歸其根。歸根曰靜，靜曰復命。復命曰常，知常曰明。不知常，妄作凶。知常容，容乃公，公乃全，全乃天，天乃道，道乃久，沒身不殆。
核心要义解析 (Philosophical Insights)
- 道义发微：本章通过“歸根章第十六”阐发了《道德经》的核心精髓。从“有”与“无”、“动”与“静”的辩证转化中，提醒我们在日用常行中摒弃过度的功利执念，回归纯粹本真的生命状态。
- 现代启示：当外界喧嚣与评判标准不断施加压力时，保持内心的虚静与不争，反而是最强大的定力与智慧。
Follow the sequential development of the text in Laozi’s next philosophical movement in The Pure Atmosphere of Leadership: When People Say ‘We Did It Ourselves’.
For a deeper comparative examination of these ideas, explore our related study on Governing Through Stillness: The Tao Never Acts, Yet Leaves Nothing Undone.
