DAO DE JING · THE DE
Chapter 44
名與身孰親？
身與貨孰多？
得與亡孰病？
是故甚愛必大費，多藏必厚亡，
知足不辱，知止不殆，可以長久。
JAMES LEGGE · ENGLISH TRANSLATION
1.
Or fame or life, Which do you hold more dear? Or life or wealth, To which would you adhere? Keep life and lose those other things; Keep them and lose your life:—which brings Sorrow and pain more near?
2.
Thus we may see, Who cleaves to fame Rejects what is more great; Who loves large stores Gives up the richer state.
3.
Who is content Needs fear no shame. Who knows to stop Incurs no blame. From danger free Long live shall he.
About these texts
The Chinese follows the Wang Bi recension in the Sibu Beiyao edition, transcribed on Wikisource. The English is James Legge’s translation.
They are paired by chapter number. Wording and punctuation can differ between editions. The historical text and translation are distinct from any AI reflection.
The Chinese transcription is adapted by extracting chapter text and omitting commentary. Editorial contributions are shared under CC BY-SA 4.0; the historical work is public domain. English source: Project Gutenberg, ebook 216; the underlying Legge translation is public domain in the USA.