| 1 |
不出戶，知天下﹔不窺牖，見天道。其出彌遠，其知彌少。 |
Without going outside his door, one understands (all that takes
place) under the sky; without looking out from his
window, one sees
the Dao of Heaven. The farther that one goes out (from
himself), the
less he knows.
|
"Without passing out of the gate
The world's course I prognosticate.
Without peeping through the window
The heavenly Reason I contemplate.
The further one goes,
The less one knows."
|
Not going out of the door I have knowledge of the world. Not peeping through
the window I perceive heaven's Dao. The more one wanders
to a distance the less he knows. |
| 2 |
是以聖人不行
而知，不見而明，不為而成。 |
Therefore the sages got their knowledge without travelling; gave
their (right) names to things without seeing them; and accomplished
their ends without any purpose of doing so. |
Therefore the holy man does not travel, and yet he has knowledge. He does not
see things, and yet he defines them. He does not
labor, and yet he completes.
|
Therefore the wise man does not wander about but he understands, he does not
see things but he defines them, he does not labor yet
he completes. |
