12𝌑道德经

道德經 Dao De Jing [Tao Te Ching]

Chapter 12: The Repression of the Desires

	繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp	Legge's Translation	Susuki's Translation	Goddard's Translation
	道德经	The Repression of the Desires	Abstaining From Desire	Avoiding Desire
1	五色令人目盲；五音令人耳聋；五味令人口爽；驰骋畋猎，令人心发狂	Colour's five hues from the eyes their sight will take. Music's five notes the ears as deaf can make; The flavours five deprive the mouth of taste. The chariot course, and the wild hunting waste make mad the mind; and objects rare and strange. Sought for, men's conduct will to evil change.	"The five colors [combined] the human eye will blind; The five notes [in one sound] the human ear confound; The five tastes [when they blend] the human mouth offend."	An excess of light blinds the human eye; an excess of noise ruins the ear; an excess of condiments deadens the taste. The effect of too much horse racing and hunting is bad, and the lure of hidden treasure tempts one to do evil.
2	难得之货，令人行妨。是以圣人为腹不为目，故去彼取此。	Therefore the sage seeks to satisfy (the craving of) the belly, and not the (insatiable longing of the) eyes. He puts from him the latter, and prefers to seek the former.	"Racing and hunting will human hearts turn mad, Treasures high-prized make human conduct bad." Therefore the holy man attends to the inner and not to the outer. He abandons the latter and chooses the former.	Therefore the wise man attends to the inner significance of things and does not concern himself with outward appearances. Therefore he ignores matter and seeks the spirit.

繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp

Legge's Translation

Susuki's Translation

Goddard's Translation

道德经

The Repression of the Desires

Abstaining From Desire

Avoiding Desire

五色令人目盲；五音令人耳聋；五味令人口爽；驰骋畋猎，令人心发狂

Colour's five hues from the eyes their sight will take. Music's five notes the ears as deaf can make; The flavours five deprive the mouth of taste. The chariot course, and the wild hunting waste make mad the mind; and objects rare and strange. Sought for, men's conduct will to evil change.

"The five colors [combined] the human eye will blind; The five notes [in one sound] the human ear confound;
The five tastes [when they blend] the human mouth offend."

An excess of light blinds the human eye; an excess of noise ruins the ear; an excess of condiments deadens the taste. The effect of too much horse racing and hunting is bad, and the lure of hidden treasure tempts one to do evil.

难得之货，令人行妨。是以圣人为腹不为目，故去彼取此。

Therefore the sage seeks to satisfy (the craving of) the belly, and not the (insatiable longing of the) eyes. He puts from him the latter, and prefers to seek the former.

"Racing and hunting will human hearts turn mad,
Treasures high-prized make human conduct bad."
Therefore the holy man attends to the inner and not to the outer. He abandons the latter and chooses the former.

Therefore the wise man attends to the inner significance of things and does not concern himself with outward appearances. Therefore he ignores matter and seeks the spirit.