71𝍌知病

道德經 Dao De Jing [Tao Te Ching]

Chapter 71: The Disease of Knowing

	繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp	Legge's Translation	Susuki's Translation	Goddard's Translation
	知病	The Disease of Knowing	The Disease of Knowledge	The Disease of Knowledge
1	知，不知，上矣；不知，知，病也。	To know and yet (think) we do not know is the highest (attainment); not to know (and yet think) we do know is a disease.	To know the unknowable, that is elevating. Not to know the knowable, that is sickness.	To recognize one's ignorance of unknowable things is mental health, and to be ignorant of knowable things is sickness.
2	圣人不病，以其病病。	It is simply by being pained at (the thought of) having this disease that we are preserved from it.	Only by becoming sick of sickness can we be without sickness.	Only by grieving over ignorance of knowable things are we in mental health.
3	夫唯病病，是以不病。	The sage has not the disease. He knows the pain that would be inseparable from it, and therefore he does not have it.	The holy man is not sick. Because he is sick of sickness, therefore he is not sick.	The wise man is wise because he understands his ignorance and is grieved over it.

繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp

Legge's Translation

Susuki's Translation

Goddard's Translation

知病

The Disease of Knowing

The Disease of Knowledge

知，不知，上矣；不知，知，病也。

To know and yet (think) we do not know is the highest (attainment); not to know (and yet think) we do know is a disease.

To know the unknowable, that is elevating. Not to know the knowable, that is sickness.

To recognize one's ignorance of unknowable things is mental health, and to be ignorant of knowable things is sickness.

圣人不病，以其病病。

It is simply by being pained at (the thought of) having this disease that we are preserved from it.

Only by becoming sick of sickness can we be without sickness.

Only by grieving over ignorance of knowable things are we in mental health.

夫唯病病，是以不病。

The sage has not the disease. He knows the pain that would be inseparable from it, and therefore he does not have it.

The holy man is not sick. Because he is sick of sickness, therefore he is not sick.

The wise man is wise because he understands his ignorance and is grieved over it.