Chapter 15: The Scholar's Virtue
Laozi describes the ancient masters with seven paradoxes: careful yet free, yielding yet solid, vast yet undefined. True wisdom cannot be grasped.
📖 Definition
Chapter 15 describes ancient masters with seven images: cautious as crossing ice, dignified as a guest, yielding as melting ice, genuine as wood, vast as valleys, unclear as muddy water.
Source Text
Read the original alongside the English rendering
Original Chinese
古之善為士者，微妙玄通，深不可識。
夫唯不可識，故強為之容：豫兮若冬涉川，猶兮若畏四鄰，儼兮其若客，渙兮若冰之將釋，敦兮其若樸，曠兮其若谷，渾兮其若濁。
孰能濁以止？
靜之徐清。
孰能安以久？
動之徐生。
保此道者不欲盈。
夫唯不盈，故能蔽不新成。
English Rendering
The ancient masters were subtle, mysterious, profound — beyond understanding.
Since they cannot be fully understood, I can only describe their appearance: careful as one crossing frozen ground, cautious as one surrounded by danger, dignified as a guest, yielding as ice about to melt, genuine as uncarved wood, vast as a valley,混然 like muddy water.
Who can make muddy water clear?
Through stillness it gradually becomes clear.
Who can remain secure?
Through movement they gradually come alive.
This way of keeping the void and not seeking fullness — because they do not fill, they can keep and renew.
The Ancient Masters
古之善為士者 — “The ancient masters.”
Laozi describes those who have attained wisdom. They are subtle, mysterious, profound — beyond ordinary understanding. Since they cannot be fully grasped, Laozi describes how they appear.
Seven Images
Laozi uses seven paradoxes to describe the master:
- 豫兮若冬涉川 — Careful as one crossing frozen ground
- 猶兮若畏四鄰 — Cautious as one surrounded by danger
- 儼兮其若客 — Dignified as a guest
- 渙兮若冰之將釋 — Yielding as ice about to melt
- 敦兮其若樸 — Genuine as uncarved wood
- 曠兮其若谷 — Vast as a valley
- 渾兮其若濁 — Undefined like muddy water
The Paradox of Clarity
孰能濁以止？靜之徐清 — “Who can make muddy water clear? Through stillness it gradually becomes clear.”
When the mind is stirred, clarity is impossible. When you stop stirring, the mud settles. Wisdom comes through stillness, not through more activity.
The Paradox of Life
孰能安以久？動之徐生 — “Who can remain secure? Through movement they gradually come alive.”
Security is not stagnation. True stillness includes movement. Life comes through the balance of rest and motion.
Not Seeking Fullness
保此道者不欲盈 — “This way does not seek fullness.”
The sage keeps the void, not the full. Because they do not fill up, they can receive and renew endlessly.
Modern Application
We are taught to seek mastery through accumulation. Chapter 15 suggests another path: wisdom comes through subtleties, not certainties.
Key Takeaways
- True masters appear in paradoxes
- Caution is not fear
- Stillness produces clarity
- Balance of rest and motion creates life
- Not seeking fullness keeps you renewable
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Written by
Lee
Lee explains Chinese philosophy, strategy, and stories in plain English — for people who want ancient wisdom they can actually use. Based in China, writing for the world.
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