During the Spring and Autumn Period, Laozi gathered the great wisdom of ancient sages and sages, summarized the essence of ancient Taoist thought, and founded the Taoist school of thought.

Since then, for thousands of years, Taoist thought has been developing and advancing in changes, and many academic works and classic theories have been handed down.

So today’s Taoist Culture will summarize for you which sentence is the most classic among the Taoist wisdom passed down from generation to generation.

1. "The Tao always does nothing, but does everything."

The Tao follows nature and does nothing, and follows nature and does nothing.

Appreciation: If you don’t act rashly, don’t act randomly, comply with the objective situation, and respect the laws of nature, there will be nothing you can’t accomplish.

2. "Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows Tao, and Tao follows nature."

Humans operate according to the laws of the earth, and the earth operates according to the laws of heaven. Heaven operates according to the laws of Tao, and Tao operates according to the laws of nature.

Appreciation: Laozi used the recursive method to explain to people what the principle of "Tao follows nature" is. Wang Bi said in his annotation to "Laozi": "The Tao does not violate nature, but obtains its nature. If it follows nature, it will follow the square when it is square, and it will follow the round when it is round. There is nothing against nature." In other words, only Only by obeying the laws of nature and living naturally can heaven, earth, and man operate in accordance with their respective natural laws and live in peace.

3. "The best goodness is like water. Water is good for all things without fighting. It is what everyone hates, so it is close to the Tao. Live in a good place, have a good heart, be kind, speak good faith, govern well, and do good things." When you are doing good things, you don’t fight, so there is nothing wrong with you.”

The highest virtue is like water. Water is good at benefiting all things without competing with them. It lives in a humble place that no one likes, so it is close to Tao. In life, one is good at staying humble, in mind is good at maintaining a deep heart, in making friends, he is good at loving each other, in speaking, he is good at abiding by his word, in politics, he is good at governing, in doing things, he is good at using his talents, and in behavior, he is good at waiting for the opportunity. Precisely because it is like water and has no competition with all things, it has no worries.

Appreciation: Taoists believe that the best way to do good is like water. Water moistens all things but never competes with all things. It always acts in accordance with the laws of nature. A virtuous person always chooses to act at the most opportune time. Since everything he does does not violate the laws of nature, it will not cause trouble. We should obey God's will and let nature take its course.

4. "The softest thing in the world is the strongest thing in the world. There is no existence in the world, so I know that nothingness is beneficial."

The softest thing in the world can gallop. The hardest thing in the world. Invisible power can penetrate things without gaps. So I know the benefits of "inaction".

Appreciation: "Noble softness" is one of the basic concepts of "Tao De Jing". Laozi believes that "softness" is the expression of the vitality of all things and the basic expression and function of "Tao". It actually It is no longer limited to the narrow sense that is opposite to "strong", but has become a philosophical concept that summarizes all subordinate and secondary aspects of Taoist thought. "Tenderness" here is a symbol of real power. What Laozi wants to highlight in this sentence is the inevitability of the transformation of things.

5. "Heaven and earth are not benevolent, and treat all things as stupid dogs; sages are not benevolent, and regard the people as stupid dogs."

Heaven and earth are not emotional, and treat all things equally. Sages are not emotional, Treat the common people equally.

Appreciation: Taoism believes that in the face of nature, all things are equal, and each survives, evolves, and develops according to their own laws. Heaven and earth do not interfere with all things and allow them to fend for themselves. What seems indifferent is actually the best attitude.

The above sentences from Taoist classics are words of wisdom that are still popular and popular after thousands of years of changes. But the most classic one must be "Heaven and earth are unkind, and treat all things as stupid dogs; saints are unkind, and treat the common people as stupid dogs." This sentence often appears in novels, film and television works, and I believe everyone often hears and understands it. It is often quoted, but it is this sentence that exposes the most common mistakes we make in Chinese studies.

Many people take this famous saying of Laozi literally, thinking that "unkindness" refers to "unkindness, cruelty and immorality" and reflects the anarchist thought of Laozi, the founder of Taoism. However, in fact , "Unkind" refers to not being emotional. The whole sentence does not express the oppression and discrimination suffered by the ruler. On the contrary, it refers to a fair principle, that is, all people and all living beings are equal in the eyes of heaven and earth. of.

This sentence expresses Laozi’s atheistic ideological tendency. He believes that heaven and earth are natural existences without reason and emotion. Its existence will not have any effect on everything in nature, because everything is between heaven and earth. Time changes and develops in accordance with its own natural laws. As a saint, an ideal ruler, he should follow the laws of nature, govern by inaction, and allow the people to fend for themselves, thrive and survive without taking interventionist attitudes and measures, which negates the The idea of ??personifying heaven and earth existed in the ideological circles at that time.

Conclusion: Taoist thought is profound and unpredictable, always shrouded in a layer of mysterious metaphysics, which has aroused people's various speculations and explanations from ancient times to the present. Today, Taoist thought has returned to people's vision. When understanding and studying Taoist classics, we cannot take it for granted and make assumptions based on thin air. Otherwise, it will be difficult to feel the charm of Taoist thought.