Chapter 12
五色令人目盲
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；
难得之货，
令人行妨。
是以圣人为腹不为目，
The five colors blind men’s eyes, The five tones deafen men’s ears, The five flavors numb men’s mouths, Racing at a gallop in pursuit of the hunt maddens men’s minds. Rare objects obstruct men’s conduct. Therefore the sage is for the belly and not for the eye. Therefore he discards the one and selects the other.
A modern classroom translation, with labeled subsections for study.
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