Chapter 56
知者不言
知者不言，
言者不知。
塞其兑，
闭其门，
挫其锐，
解其纷，
和其光，
同其尘，
是谓玄同。
故不可得而亲，
不可得而疏；
不可得而利，
不可得而害；
不可得而贵，
不可得而贱。
故为天下贵。
a> Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.
b> Blunt the point, Undo the tangle, Soften the glare, Join the dust.
This is called the dark joining.
c> Hence one cannot become close to it, one cannot become distant from it, one cannot profit it, one cannot harm it, one cannot honor it, one cannot disdain it. Thus it is honored by the world.
A modern classroom translation, with labeled subsections for study.
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