Buy a Laozi calligraphy wall scroll here!
Personalize your custom “Laozi” project by clicking the button next to your favorite “Laozi” title below...
3. Daodejing / Tao Te Ching - Chapter 33
7. Those Who Understand are Clever, Those Who Know Themselves are Truly Wise
慈 is the simplest way to express the idea of compassion.
This can also mean love for your fellow humans, humanity, or living creatures. Sometimes this is extended to mean charity.
This term is often used in a Buddhist or Christian context. The concept was also spoken of by Laozi (Lao Tzu) in the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching).
慈 is considered the direct translation of the Sanskrit word मैत्री (maitrī) Pali word मेत्ता (mettā). In this context, it means benevolence, loving kindness, and goodwill.
This Chinese character is understood in Japanese but is usually used in compound words (not seen alone). Also used in old Korean Hanja, so it's very universal.
See Also: Mercy | Benevolence | Forgiveness | Kindness
The Great Book of Lao Tzu
道德經 are the Chinese characters for the writings of Laozi/Lao Tzu known as the Dàodéjīng or Tao Tê Ching.
To breakdown the meaning of the characters:
道 means “way,” though many refer to it as “the Way.” It has been romanized as Tao or Dao. The Dao has been referred to by Confucius, Mencius, and other ancient Chinese philosophers.
德 means virtue, integrity, or morality.
經 in this context means canon, great book, sacred book, scripture, or classic.
This is referred to as passage or chapter 33 of the Dao De Jing (often Romanized as “Tao Te Ching”).
These are the words of the philosopher Laozi (Lao Tzu).
Notes:
During our research, the Chinese characters shown here are probably the most accurate to the original text of Laozi. These were taken for the most part from the Mawangdui 1973 and Guodan 1993 manuscripts which pre-date other Daodejing texts by about 1000 years.
Grammar was a little different in Laozi’s time. So you should consider this to be the ancient Chinese version. Some have modernized this passage by adding, removing, or swapping articles and changing the grammar (we felt the oldest and most original version would be more desirable). You may find other versions printed in books or online - sometimes these modern texts are simply used to explain to Chinese people what the original text really means.
This language issue can be compared in English by thinking how the King James (known as the Authorized version in Great Britain) Bible from 1611 was written, and comparing it to modern English. Now imagine that the Daodejing was probably written around 403 BCE (2000 years before the King James Version of the Bible). To a Chinese person, the original Daodejing reads like text that is 3 times more detached compared to Shakespeare’s English is to our modern-day speech.
Extended notes:
While on this Biblical text comparison, it should be noted, that just like the Bible, all the original texts of the Daodejing were lost or destroyed long ago. Just as with the scripture used to create the Bible, various manuscripts exist, many with variations or copyist errors. Just as the earliest New Testament scripture (incomplete) is from 170 years after Christ, the earliest Daodejing manuscript (incomplete) is from 100-200 years after the death of Laozi.
The reason that the originals were lost probably has a lot to do with the first Qin Emperor. Upon taking power and unifying China, he ordered the burning and destruction of all books (scrolls/rolls) except those pertaining to Chinese medicine and a few other subjects. The surviving Daodejing manuscripts were either hidden on purpose or simply forgotten about. Some were not unearthed until as late as 1993.
We compared a lot of research by various archeologists and historians before deciding on this as the most accurate and correct version. But one must allow that it may not be perfect, or the actual and original as from the hand of Laozi himself.
Depending on the romanization scheme you use, this man's name can be spelled Laozi, Lao Tzu, or Lao Tze. In older English usage, he was known as Laocius. He is believed to have lived around 500 B.C.
He was a Chinese philosopher, founder of Daoism/Taoism, credited with being the author of the sacred and wise book of Daoism/Taoism.
There is a theory that Lao Tzu's soul traveled to India and was reborn as the Buddha.
Quote from Lao Tzu
若水 is part of a very old saying from Lao Tzu.
In these two characters, there is a suggestion to be like water. The full phrase is about the goodness and purity of water. So, when this suggests being like water, it is actually a suggestion to be a good person (one who does not dishonor himself/herself, etc.).
Below are some entries from our dictionary that may match your laozi search...
Characters If shown, 2nd row is Simp. Chinese |
Pronunciation Romanization |
Simple Dictionary Definition |
老子 see styles |
lǎo zi lao3 zi5 lao tzu roushi / roshi ろうし |
More info & calligraphy: Lao Tzu / LaoziLaozi; Lao Tzu; Lao Tse; (person) Laozi (semi-legendary Chinese philosopher and deity); Lao Tzu; Lao Tse Laozi, or Laocius, the accepted founder of the Daoists. The theory that his soul went to India and was reborn as the Buddha is found in the 齊書 History of the Qi dynasty 顧歡傳. |
道德經 道德经 see styles |
dào dé jīng dao4 de2 jing1 tao te ching Dōtoku kyō |
More info & calligraphy: Daodejing / Tao Te ChingDaode jing |
老君 see styles |
lǎo jun lao3 jun1 lao chün |
Laozi or Lao-tze (c. 500 BC), Chinese philosopher, founder of Taoism |
老聃 see styles |
lǎo dān lao3 dan1 lao tan |
another name for Laozi 老子[Lao3 zi3] |
老荘 see styles |
rousou / roso ろうそう |
Laozi and Zhuangzi |
老莊 老庄 see styles |
lǎo zhuāng lao3 zhuang1 lao chuang Rō-Sō |
Laozi and Zhuangzi (or Lao-tze and Chuang-tze), the founders of Daoism Laozi and Zhuangzi |
莊老 庄老 see styles |
zhuāng lǎo zhuang1 lao3 chuang lao |
Zhuangzi and Laozi, the Daoist masters |
諸子 诸子 see styles |
zhū zǐ zhu1 zi3 chu tzu moroko; moroko もろこ; モロコ |
various sages; refers to the classical schools of thought, e.g. Confucianism 儒[ru2] represented by Confucius 孔子[Kong3 zi3] and Mencius 孟子[Meng4 zi3], Daoism 道[dao4] by Laozi 老子[Lao3 zi3] and Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3], Mohism 墨[mo4] by Mozi 墨子[Mo4 zi3], Legalism 法[fa3] by Sunzi 孫子|孙子[Sun1 zi3] and Han Feizi 韓非子|韩非子[Han2 Fei1 zi3], and numerous others (1) (kana only) gudgeon (any fish of genus Gnathopogon or related genera); (2) (See 本諸子) willow gudgeon (Gnathopogon caerulescens); (3) (See 九絵) longtooth grouper (species of fish, Epinephelus bruneus); (surname, female given name) Moroko children |
道家 see styles |
dào jiā dao4 jia1 tao chia douka / doka どうか |
Daoist School of the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), based on the teachings of Laozi or Lao-tze 老子[Lao3 zi3] (c. 500 BC-) and Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3] (369-286 BC) Taoist; (surname) Michiya A Daoist |
黃面 黄面 see styles |
huáng miàn huang2 mian4 huang mien |
The yellow-faced Laozi, i.e. Buddha, because his images are gold-colour. |
比摩寺 see styles |
bǐ mó sì bi3 mo2 si4 pi mo ssu Himaji |
A monastery five li west of Khotan where Laozi is said to have converted the Huns to Buddhism. |
地久天長 地久天长 see styles |
dì jiǔ tiān cháng di4 jiu3 tian1 chang2 ti chiu t`ien ch`ang ti chiu tien chang |
enduring while the world lasts (idiom, from Laozi); eternal; for ever and ever (of friendship, hate etc); also written 天長地久|天长地久 |
天網恢恢 天网恢恢 see styles |
tiān wǎng huī huī tian1 wang3 hui1 hui1 t`ien wang hui hui tien wang hui hui tenmoukaikai / tenmokaikai てんもうかいかい |
lit. heaven's net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it (idiom, from Laozi 73); fig. the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape; you can't run from the long arm of the law (expression) (yoji) heaven's vengeance is slow but sure; heaven's net is wide and coarse, yet nothing slips through |
玄之又玄 see styles |
xuán zhī yòu xuán xuan2 zhi1 you4 xuan2 hsüan chih yu hsüan |
mystery within a mystery; the mysteries of the Dao according to Laozi 老子[Lao3 zi3] |
疏而不漏 see styles |
shū ér bù lòu shu1 er2 bu4 lou4 shu erh pu lou |
loose, but allows no escape (idiom, from Laozi 老子[Lao3 zi3]); the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape |
諸子十家 诸子十家 see styles |
zhū zǐ shí jiā zhu1 zi3 shi2 jia1 chu tzu shih chia |
various sages and ten schools of thought; refers to the classical schools of thought, e.g. Confucianism 儒[ru2] represented by Confucius 孔子[Kong3 zi3] and Mencius 孟子[Meng4 zi3], Daoism 道[dao4] by Laozi 老子[Lao3 zi3] and Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3], Mohism 墨[mo4] by Mozi 墨子[Mo4 zi3], Legalism 法[fa3] by Sunzi 孫子|孙子[Sun1 zi3] and Han Feizi 韓非子|韩非子[Han2 Fei1 zi3], and numerous others |
老子道徳経 see styles |
roushidoutokukyou / roshidotokukyo ろうしどうとくきょう |
(work) Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu; Dao De Jing by Laozi; (wk) Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu; Dao De Jing by Laozi |
善者不辯,辯者不善 善者不辩,辩者不善 see styles |
shàn zhě bù biàn , biàn zhě bù shàn shan4 zhe3 bu4 bian4 , bian4 zhe3 bu4 shan4 shan che pu pien , pien che pu shan |
Good words are not persuasive, persuasive words are not good (idiom, from Laozi 老子 81). Do not be taken in by appearances. |
天網恢恢,疏而不失 天网恢恢,疏而不失 see styles |
tiān wǎng huī huī , shū ér bù shī tian1 wang3 hui1 hui1 , shu1 er2 bu4 shi1 t`ien wang hui hui , shu erh pu shih tien wang hui hui , shu erh pu shih |
lit. heaven's net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it (idiom, from Laozi 73); fig. the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape; you can't run from the long arm of the law |
天網恢恢,疏而不漏 天网恢恢,疏而不漏 see styles |
tiān wǎng huī huī , shū ér bù lòu tian1 wang3 hui1 hui1 , shu1 er2 bu4 lou4 t`ien wang hui hui , shu erh pu lou tien wang hui hui , shu erh pu lou |
lit. heaven's net has wide meshes, but nothing escapes it (idiom, from Laozi 73); fig. the way of Heaven is fair, but the guilty will not escape; you can't run from the long arm of the law |
知人者智,自知者明 see styles |
zhī rén zhě zhì , zì zhī zhě míng zhi1 ren2 zhe3 zhi4 , zi4 zhi1 zhe3 ming2 chih jen che chih , tzu chih che ming |
those who understand others are clever, but those who know themselves are truly wise (idiom, from Laozi's 道德經|道德经[Dao4 de2 jing1] |
天網恢恢疎にして漏らさず see styles |
tenmoukaikaisonishitemorasazu / tenmokaikaisonishitemorasazu てんもうかいかいそにしてもらさず |
(expression) (proverb) (from Laozi) heaven's net has large meshes, but nothing escapes |
The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...
Title | Characters | Romaji (Romanized Japanese) | Various forms of Romanized Chinese | |
Mercy Compassion Love | 慈 | ji | cí / ci2 / ci | tz`u / tzu |
Daodejing Tao Te Ching | 道德經 道德经 | dào dé jīng dao4 de2 jing1 dao de jing daodejing | tao te ching taoteching |
|
Daodejing Tao Te Ching - Chapter 33 | 知人者知也自知者明也勝人者有力也自勝者強也知足者富也強行者有志也不失其所者久也死而不亡者壽也 知人者知也自知者明也胜人者有力也自胜者强也知足者富也强行者有志也不失其所者久也死而不亡者寿也 | zhī rén zhě zhī yě zì zhī zhě míng yě shèng rén zhě yǒu lì yě zì shèng zhě qiáng yě zhī zú zhě fù yě qiáng xíng zhě yǒu zhì yě bù zhī qí suǒ zhě jiǔ yě sǐ ér bù wáng zhě shòu yě zhi1 ren2 zhe3 zhi1 ye3 zi4 zhi1 zhe3 ming2 ye3 sheng4 ren2 zhe3 you3 li4 ye3 zi4 sheng4 zhe3 qiang2 ye3 zhi1 zu2 zhe3 fu4 ye3 qiang2 xing2 zhe3 you3 zhi4 ye3 bu4 zhi1 qi2 suo3 zhe3 jiu3 ye3 si3 er2 bu4 wang2 zhe3 shou4 ye3 zhi ren zhe zhi ye zi zhi zhe ming ye sheng ren zhe you li ye zi sheng zhe qiang ye zhi zu zhe fu ye qiang xing zhe you zhi ye bu zhi qi suo zhe jiu ye si er bu wang zhe shou ye | chih jen che chih yeh tzu chih che ming yeh sheng jen che yu li yeh tzu sheng che ch`iang yeh chih tsu che fu yeh ch`iang hsing che yu chih yeh pu chih ch`i so che chiu yeh ssu erh pu wang che shou yeh chih jen che chih yeh tzu chih che ming yeh sheng jen che yu li yeh tzu sheng che chiang yeh chih tsu che fu yeh chiang hsing che yu chih yeh pu chih chi so che chiu yeh ssu erh pu wang che shou yeh |
|
Lao Tzu Laozi | 老子 | roushi / roshi | lǎo zǐ / lao3 zi3 / lao zi / laozi | lao tzu / laotzu |
Be Like Water | 若水 | ruò shuǐ / ruo4 shui3 / ruo shui / ruoshui | jo shui / joshui | |
Zhuangzi Chuang Tzu | 莊子 庄子 | Sōshi | zhuāng zǐ zhuang1 zi3 zhuang zi zhuangzi | chuang tzu chuangtzu |
Those Who Understand are Clever, Those Who Know Themselves are Truly Wise | 知人者智自知者明 | zhī rén zhě zhì zì zhī zhě míng zhi1 ren2 zhe3 zhi4 zi4 zhi1 zhe3 ming2 zhi ren zhe zhi zi zhi zhe ming zhirenzhezhizizhizheming | chih jen che chih tzu chih che ming | |
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line. In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese. |
Successful Chinese Character and Japanese Kanji calligraphy searches within the last few hours...
All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.
When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.
Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!
When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.
The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.
Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.
There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form
of art alive.
Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.
The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat.
Check out my lists of Japanese Kanji Calligraphy Wall Scrolls and Old Korean Hanja Calligraphy Wall Scrolls.
Some people may refer to this entry as Laozi Kanji, Laozi Characters, Laozi in Mandarin Chinese, Laozi Characters, Laozi in Chinese Writing, Laozi in Japanese Writing, Laozi in Asian Writing, Laozi Ideograms, Chinese Laozi symbols, Laozi Hieroglyphics, Laozi Glyphs, Laozi in Chinese Letters, Laozi Hanzi, Laozi in Japanese Kanji, Laozi Pictograms, Laozi in the Chinese Written-Language, or Laozi in the Japanese Written-Language.
31 people have searched for Laozi in Chinese or Japanese in the past year.
Laozi was last searched for by someone else on Mar 3rd, 2024