Dharma & Dao

Tao Te Ching · Chapter 18 of 81

Chapter 18

modern paraphrase of James Legge's 1891 translation

Modern paraphrase. This is an AI-generated retelling in contemporary English (model: claude-opus-4-7). It is not the James Legge translation. The original is one click away.

  1. When the Great Tao was abandoned, benevolence and righteousness came into fashion. When cleverness and cunning arose, great hypocrisy followed.

  2. When harmony broke down among the six family relationships, filial sons appeared; when states and clans fell into disorder, loyal ministers emerged.

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