DAO DE JING

Chapter 5

Translation by K Ellis

Heaven and earth are not benevolent;
they see the ten thousand things as straw dogs.
The sage is not benevolent;
she sees the people as straw dogs.

That space between heaven and earth,
is it not like a bellows?
Empty, yet it never collapses.
The more it moves, the more it brings forth.

Too many words lead to exhaustion.
Better to hold to the center.

Translation © 2026 K Ellis. All rights reserved.