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Tao Te Ching · 2 of 81

Chapter 2

All in the world know the beauty of the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skilful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is.

So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the idea of) the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the figure of the other; that (the ideas of) height and lowness arise from the contrast of the one with the other; that the musical notes and tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another; and that being before and behind give the idea of one following another.

Therefore the sage manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech.

All things spring up, and there is not one which declines to show itself; they grow, and there is no claim made for their ownership; they go through their processes, and there is no expectation (of a reward for the results). The work is accomplished, and there is no resting in it (as an achievement).

The work is done, but how no one can see; ’Tis this that makes the power not cease to be.

Asked of Guide

Why does Lao Tzu say opposites define each other in Chapter 2?

Lao Tzu shows that distinctions arise because of contrast: “beauty” appears only when people recognize “ugliness,” and skill is known through its lack. He lists paired opposites—existence and non-existence, difficulty and ease, height and lowness—to argue that perception and meaning depend on relational differences rather than fixed essences.

From that insight Lao Tzu draws the political lesson: the sage “manages affairs without doing anything, and conveys his instructions without the use of speech.” Action that mirrors the world’s spontaneous balancing lets things “grow” and a work be “accomplished” without grasping for credit, which echoes Zhuangzi’s praise of effortless alignment with nature.

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