Summary
Chapters 1-20 teach “The Way of the Road“
Opposites depend on each other to exist.
Balance comes from accepting both sides.
Duality: Steep climbs make the vistas sweet; every descent prepares the engine for the rise.
Highways and backroads define each other.
Contrast gives direction meaning.
Introduction
The Tao Te Ching is the main book in Domain 1 (The Texts) of Layer 3 (The Externalized & Structured World) of the Tao.
- 81 short, poetic chapters attributed to Lao Tzu.
- It defines the Tao, Wu Wei (effortless action), De (virtue), and Pu (simplicity).
- It is the primary source for Layer 1 (Cosmology) and Layer 2 (Ethics).
Here is a simple representation of Layer 3 of the Tao. Find the Tao Te Ching in the library! We describe the Layers of the Tao in another series, called “Foundations of the Tao”.
The Tao Te Ching is traditionally composed of 81 chapters, which are also frequently referred to as 81 verses.
While the 81-chapter structure is the standard version we use today, the history and breakdown of the text are more nuanced:
Structural Breakdown
The text is divided into two main parts, based on the themes and the characters that open them:
- Part 1: The Tao Ching: Includes chapters 1 through 37. It focuses primarily on the Tao (the Way), the underlying principle of cosmology, metaphysics, and the nature of the ultimate, unnameable reality.
- Part 2: The Te Ching: Includes chapters 38 through 81. Its focus is more practical, dealing with ethics, governance, and how the Tao manifests as Te in the world of humans and affairs.
Origins of the 81 Chapters
Historians believe the division into exactly 81 chapters was a later scholarly addition (likely around the 1st century BC) rather than a choice by the original author, Lao Tzu. The number 81 was chosen because it is 9 x 9, and the number 9 holds significant symbolic and spiritual importance in Chinese numerology, representing the “ultimate” or “highest” yang.
Chapter 2
When the world knows beauty as beauty, ugliness arises
Tao te ching 2 Of 81
When it knows good as good, evil arises
Thus being and non-being produce each other
Difficult and easy bring about each other
Long and short reveal each other
High and low support each other
Music and voice harmonize each other
Front and back follow each other
Therefore the sages:
Manage the work of detached actions
Conduct the teaching of no words
They work with myriad things but do not control
They create but do not possess
They act but do not presume
They succeed but do not dwell on success
It is because they do not dwell on success
That it never goes away
Chapter 2 of the Tao Te Ching has two sections:
- The first 8 lines of Chapter 2 of the Tao Te Ching explain how the world organizes itself through contrast.
- The last 9 lines teach that wisdom lies not in choosing sides, but in moving skillfully between them.
Travel is one of the clearest mirrors of this truth.
Contrast Is What Makes the Journey Visible
“When the world knows beauty as beauty, ugliness arises”
On the road, beauty only exists because contrast exists.
A breathtaking canyon is more powerful after:
- a long stretch of empty highway
- a dusty town
- a difficult climb
If everything were beautiful, nothing would stand out.
The Tao reminds us that judgment creates polarity—but polarity also creates experience.
“When it knows good as good, evil arises”
Travel teaches this quickly:
- missed turns lead to discoveries
- bad weather slows you down into presence
- breakdowns create stories you’ll remember forever
The moment you label something “bad,” you also create its opposite.
Chapter 2 isn’t moralizing—it’s observational:
Life becomes visible through contrast.
Section 1: The Road Is Built on Paired Opposites
“Being and non-being produce each other”
A road exists because there is empty space beside it.
A journey exists because there is a pause between destinations.
Silence gives sound meaning.
Rest gives motion purpose.
Without space, nothing moves.
Beauty and ugliness arise together.
They are comparisons, not truths.
This is the traveler realizing that the world is what it is—labels create the opposites.
“Difficult and easy bring about each other”
Every experienced traveler knows:
- easy roads are earned through difficult ones
- confidence comes from earlier struggle
Difficulty isn’t a mistake—it’s a teacher.
“Long and short reveal each other”
A short drive feels short only because you’ve taken long ones.
Time on the road stretches and compresses based on contrast—not clocks.
“High and low support each other”
Mountain overlooks exist because valleys hold them up.
In life and travel:
- peaks don’t float
- success doesn’t exist without grounding
Travel teaches you that opposites are relational, not fixed.
“Music and voice harmonize each other”
Road noise and silence work together:
- engine hum
- wind
- stillness at a lookout
Think of a street musician and the hum of the city around them.
Neither is complete alone.
Together they create harmony.
Harmony is not sameness—it is relationship.
This is the Taoist reminder that life is relational, not isolated.
“Front and back follow each other”
On a journey:
- you can’t be “ahead” without something behind you
- progress assumes origin
When you walk a trail, the view behind you becomes just as meaningful as the view ahead.
Front and back follow each other—literally.
Travel shows you that direction is fluid; perspective shifts with movement.
The Tao teaches that nothing stands alone.
Section 2: The Sage as a Master Traveler
“They manage the work of detached actions”
The wise traveler:
- plans, but adapts
- moves, but listens
- acts, but doesn’t force
They don’t fight the road.
“Conduct the teaching of no words”
Some landscapes teach without explanation.
So do some life lessons.
The sage understands that experience instructs better than control.
“They create but do not possess”
You don’t own the road.
You don’t own the moment.
You don’t own the view.
You pass through.
This is freedom.
“They succeed but do not dwell on success”
On the road:
- stopping too long blocks traffic
- clinging to one view prevents the next
Success enjoyed but not hoarded keeps the journey alive.
“Because they do not dwell on success, it never goes away”
The traveler who keeps moving never runs out of road.
They succeed in having a wonderful journey, but do not dwell on it: this allows the joy of travel to remain with them, never ruined by the need to recreate it or compare it.
This is the Taoist traveler—present, fluid, unattached, and therefore free.
