Original Text The Tao is like an empty vessel;
Though used, it is never filled.
It is profound, the source of all things.
It blunts sharpness, untangles knots, softens brilliance, and becomes one with the dust.
It seems hidden, yet it always exists.
I do not know whose child it is;
It appears to have existed before Heaven itself. Tao Te Ching Chapter 4: Plain Language Explanation and Core Message Tao Te Ching Chapter 4 reminds us that true strength does not come from possessi