Quotation archive
“In the pursuit of learning, every day something is acquired. In the pursuit of the Way, every day something is dropped.”
Laozi · Daodejing
Quote record
Author
Laozi
Source
Daodejing
Chapter / location
Chapter 48
Tradition
daoism · simplicity · learning
Source information
From Daodejing, Chapter 48.
Original language: Classical Chinese
Translation
Translated from Classical Chinese into English using a named scholarly edition.
Context
Read the contextual commentary in this archive entry.
Interpretation
A translation-specific Daodejing contrast between accumulation of learning and letting go.
Knowledge network
Related Archive Records
Original Text
The entry identifies the chapter and a named English translator rather than treating the sentence as translation-neutral.
Translation
Other translations use different verbs for learning, loss, and the Way.
Context
Chapter 48 contrasts deliberate accumulation with a process of reduction associated with the Dao.
Meaning
The contrast cautions against assuming that more control or information always produces wiser action.
Learning Path
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Archive references
Sources
- 01Tao Te ChingBy Lao Tzu; translated by Red PineChapter 48. Port Townsend: Copper Canyon Press, 2009.
- 02LaoziBy Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyConsult source
ZHAIBIAN Editorial Board reviewed
Reviewed by ZHAIBIAN AI Editorial Review · 2026-07-22