知难 · 被褐怀玉

Zhī Nán

Classical Chinese Text

吾言甚易知，甚易行。天下莫能知，莫能行。言有宗，事有君，夫唯无知，是以不我知。知我者希，则我者贵。是以圣人被褐而怀玉。

Translation & Meaning

我所说的道理其实非常容易理解，非常容易践行；然而世人却偏偏没人能真正领悟，没人肯真正实行。 我的言论有其大道宗旨，我的行事有其内在主宰。正因为世人被私欲巧智遮蔽而不明这一本源，所以才无法理解我。 真正懂得我的人越是稀少，效法大道而行就越显珍贵。因此圣人外表穿着粗布褐衣，胸中却怀藏着温润无瑕的美玉。

Commentary

青禾散人评注：大道至简，难在人心不肯放下贪嗔与机巧。“被褐怀玉”——外在朴素低调如布衣，内在澄明尊贵如宝玉，无须世人喧哗认可。

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 吾 (wú): I / myself
  • 言 (yán): words / speech
  • 甚 (shèn): classical character (shèn)
  • 易 (yì): easy / simple / change
  • 知 (zhī): know / distinguish / recognize
  • 行 (xíng): practice / teach / walk
  • 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
  • 下 (xià): under / earthly realm / humble
  • 莫 (mò): classical character (mò)
  • 能 (néng): fruitful / capacity / ability
  • 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
  • 宗 (zōng): ancestor / origin / head
  • 事 (shì): affairs / deeds
  • 君 (jūn): classical character (jūn)
  • 夫 (fū): for / indeed / now
  • 唯 (wéi): only / precisely because
  • 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
  • 是 (shì): this / therefore
  • 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
  • 不 (bù): not / un- / without
  • 我 (wǒ): classical character (wǒ)
  • 者 (zhě): aspects / those who / things
  • 希 (xī): classical character (xī)
  • 则 (zé): classical character (zé)
  • 贵 (guì): prize / cherish / valuable
  • 圣 (shèng): sage / enlightened one
  • 人 (rén): person / human
  • 被 (bèi): classical character (bèi)
  • 褐 (hè): classical character (hè)
  • 而 (ér): yet / and / but
  • 怀 (huái): classical character (huái)
  • 玉 (yù): classical character (yù)