Chapter 56: Those Who Know Don't Speak¶
Boundary management and 玄同 (mysterious sameness)
Original Text¶
知者不言，言者不知。 塞其兌，閉其門，挫其銳，解其紛，和其光，同其塵。 是謂玄同。 故不可得而親，不可得而疏； 不可得而利，不可得而害； 不可得而貴，不可得而賤。 故為天下貴。
Character-by-Character Decomposition¶
Key Structural Terms¶
| Character | Components | Structural Function |
|---|---|---|
| 知 (zhī) | 矢 + 口 | Know, perceive, understand |
| 言 (yán) | — | Speak, express in words |
| 塞 (sāi/sè) | 宀 + 土 + 土 + 貝 | Block, stop up, fill |
| 兌 (duì) | 八 + 兄 | Opening, exchange point, mouth |
| 閉 (bì) | 門 + 才 | Close, shut |
| 門 (mén) | — | Gate, door, entry point |
| 挫 (cuò) | 扌 + 坐 | Blunt, reduce sharpness |
| 銳 (ruì) | 金 + 兌 | Sharp, pointed, acute |
| 解 (jiě) | 角 + 刀 + 牛 | Untangle, dissolve, release |
| 紛 (fēn) | 糸 + 分 | Tangled, confused, complex |
| 和 (hé) | 禾 + 口 | Harmonize, soften, blend |
| 光 (guāng) | — | Light, radiance, brightness |
| 同 (tóng) | 冂 + 口 + 一 | Same, unified with, merge |
| 塵 (chén) | 鹿 + 土 | Dust, the ordinary, mundane |
| 玄同 (xuán tóng) | — | Mysterious sameness, primal unity |
| 親 (qīn) | 立 + 木 + 見 | Close, intimate, favor |
| 疏 (shū) | 疋 + 束 | Distant, estranged, alienate |
| 貴 (guì) | 中 + 貝 | Value, prize, noble |
| 賤 (jiàn) | 貝 + 戔 | Cheap, lowly, despise |
Structural Translation¶
Part 1: The Knowing/Speaking Paradox¶
知者不言，言者不知。
Those who know don't speak. Those who speak don't know.
Character breakdown:
- 知者 (zhī zhě) = those who know
- 不言 (bù yán) = don't speak
- 言者 (yán zhě) = those who speak
- 不知 (bù zhī) = don't know
Structural analysis:
This is the Chapter 81 mutual exclusion applied to knowing/speaking:
| X | ⊥ | Y |
|---|---|---|
| 知 (know) | ⊥ | 言 (speak) |
Compare Chapter 81: 信⊥美, 善⊥辯, 知⊥博
知者不言: Those who actually know don't verbalize it. Why? Because 常道 (frame-independent pattern) cannot be captured in 言 (speech), which is frame-dependent expression.
言者不知: Those who are speaking aren't knowing. The act of expression requires stepping out of the knowing-state into the expression-state.
This connects to Chapter 1: 道可道非常道 (pattern that can be patterned is not constant pattern). Speaking is a form of patterning—those who speak pattern aren't in contact with 常道.
Not anti-intellectual claim but structural observation: knowing and speaking are mutually exclusive operations. You can't simultaneously be in both states.
Part 2: The Six Operations¶
塞其兌，閉其門，挫其銳，解其紛，和其光，同其塵。
Block its openings, close its gates. Blunt its sharpness, untangle its complexity. Soften its light, merge with its dust.
Character breakdown:
Six parallel operations: [Verb] + 其 + [Object]
| Verb | Object | Operation |
|---|---|---|
| 塞 (block) | 兌 (openings) | Close exchange points |
| 閉 (close) | 門 (gates) | Shut entry points |
| 挫 (blunt) | 銳 (sharpness) | Reduce pointedness |
| 解 (untangle) | 紛 (complexity) | Dissolve confusion |
| 和 (soften) | 光 (light) | Harmonize brightness |
| 同 (merge) | 塵 (dust) | Unify with ordinary |
Structural analysis:
First pair (塞兌/閉門): Boundary management—same phrase from Chapter 52. Manage the exchange points between inside and outside. This is the conservation principle: unrestricted exchange leads to exhaustion.
Second pair (挫銳/解紛): Edge reduction—blunt the sharp points, dissolve the tangles. Sharp edges catch on things; tangles create binding. Both obstruct flow.
Third pair (和光/同塵): Integration—soften the brightness so it doesn't blind, merge with the ordinary dust rather than standing apart from it.
The sequence: 1. Manage boundaries (塞兌/閉門) 2. Reduce friction (挫銳/解紛) 3. Integrate with field (和光/同塵)
This is operational specification: the steps for reaching 玄同 (mysterious sameness).
Part 3: The Name¶
是謂玄同。
This is called mysterious sameness.
Character breakdown:
- 是謂 (shì wèi) = this is called
- 玄同 (xuán tóng) = mysterious sameness
Structural analysis:
玄 (xuán) = the paradoxical origin from Chapter 1 (玄之又玄, 眾妙之門). The point before differentiation.
同 (tóng) = same, unified, merged with.
玄同 = "mysterious sameness"—unity at the origin level. Not superficial similarity but structural identity at the source.
The six operations (塞兌→閉門→挫銳→解紛→和光→同塵) produce 玄同: return to the undifferentiated unity from which all things arise.
Compare Chapter 51's 玄德 (mysterious alignment). 玄同 is the state; 玄德 is the accumulated alignment that comes from operating in that state.
Part 4: Beyond Oppositions¶
故不可得而親，不可得而疏；不可得而利，不可得而害；不可得而貴，不可得而賤。
Therefore: cannot be made intimate, cannot be made distant. Cannot be made to benefit, cannot be made to harm. Cannot be made noble, cannot be made base.
Character breakdown:
Three pairs of oppositions that cannot be applied:
| Cannot | First | Second |
|---|---|---|
| 不可得而 | 親 (intimate) | 疏 (distant) |
| 不可得而 | 利 (benefit) | 害 (harm) |
| 不可得而 | 貴 (noble) | 賤 (base) |
Structural analysis:
不可得而 (bù kě dé ér) = "cannot be gotten/made to..."
From the 玄同 position, none of the standard oppositions apply:
親/疏: Can't be made close or distant—not in the field of social positioning.
利/害: Can't be made to benefit or harm—not subject to the utility calculus.
貴/賤: Can't be made noble or base—not in the status hierarchy.
This is the undifferentiated position: all these oppositions (intimate/distant, benefit/harm, noble/base) are differentiated categories. At 玄同, you're prior to the differentiation.
Compare Chapter 5's 天地不仁 (heaven/earth without preference)—structural indifference because operating from before the preference-distinctions exist.
Part 5: Therefore Valued¶
故為天下貴。
Therefore it is valued by all under heaven.
Character breakdown:
- 故 (gù) = therefore
- 為天下貴 (wéi tiān xià guì) = is valued by all under heaven
Structural analysis:
This appears contradictory: just said 不可得而貴 (cannot be made noble/valued), now says 為天下貴 (is valued by all).
Resolution: different levels of valuation.
不可得而貴 = cannot be assigned the differentiated status of "noble" (as opposed to base)
為天下貴 = is valued at the structural level—天下 (all under heaven) values it precisely because it cannot be captured in the noble/base distinction.
What cannot be positioned in the status hierarchy is valued by the whole system. The 玄同 position is valued because it's prior to valuation-categories.
The Complete Teaching¶
Chapter 56 documents the 玄同 (mysterious sameness) and how it's reached:
The Paradox¶
知 ⊥ 言 (knowing and speaking are mutually exclusive)
The Operations¶
| Step | Operation | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 塞兌/閉門 | Manage boundaries |
| 2 | 挫銳/解紛 | Reduce friction |
| 3 | 和光/同塵 | Integrate with field |
The Result¶
是謂玄同 — Mysterious sameness (unity at origin)
The Properties¶
From 玄同 position, oppositions don't apply:
| Opposition | Status |
|---|---|
| 親/疏 (intimate/distant) | 不可得而 (cannot be applied) |
| 利/害 (benefit/harm) | 不可得而 (cannot be applied) |
| 貴/賤 (noble/base) | 不可得而 (cannot be applied) |
The Valuation¶
故為天下貴 — Therefore valued by all (at structural level)
Cross-Reference to Framework¶
Connection to Chapter 1¶
Chapter 1: 道可道非常道，名可名非常名 Chapter 56: 知者不言，言者不知
Same principle: what can be expressed (道/名/言) is not the constant (常). Those who know the 常 don't express it; those who express don't know it.
Connection to Chapter 4¶
Chapter 4: 挫其銳，解其紛，和其光，同其塵 Chapter 56: Same exact phrase
Chapter 4 introduces these operations as what 道 does. Chapter 56 specifies these operations as how to reach 玄同.
The chapter explicitly quotes Chapter 4—this is intertextual reference within the DDJ itself.
Connection to Chapter 52¶
Chapter 52: 塞其兌，閉其門，終身不勤 Chapter 56: 塞其兌，閉其門
Same boundary management formula. Chapter 52 specifies the result (終身不勤—lifelong no toil). Chapter 56 includes it in the larger sequence leading to 玄同.
Connection to Chapter 81¶
Chapter 81: 信⊥美, 善⊥辯, 知⊥博 Chapter 56: 知⊥言
Same mutual exclusion structure. Chapter 81 lists three pairs; Chapter 56 adds a fourth (知/言).
Connection to Chapter 5¶
Chapter 5: 天地不仁，以萬物為芻狗 Chapter 56: 不可得而親，不可得而疏...
Same structural indifference. Chapter 5 documents heaven/earth's non-preference. Chapter 56 documents the 玄同 position's non-positionability in standard oppositions.
The 玄 Network¶
| Chapter | 玄 Term | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ch 1 | 玄之又玄 | Mystery upon mystery (origin access) |
| Ch 6 | 玄牝 | Mysterious female (generative void) |
| Ch 51 | 玄德 | Mysterious alignment (from origin) |
| Ch 56 | 玄同 | Mysterious sameness (unity at origin) |
All four 玄 terms refer to the same origin-position with different emphases: - 玄之又玄: the recursion into origin - 玄牝: the generative capacity at origin - 玄德: accumulated alignment from origin - 玄同: unity achieved at origin
Tier 1 Validation¶
| Line | Test Result |
|---|---|
| "Those who know don't speak" | ✓ Documents mutual exclusion |
| "Block openings, close gates" | ✓ Documents operation (same as Ch 4, 52) |
| "Blunt sharpness, untangle complexity" | ✓ Documents operation |
| "Soften light, merge with dust" | ✓ Documents operation |
| "This is called mysterious sameness" | ✓ Documents naming |
| "Cannot be made intimate/distant" | ✓ Documents non-positionability |
| "Therefore valued by all" | ✓ Documents structural consequence |
No prescription. Every line documents either operations or structural properties of the 玄同 position.
Traditional Translation (for contrast)¶
"Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know. Block the passages, shut the doors, blunt the sharpness, untangle the knots, soften the glare, become one with the dust. This is called mysterious oneness. Therefore one cannot get close to it, nor can one stay away from it. One cannot benefit it, nor can one harm it. One cannot honor it, nor can one disgrace it. Therefore it is the most valuable thing under heaven."
What changes:
Traditional reading treats this as mystical description of the ineffable Tao and advice for the sage.
Structural reading reveals: - 知⊥言 as operational mutual exclusion, not anti-intellectual stance - The six operations as explicit procedure (quoted from Ch 4) - 玄同 as origin-position unity, not vague "oneness" - The opposition-pairs as differentiation categories that don't apply at origin - The valuation as structural (天下 values what can't be positioned)
The chapter documents the path to 玄同: manage boundaries, reduce friction, integrate with field. From that position, differentiated categories (intimate/distant, benefit/harm, noble/base) don't apply—which is precisely why it's valued at the structural level.
Summary Formula¶
Mutual exclusion:
知 ⊥ 言 (know ⊥ speak)
Operations to reach 玄同:
塞兌/閉門 (manage boundaries)
→ 挫銳/解紛 (reduce friction)
→ 和光/同塵 (integrate with field)
→ 玄同 (mysterious sameness)
At 玄同, oppositions don't apply:
不可得而 + 親/疏 (intimate/distant)
不可得而 + 利/害 (benefit/harm)
不可得而 + 貴/賤 (noble/base)
Consequence:
故為天下貴 (therefore valued by all under heaven)
Chapter 56 documents the path to 玄同: those who know don't speak (mutual exclusion); manage boundaries, reduce friction, integrate with dust (the six operations from Chapter 4); reach mysterious sameness where differentiated oppositions can't apply; therefore valued at the structural level by all under heaven.