Introduction

Appropriately, the final verse of the Dao De Jing serves as a summary statement.

As with the rest of the text, it keeps us on our toes by layering meaning and reusing familiar terms in slightly evolved configurations. But here, those inversions and paradoxes no longer feel disruptive, they feel inevitable.

The verse quietly recapitulates the arc of the entire work: the preciousness of language, the profundity of not-knowing, the singular precision of Integrity, the participatory nature of the Sage, and the non-contentious structure of the cosmos itself.

Translation

Trustworthy speech is not beautiful,
  beautified speech is not trustworthy.

Knowing is not expansive,
  expansiveness is not-knowing. 

Perfection is not manifold,
  multiplicity is not perfection.

The Wise do not stagnate,
  acting on behalf of others,
  they have more;
  through giving to others,
  they have even more.

Therefore:
  Heaven’s way Benefits,
    and does not harm;
  People’s Way Acts,
    and does not strive.

Commentary

Trustworthy speech is not beautiful,
  beautified speech is not trustworthy.

Our relationship to speech and the preciousness of words is a central concern to Weaving the Way. The summary takeaway is that while words are powerful, creative forces, they are also restrictive and prone to error. If we treat every word as precious, such that we use it precisely and sparingly, then we can maximize its benefit and minimize its harm.

With such a practice comes remarkable directness and clarity that we can trust. We also become sensitive to when language is “beautified.” Beautified language charms, reassures, pleases, softens the truth, or distorts our relationship to the structure of the moment. The result is that beautified speech functions to conceal rather than reveal and is untrustworthy. We are very good at beautifying the way we talk to ourselves, and it naturally bleeds into how we speak out loud. While we often think of speech only as an external, interpersonal affair, the real power of this practice comes when we investigate and regulate our internal voices. 

One teaching that stuck with me from my training was the directive to “be certain that whatever you say is an improvement on silence.” The context here is that our direct experience of This being-ness (see verses 24, 54, 55) is primary, expansive, aligned, and sufficient for self-knowledge. To speak is to influence the tapestry of being and becoming—no inconsequential affair!

For more on speech in this text, see verses 2, 27, 56, 62, 66, 70.