The Tao Te Ching “is a philosophical work, also known as the” Tao Te Ching “,” Laozi “,” Five Thousand Words “, and” Five Thousand Writings of Laozi “. It was a work of ancient Chinese pre Qin philosophers before their separation and is an important source of Taoist philosophical thought. Written by Laozi (Li Er) during the Spring and Autumn Period. The Tao Te Ching is divided into two parts: the first part is the “De Jing” and the second part is the “Dao Jing”, which are not divided into chapters. Later, it was changed to “Dao Jing” with 37 chapters in the beginning and “De Jing” after chapter 38, and divided into 81 chapters. The text of the Tao Te Ching takes the philosophical meaning of “morality” as its main theme, discussing the ways of self-cultivation, governance, military use, and health preservation, and mostly focuses on politics. It is a study of the so-called “inner sage and outer king”, with profound meaning and broad inclusiveness, and is known as the king of all classics. The Tao Te Ching is one of the greatest classics in Chinese history, which has had a profound impact on traditional philosophy, science, politics, religion, and more.
The purpose of this chapter is to point out the common problem among people, which is to think they know without knowing, to think they are clever, and to force themselves to think they know. The purpose of emphasizing words and admonishing earnestly (zh ū n) is to help people remove the root of their mental illness and awaken their confused nature. There are two main types of human illnesses, one is physical illness and the other is heart disease. Physical illnesses are easy to treat, while mental illnesses are difficult to cure. Therefore, transforming one’s worldview is not an easy task, and one must live and transform until old age. Master Kong Jing said, “The Taoist doctrine is like a comprehensive hospital that treats both the illnesses of the human body and the illnesses of the human heart.” This is precisely the essence of the cultivation of truth and the study of law.
《道德经》是一部哲学著作，又称《道德真经》、《老子》、《五千言》、《老子五千文》，是中国古代先秦诸子分家前的一部著作，是道家哲学思想的重要来源。春秋时期老子（李耳）著。道德经分上下两篇，原文上篇《德经》、下篇《道经》，不分章，后改为《道经》37章在前，第38章之后为《德经》，并分为81章。《道德经》文本以哲学意义之“道德”为纲宗，论述修身、治国、用兵、养生之道，而多以政治为旨归，乃所谓“内圣外王”之学，文意深奥，包涵广博，被誉为万经之王。 《道德经》是中国历史上最伟大的名著之一，对传统哲学、科学、政治、宗教等产生了深刻影响。
本章经旨，是太上指出世人普遍存在的以“不知以为知”，自作聪明，强以为知的毛病。并重辞复语，教诫谆谆（zhūn），其目的在于帮助世人拔除心上的病根，以唤醒其昏昧的心性。人之病有两大类，一是身病，一是心病。身病易治，心病难医。故改造世界观是不易之事，要活到老，改造到老。空净师曰：“道家学说就是一座综合医院，既治人身之病，又治人心之病。”这正是修真理法学之精粹所在。
《道德经》（第七十一章）
知不知上，
不知知病，
夫唯病病，
是以不病，
圣人不病，
以其病病，
是以不病。
《Tao Te Ching》Chapter 71（Victor H. Mair 译）
To realize that you do not understand is a virtue;
Not to realize that you do not understand is a defect.
The reason why
The sage has no defects,
Is because he treats defects as defects.
Thus,
He has no defects.
《Tao Te Ching》Chapter 71（Sam Torode and Dwight Goddard 译）
To know there are some things you cannot know is healthy.
Not to know the things you ought to know is illness.
The wise man recognizes the limits of his knowledge;
The foolish man thinks he knows everything.
《Tao Te Ching》Chapter 71（陈乃扬 译）
It is best if one knows he doesn’t know.
He is ill if he doesn’t know but thinks he knows.
Only when one thinks ill of illness
can he stay away from illness.
The Sage does not fall ill.
He thinks ill of illness,
Hence he stays away from illness.
