Tao Te Ching / received chapter text
A Journey of a Thousand Miles: Tao Te Ching Chapter 64
Read the journey of a thousand miles line in Tao Te Ching chapter 64 with its tree, tower, mound, beginnings, interference, and careful completion context.
Read the journey line as the third member of a growth sequence, then return to chapter 64's warnings about interference near completion.
合抱之木，生於毫末；九層之臺，起於累土；千里之行，始於足下。
A tree broad enough to embrace grows from a tiny shoot; a nine-story tower rises from accumulated earth; a journey of a thousand miles begins beneath the feet.
What this page helps you decide
Read the journey line as the third member of a growth sequence, then return to chapter 64's warnings about interference near completion.
Five-pass close reading
Move from wording to bounded comparison.
Information checked: 2026-07-19| Reading pass | What to inspect | Useful result | Stop rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original wording | Tree, tower, and journey move from small beginnings to accumulated scale; the surrounding chapter tests how action can spoil what is nearly complete. | Keep the Chinese line beside the English choice | Do not replace the passage with a quotation meme |
| Key term | Identify one term whose range matters | Compare the term inside this sentence | Do not force one gloss across every text |
| Sentence relation | Mark contrast, parallel, negation, sequence, or image | Read the full clause before extracting a lesson | Do not erase grammar for a smooth slogan |
| Passage job | Name what the line changes in the chapter | Connect image and argument | Do not claim the chapter says more than it does |
| Modern comparison | State one bounded present-day question | Keep responsibility and context visible | Stop before universal advice |
This page uses the received Chinese chapter text. Its translation is a working editorial reading and does not settle textual variants, every commentary, or later religious and philosophical use.
Chinese Text Project: Dao De Jing