第七十章
知难
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。
是以圣人被褐怀玉。
王弼注
英译 · James Legge
The difficulty of being (rightly) known
My words are very easy to know, and very easy to practise; but there is no one in the world who is able to know and able to practise them.
There is an originating and all-comprehending (principle) in my words, and an authoritative law for the things (which I enforce). It is because they do not know these, that men do not know me.
They who know me are few, and I am on that account (the more) to be prized. It is thus that the sage wears (a poor garb of) hair cloth, while he carries his (signet of) jade in his bosom.
吾言甚易知，甚易行。天下莫能知，莫能行。
可不出户窥牖而知，故曰，甚易知也。无为而成，故曰甚易行也。惑于躁欲，故曰，莫之能知也。迷于荣利，故曰，莫之能行也。
言有宗，事有君。
宗，万物之宗也。君，万物之主也。
夫唯无知，是以不我知。
以其言有宗，事有君之故，故有知之人不得不知之也。
知我者希，则我者贵。
唯深故知者希也，知我益希，我亦无匹，故曰，知我者希，则我者贵也。
是以圣人被褐怀玉。
被褐者，同其尘，怀玉者，宝其真也。圣人之所以难知，以其同尘而不殊，怀玉而不渝，故难知而为贵也。