Detailed Translation Comparison
Quote by Lao Tzu
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English
Translation 1
16
Attain complete vacuity. Maintain steadfast quietude.
All things come into being, And I see thereby their return. All things flourish, But each one returns to its root.
This return to its root means tranquillity. It is called returning to its destiny. To return to destiny is called the eternal (Tao). To know the eternal is called enlightenment. Not to know the eternal is to act blindly to result in disaster.
He who knows the eternal is all-embracing. Being all-embracing, he is impartial. Being impartial, he is kingly (universal). Being kingly, he is one with Nature. Being one with Nature, he is in accord with Tao.
Being in accord with Tao, he is everlasting And is free from danger throughout his lifetime.
Characters:
718
Words:
122
Comments:
0
Last updated:
2026-02-13 13:43
Chinese
Translation 2
16
zhi xu ji shou jing du.
wan wu bing zuo,
wu yi guan fu.
fu wu yun yun,
ge fu gui qi gen.
gui gen yue jing,
shi yue fu ming.
fu ming yue chang,
zhi chang yue ming.
bu zhi chang wang zuo xiong.
zhi chang rong,
rong nai gong,
gong nai quan,
quan nai tian,
tian nai dao,
dao nai jiu,
mo shen bu dai.
Characters:
299
Words:
68
Comments:
0
Last updated:
2026-02-13 13:43
Comparison Metrics
Character Difference
-419
chars shorter
Translation 2 vs Translation 1
Word Count Difference
-54
words less
Translation 2 vs Translation 1
Similarity Score
18.3%
Very different approaches
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- Character/Word Difference: Shows how much longer or shorter Translation 2 is compared to Translation 1
- Similarity Score: Measures how similar the two texts are based on character-level comparison (higher = more similar)
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