Detailed Translation Comparison
Quote by Lao Tzu
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English
Translation 1
41
When the highest type of men hear Tao, The diligently practice it. When the average type of men hear Tao, They half believe in it.
When the lowest type of men hear Tao, They laugh heartily at it. If they did not laugh at it, it would not be Tao.
Therefore there is the established saying: The Tao which is bright appears to be dark. The Tao which goes forward appears to fall backward. The Tao which is level appears uneven. Great virtue appears like a valley (hollow). Great purity appears like disgrace. Far-reaching virtue appears as if insufficient.
Solid virtue appears as if unsteady. True substance appears to be changeable. The great square has no corners. The great implement (or talent) is slow to finish (or mature). Great music sounds faint. Great form has no shape.
Tao is hidden and nameless. Yet it is Tao alone that skillfully provides for all and brings them to perfection.
Characters:
894
Words:
158
Comments:
0
Last updated:
2026-02-13 13:43
Spanish
Translation 2
41
Cuando una persona superior escucha al Tao,
Lo practica diligentemente.
Cuando una persona media escucha al Tao,
Ya lo conserva, ya lo extravía.
Cuando una persona inferior esucha al Tao,
Ríe a carcajadas.
Si no se riera, no se trataría del Tao.
Por lo tanto, los dichos establecidos lo tienen así:
“El Tao iluminado aparece oscuro”,
“El Tao que avanza parece que retrocede”,
“El Tao parejo parece defectuoso”.
La naturaleza superior parece un valle,
La gran blancura parece ultrajada,
La naturaleza extendida parece insuficiente,
La naturaleza bien establecida parece clandestina,
La naturaleza esencial parece modificada.
El gran cuadrado no tiene ángulos.
La gran vasija se logra tardíamente.
La gran voz es imperceptible al oído.
La gran imagen carece de forma.
El Tao es misterioso y carece de nombre.
Ahora bien, solamente el Tao es bueno prestando,
Y además, perfecto.
Characters:
883
Words:
140
Comments:
0
Last updated:
2026-02-13 13:43
Comparison Metrics
Character Difference
-11
chars shorter
Translation 2 vs Translation 1
Word Count Difference
-18
words less
Translation 2 vs Translation 1
Similarity Score
31.4%
Very different approaches
ℹ️ Understanding the Metrics:
- 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)
- These metrics help you understand stylistic differences, but don't necessarily indicate translation quality