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
French
Translation 2
41
Quand un lettrĂ© d'une grande Ă©lĂ©vation entend parler du Tao, il s'applique Ă le suivre avec zĂšle. Quand un lettrĂ© moyen entend parler du Tao, tantĂŽt il le suit, tantĂŽt il le dĂ©laisse. Quand un lettrĂ© infĂ©rieur entend parler du Tao, il le tourne en dĂ©rision; mĂȘme s'il n'en rit pas cela ne signifie pas qu'il le suive.
C'est pourquoi il est une tradition qui dit: pour le Tao, le lumineux est comme obscure; avancer comme reculer; Ă©tranger est comme familier. Pour la suprĂȘme vertu, Ă©lĂ©vation est comme abaissement, candeur comme honte, gĂ©nĂ©rositĂ© comme parcimonie, vertu bien Ă©tablie comme perversitĂ©, probitĂ© comme malhonnĂȘtetĂ©, vĂ©racitĂ© simple comme duplicitĂ©.
Grand carré sans angle, grand vase inachevé, grande mélodie silencieuse, grande image sans contours: le Tao est caché et n'a pas de nom, cependant sa vertu soutient et accomplit tout.
Characters:
852
Words:
138
Comments:
0
Last updated:
2026-02-13 13:43
Comparison Metrics
Character Difference
-42
chars shorter
Translation 2 vs Translation 1
Word Count Difference
-20
words less
Translation 2 vs Translation 1
Similarity Score
17.6%
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)
- These metrics help you understand stylistic differences, but don't necessarily indicate translation quality