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
Hungarian
Translation 2
41
Kiváló ember követi az Út hívó szavát.
Közepes ember habozik:
követi is, nem is.
Silány ember csak felkacag:
az Út nem kell neki.
Ha nem nevetne a silány,
az Út nem volna Út.
Hiszen a Fény sötét az Úton,
s a haladás ott körbefut -
rögös az Útnak simasága,
s erények csúcsos orma: völgy.
Szennyes a legtisztább fehér is,
hívságos ott a dús erény,
megbénul az erős igézet,
s odvasra ürül a való.
Nagy Négyszögnek nincs szöglete,
lassan készül a Nagy Fazék,
halkan zenél a Nagy Zene,
s a Nagy Jelkép alaktalan.
Rejtett az Út és névtelen,
de éltet, alkot, teljesít.
Characters:
565
Words:
102
Comments:
0
Last updated:
2026-02-13 13:43
Comparison Metrics
Character Difference
-329
chars shorter
Translation 2 vs Translation 1
Word Count Difference
-56
words less
Translation 2 vs Translation 1
Similarity Score
17.1%
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