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
Vietnamese
Translation 2
Đồng dị
Thượng sĩ văn Đạo, cần nhi hành chi. Trung sĩ văn Đạo, nhược tồn, nhược vong. Hạ sĩ văn Đạo, đại tiếu chi. Bất tiếu, bất túc dĩ vi Đạo.
Cố kiến ngôn hữu chi: Minh Đạo nhược muội. Tiến Đạo nhược thối. Di Đạo nhược lỗi. Thượng Đức nhược cốc. Đại bạch nhược nhục. Quảng đức nhược bất túc. Kiến đức nhược thâu. Chất chân nhược du.
Đại phương vô ngung; đại khí vãn thành; đại âm hi thanh; đại tượng vô hình. Đạo ẩn vô danh. Phù duy Đạo thiện thải thả thành.
Characters:
461
Words:
97
Comments:
0
Last updated:
2026-02-13 13:43
Comparison Metrics
Character Difference
-433
chars shorter
Translation 2 vs Translation 1
Word Count Difference
-61
words less
Translation 2 vs Translation 1
Similarity Score
11.8%
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