原文
公有领域吾言甚易知，甚易行。天下莫能知，莫能行。
言有宗，事有君。
夫唯無知，是以不我知。
知我者希，則我者貴。
是以聖人被褐懷玉。
王弼注
待校读可不出戶窺牖而知，故曰甚易知也。無為而成，故曰甚易行也。惑於躁欲，故曰，莫之能知也。迷於榮利，故曰，莫之能行也。
宗，萬物之宗也。君，萬物之主也。
以其言有宗、事有君之故，故有知之人不得不知之也。
唯深，故知者希也；知我益希，我亦無匹。故曰，知我者希則我者貴也。
被褐者，同其塵，懷玉者，寶其真也。聖人之所以難知，以其同塵而不殊，懷玉而不渝，故難知而為貴也。
河上公章句
待校读老子言：吾所言省而易知，約而易行。
人惡柔弱，好剛強也。
我所言有宗祖根本，事有君臣上下，世人不知者，非我之無德，不與我反也。
夫惟聖人也，是我德之暗，不見於外，窮極微妙，故無知也。
希，少也。唯達道者乃能知我，故為貴也。
被褐者薄外，懷玉者厚內，匿寶藏德，不以示人也。
Legge 1891
Public domainMy words are very easy to know, and very easy to practise; but
there is no one in the world who is able to know and able to practise
them.
There is an originating and all-comprehending (principle) in my
words, and an authoritative law for the things (which I enforce). It
is because they do not know these, that men do not know me.
They who know me are few, and I am on that account (the more) to be
prized. It is thus that the sage wears (a poor garb of) hair cloth,
while he carries his (signet of) jade in his bosom.