Line by Line - Verse 35, Line 7

the use of it is inexhaustible.
~ James Legge translation, from The Sacred Books of the East, 1891 ~

And yet it cannot be exhausted.
~ Gia-fu Feng and Jane English translation, published by Vintage Books, 1989 ~

Use it, it cannot be exhausted
~ Derek Lin translation, from Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained, published by SkyLight Paths, 2006 ~

But no matter how much you use, there's still plenty left.
~ Ron Hogan rendition, from Beatrice.com, 2004 ~

Finishing up this short verse, the humble philosophy of Taoism attempts to highlight an unknown essence or force that can neither be seen nor heard. It is the foundation of all existence and yet we have no idea what it is.

What we can surmise is that, as long as something exists, so too does this mysterious force, Tao.

Entities and forms come and go, Tao persists. From the standpoint of human comprehension, it is perpetual and inexhaustible.

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