The ten golden sentences in the Tao Te Ching are as follows:

1. The Tao can be taught, but it is not Tao; the name can be named, but it is not named.

The meaning of this sentence is that the Tao that can be expressed in words is not the eternal Tao, and the name that can be called is not the eternal name. This is an important explanation by Lao Tzu about the characteristics of Tao. He believes that Tao is profound and unpredictable and cannot be expressed clearly in words, while names change with the changes of things and cannot be fixed.

2. Cure by doing nothing.

This is an important principle in Laozi's thought, that is, governing society should let nature take its course, without imposing interference, and let things develop naturally. He believes that the role of the government should be to minimize interference in people's lives and allow people to live and develop freely.

3. Everyone in the world knows that beauty is beautiful, but it is evil; everyone knows that good is good, but it is not good.

This is Lao Tzu’s view of beauty. He believes that when people regard beautiful things as the standard of beauty, the concept of ugliness will appear. Likewise, when people take good things as the standard of good, the concept of unwholesomeness arises. This idea emphasizes the importance of relativity.

4. Tao gives birth to one, gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things. All things bear yin and embrace yang, and inject qi into harmony.

The meaning of this sentence is that Tao is the origin of all things, and all things are born from Tao. In the process of creation of all things, one divided into two, two divided into three, and so on, and finally all things were produced. There are two opposing forces of Yin and Yang within all things. They interact and conflict with each other, and finally reach a harmonious state.

5. The best is like water. Water is good for all things and does not compete with it. It is disliked by everyone, so it is close to the Tao.

This sentence means that the highest good is like water. Water benefits all things without competing with them and stays in places that people hate, so it is closest to Tao. This sentence emphasizes the soft, tolerant, and selfless characteristics of water. These characteristics are consistent with the ideas advocated by Laozi of governing by doing nothing, and the weak wins over the strong.

6. Those who know do not speak, and those who speak do not know.

The meaning of this sentence is that people who really understand will not speak easily, and people who speak casually often do not really understand. This sentence emphasizes the importance of speaking carefully. Only those who truly understand can say valuable things.

7. When the great righteousness fails, there is benevolence and righteousness; when wisdom emerges, there is hypocrisy; when relatives are in discord, there is filial piety; when the country is in confusion, there are loyal ministers.

The meaning of this sentence is that only when the great road is abandoned can there be benevolence and righteousness; only when wisdom appears can there be great disguise; only when there is disharmony in the family can there be filial piety; only when the country is in chaos can there be loyal ministers. This sentence reveals Laozi's views on morality and ethics. He believes that moral concepts such as benevolence, filial piety, and loyalty are all produced when morality is weakened.

8. If you abandon the sage and abandon wisdom, the people will benefit a hundred times; if you abandon the benevolent and righteous, the people will return to filial piety and kindness; if you abandon the skillful and profitable, there will be no thieves.

The meaning of this sentence is that if you abandon the concepts of sages and clever thoughts, the people will gain a hundred times the benefits; if you abandon the concepts of benevolence and righteousness and hypocritical behavior, the people will restore their filial and kind nature; With clever tricks and the lure of profit, the thief will disappear. This is Lao Tzu's pursuit of returning to nature and his criticism of hypocrisy and greed.

9. Governing a big country is like cooking small dishes.

This sentence means that governing a big country is like cooking delicious small fish. This is Lao Tzu’s view on governing a country. He believed that the country should be governed carefully and carefully.

10. The tree that hugs each other is born from the smallest millimeter; the nine-story platform starts from tired soil; the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

This sentence explains the law of development and change of things. It shows that great things such as the tree that embraces each other, the nine-story platform, and the journey of thousands of miles are all born from the smallest grain, from the tired soil, and from the first step. As a beginning, it warns people that no matter what they do, they must have strong perseverance and start from small things before they can achieve big things.