知难
原文
吾言甚易知，甚易行。天下莫能知，莫能行。言有宗，事有君。夫唯无知，是以不我知。知我者希，则我者贵。是以圣人被褐怀玉。
王弼注
吾言甚易知，甚易行。天下莫能知，莫能行。可不出户窥牖而知，故曰，甚易知也。无为而成，故曰甚易行也。惑于躁欲，故曰，莫之能知也。迷于荣利，故曰，莫之能行也。言有宗，事有君。宗，万物之宗也。君，万物之主也。夫唯无知，是以不我知。以其言有宗，事有君之故，故有知之人不得不知之也。知我者希，则我者贵。唯深故知者希也，知我益希，我亦无匹，故曰，知我者希，则我者贵也。是以圣人被褐怀玉。被褐者，同其尘，怀玉者，宝其真也。圣人之所以难知，以其同尘而不殊，怀玉而不渝，故难知而为贵也。
英文 · James Legge
(The difficulty of being (rightly) known) My 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.