I have the heart/mind of a foolish person, indeed!! I am very mixed up and confused! Common people are very clear and bright; I alone seem confused. Common people are very observant and alert; I alone am very gloomy and depressed. Tranquil!, they are like the ocean; I drift on the wind!, as if without a place to rest. Everyone all has a purpose; I alone am stupid and stubborn, and appear mean and shallow. I alone am different compared to other people, And value the food of the mother. Renounce learning and be without worry.A “Yes” [à] together with “yeah”B – What is their mutual distance or nearness°? Beautiful{good} [à] together with ugliness°{evil} – What is their mutual distance or similarity? That which people [they] fear, they are not able to not fear. How ridiculous ! They are not yet centered ! ♦Everyone2 is [very] festive, [splendid,merry2] As if enjoying the Tai Lao sacrificeC, As if climbing terracesD in the spring. I alone am unmoved ! – [anchored] Like one who has not yet given any sign, [his] Like a newborn infant2 who does not yet [act like] a baby. [him] [Very] tired and worn out2 !, as if without a place to return to. ♦Everyone2 all has more than they need; [surplus,excess] I alone seem to have lost everything. [things lost] I have the heart/mind of a foolish person, indeed! ! I am [very] mixed up and confused 2 ! Common people are [very] clear and bright 2; I alone seemE confused. Common people are [very] observant and alert 2; I alone am [very] gloomy and depressed 2. Tranquil !, they are like the ocean; [I] drift [on the wind]F !, as if without a place to rest. ♦Everyone2 all has a purpose; [use] I alone am stupid and stubborn, and appear mean and shallow{rustic}. I alone am different compared to other people, And value the food of the mother. Notes This chapter seems to be the sage-like author poking fun at himself, describing how he appears to ordinary people who don’t understand him; the “very’s” scattered throughout the chapter are implied by repeated symbols; only the first 6 lines are present in GUO A : many people over the centuries have suggested that this line should be the last in #19 for many good reasons; however, there is an explicit end-of-chapter marker in GUO at the end of #19 (which is not even followed by #20 in its manuscript), so this line does indeed seem to belong here B : formal versus informal, respectively