谷 “valley” : the image of the valley is often used in the DDJ; a valley represents receptiveness (because it accepts all things that come into it), openness, and emptiness, and so is feminine in nature 身 “self” : often translated as “body” by others (it can mean either), it is my personal bias that this symbol seems to consistently refer to the sense-of-self, personality, or ego 復 or 歸 or 復 歸 or 反 “returning” : the DDJ uses four different symbols to refer to the concept of returning, and it is used many times; beyond the everyday meaning, in the DDJ creatures and people often return to their source, true nature, or original state of pure and unformed potential; sometimes they just “return”, and from where or to where is not specified 明 “insight” : an intuitive, without-knowledge, understanding of what is; this is another personal bias – while the literal translations include “wise”, “clear”, “understanding”, “perceptive”, and “sight”, it seems that this symbol can be consistently interpreted as “insight” (which is in agreement with the literal translations); in addition, it is variously translated by other modern translators as “enlightenment” and even “insight” 事 “duties” : one’s personal and business affairs, responsibilities, etc. 吾 “I” : on the rare occasions this is used, think of this as someone who is a sage-like Daoist rather than merely “the author” 百 姓 “100 families” : in ancient times this phrase referred to the entire ruling class 士 “scholar” : around the time of the DDJ, this referred to the elite “intellectual” class of Chinese society, the teachers and philosophers (Confucius would have been considered a scholar) 君 “ruler”, 王 “king”, etc. : there are many symbols and euphemisms for various members of the nobility (“nobles”, “superiors”, “master of the people”, “son of heaven”, “master of 10,000 chariots”, etc.) 貴 “high rank” : any position of power or admiration While the DDJ is over 2000 years old, its wisdom is still applicable today, but don’t be fooled by the ancient wording! “King” could today apply to anyone who runs things, manages others, or leads any kind of group (from the nation’s leader to a corporation CEO to…your boss), and “high rank” could apply to government officials, billionaires, or even movie stars. There are also many Confucian terms used in the DDJ : 仁 “kindness” : being benevolent, kindhearted, humane 義 “righteousness” (translated as “morality” to avoid religious associations) : having a sense of justice, doing the right thing, being morally upright 禮 “propriety” : ritual courtesy and formality; proper etiquette 智 “wise”, “wisdom” : as it says 信 “truth”, “trust”, “honest” : as it says 忠 “loyalty” : as it says 勇 “courage”, “brave” : as it says 廉 “honorable” : having a sense of honor or integrity; incorruptibility