Everything that seems to be “nothing” is, in fact, precisely what makes things useful.
1. A wheel with 30 spokes
The spokes (the material part—being) hold the wheel’s shape. But the chariot moves thanks to the emptiness at the center, where the axle is; without this emptiness, the wheel could not turn. The usefulness lies in the emptiness, not in matter itself.
2. A clay vase
It is made of clay (being), but we use its inner emptiness—to hold water and flowers. Without the emptiness, it would be just a lump of clay. Function is born from non-being.
3. A house with windows and doors
The walls and roof are being. But we can live in a house only because it contains space—emptiness. Windows and doors are carved-out “nothing,” without which the house would be a prison. Life is possible thanks to absence.
The main idea:
Being creates form, but non-being gives it function. What we consider “empty,” “nothing,” or “absent” is often the source of usefulness, freedom, and life.
This is a teaching about the harmony of opposites:
Hard and soft, full and empty, action and non-action (wu wei). Lao Tzu urges us not to cling only to the material, visible, and “existent”—for true value is often hidden in what is not there.
How to apply this in life:
Sometimes silence is more important than words (the emptiness between sounds). Breaks from work (“doing nothing”) restore our strength, just as the emptiness in a vessel allows it to be filled again. In relationships, space for freedom is more important than constant control. In creativity, a blank sheet (emptiness) makes it possible to create a masterpiece.
