“Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness, that their use depends.”

“Thirty spokes share one hub in non-being lies the use of the cart knead clay to make vessels in non-being lies the use of the vessel cut out doors and windows to make a housetherefore form being comes what is usable and from non-being comes what is essential.”

“The thirty spokes unite in the one nave; but it is on the empty space (for the axle), that the use of the wheel depends.”

“The door and windows are cut out (from the walls) to form an apartment; but it is on the empty space (within), that its use depends.”

“We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holdswhatever we want.”

“The Tao is (like) the emptiness of a vessel; and in our employment of it we must be on our guard against all fulness.”

“We join spokes together in a wheel, but it is the center hole that makes the wagon move.We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness insidethat holds whatever we want.We hammer wood for a house, but it is the inner spacethat makes it livable.We work with being, but non-being is what we use.”