Wuwei
Glossary: wuwei 无为, 'non-action' — translation options and common mistranslations.
Wuwei (无为, wúwéi) — “non-action,” the Daoist ideal of acting without forcing: “the Dao constantly does nothing, and yet nothing is left undone” (Daodejing ch. 37). The word negates contrived, self-assertive action, not activity itself.
Translation note: “doing nothing” is a mistranslation in most contexts (the Daoist formula explicitly yields “nothing left undone”). “Effortless action” (Slingerland) is the best scholarly gloss for the personal register; keep the romanized term for precision. Do not gloss as “passivity” or “inaction” without qualification.
See the full concept page.
Sources
- Daodejing chs. 2, 37, 48; Slingerland, Effortless Action (2003)