The Dao, due to its all-encompassing and formless nature, cannot be grasped through the perception of concrete forms. We learn to cultivate the Dao by emulating the sages.
Many readers misinterpret this chapter. By interpreting the text literally, they assume the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) advocates a “policy of keeping people ignorant” to serve ruling powers and better control the populace.