道德經白話解說（江希張）
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道德經白話解說序
老子者，道德開始，存神過化，無始無終，一大至人也。
孔子者，生民未有，教集大成，無古無今，一大聖人也。
江神童希張者，則叉世紀穎悟絕倫，天人交徹，無無外，一大解人也。
唯大解人知大聖人，唯大聖人知大至人。
老子之學，歷數千百年無有知者。
關、尹、莊、列，淵源相承，具體而微。
厥後一變為陰陽家而老學失，再變為符籙家而老學失，再變為執著丹術家而老學又失。
此後老子之真面目，逐蔽於迷雲層霧，龍之一鱗一爪不得復觀矣。
知希之歎，當時已然，又何況數千百年後耶？
孔子者，深知老子者也。
觀其《猶龍序》，一讚已將道妙精神曲為傳出，不可謂非老子天涯海角、神明相交之一知己也。
孔子之學，歷數千百年亦無知者。
自顏、曾、端木、冉、閔、宰我、有若，以及思、孟接授薪傳，各得具體之外，餘各就其性之所近，得其一體。
厥後一沿為訓詁學而孔學晦，再沿為詞賦學而孔學晦，再沿為空談性理學而孔學又晦。
此後孔子之學，途至一落千丈，同入於迷雲暗霧，麟之一角一趾亦不得復覩矣。
夫孔學、老學既已同蔽於迷雲暗霧，一鱗一爪、一角一趾不得復覩。
而後之學孔者，唯宗訓詁、詞賦、空談性理學；學老者，唯宗陰陽、符籙、執著丹術。
雖善而空談，則《論語》全篇自見。
迷雲朦朧中冀得觀孔之麟、老之龍，則孔老之一鱗一爪、一角一趾將永墮於迷雲霧中，無復得觀之一日。
不幸，後人不得見其一鱗一爪、一角一趾於迷雲暗霧中，惟知漢唐以來諸學以為孔老之真也；
又不幸，後人因以詬孔詬老，致開罪於孔老也。
夫後之宗孔老者，無加於孔老；毀孔老者，無損於孔老，均不必論。
而其同在迷雲暗霧中，不得見孔老之一鱗一爪、一角一趾，則皆然也。
江童者，孔老數千百年後一大解人也。
既已撥雲披霧，破漢唐以來諸學之舊巢，上窺生民未有至聖之堂奧，又復大聲疾呼，喚醒群迷。
木鐸振處，忽爾獲觀門牆之高、宗廟百官之美，富唐虞精英雜然並陳，三代制作斟酌不遺，遺風規宛在目前。
不惟見麟之一角一趾，麟之全身畢現。
註四書白話解說，不自漢唐。
江童可謂數倒發二千餘年所未發，千年來智足知聖之大解人矣，而猶未也。
江童既已撥雲披霧，以推測孔子之大識力，又進而窺測無始無終、塊然獨立、視之不見、摶之不得之老子。
以其無名可名、無象可象，八識田中、五蘊界內非所能測。
於是觀以天而不雜以人，察以神而不揉以意，以己之心印孔之心，以孔之心印老之心，遂能執孔子從心之矩量老子無名之樸。
劃然中開天度，畢悉片片之光凝紫蓋，靄靄之氣結為玉局，上達碧落，下透虞洲，大周六合，細入微塵。
青牛氣迴，處處函關，飛龍行空，人人天國闢宇宙未闢之天地，開世界未關之大同。
嗚呼！江童可謂精於孔並精於老矣，精於老並善於解老者矣。
惟其善於解孔，故能善於解老；惟其以孔解老，而不以漢唐以來之老解老，並不以關、尹、莊、列之老解老，此其識解卓越，可謂老子以後獨得其真者矣。
自有此解，而老子之真精神，逐現全幅於世界。
吾知此後萬國人人心目中，將必有一老子之印像，皓然鬚眉當乎其前，以開大同之先導，而全球萬國將必共慶有一道同德之一日。
老子筆其學於數千年前，江童闡其學於數千年後。
天運之中，將開大同之盛，必待時機已到而始發洩。
而江童者，禀天地之精英、河嶽之靈秀，適當其會，以闢大同之基礎耶。
夫老之與孔，其始本異形同氣，息息相通也。
當其適用觀禮，聖聖相遇，問答移時，歡若夙契，臨行贈言，殷勤致詞。
吾知此時老子心中唯有一孔子，孔子心中唯有一老子，心心相印，有同揆矣。
然而千百年來，言孔者薄老，言老者薄孔，何也？
則以宗孔者知宗孔之博，不知宗孔之約；知宗孔之顯，不知宗孔之隱。
宗老者知宗老之虛，不知宗老之實；知宗老之無，不知宗老之有故也。
蓋老子之學，天學也，而兼人學；孔子之學，人學也，而兼天學。
老子之言，人學從天以推人；孔子之言，天學從人以推天。
從天以推人，故其說簡；從人以推天，故其說隱。
外若相背，內則相通。
夫唯深於孔子之學、明於天人之際者，即深於老子之學者也。
孟子所以語語闢楊墨，而無一語闢老子也。
此其義埋沒數千百年，無有發者，有之，吾於江童見之矣。
吾於江童之註《道德經》見之矣。
夫孔子之學萃於《四書》《禮運》，江童既以白話註解之；老子之學載於《道德經》，江童復以白話出之。
從此《四書》《禮運》《道德經》等經，將家喻戶曉，燦然大明於世，以為萬國大同之鐵證。
近年晉督閻公錫山力倡孔老之真學以治晉，山西一省獨慶安寧富強，漸且有大同景象，其明驗也。
彼一孔之士，竟有創為論說刊印傳播，謂孔子重仁義、輕功利，老子道德、惡兵戰，我國將來亡國滅種，皆數千年前孔老啟之。
是非將孔老之書盡行取消，從根本上解決，不能以富強云云。
此其肆言無忌，自絕先聖，吾不深恨，實足大悲。
悲其誤認漢唐以來之孔與老，以為孔老，而不知孔老之真也。
若知孔老之真矣，彼將頂禮拜禱之不暇，與晉督閻公取一致之進行，又安出此惡言哉？
江童《道德白話註解書》既成，江蘇大道德家葉君西亭慨然出巨資刊印於前，直隸丁君立善等復繼刊印於後。
從此《道德經》與《四書》《禮運》並流通於天下。
後世江童著書之功，與葉君等刊印之力，將與孔老之書並垂不朽云。
是為序。
民國九年夏歷七月日望
直隸大名臨安 張知容識
Preface to the Vernacular Explanation of the Dao De Jing
Laozi is the origin of Dao and virtue, preserving the spirit through transformation, without beginning or end — a great perfected one.
Confucius, for the people, brought together the great teaching into a complete whole, transcending ancient and modern times — a great sage.
Jiang Shentong Xizhang, in his century, was supremely gifted and insightful, penetrating the realms of Heaven and humanity without boundary — a great elucidator.
Only a great elucidator can truly know a great sage; only a great sage can truly know a great perfected one.
For thousands of years, none understood Laozi’s teaching.
Guan, Yin, Zhuang, and Lie inherited his lineage, preserving its essence in miniature.
Later, it transformed into the School of Yin-Yang and was lost; transformed again into the talismanic school and was lost; transformed again into those fixated on alchemy and was lost once more.
Since then, Laozi’s true countenance has been shrouded in clouds and mists — only a glimpse of a dragon’s scale or claw could be seen. Jiang lamented this even in his time — how much more so after thousands of years!
Confucius deeply understood Laozi, as seen in the Eulogy on the Dragon, where he extolled the profound spirit of the Dao.
Confucius’ teaching too has, for centuries, been little understood.
From Yan, Zeng, Duanmu, Ran, Min, Zai Wo, and You Ruo to Si and Meng, the transmission was maintained, each preserving a part.
Later, it devolved into exegetical scholarship, obscuring Confucian learning; then into the study of poetry and prose, again obscuring it; then into empty discourse on metaphysics, obscuring it yet again.
Thus Confucius’ path fell into deep decline, equally shrouded in clouds and darkness — only a corner of the qilin’s horn or a hoof could be glimpsed.
Both Confucian and Daoist learning became similarly obscured.
Later students of Confucius clung only to exegesis, literature, and abstract speculation; students of Laozi clung only to Yin-Yang, talismans, and alchemy.
Though their words may be fine, they are empty talk.
One who seeks to see Confucius’ qilin or Laozi’s dragon will forever lose the chance.
Unfortunately, later generations, unable to see even a fragment, took the Han and Tang interpretations as the true teachings of Confucius and Laozi.
Some even slandered them, bringing offense to the sages.
Yet those who honor or slander them alike cannot harm or add to them — both remain unseen in the mist.
Jiang was a great elucidator appearing after thousands of years, sweeping away the clouds to reveal the saints’ true forms.
With a great voice he awakened the deluded, ringing the wooden bell.
Suddenly one could behold the lofty walls of their school, the beauty of the ancestral halls, the elegance of Tang and Yu’s legacies, the perfection of the Three Dynasties’ institutions.
Not merely a horn or hoof, but the full form of the qilin was revealed.
His vernacular commentary on the Four Books is something unseen since the Han and Tang, awakening insight not known for over two millennia.
He not only clarified Confucius’ profound vision but also peered into the Laozi beyond form and name, beyond the reach of thought and sense.
With a mind pure as Heaven, free from human distortion, he matched heart to heart — Confucius’ heart to Laozi’s heart — measuring the nameless simplicity.
Thus he opened the celestial pattern, gathering light and essence into form, uniting Heaven and Earth, traversing space and dust alike.
The image of Laozi now appears vividly before the world, destined to guide the Great Harmony of all nations.
Laozi recorded his learning thousands of years ago; Jiang expounded it thousands of years later.
Heaven’s timing will unfold the Great Harmony, and Jiang’s appearance is to lay its foundation.
The beginnings of Laozi and Confucius were different in form but the same in breath, deeply connected.
When they met, they conversed long and warmly, like old friends; each held the other in their heart alone.
Yet over the centuries, Confucians have belittled Laozi, and Daoists have belittled Confucius — due to knowing only the broad but not the concise, the apparent but not the hidden, the empty but not the substantial.
Laozi’s learning is Heaven’s learning with humanity included; Confucius’ learning is humanity’s learning with Heaven included.
Laozi’s words proceed from Heaven to humanity, hence their simplicity; Confucius’ words proceed from humanity to Heaven, hence their subtlety.
Outwardly they seem opposed; inwardly they are one.
Thus, one deeply versed in Confucius and the relation of Heaven and humanity is also deeply versed in Laozi.
This is why Mencius refuted Yang and Mo but never Laozi.
This truth lay buried for centuries until I saw it in Jiang’s commentary.
I see this clearly in Jiang’s annotation of the Dao De Jing.
With his vernacular explanations of both Confucius and Laozi, these works will become household knowledge, shining brightly in the world as ironclad proof of future Great Harmony.
In recent years, Governor Yan Xishan of Shanxi has promoted the true learning of Confucius and Laozi, bringing peace and prosperity to his province.
Yet some foolishly claim that Confucius valued benevolence and righteousness over profit, that Laozi despised war, and thus these teachings would doom the nation.
They would abolish the classics entirely — words reckless and self-destructive, born of mistaking Han and Tang distortions for the truth.
If they knew the real teachings, they would venerate them instead.
Jiang’s Vernacular Commentary on the Dao De Jing was funded and printed through the generosity of Ye Xiting of Jiangsu, and later by Ding Lishan of Zhili.
Thus the Dao De Jing will circulate alongside the Four Books and Li Yun.
Jiang’s authorship and his patrons’ efforts will be remembered alongside the works of Confucius and Laozi, enduring for all time.
Written in the summer of the 9th year of the Republic (1920), on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month.
Zhang Zhirong of Lin’an, Daming, Zhili.
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道德經白話解說自序
小子幸生世界進化、器學發明的時代。
水有輸船，陸有火車，騰空有飛機，沉水有潛艇，直是五洲如一家，萬國如一室。
況且所用、所見、所聽的一切機器，沒有不便利、不精美的，幸會多多，快樂多多。
我飲水思源，不能不欽佩感激發明器學的先哲。
雖然發明器學的先哲，本有福國利民之美意，並無害人之惡心，
不料竟有慘毒不仁之人，竊取器學之功用，製造毒鈴毒砲，殺戮天下同胞。
一切大器學家，雖有妙手靈心，不但無可如何，還為他人利用，助其製造兇器。
這一切精美機器，不但不能抵制鎗砲，反而為其運兵載餉、傳達消息。
如此看來，幸福反成禍殃，進化反成進毒；進化到極點，便將同胞送進槍林彈雨之中。
呵呵，這幸福還能享嗎？這進化還能進嗎？
竊知發明物質文明的先哲，靈魂有知，不惟痛恨製造槍砲之人，自己亦必後悔。
蓋聖人教育天下，必先教人有道德之知識，然後教人有技能之知識。
技能若有道德之心則可助道德，道德借技能而益彰；
若心懷詐謀，則技能反助其惡，道德敗壞，天下自亂。
不教人以道德，先教人以技能，則有技能而無道德之人，必流於荒亡，無所不為，且恃能而驕。
這是近數百年來，天下變亂之大病源。
小子隱痛於心，前已略說一二，但因潮流所趨，不敢詳言，恐說了無益，徒自取辱。
今年八月，天氣和平，正註完《道德經》，上泰山告成。
登頂四望，見愁惓陰凝之氣，遮空蔽日；聽悲號哀泣之聲，動地驚天。
不覺心痛目酸，實不忍緘默，乃向道人借筆墨，一字一淚，信手寫出心事，敬告天下同胞。
縱有人說我喪心病狂，亦所不辭。
譬如虎豹兕象諸猛獸，凶悍之勇，比強盜利害百倍；
然而為害之大，反不及強盜萬倍。
若有人教以技能，授以槍砲，必將人類吞食殆盡，猶不滿其欲壑。
故有道德之人，技能擇人而授，不肯輕傳，如達摩之拳術、道家之劍法，皆此理也。
豈是吝教？實為防患，不得不慎。
《大學》曰：「物有本末，事有終始，知所先後，則近道矣。」
道德為本，物質為末；道德宜先，物質為後。
不然，我國開化最早，聖人迭出，如黃帝、堯、舜、禹、湯、文、武、周公、孔孟，皆是神化不測之人。
或造農器、樂器、治水器，或造璇璣，或造指南針，或以材美稱，或以多聞稱，為全世界製造的鼻祖，不勝枚舉。
豈是不能造火車、輪船、一切機器？
乃徒講道德，不研究聲光電化之實用，先將民之道德培養好，然後教民技能。
天下計者，不在於此；暫且教之一二，敷衍夠用。
這是我國聖人以道治天下，不得不如此的辦法。
歐美不察，乃竟笑我國之學說迂腐。
我國學說固迂腐，然今日世界變亂到極點，敢請大器學家造個機器出來救一救。
雖然，這兵禍也不是物質家的過錯；假使當日道德與物質並行，今日何至有此奇禍？
然而歐美見我腐敗現象，笑之也宜。
獨怪我黃帝神明之子孫、孔孟中正之教徒，竟掇拾西人殺人學說之牙慧，竊取西人殺人機器之皮毛，將我二帝三王、孔曾思孟治天下之大經大法，一筆抹煞，直視同砒霜毒，何其迷惑至於此！
不知我道學不惟可救我國之貧弱，亦能救歐美之禍變。
這不是空言所能，必造成一種妙不可測之道器，方能抵制兵戰之兇器。
前著《息戰論》後，即想要製造，精思苦研三年，不怕無料。
今年春，楊獻廷先生講太上之道，說道氣已動，宜及時研究《道德經》。
又適逢劉笠青先生將所著《善言》寄來，其義為善與人同、大公無我。
於是我本此宗旨，也取《道德經》來看。
及看到「大制不割」「無名之樸」二句，恍然大悟，說：「法則與材料盡在此處呢！」
因事體重大，於是學穆罕默德的齋戒沐浴，清真了身心；又學基督教的禱祝，求了上帝；
又從《論語》得來孔子七十歲用的矩，子游在武城使的牛刀；又從佛經得來妙觀察智。
然後用佛法觀察天下之形式，看準了天運正午，地氣已開；用孔子的矩，所作智的法則，造出器來，人不認，造的器終適用。
量老子無名之樸，量準了這樸，雖渾然一體，前人就像用化學之法已化分開成兩大部分、八十一小段，且經製造家百餘人任意造作。
大匠造成大器，小工作成小器，好歹不必論，此時皆不相宜。
幸這樸是神樸，雖為匠人鑿而小之，卻取之不盡，用之不竭，又能返還元質，渾淪完全。
我因此又驚又喜，不敢動手，於是攝住妄想，專一了氣，形如槁木，心如死灰，覺天和已至，神已來舍，乃以神遇而不以目視。
拿了牛刀，信手而割，比庖丁解牛還神妙。
解完一看，仍渾然一體，是君子不器之器；細細再看，卻無形而有形，亦分為兩大部、八十一小段。
用刀時，批大郤、導大窾；因前人之固然，所以也同前人數目，惟形式及用法皆與前人不同。
雖不及前人之精妙，然卻適合今日之用度。
其形式前半部酷肖老子所騎變化飛騰的青牛；後半部有似孔子所坐中堂上所說同軌之車。
前半部主運行，牛力極大，凡日月所照、霜露所墜、舟車所至、人力所通、有血氣之地皆能到。
後半部主裝載，車中空間極寬闊，凡《詩》《書》《易》《禮》《春秋》《孝經》《論語》《大學》《中庸》《孟子》，聖賢之一切經傳皆能載着，並格外加上諸子百家、《二十四史》以備參考。
惟小子因時勢關係，開於萬卷書中，拋棄小康之糟粕，騰寫大同之精華。
這牛車所到之處，發出祥光和氣，結成仁義道德，自然國安民樂，真是好寶器，人人見了喝彩稱奇。
獨有一個不懂事的朋友說：「你造的這道器好是好，何不請人坐在車上演說呢？」
我答他說：「第一幅圖上，你看沒有人嗎？」
但器成以後，我又愁着一牛一車如何能遊行天下。
適幸遇葉西亭先生來厲，見之甚歡喜，集資在上海請人仿造一千個，皆與此相同。
但小子未入專門學堂，未研究器學，不明物理，不懂製造，所造未必適用。
謹敢貢於各國，求大器學家指教，為幸。
還有一句要緊的話，也要預先聲明：如果不適用，自不必說了；倘若有用，將來天下太平之時，還要收回。
因為老子無名之樸，早已說是「大制不割」。
我不忍全球變亂，竊取而強造成道器以救世，用完後仍還原質，將無名之樸歸還老子，不敢久假不歸，還要昭示大信呢。
中華民國八年夏正八月十五日
山東歷城童子 江希張 記
Preface to the Vernacular Explanation of the Dao De Jing
I am fortunate to have been born in an age of world progress and the invention of the mechanical sciences.
Over water there are transport ships; on land, trains; in the sky, airplanes; under the sea, submarines.
It is as if the five continents are one family, the nations of the world one household.
Moreover, in everything we use, see, and hear, all machines are convenient and exquisitely made.
There are many happy encounters and much joy.
Remembering the source while drinking the water, I cannot help but admire and thank the pioneers of mechanical science.
Although the pioneers of mechanical science had the noble intention of benefiting the nation and the people, with no thought of harming others,
unexpectedly there arose cruel and inhumane people who stole the fruits of these sciences to create poison bells and cannons, slaughtering our fellow human beings.
All the great mechanical scientists, though endowed with skillful hands and keen minds, were not only powerless to stop them, but were even exploited to help produce such weapons.
These fine machines not only failed to resist the guns and cannons but also served to transport troops and supplies, and to transmit messages.
Thus, happiness turned into calamity, progress became poison; progress at its extreme would send one’s own people into the hail of bullets and rain of shells.
Ha! Can this “happiness” still be enjoyed? Can this “progress” still advance?
I believe that if the souls of the pioneers of material civilization are aware, they would not only loathe those who make weapons, but also regret it themselves.
The sages, in educating the world, always first teach the knowledge of morality, and only then the knowledge of skill.
With moral heart, skills can assist morality, and morality, borrowing from skills, can shine all the more.
If the heart is full of deceit and cunning, skills will aid evil; morality will decay, and the world will fall into disorder.
If one does not teach morality first, but teaches skills first, then those with skill but without morality will inevitably fall into corruption, do all manner of wrongs, and grow arrogant in their abilities.
This is the great underlying cause of the world’s turmoil in the past few centuries.
I have long carried this pain in my heart, but due to the trends of the age I dared not speak of it in detail, fearing it would be useless to say and would only bring ridicule upon myself.
In August of this year, the weather was peaceful, and I had just finished annotating the Dao De Jing.
I went up Mount Tai to mark its completion.
From the summit, I looked in all directions and saw oppressive clouds shrouding the sky and sun;
I heard cries of grief and wailing that shook the earth and startled the heavens.
My heart ached and my eyes grew moist.
Unable to keep silent, I borrowed pen and ink from a Daoist, and with each word like a tear, I freely wrote down my thoughts to sincerely inform my fellow countrymen.
Even if some say I am mad, I do not care.
It is like the tigers, leopards, rhinoceroses, and elephants among beasts — fierce in courage, a hundred times more dangerous than robbers —
yet the harm they cause is a million times less than that of robbers armed with skill and weapons.
If someone were to teach them skills and give them guns, they would surely devour all humankind and still not be satisfied.
Thus, those with morality pass on skills selectively, not carelessly, just as Bodhidharma’s martial arts and the Daoist sword techniques were taught —
not out of stinginess, nor unwillingness for others to have skills, but to prevent future harm, and so caution was necessary.
The Great Learning says: “All things have a root and branches; all affairs have a beginning and an end. Knowing what comes first and what comes after brings one close to the Dao.”
Morality is the root; material things are the branches.
Morality should come first; material things after.
Otherwise, though our country was among the earliest to be civilized, producing sages in succession — such as the Yellow Emperor, Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, King Wen, King Wu, Duke of Zhou, Confucius, and Mencius — all were people of unfathomable divine transformation.
Some invented agricultural tools, musical instruments, and water control devices; some created the armillary sphere; some invented the compass; some were famed for their fine materials; some for their great learning.
They were the forerunners of all the world’s inventions, too many to list.
Was it that they could not make trains, ships, and all kinds of machines?
No — they simply first taught morality, not the practicalities of sound, light, electricity, and chemistry, until the people’s morality was established, and then taught skills.
In governing the world, this was the necessary method of our sages.
The West did not understand this and laughed at our teachings as old-fashioned.
Our teachings may indeed seem old-fashioned, yet the world today is in utter chaos.
I dare ask the great mechanical scientists to create a machine that can save us.
Even so, this calamity of war is not the fault of the materialists;
if morality and material progress had advanced together in earlier days, how could today’s strange disasters have come about?
However, it is understandable that the West laughs at us.
What is truly astonishing is that we, the descendants of the divinely wise Yellow Emperor and the upright disciples of Confucius and Mencius,
have picked up the scraps of the Western doctrines of killing, stolen the outer shell of their killing machines, and have erased in one stroke the great laws of governance handed down from our two emperors, three kings, Confucius, Zeng, Si, and Meng,
regarding them as deadly poison. How deluded to this extreme!
They do not know that our Daoist learning can not only save our nation from poverty and weakness, but can also save the West from calamity.
This is no empty boast — only by creating a marvelous and unfathomable “Dao Device” can we counter the deadly weapons of war.
After writing On Ceasing War, I wished to create such a device.
I pondered it diligently for three years, fearing no lack of materials.
This spring, Mr. Yang Xianting lectured on the Supreme Dao, saying the energy of the Dao had already stirred, and it was time to study the Dao De Jing.
Around the same time, Mr. Liu Liqing sent me his work Good Words, which embodies the meaning of sharing goodness with others and being selfless.
Inspired by this, I also took up the Dao De Jing to read.
When I came to the lines “The great carving does not cut” and “The nameless uncarved block,” I suddenly realized — the method and the materials are all here!
Because of the importance of the matter, I followed the Islamic way of purification, fasting, and bathing to cleanse body and mind;
I prayed in the Christian manner to God;
I drew from the Analects the principle of Confucius’ “carpenter’s square” at seventy, and from Ziyou in Wucheng using the butcher’s knife;
I drew from the Buddhist sutras the wisdom of wondrous observation.
Then, using Buddhist insight to observe the state of the world, I saw that the heavenly cycle was at noon, the earth’s energy had opened;
using Confucius’ square and the principles of wisdom, I made the device.
People did not recognize it, but in the end it was fit for use.
Measuring Laozi’s nameless uncarved block, I found it whole, though previous generations had divided it chemically into two great parts and eighty-one sections,
allowing over a hundred craftsmen to make whatever they wished — great artisans made great devices, small workers made small devices — suitable or unsuitable, all were out of place.
Fortunately, this block is a divine block.
Though carved by craftsmen, it can never be exhausted, and it can return to its original substance, whole and complete.
I was both amazed and delighted, and dared not act rashly.
I stilled my wandering thoughts, focused my energy, my body like dead wood, my heart like cold ashes,
feeling the harmony of Heaven had arrived and the spirit had come to dwell.
I met it with spirit, not with the eyes.
Taking the butcher’s knife, I cut freely, more wondrously than Butcher Ding cutting up an ox for Lord Wen Hui.
When done, it was still whole — a device of the gentleman who is not a device.
Looking closely, it was formless yet had form, divided into two great parts and eighty-one sections.
When cutting, I opened great clefts and guided great hollows;
due to the nature of the original, the number was the same as before, but the form and use differed entirely.
Though less refined than before, it suited today’s needs.
The front half resembled Laozi’s flying, transforming blue ox; the back half resembled the same-track carriage described by Confucius in the central hall.
The front half was for travel, with tremendous ox-power, able to reach all places under the sun and moon, where frost and dew fall, where boats and carts go, where human strength reaches — anywhere with living beings.
The back half was for carrying cargo, with a spacious interior, able to carry all the classics of the sages — the Poetry, History, Changes, Rites, Spring and Autumn, Classic of Filial Piety, Analects, Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Mencius —
plus the various masters and the Twenty-Four Histories for reference.
Due to current circumstances, I cast aside the dross of petty comfort and wrote out the essence of Great Harmony.
Wherever this ox-cart went, it emitted auspicious light and harmonious energy, forming benevolence, righteousness, and morality; naturally the country would be secure and the people at peace.
It was truly a treasure, praised by all who saw it.
Only one ignorant friend said: “Your Dao Device is good, but why not have someone sit in it and give speeches?”
I replied: “In the first illustration, do you not see that there is no one?”
Yet, after it was made, I worried — how could one ox and one cart travel the whole world?
By fortune, Mr. Ye Xiting came to visit, saw it with great joy, raised funds, and had a thousand identical ones made in Shanghai.
But I have never attended a technical school, never studied mechanics, know nothing of physics, and do not understand manufacturing.
Whether my creation is suitable or not, I humbly offer it to all nations, hoping great mechanical scientists will give guidance.
There is one more important matter to state in advance: if it is not suitable, there is nothing more to say;
if it is useful, then when the world is at peace, I must take it back.
For Laozi’s nameless uncarved block has long been said to be “The great carving does not cut.”
I could not bear the world’s chaos, so I took it to forcibly create a Dao Device to save the world.
Once used, it must be returned to its original substance, the nameless block given back to Laozi.
I dare not keep what I have borrowed; my pledge will be clear for all to see.
Fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, summer of the 8th year of the Republic (1919)
Jiang Xizhang of Licheng, Shandong
preface
道德經白話解說（上篇）
山東歷城童子 江希張 識
Vernacular Explanation of the Dao De Jing (Upper Volume)
By Jiang Xizhang of Licheng, Shandong
ch1
第一章
道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。
無名，天地之始；有名，萬物之母。
故常無欲以觀其妙，常有欲以觀其徼。
此兩者同出而異名，同謂之玄，玄之又玄，眾妙之門。
字解：
道：是道理。
可道：是可能言說出來的。
常：是常住不壞。
名：是名象。
妙：是神妙。
徼：是徼要（邊際、徵兆）。
玄：是深遠。
釋義：
道如果能言說出來，就不是常住不壞的道；
凡是能標記出來的名，就不是常住不壞的名。
「無名」是天地所從生的起頭；
「有名」是萬物所從生的母親。
所以合道為一體，常常真空，無意念以觀那道的妙；
常常妙有，有意念以觀那道的徼。
這真空與妙有兩樣，皆出於不可言說的道，卻有兩個不同的名稱，皆可謂之深遠，又極深遠。
這就是一切神妙所從出的門戶。
人處世為人，第一要知道微妙；
修身不知微妙，就戕賊性命；
行政不知微妙，就壞亂國家。
科學家製造飛艇、輪船，能在天空、海底飛行航行，無非是知道物質的微妙；
帝舜「無為而治」，孔子相魯三月而國治，無非是知道為政的微妙。
事事物物，各有微妙；若從枝葉上求，就勞而無功；
要從根本入手，知其微妙，一切微妙不求知而自知。
現在全球糜爛不堪，爭權奪利，殘無人道；
救天下的微妙何在？
老子救戰殺的秘訣，就是虛無的道與好生的德。
不然，私欲塞滿胸腔，殘忍成了習性，怎麼能不戰？
戰爭殺戮，死傷的生命也不算少了，損失的財產也不算少了。
若大家實行老子的道德，挽回運勢，
使萬國共享和親、康寧的幸福，豈不美哉？
Chapter 1
The Dao that can be spoken of is not the constant Dao.
The name that can be named is not the constant name.
The nameless is the beginning of Heaven and Earth;
the named is the mother of the ten thousand things.
Thus, always without desire, one can observe its subtlety;
always with desire, one can observe its manifestations.
These two emerge from the same source but have different names.
Both may be called “mysterious,”
and the mystery of mysteries is the gateway to all wonders.
Explanation of terms:
Dao (道): principle or the Way.
Ke dao (可道): able to be spoken.
Chang (常): constant, unchanging.
Ming (名): name, designation.
Miao (妙): wondrous, subtle.
Jiao (徼): limit, boundary, or sign.
Xuan (玄): deep, profound.
Interpretation:
If the Dao can be spoken of, it is not the unchanging Dao.
If a name can be designated, it is not the unchanging name.
“The nameless” refers to the origin from which Heaven and Earth arise.
“The named” refers to the mother from which all things arise.
Thus, uniting with the Dao as one body,
one is constantly in true emptiness, without thought, to observe the Dao’s subtlety;
constantly in wondrous being, with intention, to observe the Dao’s manifestations.
These two states — true emptiness and wondrous being —
both arise from the ineffable Dao, though they have different names.
Both may be called profound, indeed profoundly profound,
the gateway through which all marvels emerge.
In human conduct, the first priority is to understand subtlety.
If one cultivates oneself without knowing subtlety, one harms one’s own life;
if one governs without knowing subtlety, one brings disorder to the state.
Scientists who build airships and ships, who can travel in the sky and under the sea,
are simply those who understand the subtlety of material things.
The Emperor Shun “ruled without action,”
and when Confucius assisted the state of Lu for three months, it was well-governed —
both were cases of knowing the subtlety of governance.
Everything has its subtlety.
If you seek it from the branches and leaves, you labor without result;
seek it from the root, know its subtlety, and all subtleties will be known without seeking.
What is the subtlety of the Dao?
The world today is rotten, fighting for power and profit, devoid of humanity.
Where is the subtlety that can save the world?
It is Laozi’s secret of stopping war and killing —
the emptiness of the Dao and the life-preserving virtue.
Otherwise, selfish desires fill the chest, cruelty becomes habit — how can there not be war?
The lives lost are countless; the property destroyed is beyond reckoning.
If everyone practiced Laozi’s Dao and virtue,
turning back the tide of destruction,
all nations could share in harmony, peace, and happiness.
ch2
第二章
天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已；
皆知善之為善，斯不善已。
故有無相生，難易相成，長短相形，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨。
是以聖人處無為之事，行不言之教；
萬物作焉而不辭，生而不有，為而不恃，功成而弗居。
夫惟弗居，是以不去。
釋義：
天下人都知道美，就有了醜；
都知道善，就有了不善。
所以有與無相生，難與易相成，長與短相比，高與低相傾，音與聲相和，前與後相隨。
聖人處事無為，行教不言；
萬物自然生成，聖人不辭勞；
萬物生長，聖人不據為己有；
事成功就，聖人不倚仗、不居功；
正因不居功，所以功業不會消退。
Chapter 2
When all under Heaven know beauty as beauty, ugliness already exists;
when all know good as good, not-good already exists.
Therefore, being and non-being give birth to each other,
difficult and easy complete each other,
long and short contrast with each other,
high and low incline toward each other,
sound and tone harmonize with each other,
front and back follow each other.
Thus, the sage manages affairs through non-action,
teaches without words,
lets the ten thousand things arise without rejecting them,
produces them without claiming ownership,
acts without depending on them,
and achieves success without taking credit.
Because he does not claim credit, his achievements never depart.
Interpretation:
When people universally recognize beauty, ugliness is created;
when people universally recognize goodness, what is not good appears.
Thus, opposites define and give rise to each other —
existence and non-existence, difficulty and ease, length and shortness, height and lowness, sound and tone, before and after.
The sage, therefore, does nothing yet governs all;
teaches without speaking;
allows all things to develop naturally without interference;
does not possess what he gives life to;
does not rely on what he accomplishes;
and when his work is done, he does not cling to it.
Because he does not cling, the fruits of his work remain.
ch3
第三章
不尚賢，使民不爭；
不貴難得之貨，使民不為盜；
不見可欲，使心不亂。
是以聖人之治，虛其心，實其腹，弱其志，強其骨。
常使民無知無欲，使夫智者不敢為也。
為無為，則無不治。
釋義與解說：
不崇尚賢能，就使百姓不爭奪名位。
若過於推崇賢能，則人人爭做賢能之人，爭奪之心起，社會便亂。
不珍視世上難得之貨，則百姓不會為此鋌而走險去做盜賊。
倘若珍視奇貨，則貪心起而盜賊生。
不展示可欲之物，則人心不被誘惑擾亂。
若可欲之物充斥眼前，人心必亂，邪思叢生。
所以，聖人治理國家，務使百姓心境空虛、寧靜，不起妄想，而腹中糧食充足；
志氣柔弱，不致於傲慢爭強，筋骨卻強健有力。
常使百姓無邪知、無妄欲，則所謂自以為聰明之人也不敢妄為。
以無為之治天下，天下便沒有不能治理的。
Chapter 3
Do not exalt the worthy, and the people will not contend for position.
If one overly exalts the worthy, then all will strive to become such, and contention will arise, bringing disorder.
Do not prize goods that are rare in the world, and the people will not risk themselves to become thieves.
If rare treasures are prized, greed will awaken and thieves will appear.
Do not display objects of desire, and people’s hearts will not be enticed into turmoil.
If desirable things fill the eyes, hearts will be disturbed and evil thoughts will grow.
Therefore, in governing the state, the sage strives to empty the hearts of the people, keeping them tranquil and free of idle schemes, yet to fill their bellies with food.
Their ambitions are kept gentle, so they are not arrogant or competitive, yet their bones are made strong.
By constantly causing the people to be without cunning knowledge and without vain desires, even those who deem themselves clever will not dare to act rashly.
When one governs through non-action, there is nothing that will not be well governed.
ch4
第四章
道沖，而用之或不盈。
淵兮，似萬物之宗；
挫其銳，解其紛，和其光，同其塵。
湛兮，似或存。
吾不知誰之子，象帝之先。
釋義與解說：
「沖」者，虛也。道體雖虛，而用之不盈，永無窮盡。
深邃啊，像是萬物的宗祖，包容一切而不偏倚。
它能挫銳氣，使人不鋒芒畢露；
能解紛爭，使爭端自然化解；
能和光，使光彩與世間融和；
能同塵，與萬物同處而不自高。
「湛」者，清靜深遠也。道的存在，幽深渾然，似有若無。
我不知道它是誰的子嗣，似乎早在天帝之前就已存在。
道之體，無形無象，不可測量；
然其德，能成就天地萬物，涵養人心，化育群生。
聖人觀道而行，能與人無爭，與物無忤，故能長治久安。
Chapter 4
The Dao is empty, yet in using it there is no filling.
Deep indeed — it seems to be the ancestor of the ten thousand things.
It blunts the sharpness, so that none are overbearing;
unties the tangles, so disputes dissolve;
softens its radiance, so brilliance blends with the world;
makes itself the same as the dust, dwelling among all things without elevating itself.
Calm and clear — it seems as though it might exist, yet is beyond grasp.
I do not know whose child it is; it seems to have existed before the Lord of Heaven.
The essence of the Dao is without form or image and cannot be measured;
yet its virtue can bring forth Heaven and Earth, nurture the human heart, and give life to all beings.
The sage, by observing the Dao and following it in action, can be without contention toward others, without conflict toward things, and thus achieve enduring peace.