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.