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大道泛兮，其可左右。萬物恃之以生而不辭，功成不名有。愛養萬物而不為主。常無慾，可名於小。萬物歸焉而不知主，可名於大。是以聖人終不為大，故能成其大。 Translation The Great Dao flows and overflows — it cannot be grasped as left or right. The myriad beings depend on it for life, and it turns none away; its work complete, it claims no cr...

執大象，天下往。往而不害，安平泰。樂與餌，過客止。道之出口，淡乎其無味。視之不足見，聽之不足聞，用之不可既。 Translation Hold the Great Image, and all under Heaven will come — coming without harm, in peace, in calm, in sureness. Music and fine food draw the passing traveler to pause. But Dao, when put into words,...

將欲歙之，必固張之。將欲弱之，必固強之。將欲廢之，必固興之。將欲奪之，必固與之。是謂微明。柔勝剛，弱勝強。魚不可脫於淵，邦之利器不可以示人。 Translation What is about to be contracted must first be stretched open. What is about to be weakened must first be strengthened. What is about to be cast aside must first be raised up. Wha...

道常無為而無不為。侯王若能守，萬物將自化。化而欲作，吾將鎮之以無名之樸。無名之樸，亦將不欲。不欲以靜，天下將自正。 Translation Dao abides in constant nonaction, yet nothing is left undone. If lords and kings could hold to this, the myriad beings would transform of themselves. Transformed, should desire stir, I would...

上德不德，是以有德。下德不離德，是以無德。上德無為而無以為，下德為之而有以為。上仁為之而無以為，上義為之而有以為。上禮為之而莫之應，則攘臂而仍之。故離道而後德，失德而後仁，失仁而後義，失義而後禮。夫禮者，忠信之薄，而亂之首也。前識者，道之華，而愚之始也。是以大丈夫處其厚不處其薄，居其實而不居其華。故去彼取此。 Translation Upper De does not regard itself as De — and so it truly possesses De. Lower De never departs...

昔之得一者：天得一以清，地得一以寧，神得一以靈，谷得一以盈，萬物得一以生，侯王得一以為天下貞。其致之一也。天無以清，將恐裂；地無以寧，將恐發；神無以靈，將恐歇；谷無以盈，將恐竭；萬物無以生，將恐滅；侯王無以貞而貴高，將恐蹶。故貴以賤為本，高以下為基。是以侯王自稱孤、寡、不穀。此其以賤為本耶？非乎？故致數輿無輿。不欲碌碌如玉，落落如石。 Translation In ages past, those that attained the One: Heaven attained the One and so was c...

反者道之動，弱者道之用。天下之物生於有，有生於無。 Translation Reversal is how Dao moves; yielding is how Dao works. All things under Heaven are born from being; being is born from nonbeing. Word Notes 反 — "reversal": Going to the opposite; turning back. Contains both "return to the ...

上士聞道，動而行之。中士聞道，若存若亡。下士聞道，大笑之。不笑不足以為道。故建言有之：明道若昧，進道若退，夷道若類；上德若谷，大白若辱，廣德若不足，建德若偷，質直若渝；大方無隅，大器晚成，大音希聲，大象無形；道隱無名。夫惟道，善貸且成。 Translation The high scholar hears of Dao and at once lives it. The middle scholar hears of Dao and half holds on, half lets go. The low scho...

道生一，一生二，二生三，三生萬物。萬物負陰而抱陽，衝氣以為和。人之所惡，惟孤、寡、不穀，而王公以為稱。故物或損之而益，或益之而損。人之所教，我亦教之：強梁者不得其死。吾將以為教父。 Translation Dao gives birth to the One; the One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth to Three; Three gives birth to the myriad beings. The myriad beings carry yin on thei...

天下之至柔，馳騁天下之至堅。無有入於無間。吾是以知無為之有益。不言之教，無為之益，天下希及之。 Translation The softest thing under Heaven rides sovereign through the hardest under Heaven. What has no substance passes through where there is no opening. From this I know the value of nonaction. The teaching t...

名與身孰親？身與貨孰多？得與亡孰病？是故甚愛必大費。多藏心厚亡。知足不辱。知止不殆。可以長久。 Translation Fame or the self — which is more dear? The self or wealth — which carries greater weight? Getting or losing — which is the real affliction? Therefore: to love too fiercely is to spend yourself dry. To...

大成若缺，其用不敝。大盈若衝，其用不窮。大直若屈，大巧若拙，大辯若訥。躁勝寒，靜勝熱。清靜為天下正。 Translation Great accomplishment seems incomplete — yet its use is never worn away. Great fullness seems hollow — yet its use is inexhaustible. Great straightness seems bent. Great skill seems clumsy. Great el...

天下有道，卻走馬以糞。天下無道，戎馬生於郊。罪莫大於可欲，禍莫大於不知足，咎莫大於欲得。故知足常足。 Translation When all under Heaven walks the Dao, war-horses are turned to the fields to haul dung. When all under Heaven has lost the Dao, war-horses are bred on the open frontier. No crime is greater than kin...

不出戶，知天下。不窺牖，見天道。其出彌遠，其知彌少。是以聖人不行而知，不見而名，無為而成。 Translation Without stepping through the door, one knows all under Heaven. Without peering through the window, one sees the Dao of Heaven. The farther one ventures out, the less one knows. And so the Sage knows wit...

為學日益，為道日損。損之又損，以至於無為。無為而無不為矣。故取天下者，常以無事。及其有事，不足以取天下。 Translation In the pursuit of learning, one gains day by day. In the pursuit of Dao, one sheds day by day. Shedding and shedding again, until nothing remains to be done. Through nothing remaining to be done,...

聖人無常心，以百姓心為心。善者吾善之，不善者吾亦善之，德善矣。信者吾信之，不信者吾亦信之，德信矣。賢人在天下惵惵，為天下渾其心。百姓皆注其耳目，聖人皆孩之。 Translation The Sage has no fixed heart — he takes the heart of the hundred families as his own. Those who are good, I meet with goodness. Those who are not good, I also meet with g...

出生入死。生之徒十有三死。死之徒十有三。人之生動之死地者，亦十有三。夫何故？以其生生之厚。蓋聞善攝生者，陸行不遇兕虎，人軍不避甲兵。兕無所投其角，虎無所措其爪，兵無所容其刃。夫何故？以其無死地。 Translation Emerging into life, entering into death. Three in ten are companions of life; three in ten are companions of death. Three in ten, though alive, move t...

道生之，德畜之，物行之，勢成之。是以萬物莫不尊道而貴德。道之尊，德之貴，夫莫之爵，而常自然。故道生之、畜之，長之、育之，亭之、毒之，養之、覆之。生而不有，為而不恃，長而不宰，是謂玄德。 Translation Dao brings them to life, De tends to their keeping, things set them in motion, and circumstance completes them. So among the ten thousand beings, none fail...