1𝌆體道

道德經 Dao De Jing [Tao Te Ching]

Chapter 1: Embodying the Dao

	繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp	Legge's Translation	Susuki's Translation	Goddard's Translation
	體道	Embodying the Dao	Reason's Realization	What is the Dao
1	道可道，非常道。名可名，非常名。	The Dao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Dao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.	The Reason that can be reasoned is not the eternal Reason. The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.	The Dao that can be understood cannot be the primal, or cosmic, Dao, just as an idea that can be expressed in words cannot be the infinite idea.
2	無，名天地之始；有，名萬物之母。	(Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things.	The Unnamable is of heaven and earth the beginning. The Namable becomes of the ten thousand things the mother.	And yet this ineffable Dao was the source of all spirit and matter, and being expressed was the mother of all created things.
3	故常無，欲以觀其妙；常有，欲以觀其徼。	Always without desire we must be found, if its deep mystery we would sound; But if desire always within us be, Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.	Therefore it is said: "He who desireless is found The spiritual of the world will sound. But he who by desire is bound Sees the mere shell of things around."	Therefore not to desire the things of sense is to know the freedom of spirituality; and to desire is to learn the limitation of matter.
4	此兩者，同出而異名，同謂之玄。玄之又玄，眾妙之門。	Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development takes place, it receives the different names. Together we call them the mystery. Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.	These two things are the same in source but different in name. Their sameness is called a mystery. Indeed, it is the mystery of mysteries. Of all spirituality it is the door.	These two things spirit and matter, so different in nature, have the same origin. This unity of origin is the mystery of mysteries, but it is the gateway to spirituality.

繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp

Legge's Translation

Susuki's Translation

Goddard's Translation

體道

Embodying the Dao

Reason's Realization

What is the Dao

道可道，
非常道。
名可名，
非常名。

The Dao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Dao.
The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.

The Reason that can be reasoned is not the eternal Reason.
The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.

The Dao that can be understood cannot be the primal, or cosmic, Dao, just as an idea that can be expressed in words cannot be the infinite idea.

無，名天地之始；
有，名萬物之母。

(Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth;
(conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things.

The Unnamable is of heaven and earth the beginning.
The Namable becomes of the ten thousand things the mother.

And yet this ineffable Dao was the source of all spirit and matter, and being expressed was the mother of all created things.

故常無，
欲以觀其妙；
常有，
欲以觀其徼。

Always without desire we must be found,
if its deep mystery we would sound;
But if desire always within us be,
Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.

Therefore it is said: "He who desireless is found
The spiritual of the world will sound.
But he who by desire is bound
Sees the mere shell of things around."

Therefore not to desire the things of sense is to know the freedom of spirituality; and to desire is to learn the limitation of matter.

此兩者，
同出而異名，
同謂之玄。
玄之又玄，
眾妙之門。

Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development takes place, it receives the different names.
Together we call them the mystery.
Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.

These two things are the same in source but different in name.
Their sameness is called a mystery.
Indeed, it is the mystery of mysteries.
Of all spirituality it is the door.

These two things spirit and matter, so different in nature, have the same origin. This unity of origin is the mystery of mysteries, but it is the gateway to spirituality.