21𝌚虚心

道德經 Dao De Jing [Tao Te Ching]

Chapter 21: The Empty Heart, or the Dao in Its Operation

	繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp	Legge's Translation	Susuki's Translation	Goddard's Translation
	虚心	The Empty Heart, or the Dao in Its Operation	Emptying the Heart	The Heart of Emptiness
1	孔德之容，惟道是从。道之为物，惟恍惟惚。惚兮恍兮，其中有象；恍兮惚兮，其中有物。窈兮冥兮，其中有精；	The grandest forms of active force From Dao come, their only source. Who can of Dao the nature tell? Our sight it flies, our touch as well. Eluding sight, eluding touch, The forms of things all in it crouch; Eluding touch, eluding sight, There are their semblances, all right. Profound it is, dark and obscure; Things' essences all there endure. Those essences the truth enfold Of what, when seen, shall then be told. Now it is so; 'twas so of old. Its name--what passes not away; So, in their beautiful array, Things form and never know decay.	"Vast virtue's form Follows Reason's norm. "And Reason's nature Is vague and eluding "How eluding and vague All types including! How vague and eluding, All beings including! How deep and how obscure. It harbors the spirit pure, Whose truth is ever sure, whose faith abides for aye from of yore until to-day. "Its name is never vanishing, It heeds the good of everything."	All the innumerable forms of de [teh] correspond to the norm of Dao, but the nature of the Dao's activity is infinitely abstract and illusive. Illusive and obscure, indeed, but at its heart are forms and types. Vague and illusive, indeed, but at its heart is all being. Unfathomable and obscure, indeed, but at its heart is all spirit, and spirit is reality. At its heart is truth.
2	其精甚真，其中有信。自今及古，其名不去，以阅众甫。吾何以知众甫之状哉？以此。	How know I that it is so with all the beauties of existing things? By this (nature of the Dao).	Through what do I know that "it heeds the good of everything"? In this way, verily: Through IT.	From of old its expression is unceasing, it has been present at all beginnings. How do I know that its nature is thus? By this same Dao.

繁體 Trad ↔ 简体 Simp

Legge's Translation

Susuki's Translation

Goddard's Translation

虚心

The Empty Heart, or the Dao in Its Operation

Emptying the Heart

The Heart of Emptiness

孔德之容，惟道是从。道之为物，惟恍惟惚。惚兮恍兮，其中有象；恍兮惚兮，其中有物。窈兮冥兮，其中有精；

The grandest forms of active force
From Dao come, their only source.
Who can of Dao the nature tell?
Our sight it flies, our touch as well.
Eluding sight, eluding touch,
The forms of things all in it crouch;
Eluding touch, eluding sight,
There are their semblances, all right.
Profound it is, dark and obscure;
Things' essences all there endure.
Those essences the truth enfold
Of what, when seen, shall then be told.
Now it is so; 'twas so of old.
Its name--what passes not away;
So, in their beautiful array,
Things form and never know decay.

"Vast virtue's form
Follows Reason's norm. "And Reason's nature Is vague and eluding "How eluding and vague All types including! How vague and eluding,
All beings including! How deep and how obscure. It harbors the spirit pure,
Whose truth is ever sure, whose faith abides for aye from of yore until to-day. "Its name is never vanishing,
It heeds the good of everything."

All the innumerable forms of de [teh] correspond to the norm of Dao, but the nature of the Dao's activity is infinitely abstract and illusive. Illusive and obscure, indeed, but at its heart are forms and types. Vague and illusive, indeed, but at its heart is all being. Unfathomable and obscure, indeed, but at its heart is all spirit, and spirit is reality. At its heart is truth.

其精甚真，其中有信。自今及古，其名不去，以阅众甫。吾何以知众甫之状哉？以此。

How know I that it is so with all the beauties of existing things? By this (nature of the Dao).

Through what do I know that "it heeds the good of everything"? In this way, verily: Through IT.

From of old its expression is unceasing, it has been present at all beginnings. How do I know that its nature is thus? By this same Dao.