Tao Te Ching

《Tao Te Ching》

The Tao Te Ching, the Daodejing, the Laozi, the Five Thousand Words, and the Laozi Five Thousand Words, are ancient Chinese works written before the division of the various schools of thought in the pre-Qin period. They were admired by all the philosophers at that time. It is said to have been written by Laozi (Li Er) in the Spring and Autumn Period. It is an important source of Taoist philosophical thought. The Tao Te Ching is divided into two parts, the upper part is the “Tao Te Ching” and the lower part is the “Tao Te Ching”. It is not divided into chapters. Later, it was changed to the first 37 chapters of the “Tao Te Ching” and the “Tao Te Ching” after the 38th chapter, which is divided into 81 chapters. [1] The text takes “morality” in the philosophical sense as its main theme, and discusses the ways of self-cultivation, governing the country, using troops, and keeping in good health. It is mostly based on politics. It is the so-called “inner sage and outer king” learning. The text is profound and comprehensive.

Introduction

The Tao Te Ching is divided into the Dao Jing and the De Jing, and consists of 81 chapters. Below is the full text and translation:

• Chapter 1
  
  • Chinese original text：道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。无名，天地之始；有名，万物之母。故常无欲，以观其妙；常有欲，以观其徼。 此二者，同出而异名，同谓之玄。玄之又玄，众妙之门。
  • Chinese translation：凡是可以言说的真理，都不是永恒的真理。凡是可以被命名的名称，都不是永恒的名称。无任何名称，是天地的元始。有最初的生成，所以诞生了万物的神母。所以，从永恒普遍的虚无，可以理解道的消隐；永恒的存有，可以观察道的存在。两者出自同一来源而名称不同，它们竟是玄奥。玄奥呵，玄奥！这是黑洞宇宙间一切神秘的大门。
  • Translation：The Way that can be told of is not an Unvarying Way；The names that can be named are not unvarying names. It was from the Nameless that Heaven and Earth sprang；The named is but the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures，each after its kind. Truly，‘Only he that rids himself forever of desire can see the Secret Essences’；He that has never rid himself of desire can see only the Outcomes. These two things issued from the same mould，but nevertheless are different in name. This‘same mould’we can but call the Mystery，Or rather the‘Darker than any Mystery’，The Doorway whence issued all Secret Essences.