First Book- the Tao Ching or the Book of the Way Chapter 1 道可道, 非常道。 名可名, 非常名 。 無名天地之始。 有名萬物之母。 故常無欲以觀其妙。 常有欲以觀其徼。 此兩者同出而異名, 同謂之玄。 玄之又玄, 眾妙之門。 A way that could be named or expressed, has not the true Essence of the Way. A name that could be called or sounded, has not the true Essence of the Name. Heaven and earth are born without any names. Yet names became the mother of all things. Only from the heart of humility can we transcend to be in touch with nature's wonders. And from the heart of expectations can we start to experience nature's limits. These Two forms of existence and non-existence, together they emerge from One, are forever One, but in different names, Together they form nature's mysteries and wonders. Mystery within its own mystery, Utterly profound is its mystical subtlety, is where the doorway of endless wonders lie. Chapter 2 天下皆知美之為美, 斯惡已; 皆知善之為善, 斯不善已。 故有無相生, 難易相成, 長短相形, 高下相傾, 音聲相和, 前後相隨。 是以聖人處無為之事, 行不言之教。 萬物作焉而不辭。 生而不有, 為而不恃, 功成而弗居。 夫唯弗居, 是以不去。 The world knows Beauty for Beauty, and thus came the thought of Ugliness; The world knows kindness for kindness, and thus came the thought of cruelty. Thus Form is born with Emptiness, Easiness with Difficulty; The Tall is brethren to the Short, the High to the Low The sound is with the discord, the front is with the back. So the wise Sage(2) governs with inaction, and he teaches without words;(3) Till all of life should thrive according to their own measure and strive no more in vain To have without possessing; to do without controlling; to succeed without being praised- As that is his mysterious power, he is eternal to the world. Chapter 3 不尚賢, 使民不爭。 不貴難得之貨, 使民不為盜。 不見可欲, 使民心不亂。 是以聖人之治, 虛其心, 實其腹, 弱其志, 強其骨; 常使民無知、 無欲, 使夫智者不敢為也。 為無為, 則無不治。 Place no more ambition in learning(3), so the people shall no longer struggle of potency. Procure no more precious rarities, so the people shall no longer be thieves. To see nothing that might excite the desire is to have peace of within. Thus the governings of the Sage would be: That he weakens desires to warm the hearth; And that he calms ambitions to strengthen the Spirit. Forever his people knew not(4) and desired not, so that none would even dare to exercise the will. Inaction(5) has been practiced upon that land, and the need for government dissolves. Chapter 4 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。 The Way is Void(6), yet despite all Its endless movements it neither falls nor dries. Still so very profound, unfathomable and endless like the father of all things. It breaks the revealing Menace; resolves the sudden Quarrel; Blending with glorious radiance, yet dissolving with fallen dust. It is forever so elusive and subtle; formless yet not empty. I do not know of whom was born this offspring, but probably before our mankind. Chapter 5 天地不仁, 以萬物為芻狗。 聖人不仁, 以百姓為芻狗。 天地之間, 其猶橐籥乎﹖ 虛而不屈, 動而愈出。 多言數窮, 不如守中。 Nature sides in favour to none, but allows all life to thrive untroubled like the weeds. The Sage also sides in favour to none, but allows all his people to thrive untroubled like the weeds. Between the heavens and earth, is not the world indeed like a great pair of bellows, Being forever empty yet never exhausted, once in full movement shall never yet cease? The many words of a tongue makes expressions vacant, It is certainly better to remain silent and at heart. Chapter 6 谷神不死 是謂玄牝。 玄牝之門 是謂天地根。 綿綿若存, 用之不勤。 The Valley Spirit never dies, It is named the Mysterious Female.(7) And the Doorway of the Mysterious Female, is the Birth of Heaven and Earth. Such is Her elusive eternity, existing as if not to exist. Yet though ever used was she, never exhausted shall she be. Chapter 7 天長地久。 天地所以能長且久者, 以其不自生, 故能長生。 是以聖人後其身而身先, 外其身而身存。 非以其無私邪! 故能成其私。 The Heavens and earth are eternal, yet how should this be? As they never bring forth or aspire for themselves, thus indeed they dwell immortal. So the wise sage puts himself behind all others, Yet it is before all others he shall eventually stand. He sacrifices himself through many perils to others, Yet it is he who shall thus survive while others perish.(8) Does not his immortality indeed spring from pure selflessness? Yet it is he eventually who shall succeed for himself. Chapter 8 上善若水。 水善利萬物而不爭, 處眾人之所惡, 故幾於道。 居善地, 心善淵與善仁, 言善信, 正善治, 事善能, 動善時。 夫唯不爭, 故無尤。 Water- of all things indeed most divine. The water cleanses and purifies all, but does never find quarrel or flattery. It willingly dwells where all would revile, and thus follows the Way. Water by will dwells in the lowly mire, yet moves with a heart so profound and tranquil. Like the Sage it gives goodwill to all things, everlasting to its promise. It governs its course with great justice, never spent from such unending vigour, Flowing so deftly and mysteriously, in every fresh hope and opening. As thou never take for thine own, indeed thou shall endure forever. Chapter 9 持而盈之不如其己; 揣而銳之不可長保; 金玉滿堂莫之能守; 富貴而驕, 自遺其咎。 功遂身退, 天之道 。 It is better to remain reserved than to linger overflowed. He who reveals the sudden Menace cannot endure for long. One cannot keep in eternal hiding a hall brimming with riches. The man arrogant from enormous wealths buries disaster upon his road. To succeed and then remove, that is the true Way of the world. Chapter 10 載營魄抱一, 能無離乎﹖ 專氣致柔, 能如嬰兒乎﹖ 滌除玄 身不殆。 Immersed within the Heart of the Void, reprieved within the Tranquility of Stillness, I perceive the fusion of a myriad lives revolve once more upon the Endless Wheel(14). To retreat within the root that speaketh Peace is the Homecoming of Life, And thus the Renewal draweth always so, its submission being True Wisdom. Those who perceive not the Eternal blindly tremble upon some vague disaster, Yet those who do Perceive empathize in Eternal Mutuality. The Mutual Empathy is the Renewing splendour of the heavens, And the Heavens form unto the Way, as the Way forms unto the Endless. Bodiless and without form, he cannot wither or perish. Chapter 17 太上, 下知有之。 其次親而譽之。 其次畏之。 其次侮之。 信不足焉, 有不信焉。 悠兮其貴言, 功成事遂, 百姓皆謂我自然 。 The greatest of rulers hardly dwells upon the minds of his subjects, Lesser than this they forever draw near and laud him with great praise, Lesser than this the people are held in his frightening awe and fear, Lesser than this the people revile and curse him. Where there is great lack of faith, there is great lack of Truth. Yet the Sage preserves the Preciousness of his words in slow reticence, Thus though his task may be accomplished, his work succeeding, The people will still say: "I have happened by nature." Chapter 18 大道廢 有仁義 ; 慧智出 有大偽 ; 六親不和 有孝慈 ; 國家昏亂 有忠臣 。 When the Great Way had been lost, so there arose morality and justice. The greatest of intellect was borne of the greatest deceit, As the compassionate and adoring son arose only from the unhappy strifes of the hearth. As indeed when the land has fallen utterly benighted, barren and decrepit, Can there arise the greatest of fidelous ministers. from: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching_(Wikisource_translation ) another: http://ctext.org/dao-de-jing/zh?en=on