老子<英文版>

1. the way the way that can be experienced is not true; the world that can be constructed is not true. the way manifests all that happens and may happen; the world represents all that exists and may exist. to experience without intention is to sense the world; to experience with intention is to anticipate the world. these two experiences are indistinguishable; their construction differs but their effect is the same. beyond the gate of experience flows the way, which is ever greater and more subtle than the world. 　　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。 2. abstraction when beauty is abstracted then ugliness has been implied; when good is abstracted then evil has been implied. so alive and dead are abstracted from nature, difficult and easy abstracted from progress, long and short abstracted from contrast, high and low abstracted from depth, song and speech abstracted from melody, after and before abstracted from sequence. the sage experiences without abstraction, and accomplishes without action; he accepts the ebb and flow of things, nurtures them, but does not own them, and lives, but does not dwell. 天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已。皆知善之為善，斯不善已。 　　有無相生，難易相成，長短相形，高下相盈，音聲相和，前後相隨。恒也。 　　是以聖人處無為之事，行不言之教；萬物作而弗始，生而弗有，為而弗恃，功成而不居。夫唯弗居，是以不去 3. without action not praising the worthy prevents contention, not esteeming the valuable prevents theft, not displaying the beautiful prevents desire. in this manner the sage governs people: emptying their minds, filling their bellies, weakening their ambitions, and strengthening their bones. if people lack knowledge and desire then they can not act; if no action is taken harmony remains. 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，弱其誌，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。 4. limitless the way is a limitless vessel; used by the self, it is not filled by the world; it cannot be cut, knotted, dimmed or stilled; its depths are hidden, ubiquitous and eternal; i don't know where it comes from; it comes before nature. 道衝，而用之或不盈。 淵兮，似萬物之宗； 湛兮，似或存。 吾不知誰之子，象帝之先。 5. nature nature is not kind; it treats all things impartially. the sage is not kind, and treats all people impartially. nature is like a bellows, empty, yet never ceasing its supply. the more it moves, the more it yields; so the sage draws upon experience and cannot be exhausted. 天地不仁，以萬物為芻狗； 聖人不仁，以百姓為芻狗。 天地之間，其猶橐龠乎？ 虛而不屈，動而愈出。 多言數窮，不如守中。 6. experience experience is a riverbed, its source hidden, forever flowing: its entrance, the root of the world, the way moves within it: draw upon it; it will not run dry. 穀神不死，是謂玄牝。 玄牝之門，是謂天地根。 綿綿若存，用之不勤。 7. complete nature is complete because it does not serve itself. the sage places himself after and finds himself before, ignores his desire and finds himself content. he is complete because he does not serve himself. 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。 8. water the best of man is like water, which benefits all things, and does not contend with them, which flows in places that others disdain, where it is in harmony with the way. so the sage: lives within nature, thinks within the deep, gives within impartiality, speaks within trust, governs within order, crafts within ability, acts within opportunity. he does not contend, and none contend against him. 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，政善治，事善能，動善時。 夫唯不爭，故無尤。 9. retire fill a cup to its brim and it is easily spilled; temper a sword to its hardest and it is easily broken; amass the greatest treasure and it is easily stolen; claim credit and honour and you easily fall; retire once your purpose is achieved - this is natural. 持而盈之，不如其已； 　　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，天之道也。 10. harmony embracing the way, you become embraced; breathing gently, you become newborn; clearing your mind, you become clear; nurturing your children, you become impartial; opening your heart, you become accepted; accepting the world, you embrace the way. bearing and nurturing, creating but not owning, giving without demanding, this is harmony. 載營魄抱一，能無離乎？ 　　專氣致柔，能如嬰兒乎？ 　　滌除玄鑒，能如疵乎？ 　　愛國治民，能無為乎？ 　　天門開闔，能為雌乎？ 　　明白四達，能無知乎？ 11. tools thirty spokes meet at a nave; because of the hole we may use the wheel. clay is moulded into a vessel; because of the hollow we may use the cup. walls are built around a hearth; because of the doors we may use the house. thus tools come from what exists, but use from what does not. 　　三十輻，共一轂，當其無，有車之用。 　　埏埴以為器，當其無，有器之用。 　　鑿戶牖以為室，當其無，有室之用。 　　故有之以為利，無之以為用。 12. substance too much colour blinds the eye, too much music deafens the ear, too much taste dulls the palate, too much play maddens the mind, too much desire tears the heart. in this manner the sage cares for people: he provides for the belly, not for the senses; he ignores abstraction and holds fast to substance. 　　五色令人目盲； 五音令人耳聾； 五味令人口爽； 馳騁畋獵，令人心發狂； 難得之貨，令人行妨。 　　是以聖人為腹不為目，故去彼取此。 13. self both praise and blame cause concern, for they bring people hope and fear. the object of hope and fear is the self - for, without self, to whom may fortune and disaster occur? therefore, who distinguishes himself from the world may be given the world, but who regards himself as the world may accept the world. 　　寵辱若驚，貴大患若身。 　　何謂寵辱若驚？寵為下，得之若驚，失之若驚，是謂寵辱若驚。 　　何謂貴大患若身？吾所以有大患者，為吾有身，及吾無身，吾有何患？ 　　故貴以身為天下，若可寄天下；愛以身為天下，若可托天下。 14. mystery looked at but cannot be seen - it is beneath form; listened to but cannot be heard - it is beneath sound; held but cannot be touched - it is beneath feeling; these depthless things evade definition, and blend into a single mystery. in its rising there is no light, in its falling there is no darkness, a continuous thread beyond description, lining what can not occur; its form formless, its image nothing, its name silence; follow it, it has no back, meet it, it has no face. attend the present to deal with the past; thus you grasp the continuity of the way, which is its essence. 視之不見，名曰夷； 聽之不聞，名曰希； 搏之不得，名曰微。 此三者不可致詰，故混而為一。 其上不□，其下不昧。繩繩兮不可名，複歸於物。 是謂無狀之狀，無物之象，是謂惚恍。 迎之不見其首，隨之不見其後。 執古之道，以禦今之有。 能知古始，是謂道紀。 15. enlightenment the enlightened possess understanding so profound they can not be understood. because they cannot be understood i can only describe their appearance: cautious as one crossing thin ice, undecided as one surrounded by danger, modest as one who is a guest, unbounded as melting ice, genuine as unshaped wood, broad as a valley, seamless as muddy water. who stills the water that the mud may settle, who seeks to stop that he may travel on, who desires less than may transpire, decays, but will not renew. 　　古之善為道者，微妙玄通，深不可識。夫唯不可識，故強為之容： 　　豫兮若冬涉川； 　　猶兮若畏四鄰； 　　儼兮其若客； 　　渙兮其若淩釋； 　　敦兮其若樸； 　　曠兮其若穀； 　　混兮其若濁； 　　澹兮其若海； 　　□兮若無止。 　　孰能濁以靜之徐清？孰能安以動之徐生？ 　　保此道者，不欲盈。夫唯不盈，故能蔽而新成。 16. decay and renewal empty the self completely; embrace perfect peace. the world will rise and move; watch it return to rest. all the flourishing things will return to their source. this return is peaceful; it is the flow of nature, an eternal decay and renewal. accepting this brings enlightenment, ignoring this brings misery. who accepts nature's flow becomes all-cherishing; being all-cherishing he becomes impartial; being impartial he becomes magnanimous; being magnanimous he becomes natural; being natural he becomes one with the way; being one with the way he becomes immortal: though his body will decay, the way will not. 　　致虛極，守靜篤。 　　萬物並作，吾以觀複。 　　夫物芸芸，各複歸其根。 歸根曰靜，靜曰複命。 複命曰常，知常曰明。不知常，妄作凶。 　　知常容，容乃公，公乃全，全乃天，天乃道，道乃久，沒身不殆。 17. rulers the best rulers are scarcely known by their subjects; the next best are loved and praised; the next are feared; the next despised: they have no faith in their people, and their people become unfaithful to them. when the best rulers achieve their purpose their subjects claim the achievement as their own. 　太上，不知有之；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」。 18. hypocrisy when the way is forgotten duty and justice appear; then knowledge and wisdom are born along with hypocrisy. when harmonious relationships dissolve then respect and devotion arise; when a nation falls to chaos then loyalty and patriotism are born. 大道廢，有仁義； 智慧出，有大偽； 六親不和，有孝慈； 國家昏亂，有忠臣。 19. simplify if we could abolish knowledge and wisdom then people would profit a hundredfold; if we could abolish duty and justice then harmonious relationships would form; if we could abolish artifice and profit then waste and theft would disappear. yet such remedies treat only symptoms and so they are inadequate. people need personal remedies: reveal your naked self and embrace your original nature; bind your self-interest and control your ambition; forget your habits and simplify your affairs. 絕聖棄智，民利百倍； 絕仁棄義，民複孝慈； 絕巧棄利，盜賊無有。 此三者以為文，不足。 故令有所屬：見素抱樸，少思寡欲，絕學無憂。 20. wandering what is the difference between assent and denial? what is the difference between beautiful and ugly? what is the difference between fearsome and afraid? the people are merry as if at a magnificent party or playing in the park at springtime, but i am tranquil and wandering, like a newborn before it learns to smile, alone, with no true home. the people have enough and to spare, where i have nothing, and my heart is foolish, muddled and cloudy. the people are bright and certain, where i am dim and confused; the people are clever and wise, where i am dull and ignorant; aimless as a wave drifting over the sea, attached to nothing. the people are busy with purpose, where i am impractical and rough; i do not share the peoples' cares but i am fed at nature's breast. 唯之與阿，相去幾何？ 美之與惡，相去若何？ 人之所畏，不可不畏。 　　荒兮，其未央哉！ 　　眾人熙熙，如享太牢，如春登台。 　　我獨泊兮，其未兆； 　　沌沌兮，如嬰兒之未孩； 　　累累兮，若無所歸。 　　眾人皆有餘，而我獨若遺。我愚人之心也哉！ 　　俗人昭昭，我獨昏昏。 　　俗人察察，我獨悶悶。 　　眾人皆有以，而我獨頑且鄙。 　　我獨異於人，而貴食母。