道德经英文版.docx

道德经英文版.docx

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道德经英文版

《道德经》中英文对照版

第一章：

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（叫）。

此两者，同出而异名，同谓之玄。

玄之又玄，众妙之门。

ThewaythatcanbetoldofisnotanUnvaryingWay;Thenamesthatcanbenamedarenotunvaryingnames.ItwasfromtheNamelessthatHeavenandEarthsprang;Thenamedisbutthemotherthatrearsthetenthousandcreatures,eachafteritskind.Truly,'OnlyhethatridshimselfforeverofdesirecanseetheSecretEssences;HethathasneverridhimselfofdesirecanseeonlytheOutcomes.Thesetwothingsissuedfromthesamemould,butneverthelessaredifferentinname.This'samemould'wecanbutcalltheMystery,Orratherthe'DarkerthananyMystery',TheDoorwaywhenceissuedallSecretEssences.

第二章：

天下皆知美之为美，斯恶已；皆知善之为善，斯不善已。

故有无相生，难易相成，长短相形，高下相倾，音声相和，前后相随。

是以圣人处无为之事，行不言之教，万物作焉而不辞，生而不有，为而不恃，功成而弗居。

夫唯弗居，是以不去。

ItisbecauseeveryoneunderHeavenrecognizesbeautyasbeauty,thattheideaofuglinessexists.Andequallyifeveryonerecognizedvirtueasvirtue,thiswouldmerelycreatefreshconceptionsofwickedness.Fortruly'BeingandNot-beinggrowoutofoneanother;Difficultandeasycompleteoneanother.Longandshorttestoneanother;Highandlowdetermineoneanother.Pitchandmodegiveharmonytooneanother.Frontandbackgivesequencetooneanother'.ThereforetheSagereliesonactionlessactivity,Carriesonwordlessteaching,Butthemyriadcreaturesareworkeduponbyhim;hedoesnotdisownthem.Herearsthem,butdoesnotlayclaimtothem,Controlsthem,butdoesnotleanuponthem,Achieveshisaim,butdoesnotcallattentiontowhathedoes;AndfortheveryreasonthathedoesnotcallattentiontowhathedoesHeisnotejectedfromfruitionofwhathehasdone.

[1]Because'action'canonlymakeonethinghighattheexpenseofmakingsomethingelselow,etc.

[2]Literally,'doesnotplace（i.e.classify）himselfasavictor'.cf.MenciusⅡ,Ⅰ;

第三章：

不尚贤，使民不争；不贵难得之货，使民不为盗；不见可欲，使民心不乱。

是以圣人之治，虚其心，实其腹；弱其志，强其骨。

常使民无知无欲，使夫智不敢为也。

为无为，则无不治。

Ifwestoplookingfor'personsofsuperiormorality'（hsien）toputinpower,therewillbenomorejealousiesamongthepeople.Ifweceasetosetstorebyproductsthatarehardtoget,therewillbenomorethieves.Ifthepeopleneverseesuchthingsasexcitedesire,theirheartswillremainplacidandundisturbed.ThereforetheSagerulesByemptyingtheirhearts,Andfillingtheirbellies,Weakeningtheirintelligence[1],Andtougheningtheirsinews,Everstrivingtomakethepeopleknowledgelessanddesireless.Indeedheseestoitthatiftherebeanywhohaveknowledge,theydarenotinterfere.Yetthroughhisactionlessactivityallthingsaredulyregulated.

[1]Particularlyinthesenseof'havingideasofone'sown'.

第四章：

道冲而用之，或不盈。

渊兮，似万物之宗。

（挫其锐，解其纷，和其光，同其尘。

）湛兮，似或存。

吾不知谁之子，象帝之先。

TheWayislikeanemptyvesselThatyetmaybedrawnfromWithouteverneedingtobefilled.Itisbottomless;theveryprogenitorofallthingsintheworld.Initallsharpnessisblunted,Alltanglesuntied,Allglaretempered,Alldust[1]smoothed.Itislikeadeeppoolthatneverdries.Wasittoothechildofsomethingelse?

Wecannottell.Butasasubstancelessimage[2]itexistedbeforetheAncestor.[3]

[1]DustistheTaoistsymbolforthenoiseandfussofeverydaylife.

[2]Ahsiang,animagesuchasthementalimagesthatfloatbeforeuswhenwethink.

[3]TheAncestorinquestionisalmostcertainlytheYellowAncestorwhoseparatedEarthfromHeavenandsodestroyedthePrimalUnity,forwhichheisfrequentlycensuredisChuangTzu.

第五章：

天地不仁，以万物为刍狗；圣人不仁，以百姓为刍狗。

天地之间，其犹橐（驮）籥（月）乎！

虚而不屈，动而愈出。

多言数穷，不如守中。

HeavenandEarthareruthless;TothemtheTenThousandThingsarebutasstrawdogs.TheSagetooisruthless;Tohimthepeoplearebutasstrawdogs.Yet[1]HeavenandEarthandallthatliesbetweenIslikeabellowsInthatitisempty,butgivesasupplythatneverfails.Workit,andmorecomesout.Whereastheforceofwords[2]issoonspent.Farbetterisittokeepwhatisintheheart[3].

[1]Thoughruthlessnatureisperpetuallybounteous.

[2]Lawsandproclamations.

[3]Forchungas'whatiswithintheheart',seeTsoChuan（左传）,YinKung3rdyearandKuanTzu,37,beginning.ThecomparisonofHeavenandEarthtoabellowsisalsofoundinKuanTzu（P'ien11,beginning）.

第六章：

谷神不死，是谓玄牝（聘）。

玄牝之门，是谓天地根。

绵绵若存，用之不勤。

TheValleySpiritneverdies.ItisnamedtheMysteriousFemale.AndtheDoorwayoftheMysteriousFemaleIsthebasefromwhichHeavenandEarthsprang.Itistherewithinusallthewhile;Drawuponitasyouwill,itneverrunsdry.[1]

[1]LiehTzuquotestheselinesascomingfromtheBookoftheYellowAncestor;butitdoesnotfollowthattheTaoChingisactuallyquotingthemfromthissource.TheymaybelongtothegeneralstockofearlyTaoistrhymedteaching.Forch'incomparebelow,Chapter52,line9,andHuai-nanTzuI,vol.2.

第七章：

天长地久，天地所以能长且久者，以其不自生，故能长生。

是以圣人后其身而身先，外其身而身存。

非以其无私邪？

故能成其私。

Heaveniseternal,theEarthEverlasting.Howcometheytobeso?

Itisbecausetheydonotfostertheirownlives;Thatiswhytheylivesolong.ThereforetheSagePutshimselfinthebackground;butisalwaystothefore.Remainsoutside;butisalwaysthere.Isitnotjustbecausehedoesnotstriveforanypersonalendthatallhispersonalendsarefulfilled?

第八章：

上善若水，水善利万物而不争。

处众人之所恶，故几于道。

居善地，心善渊，与善仁，言善信，正善治，事善能，动善时。

夫唯不争，故无尤。

Thehighestgoodislikethatofwater.Thegoodnessofwateristhatitbenefitsthetenthousandcreatures;yetitselfdoesnotscramble,butiscontentwiththeplacesthatallmendisdain.ItisthisthatmakeswatersoneartotheWay.Andifmenthinkthegroundthebestplaceforbuildingahouseupon,Ifamongthoughtstheyvaluethosethatareprofound,Ifinfriendshiptheyvaluegentleness,Inwords,truth;ingovernment,goodorder;Indeeds,effectiveness;inactions,timeliness-Ineachcaseitisbecausetheypreferwhatdoesnotleadtostrife,[1]Andthereforedoesnotgoamiss.

[1]EvenordinarypeoplerealizetheimportanceoftheTaoistprincipleof'water-like'behaviour,i.e.notstrivingtogetontoportothefore.

第九章：

持而盈之，不如其已；揣而锐之，不可长保。

金玉满堂，莫之能守。

富贵而骄，自遗其咎。

功遂身退，天之道也！

Stretchabow[1]totheveryfull,Andyouwillwishyouhadstoppedintime;Temperasword-edgetoitsverysharpest,Andyouwillfinditsoongrowsdull.WhenbronzeandjadefillyourhallItcannolongerbeguarded.WealthandplacebreedinsolenceThatbringsruininitstrain.Whenyourworkisdone,thenwithdraw!

SuchisHeaven's[2]Way.

[1]theexpressionusedcanalsoapplytofillingavesseltothebrim;but'stretchingabow'makesabetterparallelto'sharpeningasword'.

[2]asopposedtotheWayofman

第十章：

载营魄抱一，能无离乎。

专气致柔，能如婴儿乎。

涤除玄鉴，能如疵乎。

爱国治民，能无为乎。

天门开阖，能为雌乎。

明白四达，能无知乎。

Whentheintelligentandanimalsoulsareheldtogetherinoneembrace,theycanbekeptfromseparating.Whenonegivesundividedattentiontothe（vital）breath,andbringsittotheutmostdegreeofpliancy,hecanbecomeasa（tender）babe.Whenhehascleansedawaythemostmysterioussights（ofhisimagination）,hecanbecomewithoutaflaw.Inlovingthepeopleandrulingthestate,cannotheproceedwithoutany（purposeof）action?

Intheopeningandshuttingofhisgatesofheaven,cannothedosoasafemalebird?

Whilehisintelligencereachesineverydirection,cannothe（appearto）bewithoutknowledge?

（TheTao）produces（allthings）andnourishesthem;itproducesthemanddoesnotclaimthemasitsown;itdoesall,andyetdoesnotboastofit;itpresidesoverall,andyetdoesnotcontrolthem.

Thisiswhatiscalled'ThemysteriousQuality'（oftheTao）.

第十一章：

三十辐，共一毂，当其无，有车之用。

埏（山）埴以为器，当其无，有器之用。

凿户牖（有）以为室，当其无，有室之用。

故有之以为利，无之以为用。

Thethirtyspokesuniteintheonenave;butitisontheemptyspace（fortheaxle）,thattheuseofthewheeldepends.Clayisfashionedintovessels;butitisontheiremptyhollowness,thattheirusedepends.Thedoorandwindowsarecutout（fromthewalls）toformanapartment;butitisontheemptyspace（within）,thatitsusedepends.Therefore,whathasa（positive）existenceservesforprofitableadaptation,andwhathasnotthatfor（actual）usefulness.

第十二章：

五色令人目盲﹔五音令人耳聋﹔五味令人口爽﹔驰骋畋（田）猎，令人心发狂﹔难得之货，令人行妨。

是以圣人为腹不为目，故去彼取此。

Colour'sfivehuesfromth'eyestheirsightwilltake;Music'sfivenotestheearsasdeafcanmake;

Theflavoursfivedeprivethemouthoftaste;Thechariotcourse,andthewildhuntingwaste

Makemadthemind;andobjectsrareandstrange,Soughtfor,men'sconductwilltoevilchange.

Thereforethesageseekstosatisfy（thecravingof）thebelly,andnotthe（insatiablelongingofthe）eyes.Heputsfromhimthelatter,andpreferstoseektheformer.

第十三章：

宠辱若惊，贵大患若身。

何谓宠辱若惊。

宠为下，得之若惊，失之若惊，是谓宠辱若惊。

何谓贵大患若身。

吾所以有大患者，为吾有身，及吾无身，吾有何患。

故贵以身为天下，若可寄天下﹔爱以身为天下，若可托天下。

Favouranddisgracewouldseemequallytobefeared;honourandgreatcalamity,toberegardedaspersonalconditions（ofthesamekind）.Whatismeantbyspeakingthusoffavouranddisgrace?

Disgraceisbeinginalowposition（aftertheenjoymentoffavour）.Thegettingthat（favour）leadstotheapprehension（oflosingit）,andthelosingitleadstothefearof（stillgreatercalamity）:

--thisiswhatismeantbysayingthatfavouranddisgracewouldseemequallytobefeared.Andwhatismeantbysayingthathonourandgreatcalamityaretobe（similarly）regardedaspersonalconditions?

Whatmakesmeliabletogreatcalamityismyhavingthebody（whichIcallmyself）;ifIhadnotthebody,whatgreatcalamitycouldcometome?

Thereforehewhowouldadministerthekingdom,honouringitashehonourshisownperson,maybeemployedtogovernit,andhewhowouldadministeritwiththelovewhichhebearstohisownpersonmaybeentrustedwithit.

第十四章：

视之不见，名曰夷﹔听之不闻，名曰希﹔搏之不得，名曰微。

此三者不可致诘，故混而为一。

其上不皦（脚），其下不昧。

绳绳兮不可名，复归于物。

是谓无状之状，无物之象，是谓惚恍。

迎之不见其首，随之不见其后。

执古之道，以御今之有。

能知古始