Chapter 25 of the Tao Te Ching

Chinese text

有yǒu物wù混hùn成chéng，先xiān天tiān地dì生shēng。寂jì漠mò！独dú立lì不bù改gǎi，周zhōu行xíng不bù殆dài，可kě以yǐ为wéi天tiān下xià母mǔ。吾wú不bù知zhī其qí名míng，强qiǎng字zì之zhī曰yuē道dào，强qiǎng为wéi之zhī名míng曰yuē大dà。大dà曰yuē逝shì，逝shì曰yuē远yuǎn，远yuǎn曰yuē返fǎn。道dào大dà，天tiān大dà，地dì大dà，王wáng大dà。域yù中zhōng有yǒu四sì大dà，而ér王wáng处chǔ一yī。人rén法fǎ地dì，地dì法fǎ天tiān，天tiān法fǎ道dào，道dào法fǎ自zì然rán。

Translation

There is a confused being that existed before heaven and earth.
How calm it is! How immaterial it is!
It stands alone and does not change.
It flows everywhere and does not perish.
It can be regarded as the mother of the universe.
I do not know its name.
To give it a title, I call it the Way (Tao).
Striving to give it a name, I call it great.
From great, I call it fleeting.
From fleeting, I call it distant.
From distant, I call it that which returns.
Therefore, the Tao is great, heaven is great, earth is great, and the king is also great.
In the world, there are four great things, and the king is one of them.
Man models himself after the earth; the earth models itself after heaven; heaven models itself after the Tao; the Tao models itself after nature.

Notes

The word 'one' is borrowed from commentaries C and H (« 有物 » yǒu wù, which means 'one being'); it determines the meaning and structure of this difficult passage that has confused most interpreters.

The words 混成 hùnchéng have the meaning of 混沌 hùndùn, that is, 'confused, that which is impossible to distinguish clearly'. Ibidem: If by chance one asks me about this being (the Tao), I would respond: It has neither beginning nor end (literally: 'neither head nor tail'), it does not modify itself, it does not change; it has no body, it has no determined place; it knows neither excess nor lack, neither decrease nor increase; it does not extinguish itself, it is not born; it is neither yellow nor red, neither white nor blue; it has neither interior nor exterior, neither sound nor smell, neither low nor high, neither image nor brightness, etc.

It has no voice that can be heard (寂漠 jìmò).

The word 寂 jì means 'void and incorporeal'. Commentary E explains the adjectives 寂 jì and 寥 liáo as 'incorporeal'. Several interpreters authorize me to preserve for 寂 jì the meaning of 'calm, tranquil'.

Every being that leans on something has solid strength; if it has nothing that helps and supports it, it bends and succumbs. From this comes that which is alone and isolated is subject to change. Every being that remains in its place is tranquil; as soon as it goes beyond its limits, it encounters obstacles. From this comes that which circulates everywhere is exposed to dangers. The Tao has no companion in the world. It stands alone beyond the limits of beings and has never changed (独立不改 dúlì bù gǎi). Above, it rises to heaven; below, it penetrates to the depths of the earth. It circulates throughout the universe and is never exposed to any danger (周行不殆 zhōuxíng bù dài).

It subsists eternally.

The heat of the sun does not burn it; humidity does not alter it (literally, 'does not make it moldy'); it passes through all bodies and is exposed to no danger.

It spreads in the midst of heaven and earth and in the womb of all beings; it is the source of all births, the root of all transformations. Heaven, earth, man, and all other creatures need it to live. It nourishes all beings like a mother nourishes her children (可以为天下母 kěyǐ wéi tiānxià mǔ).

Seeing neither its body nor its form, I do not know what name to give it. As I see that all beings come to life through it, I give it the title of 道 Dào or the Way" (吾不知其名，强字之曰道 wú bùzhī qí míng, qiǎng zì zhī yuē Dào).

It is so elevated that nothing is above it; it wraps around the world and sees nothing outside of it. This is why I call it great (强为之名曰大 qiǎng wéi zhī míng yuē dà).

From the idea of greatness, I move to another idea to seek it, and I call it fleeting (大曰逝 dà yuē shì). It is not like the sky that constantly remains above, nor like the earth that constantly remains below. It escapes you and always flees, never staying constantly in the same place.

From the idea of being fleeting, I move to another idea to seek it, and I call it distant (逝曰远 shì yuē yuǎn). Indeed, the more one seeks it, the more it seems distant. It knows no limits.

To properly translate the word 远 yuǎn, one would need a French adjective meaning that which distances itself, that which goes far away, like the Greek adjectives τηλεπλάνης, μακροπλάνης.

The word 返 fǎn means literally 'that which returns'. It returns to the palace of intelligence (in man) and delves deeper and deeper there. After having made the tour of the world, it begins it again; after having distanced itself immensely, it draws near. It returns, and it is enough to seek it in the heart of man (远曰返 yuǎn yuē fǎn).

老子 Lǎozǐ often changes the words he uses. He shows by this that the virtue of the Tao is without limits, and that a multitude of words is not enough to express it completely.

The Tao is the mother of the universe; it nurtures all beings equally, and heaven and earth aid it by the combined virtue of the principle 阴 yīn 'feminine', and the principle 阳 yáng 'masculine'. This is why these three things are great (道大，天大，地大 Dào dà, tiān dà, dì dà). Although these three things exist, if there were no king, it would be impossible for them to govern the ten thousand beings. This is why it was necessary to give command to a man, so that he might become the master of the people. From this comes that the king is also great (王大 wáng dà).

Men of the age know only that the king is great, and they do not know that the Sage takes heaven and earth as models. By this, one sees that heaven and earth are greater than the king. They know that heaven and earth are great; they do not know that heaven and earth emerged from the womb of the Tao and take it as their model. Thus, the Tao is greater than heaven and earth. Although the Tao is certainly great, it nevertheless has a name, a title, attributes. But if one removes its name, erases its title, its attributes, it then becomes inaccessible to the senses and in accordance with its nature. This is why 老子 Lǎozǐ says: The Tao imitates nature (道法自然 Dào fà zìrán).

In the world, there are only four great things (域中有四大 yù zhōng yǒu sì dà), and the king is one of them: is this not the height of glory? But it is absolutely necessary that he cultivate to perfection the qualities that constitute his greatness, if he wishes to be counted among the four great things. 老子 Lǎozǐ expresses himself thus to strongly encourage kings (to follow the doctrine of the Tao).

The word 人 rén 'man' indicates the king. The earth produces the ten thousand beings, and the king governs and nourishes them. He imitates the virtue of the earth (人法地 rén fà dì).

Heaven covers the ten thousand beings, and the earth contains and supports them; it bestows upon them the gifts it receives from heaven. The Tao conceives, like a mother, the ten thousand beings; heaven opens the way for them and brings them to life. It thus assists the transformations wrought by the Tao. The great Tao is empty, immaterial, pure, tranquil, and constantly inert. It conforms to its nature (道法自然 Dào fà zìrán). To imitate (that is, follow) its nature, it only needs to remain what it is.

老子 Lǎozǐ finds in himself his foundation, his root; he has nothing to imitate outside of himself.