道德经全文和注释 (英文版)

Dr.Wayne WANG

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.

【原文】
　　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。
　　此两者同出而异名，同谓之玄。
　　玄之又玄，众妙之门。

Dr.Wayne WANG

81. The Sage
Honest people use no rhetoric;
Rhetoric is not honesty.
Enlightened people are not cultured;
Culture is not enlightenment.
Content people are not rich;
Riches are not contentment.

So the sage does not serve himself;
The more he does for others, the more he is satisfied;
The more he gives, the more he receives.
Nature flourishes at the expense of no one;
So the sage benefits all men and contends with none.

【原文】
       信言不美，美言不信；
       善者不辩，辩者不善；
       知者不博，博者不知。
       圣人不积。
       既以为人己愈有，既以与人己愈多。
       天之道，利而不害；圣人之道，为而不争。

Dr.Wayne WANG

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.

【原文】
        载营魄抱一，能无离乎？
        抟气致柔，能婴儿乎？
        涤除玄鉴，能无疵乎？
        爱民治国，能无为乎？
        天门开阖，能为雌乎？
        明白四达，能无知乎？
        生之，畜之，生而不有，为而不恃，长而不宰，是谓玄德。

Dr.Wayne WANG

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.

【原文】
　　 天下皆知美之为美，斯恶矣；皆知善之为善，斯不善矣。
　　 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，功成而不居。
　　夫唯不居，是以不去。

Dr.Wayne WANG

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.
【原文】
       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，使夫智者不敢为也。
       为无为，则无不治。

Dr.Wayne WANG

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.

【原文】
       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。
       吾不知其谁之子，象帝之先。

Dr.Wayne WANG

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.

【原文】
　　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。

Dr.Wayne WANG

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.

【原文】
　　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。

Dr.Wayne WANG

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.

【原文】
       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。

Dr.Wayne WANG

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.

【原文】
       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，政善治，事善能，动善时。
       夫唯不争，故无尤。

Dr.Wayne WANG

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.

【原文】
       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。
       功成身退，天之道。