第一章原文
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。——《道德经》
译文
可以言说的道,便不是恒常的道;可以定义命名的名,也不是恒常的名。天地开始的时候,把它叫做“无”;万物的母亲,把它叫做“有”。所以常处于无,从无的角度来观察它的妙处;常处于有,从有的角度来观察它的边界。有和无是任何事物都具有的两个方面,来源相同但名称不同,幽暗深远,叫做“玄”。玄而又玄,是一切奥妙的根本门徑。
老子英文版
The Tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named
is not the eternal name.
The Tao is both named and nameless.
As nameless it is the origin of all things;
as named it is the Mother of 10,000 things.
Ever desireless, one can see the mystery;
ever desiring, one sees only the manifestations.
And the mystery itself is the doorway
to all understanding.