← Table of contents Tao Te Ching illustration
视之不见,
Shì zhī bù jiàn,
Look, it cannot be seen.
名曰夷;
Míng yuē yí;
It is called the Invisible;
听之不闻,
Tīng zhī bù wén,
Listen, it cannot be heard.
名曰希;
Míng yuē xī;
It is called the Inaudible;
搏之不得,
Bó zhī bù dé,
Grasp, it cannot be held.
名曰微。
Míng yuē wēi.
It is called the Intangible.
此三者不可致诘,
Cǐ sān zhě bù kě zhì jié,
These three evade all inquiry,
故混而为一。
Gù hùn ér wéi yī.
Therefore they are unified.
其上不皦,
Qí shàng bù jiǎo,
Above, it is not bright;
其下不昧。
Qí xià bù mèi.
Below, it is not dark.
绳绳不可名,
Shéng shéng bù kě míng,
An unbroken thread, nameless,
复归於无物。
Fù guī wū wù.
Returning to nothingness.
是谓无状之状,
Shì wèi wú zhuàng zhī zhuàng,
The shape of shapelessness,
无物之象,
Wú wù zhī xiàng,
The image of imagelessness,
是谓惚恍。
Shì wèi hū huǎng.
This is called the Indefinable.
迎之不见其首,
Yíng zhī bù jiàn qí shǒu,
Face it, no beginning;
随之不见其後。
Suí zhī bù jiàn qí hòu.
Follow it, no end.
执古之道,
Zhí gǔ zhī dào,
Hold to the ancient Dao,
以御今之有。
Yǐ yù jīn zhī yǒu.
To manage the present.
能知古始,
Néng zhī gǔ shǐ,
Knowing the origin of the ancient,
是谓道纪。
Shì wèi dào jì.
Is the essence of Dao.