← Table of contents Tao Te Ching illustration
道生一,
Dào shēng yī,
The Dao brings forth One.
一生二,
Yī shēng èr,
One brings forth Two.
二生三,
Èr shēng sān,
Two brings forth Three.
三生万物。
Sān shēng wàn wù.
Three brings forth all things.
万物负阴而抱阳,
Wàn wù fù yīn ér bào yáng,
All things carry yin and embrace yang,
冲气以为和。
Chōng qì yǐ wéi hé.
Achieving harmony through their union.
人之所恶,
Rén zhī suǒ è,
People detest being alone,
唯孤、寡、不谷,
Wéi gū, guǎ, bù gǔ,
Feeling orphaned, widowed, or worthless,
而王公以为称。
Ér wáng gōng yǐ wéi chēng.
Yet kings and nobles describe themselves this way.
故物或损之而益,
Gù wù huò sǔn zhī ér yì,
Thus, loss can be a gain,
或益之而损。
Huò yì zhī ér sǔn.
And gain can be a loss.
人之所教,
Rén zhī suǒ jiào,
What others teach, I also teach:
我亦教之。
Wǒ yì jiào zhī.
Those who use violence will meet a violent end.
强梁者不得其死,
Qiáng liáng zhě bù dé qí sǐ,
This is the foundation of my teaching.