1、道德經(jīng)中英文對(duì)照版第一章：道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。無(wú)名，天地之始；有名，萬(wàn)物之母。故常無(wú)欲，以觀其妙；常有欲，以觀其徼(叫)。此兩者，同出而異名，同謂之玄。玄之又玄，眾妙之門(mén)。The way that can be told of is not an Unvarying Way; The names that can be named are not unvarying names. It was from the Nameless that Heaven and Earth sprang; The named is but the mother that rears the ten

2、thousand creatures, each after its kind. Truly, Only he that rids himself forever of desire can see the Secret Essences ; He that has never rid himself of desire can see only the Outcomes. These two things issued from the same mould, but nevertheless are different in name. This same mould we can but

3、 call the Mystery, Or rather the Darker than any Mystery, The Doorway whence issued all Secret Essences.第二章：天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已；皆知善之為善，斯不善已。故有無(wú)相生，難易相成，長(zhǎng)短相形，高下相傾，音聲相和，前后相隨。是以圣人處無(wú)為之事，行不言之教，萬(wàn)物作焉而不辭，生而不有，為而不恃，功成而弗居。夫唯弗居，是以不去。It is because everyone under Heaven recognizes beauty as beauty, that the idea of ugli

4、ness exists. And equally if everyone recognized virtue as virtue, this would merely create fresh conceptions of wickedness. For truly Being and Not-being grow out of one another; Difficult and easy complete one another. Long and short test one another; High and low determine one another. Pitch and m

5、ode give harmony to one another. Front and back give sequence to one another. Therefore the Sage relies on actionless activity, Carries on wordless teaching, But the myriad creatures are worked upon by him; he does not disown them. He rears them, but does not lay claim to them, Controls them, but do

6、es not lean upon them, Achieves his aim, but does not call attention to what he does; And for the very reason that he does not call attention to what he does He is not ejected from fruition of what he has done.1Because action can only make one thing high at the expense of making something else low,

7、etc.2Literally, does not place (i.e.classify) himself as a victor. cf. Mencius, ;第三章：不尚賢，使民不爭(zhēng)；不貴難得之貨，使民不為盜；不見(jiàn)可欲，使民心不亂。是以圣人之治，虛其心，實(shí)其腹；弱其志，強(qiáng)其骨。常使民無(wú)知無(wú)欲，使夫智不敢為也。為無(wú)為，則無(wú)不治。If we stop looking for persons of superior morality (hsien) to put in power, there will be no more jealousies among the people. If we

8、cease to set store by products that are hard to get , there will be no more thieves. If the people never see such things as excite desire, their hearts will remain placid and undisturbed. Therefore the Sage rules By emptying their hearts, And filling their bellies, Weakening their intelligence1, And

9、 toughening their sinews, Ever striving to make the people knowledgeless and desireless. Indeed he sees to it that if there be any who have knowledge, they dare not interfere. Yet through his actionless activity all things are duly regulated.1Particularly in the sense of having ideas of ones own.第四章

10、：道沖而用之，或不盈。淵兮，似萬(wàn)物之宗。（挫其銳，解其紛，和其光，同其塵。）湛兮，似或存。吾不知誰(shuí)之子，象帝之先。The Way is like an empty vessel That yet may be drawn from Without ever needing to be filled. It is bottomless; the very progenitor of all things in the world. In it all sharpness is blunted, All tangles untied, All glare tempered, All dust1 s

11、moothed. It is like a deep pool that never dries. Was it too the child of something else? We cannot tell. But as a substanceless image2 it existed before the Ancestor.31Dust is the Taoist symbol for the noise and fuss of everyday life.2A hsiang, an image such as the mental images that float before u

12、s when we think.3The Ancestor in question is almost certainly the Yellow Ancestor who separated Earth from Heaven and so destroyed the Primal Unity, for which he is frequently censured is Chuang Tzu.第五章：天地不仁，以萬(wàn)物為芻狗；圣人不仁，以百姓為芻狗。天地之間，其猶橐(馱)籥(月)乎！虛而不屈，動(dòng)而愈出。多言數(shù)窮，不如守中。Heaven and Earth are ruthless; To th

13、em the Ten Thousand Things are but as straw dogs. The Sage too is ruthless; To him the people are but as straw dogs. Yet1 Heaven and Earth and all that lies between Is like a bellows In that it is empty, but gives a supply that never fails. Work it, and more comes out . Whereas the force of words2 i

14、s soon spent. Far better is it to keep what is in the heart3.1Though ruthless nature is perpetually bounteous.2Laws and proclamations.3For chung as what is within the heart, see Tso Chuan(左傳), Yin Kung 3rd year and Kuan Tzu,37, beginning. The comparison of Heaven and Earth to a bellows is also found

15、 in Kuan Tzu (Pien 11, beginning).第六章：谷神不死，是謂玄牝(聘)。玄牝之門(mén)，是謂天地根。綿綿若存，用之不勤。The Valley Spirit never dies. It is named the Mysterious Female. And the Doorway of the Mysterious Female Is the base from which Heaven and Earth sprang. It is there within us all the while; Draw upon it as you will, it never ru

16、ns dry.11Lieh Tzu quotes these lines as coming from the Book of the Yellow Ancestor; but it does not follow that the Tao Ching is actually quoting them from this source. They may belong to the general stock of early Taoist rhymed teaching. For ch in compare below, Chapter 52, line 9, and Huai-nan Tz

17、u I, vol.2.第七章：天長(zhǎng)地久，天地所以能長(zhǎng)且久者，以其不自生，故能長(zhǎng)生。是以圣人后其身而身先，外其身而身存。非以其無(wú)私邪？故能成其私。Heaven is eternal, the Earth Everlasting. How come they to be so? It is because they do not foster their own lives; That is why they live so long. Therefore the Sage Puts himself in the background; but is always to the fore. Rem

18、ains outside; but is always there. Is it not just because he does not strive for any personal end that all his personal ends are fulfilled?第八章：上善若水，水善利萬(wàn)物而不爭(zhēng)。處眾人之所惡，故幾于道。居善地，心善淵，與善仁，言善信，正善治，事善能，動(dòng)善時(shí)。夫唯不爭(zhēng)，故無(wú)尤。The highest good is like that of water. The goodness of water is that it benefits the ten thou

19、sand creatures; yet itself does not scramble, but is content with the places that all men disdain. It is this that makes water so near to the Way. And if men think the ground the best place for building a house upon, If among thoughts they value those that are profound, If in friendship they value g

20、entleness, In words, truth; in government, good order; In deeds, effectiveness; in actions, timeliness- In each case it is because they prefer what does not lead to strife,1 And therefore does not go amiss.1Even ordinary people realize the importance of the Taoist principle of water-like behaviour,

21、i.e. not striving to get on top or to the fore.第九章：持而盈之，不如其已；揣而銳之，不可長(zhǎng)保。金玉滿(mǎn)堂，莫之能守。富貴而驕，自遺其咎。功遂身退，天之道也！Stretch a bow1 to the very full, And you will wish you had stopped in time;Temper a sword-edge to its very sharpest, And you will find it soon grows dull. When bronze and jade fill your hall It can n

22、o longer be guarded. Wealth and place breed insolence That brings ruin in it strain. When your work is done, then withdraw! Such is Heavens2 Way.1the expression used can also apply to filling a vessel to the brim; butstretching a bow makes a better parallel to sharpening a sword.2 as opposed to the

23、Way of man第十章：載營(yíng)魄抱一，能無(wú)離乎。專(zhuān)氣致柔，能如嬰兒乎。滌除玄鑒，能如疵乎。愛(ài)國(guó)治民，能無(wú)為乎。天門(mén)開(kāi)闔，能為雌乎。明白四達(dá)，能無(wú)知乎。When the intelligent and animal souls are held together in one embrace, they can be kept from separating. When one gives undivided attention to the (vital) breath, and brings it to the utmost degree of pliancy, he can become

24、 as a (tender) babe. When he has cleansed away the most mysterious sights (of his imagination), he can become without a flaw. In loving the people and ruling the state, cannot he proceed without any (purpose of) action? In the opening and shutting of his gates of heaven, cannot he do so as a female

25、bird? While his intelligence reaches in every direction, cannot he (appear to) be without knowledge? (The Tao) produces (all things) and nourishes them; it produces them and does not claim them as its own; it does all, and yet does not boast of it; it presides over all, and yet does not control them

26、.This is what is called The mysterious Quality (of the Tao).第 十 一 章：三十輻 ，共一轂，當(dāng)其無(wú)，有車(chē)之用。埏(山)埴以為器，當(dāng)其無(wú)，有器之用。鑿戶(hù)牖(有)以為室，當(dāng)其無(wú)，有室之用。故有之以為利，無(wú)之以為用。The thirty spokes unite in the one nave; but it is on the empty space (for the axle), that the use of the wheel depends. Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is o

27、n their empty hollowness, that their use depends. The door and windows are cut out (from the walls) to form an apartment; but it is on the empty space (within), that its use depends. Therefore, what has a (positive) existence serves for profitable adaptation, and what has not that for (actual) usefu

28、lness.第十二章：五色令人目盲五音令人耳聾五味令人口爽馳騁畋(田)獵，令人心發(fā)狂難得之貨，令人行妨。是以圣人為腹不為目，故去彼取此。Colours five hues from th eyes their sight will take; Musics five notes the ears as deaf can make;The flavours five deprive the mouth of taste; The chariot course, and the wild hunting wasteMake mad the mind; and objects rare and st

29、range, Sought for, mens conduct will to evil change.Therefore the sage seeks to satisfy (the craving of) the belly, and not the (insatiable longing of the) eyes. He puts from him the latter, and prefers to seek the former.第十三章：寵辱若驚，貴大患若身。何謂寵辱若驚。寵為下，得之若驚，失之若驚，是謂寵辱若驚。何謂貴大患若身。吾所以有大患者，為吾有身，及吾無(wú)身，吾有何患。故貴以

30、身為天下，若可寄天下愛(ài)以身為天下，若可托天下。Favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared; honour and great calamity, to be regarded as personal conditions (of the same kind). What is meant by speaking thus of favour and disgrace? Disgrace is being in a low position (after the enjoyment of favour). The getting tha

31、t (favour) leads to the apprehension (of losing it), and the losing it leads to the fear of (still greater calamity):-this is what is meant by saying that favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared. And what is meant by saying that honour and great calamity are to be (similarly) regarded as

32、 personal conditions? What makes me liable to great calamity is my having the body (which I call myself); if I had not the body, what great calamity could come to me? Therefore he who would administer the kingdom, honouring it as he honours his own person, may be employed to govern it, and he who wo

33、uld administer it with the love which he bears to his own person may be entrusted with it.第十四章：視之不見(jiàn)，名曰夷聽(tīng)之不聞，名曰希搏之不得，名曰微。此三者不可致詰，故混而為一。其上不皦(腳)，其下不昧。繩繩兮不可名，復(fù)歸于物。是謂無(wú)狀之狀，無(wú)物之象，是謂惚恍。迎之不見(jiàn)其首，隨之不見(jiàn)其后。執(zhí)古之道，以御今之有。能知古始，是謂道紀(jì)。We look at it, and we do not see it, and we name it the Equable. We listen to it, and we

34、do not hear it, and we name it the Inaudible. We try to grasp it, and do not get hold of it, and we name it the Subtle. With these three qualities, it cannot be made the subject of description; and hence we blend them together and obtain The One. Its upper part is not bright, and its lower part is n

35、ot obscure. Ceaseless in its action, it yet cannot be named, and then it again returns and becomes nothing. This is called the Form of the Formless, and the Semblance of the Invisible; this is called the Fleeting and Indeterminable.We meet it and do not see its Front; we follow it, and do not see it

36、s Back. When we can lay hold of the Tao of old to direct the things of the present day, and are able to know it as it was of old in the beginning, this is called (unwinding) the clue of Tao.第十五章：古之善為道者，微妙玄通，深不可識(shí)。夫唯不可識(shí)，故強(qiáng)為之容：豫兮若冬涉川；猶兮若畏四鄰儼(眼)兮其若客渙兮其若凌釋敦兮其若樸曠兮其若谷混兮其若濁；澹(淡)兮其若海飂(六)兮若無(wú)止。孰能濁以靜之徐清。孰能安以動(dòng)之徐

37、生。保此道者，不欲盈。夫唯不盈，故能蔽而新成。The skilful masters (of the Tao) in old times, with a subtle and exquisite penetration, comprehended its mysteries, and were deep (also) so as to elude mens knowledge. As they were thus beyond mens knowledge, I will make an effort to describe of what sort they appeared to be.S

38、hrinking looked they like those who wade through a stream in winter; irresolute like those who are afraid of all around them; grave like a guest (in awe of his host); evanescent like ice that is melting away; unpretentious like wood that has not been fashioned into anything; vacant like a valley, an

39、d dull like muddy water. Who can (make) the muddy water (clear)? Let it be still, and it will gradually become clear. Who can secure the condition of rest? Let movement go on, and the condition of rest will gradually arise. They who preserve this method of the Tao do not wish to be full (of themselv

40、es). It is through their not being full of themselves that they can afford to seem worn and not appear new and complete.第十六章：致虛極，守靜篤萬(wàn)物并作，吾以觀復(fù)。夫物蕓蕓，各復(fù)歸其根。歸根曰靜，靜曰復(fù)命。復(fù)命曰常，知常曰明。不知常，妄作兇。知常容，容乃公，公乃全，全乃天，天乃道，道乃久，沒(méi)身不殆。The (state of) vacancy should be brought to the utmost degree, and that of stillness guard

41、ed with unwearying vigor. All things alike go through their processes of activity, and (then) we see them return (to their original state). When things (in the vegetable world) have displayed their luxuriant growth, we see each of them return to its root. This returning to their root is what we call

42、 the state of stillness; and that stillness may be called a reporting that they have fulfilled their appointed end.The report of that fulfillment is the regular, unchanging rule. To know that unchanging rule is to be intelligent; not to know it leads to wild movements and evil issues. The knowledge

43、of that unchanging rule produces a (grand) capacity and forbearance, and that capacity and forbearance lead to a community (of feeling with all things). From this community of feeling comes a kingliness of character; and he who is king-like goes on to be heaven-like. In that likeness to heaven he po

44、ssesses the Tao. Possessed of the Tao, he endures long; and to the end of his bodily life, is exempt from all danger of decay. 第十七章：太上，不知有之其次，親而譽(yù)之其次，畏之其次，侮之。信不足焉，有不信焉。悠兮其貴言。功成事遂，百姓皆謂：我自然。In the highest antiquity, (the people) did not know that there were (their rulers). In the next age they loved th

45、em and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Thus it was that when faith (in the Tao) was deficient (in the rulers) a want of faith in them ensued (in the people). How irresolute did those (earliest rulers) appear, showing (by their reticence) the importance whi

46、ch they set upon their words! Their work was done and their undertakings were successful, while the people all said, We are as we are, of ourselves!第十八章：大道廢，有仁義智慧出，有大偽六親不和，有孝慈國(guó)家昏亂，有忠臣。When the Great Tao (Way or Method) ceased to be observed, benevolence and righteousness came into vogue. (Then) appe

47、ared wisdom and shrewdness, and there ensued great hypocrisy. When harmony no longer prevailed throughout the six kinships, filial sons found their manifestation; when the states and clans fell into disorder, loyal ministers appeared.第十九章：絕圣棄智，民利百倍絕仁棄義，民復(fù)孝慈絕巧棄利，盜賊無(wú)有。此三者以為文，不足。故令有所屬：見(jiàn)素抱樸，少思寡欲，絕學(xué)無(wú)憂(yōu)。If

48、 we could renounce our sageness and discard our wisdom, it would be better for the people a hundredfold. If we could renounce our benevolence and discard our righteousness, the people would again become filial and kindly. If we could renounce our artful contrivances and discard our (scheming for) ga

49、in, there would be no thieves nor robbers. Those three methods (of government) thought olden ways in elegance did fail. And made these names their want of worth to veil; But simple views, and courses plain and true would selfish ends and many lusts eschew.二十章：唯之與阿，相去幾何。之與惡，相去若何。人之所畏，不可不畏。荒兮，其未央哉。眾人熙

50、熙，如享太牢，如春登臺(tái)。我獨(dú)泊兮，其未兆沌沌兮，如嬰兒之未孩儽儽(雷)兮，若無(wú)所歸。眾人皆有余，而我獨(dú)若遺。我愚人之心也哉。俗人昭昭，我獨(dú)昏昏。俗人察察，我獨(dú)悶悶。眾人皆有以，而我獨(dú)頑且鄙。我獨(dú)異于人，而貴食母。When we renounce learning we have no troubles. The (ready) yes, and (flattering) yea;- Small is the difference they display. But mark their issues, good and ill;- What space the gulf between sha

51、ll fill? What all men fear is indeed to be feared; but how wide and without end is the range of questions (asking to be discussed)! The multitude of men look satisfied and pleased; as if enjoying a full banquet, as if mounted on a tower in spring. I alone seem listless and still, my desires having a

52、s yet given no indication of their presence. I am like an infant which has not yet smiled. I look dejected and forlorn, as if I had no home to go to. The multitude of men all have enough and to spare. I alone seem to have lost everything. My mind is that of a stupid man; I am in a state of chaos. Or

53、dinary men look bright and intelligent, while I alone seem to be benighted. They look full of discrimination, while I alone am dull and confused. I seem to be carried about as on the sea, drifting as if I had nowhere to rest. All men have their spheres of action, while I alone seem dull and incapabl

54、e, like a rude borderer. (Thus) I alone am different from other men, but I value the nursing-mother (the Tao). 第二十一章：孔德之容，惟道是從。道之為物，惟恍惟惚。惚兮恍兮，其中有象恍兮惚兮，其中有物。窈兮冥兮，其中有精其精甚真，其中有信。自今及古，其名不去，以閱眾甫。吾何以知眾甫之狀哉。以此。The grandest forms of active force From Tao come, their only source. Who can of Tao the nature te

55、ll? Our sight it flies, our touch as well. Eluding sight, eluding touch, The forms of things all in it crouch; Eluding touch, eluding sight, There are their semblances, all right. Profound it is, dark and obscure; Things essences all there endure. Those essences the truth enfold of what, when seen,

56、shall then be told. Now it is so; twas so of old. Its name-what passes not away; So, in their beautiful array, Things form and never know decay. How know I that it is so with all the beauties of existing things? By this (nature of the Tao).第二十二章：曲則全，枉則直，洼則盈，敝則新，少則得，多則惑。是以圣人抱一為天下式。不自見(jiàn)，故明不自是，故彰不自伐，故有功

57、不自矜，故長(zhǎng)。夫唯不爭(zhēng)，故天下莫能與之爭(zhēng)。古之所謂曲則全者，豈虛言哉。誠(chéng)全而歸之。The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he whose (desires) are many goes astray. Therefore the sage holds in his embrace the one thing (of humility), and manifests it to al

58、l the world. He is free from self-display, and therefore he shines; from self-assertion, and therefore he is distinguished; from self-boasting, and therefore his merit is acknowledged; from self-complacency, and therefore he acquires superiority. It is because he is thus free from striving that therefore no one in the world is able to strive with him.That saying of the ancients that the partial becomes complete was not vainly spoken:-all real completion is comprehended under it.第二十三章：希言自然。故飄風(fēng)不終朝，驟雨不終日。孰為此者。天地。天地尚不能久，而況于人乎。故從事于道者，同于道德者，同于德失者，同于失。同于道者，道亦樂(lè)得之同于德者，德亦樂(lè)得之同于失者，失亦樂(lè)得之。信不足焉，有不信焉。