| Original | English Translation |
|---|---|
| The Dao is empty; used, yet never full. | |
| An abyss—it seems the ancestor of ten thousand things. | |
| Blunt its sharpness, | |
| Unravel its tangles, | |
| Soften its light, | |
| Blend it with the dust. | |
| Deep and still—as though something remains. | |
| I do not know whose child it is, | |
| Preceding the image of the Sovereign. |
road; path; way; method; principle; to speak; to lead
rinse; flush; surge; collide; rush
and; but; yet; while; moreover
use; employ; utility; purpose; apply
it, him, her, them; of; 's; go to; reach
perhaps; or; some; a certain; maybe
not; no; un-; non=
full; overflow; surplus; exceed
deep pool; abyss; profound; remote
exclamatory particle; pause marker; oh; alas
resemble; seem; similar; as if
ten thousand; myriad; countless; all; everything
thing; object; matter; creature; substance
ancestor; lineage; clan; principal; sect; school of thought
break; crush; frustrate; hinder; rub down
his; her; its; their; that; the one who; such
sharp; keen; acute; to sharpen; point/edge
untie; loosen; solve; explain; disassemble; release
tangled; confused; chaotic; dispute; scatter
and; harmony; peaceful; to harmonize; to echo; mild
light; radiance; glory; bare; empty; finished
same; together; identical; agree; shared
dust; dirt; mundane world; worldly affairs
deep; clear; overflow; soak; profound
exist; remain; preserve; store; survive
I; me; my
know; recognize; understand; knowledge; wisdom
who; whom; whose; anyone; whoever
child; son; seed; master; small thing
elephant; image; form; appearance; phenomenon; likeness
emperor; sovereign; supreme deity; divine ruler
first; before; previous; ancestor