jesterswilde
DAO DE JINGHome

Chapter 35

拥抱大象

拥yōng抱bào大dà象xiàng，
天tiān下xià归guī往wǎng。
往wǎng来lái无wú害hài，
安ān定dìng平píng和hé。
音yīn乐yuè与yǔ美měi食shí，
过guò路lù的de旅lǚ人rén驻zhù足zú片piàn刻kè。
道dào之zhī出chū言yán，
寡guǎ味wèi如rú水shuǐ。
看kàn之zhī见jiàn不bù到dào，
听tīng之zhī闻wén不bù到dào，
用yòng之zhī无wú穷qióng尽jìn。

a> Grasp the great image and the world will come; coming and encountering no harm, it will settle in great peace.

b> Where there is music and food, travelers stop.

c> When the Dao is spoken as words, how thin it is, without taste. Look at it and it cannot be seen; listen to it and it cannot be heard. But use it, and it cannot be exhausted.

A modern classroom translation, with labeled subsections for study.

© 2010, 2016, 2019 Robert Eno. Freely available for personal use and not-for-profit educational settings. For other purposes, apart from fair use, copyright is not waived.