Tao Te Ching Chapter 25
第25章
有物混成，先天地生。寂兮寥兮，獨立而不改，周行而不殆，可以為天下母。吾不知其名，字之曰道，強為之名曰大。大曰逝，逝曰遠，遠曰反。故道大，天大，地大，王亦大。域中有四大，而王居其一焉。人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。
There was something undefined and complete, coming into existence before Heaven and Earth. How still it was and formless, standing alone, and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere and in no danger (of being exhausted)! It may be regarded as the Mother of all things.
I do not know its name, and I give it the designation of the Tao (the Way or Course). Making an effort (further) to give it a name I call it The Great.
Great, it passes on (in constant flow). Passing on, it becomes remote. Having become remote, it returns. Therefore the Tao is great; Heaven is great; Earth is great; and the (sage) king is also great. In the universe there are four that are great, and the (sage) king is one of them.
Man takes his law from the Earth; the Earth takes its law from Heaven; Heaven takes its law from the Tao. The law of the Tao is its being what it is.
English: James Legge (1891), The Tâo Teh King, Sacred Books of the East vol. 39 (1891) — public domain. Chinese: Wang Bi recension (王弼本), commentary removed.
Character glossary
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 物wùthing, substance, matter; creature
- 混hùnmuddy, confused; to mix, to blend; to mi
- 成chéngto accomplish; to become; to complete, t
- 先xiānfirst, former, previous
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 地deearth, ground, soil; land, region; struc
- 生shēnglife, lifetime; birth; growth
- 寂jìstill, silent, quiet, desolate
- 兮xīexclamatory particle
- 寥liáofew, scarce; empty, deserted
- 獨dúalone, independent, only, single, solita
- 立lìto stand; to establish, to set up
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 改gǎito alter, to change, to improve, to remo
- 周zhōuZhou dynasty; circumference
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 殆dàialmost, probably; danger, peril; to enda
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 母mǔmother; female elders; female
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 名míngname; position, rank, title
- 字zìcharacter, letter, symbol, word
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 強qiángstrong, powerful, energetic
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 逝shìto die, to pass away
- 遠yuǎndistant, remote, far; profound
- 反fǎnreverse, opposite; contrary, anti-
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 王wángking, ruler; royal; surname
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 域yùarea, district, field, land, region; bou
- 中zhōngcentral; center, middle; amidst; to hit
- 四sìfour
- 居jūto live, to reside; to dwell; to sit
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 人rénman, person; people
- 法fǎlaw, rule, statute; method, way; French
- 自zìself; private, personal; from
- 然ráncertainly; naturally; suddenly
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Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.