Comparisons of Chinese Versions, by Nina Carerra; http://www.daoisopen.com/Comparisons.html;
2005
These charts were used to compare the symbols between all sources, and for end-of-sentence and end-of-chapter markers. I personally verified the WB symbols in these charts against several different references.
Key to Notations
| Symbols used for the translation • = end-of-line character appears in some source (•) = symbol usually starts or ends a line Of the 6 ancient sources (see Introduction), this translation uses WB except where the majority of the other sources disagree with it. The notations for these changes are : ( ) = WB symbol has been changed __ = WB symbol has been deleted [ ] = symbol not in WB has been added | The final English translation Sections separated by blank lines are the opinion of the translator. |
| Raw translation underline = verbatim translation italics = interpreted translation; exact translation is to the far right in [brackets] underlined italics = combined literal meanings from one symbol underline2 or italics2 or underlined italics2 = 2 symbols used to provide translation {word} = equally likely translation of single symbol [word] = symbol left out for grammatical clarity [word] = word added for clarity that significantly influences the meaning of the sentence word* = Confucian concept word° = untranslatable; word is chosen for consistency ♦ = all symbols in the sentence are the same in all or all but one of the sources (sentence is identical or essentially identical across all sources); this does not account for different symbols with the same meaning! | Footnotes and cross-references Differences between the sources are sometimes noted, but not every difference is noted. Footnotes in italics provide my own possible interpretations of the more difficult passages, which you may certainly ignore! |
Chapter One
| • 道 可 道 非 常 道 • 名 可 名 非 常 名 • 無 名 天 地 之 始 • 有 名 萬 物 之 母 • (•)故 常 無 欲 以 觀 其 妙 • 常 有 欲 以 觀 其 徼 此 兩 者 同 出 而 異 名 同 謂 之 玄 玄 之 又 玄 眾 妙 之 門 | The Dao that can be spoken of is not the ever-constant Dao. The name that can be named is not the ever-constant name. That which is without-name is the beginning of heaven and earth. That which possesses a name is the mother of the ten thousand creatures. Therefore : always without-desire, thus you observe its subtle mystery. Always possessing desires, thus you observe its external appearances. These two, they arise from the same source but have different names; This sameness is called their deep mystery. Deep mysteries, and again deep mysteries – The gateway of many subtle mysteries. |
| ♦The Dao that can be spoken of is not the ever-constant Dao. ♦The name that can be named is not the ever-constant name. [That which] is without-name is the beginning of heaven and earth.A ♦[That which] possesses a name is the mother of the ten thousand creatures. Therefore : always without-desire, thus you observe its subtle mystery. Always possessing desires, thus you observe its external appearances. [boundary,surface] These two, they arise from the same [source]B but have different names; This sameness is called their deep mystery. ♦Deep mysteries, [à] and again deep mysteries – The gateway of many subtle mysteries. | Notes : A : this line and the next may just as likely be translated as Non-being is named as the beginning of heaven and earth. Being is named as the mother of the ten thousand creatures. either way, compare to #40, where the world and the ten thousand creatures are created from being B : literally, “they have the same arising” Cross-references : without-name : #32, #37, #41 mother : #20, #25, #52, #59 always/ever-constantly without X : #32, #34, #37 without-desire : #3, #34, #37, #57 mystery : #6, #10, #15, #27, #51, #56, #62, #65 mysterious sameness : #56 gateway : #6, #10, #52, #56 |
Chapter Two
| 天 下 皆 知 美 之 為 美 斯 惡 已 • 皆 知 善 之 為 善 斯 不 善 已 • (•)故 有 無 相 生 • 難 易 相 成 • 長 短 相 較 • 高 下 相 傾 • 音 聲 相 和 • 前 後 相 隨 • 是 以 聖 人 處 無 為 之 事 行 不 言 之 教 萬 物 作 __ 而 不 (始) • 生 而 不 有 為 而 不 恃 • 功 成 而 弗 居 • (•)夫 唯 弗 居 • 是 以 不 去 • | In the world, when all know that the action of beauty is beautiful, then ugliness ensues. When all know that the action of good is goodness, then not-good ensues. Therefore : being and non-being create each other, Difficult and easy complete each other, Long and short contrast each other, High and low lean on each other, Tone and voice harmonize each other, Before and after follow each other. Thus the sage : Lives by using non-action in his duties, And practicing no-talking in his teachings. The ten thousand creatures arise, but do not have a beginning. Creating but not possessing; Acting, but not concerned with the results; Accomplishing tasks, but not dwelling on them. Now : only because there is no dwelling, Thus the results do not depart. |
| In the world2, when all know that the action of beauty is beautiful, then ugliness°{evil} ensues. [thereafter,afterwards] When all know that the action of good is goodness, then not-good ensues. [thereafter,afterwards] Therefore : being and non-being create each other,A Difficult and easy complete each other, Long{lasting} and short{brief} contrastB each other, [forever] [compare] High{above} and low{below} lean on each other,C Tone and voice{sound} harmonize each other, Before{front} and after{back} follow each other. Thus2 the sage2 : Lives by [using] non-action in his duties, And practicing no-talking in his teachings. [performs] The ten thousand creatures arise, but do not have a beginning. Creating but not possessing;D ♦Acting, but not concerned with [the results]; [depend upon,rely upon] Accomplishing tasks, but not dwelling on them. [results,achievements] Now : only because there is no dwelling, ♦Thus2 [the results] do not depart. | Notes A : compare to #40, where non-being creates being B : FY, MWD, and GUO all have different words here (for example : “shape”, “form”, “mold”, etc.) C : compare to #39, where low is the foundation of high D : this line is missing in the earliest three sources; there is no indication in the original Chinese as to whether it is the sage or the creatures that are the ones acting in this and the following lines, so it is left ambiguous here as well Cross-references beauty and ugly : #20 non-being : #40, #43 tone and voice/sound (same symbol) : #41 non-action : #3, #37, #38, #43, #48, #57, #63, #64 sage practices non-action : #43 teaching : #27, #42, #43 no-talking in his teachings : #43 creates but does not possess : #10, #51 acting but not concerned : #10, #51, #77 accomplishing tasks : #9, #17, #34, #77 and not dwelling on them : #9, #77 |
Chapter Three