1. 物壮则老，是谓不道，不道早已。

1. If a thing is strong, it will grow old; this is what is called "not the way." Not the way is already past.

2. 我有三宝，持而保之。一曰慈，二曰俭，三曰不敢为天下先。慈故能勇；俭故能广；不敢为天下先，故能成器长。?>

2. I have three treasures that I hold and preserve. The first is benevolence, the second is frugality, and the third is not to be the first among the people. Because of benevolence, one can be brave; because of frugality, one can be generous; and because of not being the first among the people, one can become the leader.

3. 天下失道而后德；失德而后仁；失仁而后义；失义而后礼。

3. When the world loses its path, then comes virtue; when virtue is lost, then comes benevolence; when benevolence is lost, then comes righteousness; and when righteousness is lost, then comes ceremony.

4. 甘其食，美其服，安其居，乐其俗，邻国相望，鸡犬之声相闻，民至老死不相往来。

4. Enjoy their food, find their clothing beautiful, be at ease in their homes, be pleased with their customs. Neighboring countries can be seen from each other, the sounds of chickens and dogs can be heard, and the people do not interact with each other from birth to old age.

5. 塞其兑，闭其门，终身不勤；开其兑，济其事，终身不救。

5. Seal the opening, close the door, and you will not have to toil throughout your life; open the opening, assist in the affairs, and you will not be able to save yourself throughout your life.

6. 有无相生，难易相成，长短相形，高下相倾，音声相和，前后相随。

6. Existence generates non-existence, difficulty complements ease, length contrasts with shortness, height contrasts with lowness, sound harmonizes with silence, and the front follows the back.

7. 万物作而弗始，生而弗有，为而弗恃，功成而不居。

7. He causes all things to come into being and does not claim them as his own; he produces and does not depend on them; he accomplishes his work and does not seek recognition.

8. 埏植以为器，当其无有器之用。凿户牖以为室，当其无，有室之用。故有之以为利，无之以为用。

8. To plant and shape it into a vessel, yet it is because of its emptiness that the vessel has its use. To hollow out windows and doors to make a room, it is because of its emptiness that the room has its use. Therefore, what has form is for profit, while what is empty is for use.

9. 天下神器，不可为也，不可执也。为者败之，执者失之。

9. The celestial weapon of the world cannot be wielded, nor can it be possessed. Those who attempt to wield it will be defeated, and those who possess it will lose it.

10. 生而不有，为而不恃，长而不宰，是谓玄德。

10. To be born but not to possess, to act but not to rely on, to grow but not to dominate, this is called the Supreme Virtue.

11. 道冲，而用之久不盈。深乎！万物宗。挫其锐，解其忿，和其光，同其尘。湛常存。吾不知谁子？象帝之先。

11. The Tao is profound and empty, and yet it never runs out of use. How profound it is! It is the ancestor of all things. It dulls the sharpness, calms the anger, harmonizes the light, and unites with the dust. It remains ever present. I do not know whose son it is? It is the precedent of the Emperor.

12. 故善人者，不善人之师；不善人者，善人之资。不贵其师，不爱其资，虽智大迷，是谓要妙。

12. Therefore, those who are good are the teachers of the unrighteous; and the unrighteous are the resource for the good. Not valuing one's teacher and not loving one's resource, even though wise, one is greatly confused; this is called the essential mystery.

13. 大成若缺，其用不弊；大盈若冲，其用不穷。大直若屈，大巧若拙，大辩若讷。躁胜寒，静胜热，清静为天下正。

13. The great perfection seems imperfect; its use does not fail. The great fullness seems emptiness; its use is endless. The great straightforwardness seems crooked; the great skill seems clumsy; the great eloquence seems reticent. Restraint overcomes coldness, stillness overcomes heat, and tranquility and purity are the rectitude of the world.

14. 知人者智，自知者明。

14. To know others is wisdom, to know oneself is enlightenment.

15. 美言可以市尊，美行可以加人，君子相送以言，小人相送以财。

15. Good words can win respect in the market, good deeds can enhance one's reputation, a gentleman sends off with words, and a small person sends off with wealth.

16. 大丈夫处其厚，不居其薄；处其实，不居其华。

16. A man of virtue dwells in the substantial, not in the superficial; in the real, not in the ornate.

17. 和大怨必有余怨；安可以为善？是以圣人执左契，而不责于人。有德司契，无德司彻。天道无亲，常与善人。

17. If one bears a grudge against a great person, there will be lingering resentment. Can this be considered good? Therefore, the sage holds the left end of the debt voucher but does not demand repayment from others. A person of virtue oversees the voucher, while a person without virtue oversees the collection. The way of heaven is not partial, but always favors the good.

18. 大方无隅，大器晚成。大音希声，大象无形。

18. Generosity has no corners, great talents mature late. Great sounds are seldom heard, great images are formless.

19. 居善地，心善渊，与善仁，言善信，政善治，事善能，动善时。夫唯不争，故无尤。

19. Live in harmony, let your heart be deep as the sea, be benevolent with others, speak with integrity, govern with wisdom, perform tasks with ability, and act at the right time. It is only by not striving for conflict that no blame will come upon you.

20. 人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。

20. The human follows the earth, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao follows the natural order.

21. 道生一，一生二，二生三，三生万物。

21. The Way gives birth to One, the One gives birth to Two, the Two give birth to Three, and the Three give birth to all things.

22. 不尚贤，使民不争；不贵难得之货，使民不为盗；不见可欲，使民心不乱。是以圣人之治，虚其心，实其腹，弱其志，强其骨。常使民无知无欲。使夫智者不敢为也。为无为，则无不治。

22. Do not admire the wise, so that the people will not quarrel; do not value rare goods, so that the people will not steal; do not show what is desirable, so that the people's hearts will not be confused. Therefore, the governance of the sage is to empty their hearts, fill their bellies, weaken their desires, and strengthen their bodies. Always keep the people without knowledge and desires. Make the wise not dare to act. By acting without intention, all things will be governed.

23. 吾所以有大患者，为吾有身。及吾无身，吾有何患？

23. The reason why I have great worries is because I have a body. When I no longer have a body, what worries will I have?

24. 复命曰常，知常曰明。不知常，妄作凶。知常容，容乃公，公乃全，全乃天，天乃道，道乃久，没身不殆。

24. To be constant is to be in harmony, and to know harmony is to be enlightened. To not know harmony leads to folly and danger. Knowing harmony is to be包容, and to be包容 is to be fair, and to be fair is to be complete, and to be complete is to be in accordance with the cosmos, and to be in accordance with the cosmos is to be in accordance with the Tao, and to be in accordance with the Tao is to be enduring, and enduring means to not be endangered throughout one's life.

25. 物或恶之，故有道者不处。

25. Because they abhor what is evil, the wise do not dwell in it.

26. 子不如父，留之何用。子强与父，留之何用。

26. The son is not as good as his father; what use is there in keeping him? If the son is stronger than his father, what use is there in keeping him?

27. 天网恢恢，疏而不失。

27. The vast net of the heavens is vast and wide, yet it is not lacking in its thoroughness.

28. 美之为美斯恶矣，善之为善斯不善矣。

28. When beauty is considered beautiful, it becomes ugly. When goodness is considered good, it becomes not good.

29. 圣人不积，既以为人，己愈有，既以与人，己愈多。天之道，利而不害；圣人之道，为而不争。

29. The sage does not accumulate. When he serves others, he becomes richer; when he gives to others, he becomes more abundant. The way of heaven is to benefit without harming; the way of the sage is to act without contention.

30. 天欲其亡，必令其狂。

30. If heaven desires to destroy a person, it must first make them mad.

31. 将欲歙之，必固张之。将欲弱之，必固强之。将欲废之，必固兴之。将欲取之，必固与之。

31. If you wish to contract it, you must first expand it. If you wish to weaken it, you must first strengthen it. If you wish to discard it, you must first elevate it. If you wish to take it, you must first give it.

32. 天下莫柔弱于水，而攻坚强者莫之能胜，以其无以易之也。弱之胜强，柔之胜刚，天下莫不知，莫能行。

32. There is nothing in the world softer than water, yet nothing can overcome the strong by force, because it cannot change it. Weakness overcomes strength, gentleness overcomes hardness, and this is known to all in the world, but none can practice it.

33. 无，名天地之始。有，名万物之母。常无，欲以观其妙。常有，欲以观其徼。

33. Nothingness is the beginning of heaven and earth. Being is the mother of all things. Constant nothingness, desire to perceive its mystery. Constant being, desire to perceive its boundary.

34. 信言不美，美言不信。善者不辩，辩者不善。知者不博，博者不知。圣人不积，既以为人，己愈有；既以与人，己愈多。天之道，利而不害。圣人之道，为而不争。

34. Words of truth are not beautiful, and beautiful words are not truthful. The good do not argue, and those who argue are not good. The wise do not seek to know everything, and those who seek to know everything are not wise. The way of the sage is not to accumulate, for when one gives to others, one gains even more; and when one gives to others, one has even more. The way of heaven is to benefit without harming. The way of the sage is to act without contention.

35. 上士闻道，勤能行之；中士闻道，若存若亡；下士闻道，大笑之。

35. The superior man, upon hearing the Tao, diligently practices it; the median man, upon hearing the Tao, feels it present and absent; the inferior man, upon hearing the Tao, laughs at it.

36. 欲上民，必以言下之。欲先民，必以身后之。

36. If one wishes to lead the people, one must humble oneself in words. If one wishes to be ahead of the people, one must put oneself behind them.

37. 无为则无心，无心则无欲，无欲则无求。

37. No action, no mind; no mind, no desire; no desire, no pursuit.

38. 知人者智，自知者明。胜人者有力，自胜者强。知足者富。强行者有志。

38. To know others is wisdom, to know oneself is enlightenment. To overcome others is strength, to overcome oneself is power. To be content is to be rich. To persist is to have ambition.

39. 为无为，事无事，味无味。

39. Act without doing anything, manage without making things happen, and enjoy the taste without savoring it.

40. 天下有道，却走马以粪。天下无道，戎马生于郊。

40. If the world has order, horses are driven to fertilize the fields. If the world lacks order, warhorses are born in the suburbs.

41. 豫兮若冬涉川，犹兮若畏四邻，俨兮其若客，涣兮若冰之将释，敦兮其若朴，旷兮其若谷，浑兮其若浊，澹兮其若海，泊兮若无止。

41. The manner is as cautious as crossing a river in winter, as hesitating as fearing the neighbors, as dignified as a guest, as dissolving as ice about to melt, as simple as the unrefined, as open as a valley, as浑浊 as muddy water, as serene as the sea, and as boundless as without end.

42. 天地不仁，以万物为刍狗；圣人不仁，以百姓为刍狗。天地之间，其犹橐龠乎？虚而不屈，动而俞出。多言数穷，不如守中。

42. The heavens and the earth are not benevolent, treating all things as straw dogs; the sage is not benevolent, treating the people as straw dogs. Between heaven and earth, isn't it like a bellows? It is empty yet inexhaustible, and moves and yields more. More words lead to more poverty, it is better to remain centered.

43. 道常无为而无不为。侯王若能守，万物将自化。化而欲作，吾将镇之以无名之朴。无名之朴，亦将不欲。不欲以静，天下将自正。

43. The Tao is always unactive and yet accomplishes everything. If the rulers can maintain this, all things will spontaneously transform. When desires arise from transformation, I will stabilize them with the nameless simplicity. With the nameless simplicity, desires will also diminish. By diminishing desires through tranquility, the world will spontaneously become orderly.

44. 道可道，非常道。名可名，非常名。无名天地之始；有名万物之母。

44. The way that can be spoken of is not the eternal way. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The unnamable is the beginning of heaven and earth; the namable is the mother of all things.

45. 生命，除了生命本身之外，一无所有。

45. Life has nothing except itself.

46. 圣人自知不自见；自爱不自贵。

46. The sage knows himself but does not seek to appear; he loves himself but does not seek to be exalted.

47. 挫其锐，解其纷，和其光，同其尘，湛兮似或存。

47. Blunt its sharpness, resolve its chaos, harmonize its brightness, be one with its dust, profound and as if it exists.

48. 敦兮其若朴，旷兮其若谷。

48. Pure and simple as it is, vast and open as a valley.

49. 谷神不死，是谓玄牝。玄牝之门，是谓天地根。绵绵若存，用之不勤。

49. The God of Grain does not die; this is called the mysterious female. The gate of the mysterious female is called the root of heaven and earth. It exists continuously as if it were, and its use is never exhausted.

50. 道可道，非常道。名可名，非常名。无名天地之始，有名万物之母。故常无欲，以观其妙；常有欲，以观其徼。此两者同出而异名，同谓之玄，玄之又玄，众妙之门。

50. The way that can be spoken of is not the eternal way. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the origin of the heavens and the earth; the named is the mother of all things. Therefore, one should always have no desires in order to perceive its subtlety; and always have desires in order to perceive its boundaries. These two come from the same source but have different names. They are both called the mysterious; the mysterious beyond the mysterious is the gateway to all subtleties.

51. 江海所以能为百谷王者，以其善下之，故能为百谷王。

51. The reason why the seas and rivers can be the kings of all valleys is because they are good at lowering themselves, thus making them the kings of all valleys.

52. 道常无名，朴虽小，天下不敢臣。

本句为《道德经》第五十二章原文，翻译如下： 52. The Tao is usually nameless. Although it is simple, the world does not dare to enslave it.

53. 为学日益，为道日损。损之又损，以至于无为。无为而无不为。

53. The more one studies, the more one learns. The more one dedicates to the path of Tao, the more one diminishes. Diminish again and again until reaching a state of non-action. In non-action, one can accomplish everything without doing anything.

54. 言有宗，事有君。夫唯无知，是以不我知。

54. Words have a root, and affairs have a leader. It is because of ignorance that I am not known.

55. 俗人昭昭，我独若昏。俗人察察，我独闷闷。淡若海，漂无所止。众人皆有已，我独顽似鄙。我独异于人，而贵食母。

55. The common folk are bright, but I seem dim. The common folk are observant, but I am gloomy. Profound as the sea, it drifts without stopping. All people have their own paths, but I stubbornly resemble the unrefined. I am different from others, yet I value the nourishment of the mother.

56. 故道大，天大，地大，人亦大。域中有四大，而人居其一焉。

56. Therefore, the Dao is great, heaven is great, earth is great, and humans are also great. There are four great things in the realm, and humans occupy one of them.

57. 为学日益，为道日损。损之又损，以至于无为。

57. The more one learns, the more one is aware of one's ignorance. The more one diminishes one's knowledge, the closer one comes to the state of doing nothing.

58. 知其雄，守其雌，为天下溪；知其白，守其黑，为天下式，知其荣，守其辱，为天下谷。

58. Knowing its strength and guarding its weakness, it becomes the stream of the world; knowing its brightness and guarding its darkness, it becomes the pattern of the world; knowing its glory and guarding its disgrace, it becomes the valley of the world.