『道德经 第十六章 』（知常容，容乃公）

 道德经上篇：《道经》

 

 第十六章

 

【原文】

致虚极，守静笃（dǔ）①。万物并作，吾以观复。夫物芸芸③，各复归其根。归根曰静③，静曰复命。复命曰常④，知常曰明。不知常，妄作凶。知常容⑤，容乃公，公乃全，全乃天⑥，天乃道，乃久，没身不殆⑦。

 

【注释】　　

①笃（dǔ）：极度、顶点。

②芸芸：纷杂茂盛，常用来形容草木的繁盛。

③根：即事物的根本。

④常：万物运动与变化中的不变的律则。

⑤容：包容、宽容。

⑥天：自然界的天。

⑦没身：终身。

 

【译文】

使心灵空明虚寂到极点，使生活的清静达到极致。在万物都蓬勃生长的时候，我从中仔细观察它们生死循环的道理。天下万物虽然纷纷芸芸，但最终都将回复到它们的本根。返回本根就叫“静”，静叫作复归本性。复归本性是万物运动与变化中不变的律则，认识和了解万物运动与变化都依循着循环往复的律则，叫作“明”。不了解这个不变的律则，轻举妄动就会有凶险。了解了这个不变的律则的人，就能做到宽容，做到了宽容就能坦然大公，坦然大公才能无不周遍，无不周遍才符合自然，符合自然才能符合于“道”，得道而行才能长久，终身可免于危殆。

 

English Translation

Version 1：by Daniel Baida Su and Shangyu Chen

 

Humble to the utmost and completely tranquil,
I can see the coming and the going of all that grows.
Flourishing things of a million kinds,
All return to their roots.
Such a return is called tranquility;
Such tranquility is called return to life;
Such a return is eternity. 
To know eternity is enlightenment;
Not to know eternity is waywardness,
Which results in calamity.
To know eternity is to embrace whatever comes;
To embrace whatever comes is to be just;
To be just is to be complete;
To be complete is to be like Heaven;
To be like Heaven is to return to Tao;
To return to Tao is to live long.
Your body falls away, yet you live on.
 

Version 2：by John C. H. Wu