一章
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。
二章
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，萬物作焉而不辭，生而不有，為而不恃，功成而弗居。夫唯弗居，是以不去。
1
The Way that can be told of is not an Unvarying Way; the names that can be named are not unvarying names. It was from the nameless that Heaven and Earth sprang; the named is but the mother that rears the ten thousand creatures, each after its kind. Truly, "Only he that rids himself forever of desire can see the Secret Essences"; He that has never rid himself of desire can see only the Outcomes. These two things issued from the same mould, but nevertheless are different in name. This "same mould" we can but call the Mystery, or rather the "Darker than any mystery", the Doorway whence issued all Secret Essences.
2
It is because every one under Heaven recognizes beauty as beauty, that the idea of ugliness exists. And equally if every one recognized virtue an virtue, this would merely create fresh conceptions of wickedness. For truly "Being and Not-being grow out of one another; difficult and easy complete one another. Long and short test one another; high and tow determine one another. The sounds of instrument and voice give harmony to one another. Front and back give sequence to one another." Therefore the Sage relies on action less activity, carries on word lean, teaching, but the myriad creatures are worked upon by him; he does aet disown them. He rears them, but does not lay claim to them, consuls them, but does not lean upon them, achieves his aim, but does not call attention to what he does; and for the very reason that he does not call attention to what he does. He is not ejected from fruition of what he has done.
三章
不尚賢，使民不爭；不貴難得之貨，使民不為盜；不見可欲，使民心不亂。是以聖人之治，虛其心，實其腹，弱其志，強其骨。常使民無知無欲，使夫智者不敢為也。為無為，則無不治。
四章
道沖而用之或不盈。淵兮似萬物之宗。挫其銳，解其紛，和其光，同其塵，湛兮似或存，吾不知誰之子，象帝之先。
3
If we atop looking for "persons of superior morality" (bsien) to put in power, there will be no more jealousies among the people. If we cease to set store by products that are hard to get. there will be no more thieves. If the people never see such things as excite desire, their hearts will remain placid and undisturbed. Therefore the Sage rules: by emptying their beards, and filling their bellies, weakening their intelligence, and toughening their sinews. Ever striving to make the people knowledge less and desire less. Indeed he sees to it that if there be any who have knowledge. they dare not interfere. Yet through his action less activity all things are duly regulated.
4
The Way is like an empty vessel, that yet may be drawn from, with-out over needing to be filled. It is bottomless; the very progenitor of all things in the world. In it all sharpness is blunted, all tangles untied, all glare tempered, all dust smoothed. It is like a deep pool that never dries. Was it too the child of something else? We cannot tell. but as a substance-less image it existed before the Ancestor.
五章
天地不仁，以萬物為芻狗；聖人不仁，以百姓為芻狗。天地之間，其猶橐龠乎?虛而不屈，動而愈出。多言數窮，不如守中。
六章
穀神不死，是謂玄牝，玄牝之門，是謂天地之根。綿綿若存，用之不勤。
5
Heaven and Earth are not ruthful; to them the Ten Thousand Things are but as straw dogs. The Sage too is not ruthful, to him the people are but as straw dogs. Yet Heaven and Earth and all that lies between, is like a bellows. In that it is empty, but gives a supply that never fails. Work it, and more comes out. Whereas the force of words is soon spent, far better is it to keep what is in the heart.
6
The Valley Spirit never dies. It is named the Mysterious Female. And the Doorway of the Mysterious Female is the base from which Heaven and Earth sprang. It is there within us all the while; draw upon it as you will, it never runs dry.
七章
天長地久。天地所以能長且久者，以其不自生，故能長生。是以聖人後其身而身先；外其身而身存。非以其無私耶?故能成其私。
八章
上善若水。水善利萬物而不爭，處眾人之所惡，故幾於道。居善地，心善淵，與善仁，言善信，正善治，事善能，動善時。夫唯不爭，故無尤。
7
Heaven is eternal, the Earth everlasting. How come they to be so? It is hexane they do not foster their own lives; that is why they live so long, Therefore the Sage: puts himself in the background; but is always to the fore, Remains outside. but is always there. Is it not just because he does not strive for any personal end? That all his personal ends are fulfilled?
8
The highear good is like that of water. The goodness of water is that it benefits the ten thousand creatures; yet itself does not scramble, but is contest with the places that all men disdain. It is this that makes water so Near to the Way, And if men think the ground the best place for building a house upon, if among thoughts they value those that are profound, if in fiendishly they value gentleness, in words, truth; in government, good order in deeds, effectiveness; in actions, timeliness — in each case it is because they prefer what does not lead to strife, and therefore does not go amlss.
九章
持而盈之，不如其已。揣而稅之，不可長保。金玉滿堂，莫之能守。富貴而驕，白遺其咎。功遂身退，天之道。
十章
載營魄抱一，能無離乎?專氣致柔，能嬰兒乎?滌除玄覽，能無疵乎?愛民治國，能無知乎?天門開闔，能無雌乎?明白四達，能無為乎?生之、畜之，生而不有，為而不恃，長而不宰，是謂玄德。
9
Stretch bow to the very full, and you will wish you had stopped in then, temper a sword-edge to its very sharpest, and you will find it soon grows dull, When bronze and jade fill your hall, it can no longer be guarded, Wealth and place breed insolence, that brings ruin in its train. When your work is done, then withdraw! Such is Heaven's Way.
10
Can you keep the unquiet physical-soul from straying, hold fast to the Unity, and never quit it? Can you, when concentrating your breath, make it soft like that of a little child? Can you wipe and cleanse your vision of the Mystery till all is without blur? Can you love the people and rule the land, yet remain unknown? Can you in opening and shut-ting the heavenly gates play always the female part? Can your mind pen-errata every corner of the land, but you yourself never interfere? Rear them, then, feed them, rear them, but do not lay claim to them. Control them, but never lean upon them; be chief among them, but do not man-age them, This is called the Mysterious Power.