第1段上得不得
Section 1The greatest Gain is not to gain1
第2段失道后德
Section 2Emphasizing the Virtue after
losing the Tao2
第3段卑贱若石
Section 3Be humble as the stone4
第4段善始善成
Section 4Good at starting and finishing7
第5段有生于无
Section 5Existence came out of Nonexistence9
第6段损之而益
Section 6Benefit from losing10
第7段至柔致坚
Section 7The weakest becomes the
strongest11
第8段知足不辱
Section 8Knowing contentment avoids
disgrace12
第9段大成若缺
Section 9Great achievement seems
incomplete13
第10段知足恒足
Section 10Knowing satisfaction is the
eternal contentment14
第11段不见而明
Section 11One can understand without
seeing much15
第12段为道日损
Section 12Following the Tao,
desires decrease day by day16
第13段百姓之心
Section 13The heart of the people
17
第14段其无死地
Section 14Not to place himself in danger of death18
老子散文诗英文对译
目录
第15段为而弗恃
Section 15Contributing to some things,but not forcing them20
第16段用光复明
Section 16Understanding the essence through its appearance22
第17段盗夸非道
Section 17Secretly showing off is not the Tao24
第18段以家观家
Section 18Understanding more families by knowing one family25
第19段物老不道
Section 19Getting old due to reaching strength is not in line with
the Tao27
第20段和光同尘
Section 20Blending with the bright and mixing with the common29
第21段无事自富
Section 21Let them seek wealth through keeping peace30
第22段祸福相倚
Section 22Misfortune and luck coexist32
第23段治人唯啬
Section 23Government must be frugal with power33
第24段两不相伤
Section 24Two sides are not hurt by each other35
第25段大者宜下
Section 25It is best to adopt a low posture to get a great
achievement36
第26段万物之注
Section 26Watering all things38
第27段图难从易
Section 27Doing what is difficult should start with what is easy40
第28段治其未乱
Section 28Governing before unrest42
第29段慎终若始
Section 29Considering carefully the end as with the beginning44
第30段不智治邦
Section 30Governing without shrewdness46
第31段莫能与争
Section 31No one can compete with him48
第32段小邦寡民
Section 32Small vassal fief with a small population50
第33段为而不争
Section 33Making a difference and not competing52
第34段善战不怒
Section 34Those good at fighting will not be provoked53
第35段哀者胜矣
Section 35The side showing weakness will win56
第36段被褐怀玉
Section 36The outside is brown with jade hidden within57
第37段将病作病
Section 37Treating the ailment as sickness58
第38段自知自爱
Section 38Selfknowledge and selfrespect59
第39段天网恢恢
Section 39The net of heaven is vast60
第40段司杀者杀
Section 40The judiciary enforces the law61
第41段税多人饥
Section 41Heavy taxes will cause people to starve62
第42段柔弱居上
Section 42Those who show weakness can have a high position63
第43段为而不有
Section 43Making a difference but never possessing it64
第44段弱能胜强
Section 44The weak can win over the strong66
第45段天道无亲
Section 45The Tao is indifferent to who is close or distant67
第46段万物之始
Section 46The beginning of all things68
第47段难易相成
Section 47The difficult and easy are formed of each other70
第48段不敢不为
Section 48Not daring not to do their duties72
第49段挫锐解纷
Section 49Ending sharp contradictions and resolving general
disputes74
第50段不若守中
Section 50It is better to think and discern inwardly75
第51段无私成私
Section 51Being selfless so to achieve oneself76
第52段上善如水
Section 52Great kindness is like water78
第53段富骄遗咎
Section 53Being rich and overbearing will threaten ruin79
第54段长而不宰
Section 54Accommodating and raising people but not dominating
them80
第55段无之为用
Section 55Making something nonexistent can be useful82
第56段五色目盲
Section 56Many colours make the peoples eyes blind83
第57段可托天下
Section 57The World can be entrusted to him84
第58段无形之形
Section 58The shape without a shape86
第59段浊而静之
Section 59Making the turbid calm down88
第60段复归其根
Section 60Returning to their own roots90
第61段下知有之
Section 61People below only know of his existence92
第62段少私寡欲
Section 62Being less selfish and free of desire94
第63段独贵食母
Section 63Being special and valuing all people95
第64段孔德之容
Section 64The image of greatest virtue97
第65段自视不彰
Section 65It is difficult for one to display clearly if he is
selfrighteous99
第66段曲全成全
Section 66Bearing grievances to secure the overall situation
will succeed in the end100
ⅩⅧ
第67段得者同得
Section 67The real Gain is the common Gain102
第68段有物昆成
Section 68The thing took shape vaguely and naturally103
第69段重为轻根
Section 69Sobriety is fundamental in overcoming frivolity105
第70段物无弃财
Section 70There is nothing to be given up106
第71段复归无极
Section 71Returning to the extreme place of Nonexistence108
第72段去甚去大
Section 72Removing the excessive and the extreme110
第73段果而不骄
Section 73Win without arrogance 112
第74段吉事尚左
Section 74For the auspicious things the left side is the most
important side114
第75段小谷江海
Section 75A stream and a river or sea116
第76段死而不忘
Section 76Dead but not being forgotten118
第77段不大成大
Section 77Not achieving as the great but achieving the great119
第78段用之不尽
Section 78It is inexhaustible120
ⅩⅨ
第79段欲夺故予
Section 79Wanting to take,one must deliberately give121
第80段天地自正
Section 80The World will become orderly by itself122
注释123
参考文献125
內容試閱:
Preface
of the original
Laozis Prose Poetry parallel Translation
In this book,from a simple and logical perspective,the Silk Book Laozi,a poemlike philosophical classic of ancient Chinese,is translated sentence by sentence. In this way,the modern prose poem form of the Silk Book Laozi is obtained,which is convenient for understanding the connotations of Laozi.
The Silk Book Laozi is a restored copy of the Laozi manuscript unearthed in 1973 at Mawangdui No.3 Han Tomb in Changsha,Hunan Province. It is the earliest and most complete version of Laozi currently available. The full text of the Silk Book Laozi can be found in the appendix of this book,with a total of more than 5,500 Chinese characters. It is in response to the saying that Laozi is also called “Five Thousand Words”. Two versions of the Silk Book Laozi were unearthed at the same time,Book A and Book B. Book A is a manuscript of Laozi before 202 BC,while Book B is a manuscript from 202 BC to 185 BC. Both Book A and Book B have no punctuation. Both books are manuscripts copied continuously,and their contents are basically consistent with each other. Book A is divided into two parts,but there is no title. Book B is also divided into two parts, with subtitles “De” and “Tao” respectively. Whether it is Book A or Book B,the part of “De” comes first,and the part of “Tao” comes after. The socalled Laozi usually refers to this work. Because the Silk Book Laozi has no title,everyone uses the authors name Laozi as its title. The version of Laozi that has been popular in the world for nearly two thousand years is called Laozi,or Tao De Jing.The Silk Book Laozi is not so called because of the completely reversed sequence of paragraphs.
The original text of the Silk Book Laozi used in this book is based on Mr. Liang Haimings book,Laozi[1]. It is because of the forming principle of the original text of his Laozi. At first,it is based on the Book A of the Silk Book Laozi. And then,if there is something lacking in Book A,that in Book B is used to make it up; if there is a similar lack in Book A and B,that in the popular version Laozi is used to make it up. In this way,the earliest nature of the original text can be guaranteed,so as to avoid possible changes that might be brought about by countless transcriptions over the past two thousand years. Some special words and sentences in the original text of the Silk Book Laozi used in this book also refer to Mr.Gao Mings Commentary Notes on Silk Book Laozi[2],and Changsha Mawangdui Han Tomb Bamboo Slips and Silk Book Collection (4) [3] edited by Mr. Qiu Xigui. Therefore,the original text of the Silk Book Laozi used in this book retains the basic original appearance of Book A,that is,with no punctuation,and the part “De” is in the front and the part “Tao” is in the back. I hope we can keep as close as possible to the appearance of Laozis original work,and read the original text of Laozi from a simple and logical perspective.
序
Laozi is a very important classic in Chinese cultural thought and has a profound impact on Chinese society. Some of its principles and maxims are still circulating and used today. There have been many interpretations of Laozi for more than two thousand years. For this point,you can refer to the reference list in Mr. Chen Guyings Laozis Notes and Criticism[4]. These existing interpretations have their own reasons from different standpoints. Moreover,they all play a positive role in spreading Laozis cultural thought. This book will reinterpret this ancient classic with a different perspective and a simple concept. It has no intention of arguing with other existing interpretations,but wants to show everyone Laozi from a new perspective,just adding a small and ordinary stroke to the many existing interpretations. If there is a bit of novelty and enlightenment in the reading,it will be an unexpected harvest for this book.
The time when Laozi wrote his book was about the end of the Spring and Autumn Period of the Zhou Dynasty in ancient China,when bamboo slips were used as the record carrier. Because bamboo slips were thick and heavy,in order to reduce the weight and volume of bamboo slip books,the writings at that time were concise. Some conjunctions,adverbs,and pronouns that can be inferred are difficult to either include or omit. Of course,this understanding of the article will increase its difficulty,so most of the articles at that time need to be explained by the master. Even so,The author of Laozi tried his best to make this work easy to understand. It can be said that compared with other works of the time,it is the closest to modern writing. No wonder that it is mentioned in Laozi: “My words are very easy to understand.” and “People cannot understand them.” In other words,since ancient times,people have a mysterious feeling towards Laozi. As a result,the understanding of the “Tao” described in Laozi also casts a layer of mystery. No wonder that it also mentioned in Laozi: “The Tao is easy,but the people are easy to misunderstand.” Therefore,in studying Laozi we must return to the original heart,and from a simple perspective,you may get a multiple effect with half the effort.