Look but Cannot See
Look at it but it cannot be seen - it is called the elusive. Listen to it but it cannot be heard - it is called the faint. Reach for it but it cannot be held - it is called the subtle. These three cannot be further probed, so they merge into one.
Look at it - it cannot be seen;
it is called the elusive.
Listen to it - it cannot be heard;
it is called the faint.
Reach for it - it cannot be held;
it is called the subtle.
These three cannot be further probed,
so they merge into one.
Its upper part is not bright;
its lower part is not dark.
Unceasing, unnameable,
it returns to nothingness.
This is the shape of the shapeless,
the image of the nothingness.
This is called the elusive, the indistinct.
Meet it and you cannot see its face;
follow it and you cannot see its back.
Hold fast to the ancient Dao
to govern the present.
Know the ancient beginning -
this is the thread of the Dao.
| Term | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 夷 | yí | level, flat; here meaning invisible, smooth beyond perception |
| 希 | xī | rare, sparse; here meaning inaudible |
| 微 | wēi | subtle, minute; here meaning intangible |
| 混而为一 | hùn ér wéi yī | merge into one - these three aspects unite |
| 皦 | jiǎo | bright, clear |
| 昧 | mèi | dark, dim |
| 惚恍 | hū huǎng | elusive, indistinct - the Dao defies precise perception |
| 古之道 | gǔ zhī dào | the ancient Way - the timeless principle |