觀玅章第一

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。
 

1. The Way
 

The Way that can be experienced is not true;

The world that can be constructed is not true.

The Way manifests all that happens and may happen;

The world represents all that exists and may exist.

To experience without intention is to sense the world;

To experience with intention is to anticipate the world.

These two experiences are indistinguishable;

Their construction differs but their effect is the same.

Beyond the gate of experience flows the Way,

Which is ever greater and more subtle than the world.

道路可以讓人行走，但這種道不是永恒的常道。名稱可以用來指物，但這種名不是永恒的常名。無名是天地的開始，有名是演生萬物的母親。所以經常要無所欲望，以觀想天地之奧妙。有欲望，則可以觀想萬物的清楚明白之處。道與名都是同樣的源頭所生，只是名稱不一樣而已，都可以稱為「玄」，玄而又玄，這是通往所有精微真理的大門。