Daodejing 01

Dàodéjīng 01

Install the fonts Gentium Plus and Noto Serif Traditional Chinese.
The Old and Middle Chinese reconstructed pronunciations follow Zhenzhang (2003), apud Wiktionary. The language of Laozi is probably not well reflected by either, but should roughly fall in between.
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01.01

道	可	道	，
l’uːʔ	kʰaːlʔ	l’uːʔ
dɑu^X	kʰɑ^X	dɑu^X
dào	kě	dào

The way that can be told, is not the eternal way.

The line is a play on words based on the polysemy of 道 dào, meaning both “way” and “to say, to utter”. Alternative translation for the first line however are also “a path fit for travel” or “a path that can be trodden”.

01.02

非	常	道	。
pəl	djaŋ	l’uːʔ
pʉi	dʑɨɐŋ	dɑu^X
fēi	cháng	dào

01.03

名	可	名	，
meŋ	kʰaːlʔ	meŋ
miᴇŋ	kʰɑ^X	miᴇŋ
míng	kě	míng

Names that can be called, are not eternal names.

Structural parallel to the previous statement, with 名 míng also having both a nominal and a verbal meaning, usually “name” and “to be called, to describe”. However some translations the two as “concept” and “to conceive” respectively to better convey the meaning implied.

01.04

非	常	名	。
pəl	djaŋ	meŋ
pʉi	dʑɨɐŋ	miᴇŋ
fēi	cháng	míng

01.05

無	名	天	地	之	始	。
ma	meŋ	qʰl’iːn	l’els	tjə	hljəʔ
mɨo	miᴇŋ	tʰen	diɪ^H	tɕɨ	ɕɨ^X
wú	míng	tiān	dì	zhī	shǐ

Without a name is the beginning of the universe.

The expression 天地 tiāndì is a compound of 天 tiān “Heaven” and 地 dì “Earth”. The two characters 無名 wú míng, literally “without a name”, have also be translated as “is inconceivable”, cf. the notes for the previous lines.

01.06

有	名	萬	物	之	母	。
ɢʷəʔ	meŋ	mlans	məd	tjə	məʔ
ɦɨu^X	miᴇŋ	mʉɐn^H	mɨut̚	tɕɨ	məu^X
yǒu	míng	wàn	wù	zhī	mǔ

With a name is the mother of all things.

The expression 萬物 wànwù is a compound of 萬 wàn “ten thousands, a myriad” and 物 wù “things”. These lines indicate that although the starting time, i.e. 始 shǐ, of the universe cannot be conceived, i.e. given a name, we can conceive the primary cause, i.e. 母 mǔ, of everything that followed.

01.07

故	常	無	欲	，
kaːs	djaŋ	ma	loɡ
ku^H	dʑɨɐŋ	mɨo	jɨok̚
gù	cháng	wú	yù

Therefore, always without desire, in order to contemplate its mystery.

For 以 yǐ I preferred the translation “in order to”, although I also found “accordingly” or “so”. The term 妙 miào means literally “subtle, mysterious, profound” or also “marvelous, ingenious”. Here it stands describe the underlying mysterious and profound essence of all things.

01.08

以	觀	其	妙	。
ləʔ	koːn	ɡə	mews
jɨ^X	kuɑn	ɡɨ	miᴇu^H
yǐ	guān	qí	miào

01.09

常	有	欲	，
djaŋ	ɢʷəʔ	loɡ
dʑɨɐŋ	ɦɨu^X	jɨok̚
cháng	yǒu	yù

Always with desire, in order to contemplate its surface.

On a strong antithesis to the previous statement, 徼 jiào literally means “border, frontier”.

01.10

以	觀	其	徼	。
ləʔ	koːn	ɡə	kleːwɢs
jɨ^X	kuɑn	ɡɨ	keu^H
yǐ	guān	qí	jiào

01.11

此	兩	者	同	出	，
sʰeʔ	raŋʔ	tjaːʔ	doːŋ	kʰljud
tsʰiᴇ^X	lɨɐŋ^X	tɕia^X	duŋ	tɕʰiuɪt̚
cǐ	liǎng	zhě	tóng	chū

These two arising together, yet different in name, together call them profound.

者 zhě is a topicaliser used after a term to mark a pause before its definition. 玄 xuán is otherwise seen translated as “mysterious” or “dark”. I avoided the first to maintain the distinction from translations of 妙 miào and the second to avoid the preceived negative connotation.

01.12

而	異	名	，
njə	ləɡs	meŋ
ȵɨ	jɨ^H	miᴇŋ
ér	yì	míng

01.13

同	謂	之	玄	。
doːŋ	ɢuds	tjə	ɡʷeːn
duŋ	ɦʉi^H	tɕɨ	ɦwen
tóng	wèi	zhī	xuán

01.14

玄	之	又	玄	，
ɡʷeːn	tjə	ɢʷəs	ɡʷeːn
ɦwen	tɕɨ	ɦɨu^H	ɦwen
xuán	zhī	yòu	xuán

Extremely profound is the gate of all mysteries.

The expression 玄之又玄 xuánzhīyòuxuán from here entered common speech and is still used to mean “extremely profound”, which is the translation I chose here, as it is difficult to give the proper literal translation, various attempts being “the deep of deeps”, “the obscure of the obscure”, “the mystery of mysteries”.

01.15

眾	妙	之	門	。
tjuŋs	mews	tjə	məːn
tɕɨuŋ^H	miᴇu^H	tɕɨ	muən
zhòng	miào	zhī	mén