老子《道德经》第二十五章英译

【原文】

有物混成，先天地生。寂兮寥兮，独立而不改，周行而不殆，可以为天地母。吾不知其名，强字之曰道，强为之名曰大。大曰逝，逝曰远，远曰反。

故道大，天大，地大，人亦大。域中有四大，而人居其一焉。

人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。

【现代汉语】

有一个浑然一体的东西，在天地形成以前就存在了。我们听不到它的声音也看不到它的形体，他独立长存，永不衰竭，循环运行而生生不息，可以为天地万物的根源。我不知道该如何称呼它，勉强称之为'道'，再勉强形容它为'大'。它广大无边而无所不在；它无所不在而伸展遥远；伸展遥远而返回本原。

所以说，道大，天大，地大，人也大。人便是宇宙空间中的这四大之一。

人应取法于地，地则取法于天，天取法于道，道则自法其本来面目。

【英译】

There was something undefined and complete, coming into existence before Heaven and Earth. How still it was and formless, standing alone, and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere and in no danger of being exhausted! It could be regarded as the Mother of all things.

I do not know how to name it, and I give it the designation of the Tao. Making an effort further to give it a image I call it The 'Great'. Tao is so immeasurable that it is omnipresent; Tao is so omnipresent that it's far-reaching; Tao is so far-reaching that it returns to its source in the end.

So, Tao is great; Heaven is great; Earth is great; and the human is also great. Human is the one of four great things in universe.

Human should take their law from the Earth; the Earth follows the trail of Heaven; the heaven follows the trail of Tao; the law of the Tao is its being what it is.
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