Tao Te Ching Chapter 1 – 体道 (道德經 第1章)
Paul PengShare
Tao Te Ching — Chapter 1: Embodying the Dao
道德經 第一章 · 体道 · Lao Tzu · Bilingual Edition with Classical Commentaries
Original Text — 原文
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。
English Translation — James Legge
The Dao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Dao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.
Conceived of as having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; conceived of as having a name, it is the Mother of all things.
Always without desire we must be found,
If its deep mystery we would sound;
But if desire always within us be,
Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.
Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development takes place, it receives the different names. Together we call them the Mystery. Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.
✦ Key Insight
Chapter 1 is the philosophical foundation of all 81 chapters. Lao Tzu opens by dismantling the very tool he uses — language — to point toward a truth that transcends words. The Dao is not a concept to be grasped, but a reality to be lived. This paradox of the nameless and the named runs through the entire Taoist path of cultivation and ritual practice.
Classical Commentaries — 古典注释
Wang Bi's Commentary 王弼注
Wang Bi explains that the Dao which can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao, because naming and describing belong to the realm of finite things. True Dao transcends form and name. He emphasizes that non-being (wu) is the origin of all things, and both being and non-being emerge from the same mysterious source — the Mystery of Mysteries which is the gate to all wonders.
Heshang Gong's Commentary 河上公注
Heshang Gong interprets this chapter through both governance and self-cultivation. The nameable Dao refers to the ways of statecraft and moral teachings — not the eternal, natural Dao. The eternal Dao nourishes spirit through non-action. The nameless is the Dao itself, formless and unnameable, the origin of Heaven and Earth. The named refers to Heaven and Earth, which have form and position. By remaining free from desire, one perceives the Dao's essence.
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is the curator of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
Read his full story →
