Tao Te Ching Chapter 25 – 象元 (道德經 第25章)
Paul PengShare
Tao Te Ching — Chapter 25: Representations of the Mystery
道德經 第二十五章 · 象元 · Lao Tzu · Bilingual Edition with Classical Commentaries
Original Text — 原文
English Translation — James Legge
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 may be regarded as the Mother of all things.
I do not know its name, and I give it the designation of the Dao. Making an effort further to give it a name I call it The Great.
Great, it passes on in constant flow. Passing on, it becomes remote. Having become remote, it returns.
Therefore the Dao is great; Heaven is great; Earth is great; and the sage king is also great. In the universe there are four that are great, and the sage king is one of them.
Man takes his law from the Earth; the Earth takes its law from Heaven; Heaven takes its law from the Dao. The law of the Dao is its being what it is.
✦ Key Insight
Chapter 25 is one of the most cosmological in the Tao Te Ching. Lao Tzu describes something that existed before Heaven and Earth — formless, silent, self-sufficient, and inexhaustible. He reluctantly names it ‘Dao’ and then ‘Great.’ The great flows, flows far, and returns — an eternal cycle. The four greats are Dao, Heaven, Earth, and the sage king. Each follows the one above, and the Dao follows only its own nature: ziran (自然), spontaneous self-so-ness.
Classical Commentaries — 古典注释
王弼注 Wang Bi's Commentary
Wang Bi describes something formless yet complete, born before Heaven and Earth, standing alone without change, reaching everywhere without exhaustion. Forced to name it, he calls it the Great. Man follows Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows what is natural (ziran).
河上公注 Heshang Gong's Commentary
Heshang Gong says something formless emerged before Heaven and Earth — it is the Dao itself. Silent and empty, standing alone without equal, it moves everywhere without danger. I call it Dao, and force the name ‘Great.’ Humans follow Earth, Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows its own nature.
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 →
