Tao Te Ching Chapitre 4 – Sans origine (道德經 第4章)
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Tao Te Ching — Chapitre 4 : La Source intarissable
道德經 第四章 · 無源 · Lao Tzu · Édition bilingue avec commentaires classiques
Texte original — 原文
挫其銃，解其紛，和其光，同其塵。
湛兩似或存。吴不知誰之子，象帝之先。
Traduction anglaise — James Legge
The Dao is like the emptiness of a vessel; and in our employment of it we must be on our guard against all fulness. How deep and unfathomable it is, as if it were the Honoured Ancestor of all things!
We should blunt our sharp points, and unravel the complications of things; we should attemper our brightness, and bring ourselves into agreement with the obscurity of others. How pure and still the Dao is, as if it would ever so continue!
I do not know whose son it is. It might appear to have been before God.
✦ Idée clé
Le chapitre 4 révèle le paradoxe au cœur du Dao : il est vide, mais inépuisable. Il ne s'affirme pas, pourtant il est la source de toutes choses — plus ancien que le ciel, plus ancien que Dieu. Cette image du vase vide qui ne déborde jamais est l'une des métaphores les plus durables de toute la philosophie et de la pratique rituelle taoïstes : le vrai pouvoir ne réside pas dans la plénitude, mais dans l'épuisement inépuisable.
Commentaires classiques — 古典注释
王弼注 Wang Bi's Commentary
Wang Bi describes the Dao as an empty vessel that never overflows — it blunts sharpness without damage, untangles knots without effort, harmonizes light without pollution, and blends with dust without losing its nature. Heaven and Earth cannot surpass it. It is the ancestor of all things, existing before the Lord of Heaven itself.
河上公注 Heshang Gong's Commentary
Heshang Gong explains that chong (沖) means the center — the Dao conceals its fame and virtue, always remaining humble and never overflowing. It is deep and unfathomable, the ancestor of all things. The sharp edge of ambition should be blunted, resentments untied, brilliance harmonized with obscurity, and the self merged with the common dust. By remaining still and clear, the Dao endures without end — it existed before Heaven itself.
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.
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