Guan Yinzi said: "Those in ancient times who were skilled at divining with yarrow stalks and tortoise shells, as the Sayings of Symbolism recounts could demonstrate the past within the present, and the present within the past." The high can show the low, and the low can show the high; the small can demonstrate the great, and the great can demonstrate the small; the one can show the many, and the many can show the one—a theme explored in Ze-yang; people can demonstrate things, and things can demonstrate people; I can show the other, and the other can show me." This Dao has no beginning in time; it does not come from the present nor go to the past; its height is without a cover, and its depth is without a base; its greatness has no outer boundary, and its smallness has no inner core; outside it there is nothing, and within it there are no people; its nearness has no self, and its distance has no other." It cannot be divided, nor can it be combined; it cannot be explained, nor can it be thought about. Only because it is undivided and complete can it be called the Dao."

Guan Yinzi said: "Water is hidden, hence it stores as the five essences; fire flies upward, hence it manifests as the five odors; wood flourishes, hence it becomes adorned with the five colors; metal is firm, hence it solidifies into the five sounds; earth is harmonious, hence it nourishes as the five flavors." Their constants are five, but their transformations are immeasurable; Their substances are five, yet their combinations are innumerable." Therefore, all things existing between heaven and earth cannot be rigidly defined as ten thousand; they cannot be rigidly confined to five, nor can they be rigidly reduced to one; they cannot be rigidly denied as not ten thousand, not five, or not one. They may be combined or separated, like yin and yang. Because of this, forms are necessarily determined; because of this, numbers are necessarily established; because of this, qi is necessarily manifested. All this is merely self-torment! Things do not know me, and I do not know things."

Guan Yinzi said: "Within my mind, myriad things can be created. When the mind has a direction, love follows it; where love follows, essence follows. When the mind is fixated on something, it first condenses into water; when the heart yearns for an object, saliva emerges; when the heart grieves over an object, tears flow; when the heart is ashamed of something, sweat emerges. There is no moment without duration, and there is no duration without change. Water generates wood; wood generates fire; fire generates earth; earth generates metal; metal generates water—just as the scripture says, "Dao produces one, one produces two, two produces three". They attack and restrain each other, in an endless cycle that cannot be fully counted. Infant, Ruinü, Jinlou, Jianggong, Qingjiao, Baihu, Baoding, Honglu—all are manifestations of this substance. There is nothing that exists outside of this."

Guan Yinzi said: "Birds and beasts may at one moment make soft cooing sounds, then in the next moment become cautious and watchful, and then suddenly flee. Grasses and trees may at one moment sprout vigorously, then in the next remain still, and then wither away. Heaven and earth cannot retain them, nor can a sage bind them. Only the one who follows the movement of Dao remains." When it is present there, it is absent here; A drum without a stick will not sound. When the even is there, the odd is here; if one does not hold the stick, then it cannot strike."

Guan Yinzi said: "It is all one substance. Common people are confused by names, perceiving things but not the Dao; sages analyze its principles, perceiving the Dao but not the things. Sages of the highest order unite with Heaven; they neither see the Dao nor see things." All ways are the Dao. Through wu wei (non-action), if one does not grasp it, it is the Dao; if one grasps it, it becomes a thing."

Guan Yinzi said: "He who knows that things are illusory need not reject them. For example, when one sees an earthen ox or a wooden horse, although the names of ox and horse exist in feeling, the mind forgets their actual forms."