Tao is perpetual nameless, plain. Although small, all that is under he

聖德 · Shèng Dé

Classical Chinese Text

道常无名，朴。虽小，天下莫能臣。侯王若能守之，万物将自宾。
天地相合①，以降甘露，民莫之令而自均⑤。
始制有名，名亦既有，夫亦将知止，知止可以不殆⑦。譬道之在天下，犹川谷之于江海

Translation & Meaning

Tao is perpetual nameless, plain. Although small, all that is under heaven can not subdue it. If marquis and kings can hold onto it, ten thousand things will obey.

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak
  • 常 (cháng): constant / dynamic invariable
  • 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
  • 名 (míng): name / conceptual label / to name
  • 朴 (pǔ): classical character (pǔ)
  • 虽 (suī): classical character (suī)
  • 小 (xiǎo): classical character (xiǎo)
  • 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
  • 下 (xià): under / earthly realm / humble
  • 莫 (mò): classical character (mò)
  • 能 (néng): fruitful / capacity / ability
  • 臣 (chén): classical character (chén)
  • 侯 (hóu): classical character (hóu)
  • 王 (wáng): classical character (wáng)
  • 若 (ruò): classical character (ruò)
  • 守 (shǒu): classical character (shǒu)
  • 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
  • 万 (wàn): ten thousand / myriad / all
  • 物 (wù): things / phenomena / forms
  • 将 (jiāng): classical character (jiāng)
  • 自 (zì): classical character (zì)
  • 宾 (bīn): classical character (bīn)
  • 地 (dì): classical character (dì)
  • 相 (xiāng): mutually / each other
  • 合 (hé): classical character (hé)
  • 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
  • 降 (jiàng): classical character (jiàng)
  • 甘 (gān): classical character (gān)
  • 露 (lù): classical character (lù)
  • 民 (mín): classical character (mín)
  • 令 (lìng): classical character (lìng)
  • 而 (ér): yet / and / but
  • 均 (jūn): classical character (jūn)
  • 始 (shǐ): dawn / primordial origin
  • 制 (zhì): classical character (zhì)
  • 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
  • 亦 (yì): classical character (yì)
  • 既 (jì): classical character (jì)
  • 夫 (fū): for / indeed / now
  • 知 (zhī): know / distinguish / recognize
  • 止 (zhǐ): classical character (zhǐ)
  • 可 (kě): can / capable of being
  • 不 (bù): not / un- / without
  • 殆 (dài): classical character (dài)
  • 譬 (pì): classical character (pì)
  • 在 (zài): classical character (zài)
  • 犹 (yóu): classical character (yóu)
  • 川 (chuān): classical character (chuān)
  • 谷 (gǔ): classical character (gǔ)
  • 于 (yú): to / at / in
  • 江 (jiāng): classical character (jiāng)
  • 海 (hǎi): classical character (hǎi)