Tao creates One, One creates Two, Two creates Three, Three creates ten
道化 · Dào Huà
Classical Chinese Text
道生一，一生二，二生三，三生万物。万物负阴而抱阳，冲气以为和。 人之所恶，唯孤、寡、不谷，而王公以为称。故物或损之而益，或益之而损。人之所教，我亦教之。强梁者不得其死①，吾将以为教父。
Translation & Meaning
Tao creates One, One creates Two, Two creates Three, Three creates ten thousand things. Ten thousand things rely on Yin but embrace Yang. The conflict of (the two) Chi leads to harmony.
Linguistic & Character Analysis
- 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak
- 生 (shēng): give birth to / arise
- 一 (yī): classical character (yī)
- 二 (èr): classical character (èr)
- 三 (sān): classical character (sān)
- 万 (wàn): ten thousand / myriad / all
- 物 (wù): things / phenomena / forms
- 负 (fù): classical character (fù)
- 阴 (yīn): classical character (yīn)
- 而 (ér): yet / and / but
- 抱 (bào): classical character (bào)
- 阳 (yáng): classical character (yáng)
- 冲 (chōng): void / surge / empty cup
- 气 (qì): classical character (qì)
- 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
- 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
- 和 (hé): accord / harmonize
- 人 (rén): person / human
- 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
- 所 (suǒ): place / frontier / that which
- 恶 (è): ugly / aversion / evil
- 唯 (wéi): only / precisely because
- 孤 (gū): classical character (gū)
- 寡 (guǎ): classical character (guǎ)
- 不 (bù): not / un- / without
- 谷 (gǔ): classical character (gǔ)
- 王 (wáng): classical character (wáng)
- 公 (gōng): classical character (gōng)
- 称 (chēng): classical character (chēng)
- 故 (gù): therefore / thus / consequence
- 或 (huò): tangible / perhaps / presence
- 损 (sǔn): classical character (sǔn)
- 益 (yì): classical character (yì)
- 教 (jiào): teaching / guidance
- 我 (wǒ): classical character (wǒ)
- 亦 (yì): classical character (yì)
- 强 (qiáng): strengthen / firm / robust
- 梁 (liáng): classical character (liáng)
- 者 (zhě): aspects / those who / things
- 得 (dé): obtain / acquire / gain
- 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
- 死 (sǐ): classical character (sǐ)
- 吾 (wú): I / myself
- 将 (jiāng): classical character (jiāng)
- 父 (fù): classical character (fù)