异俗 · 我独异于人而贵食母

Yì Sú

Classical Chinese Text

唯之与阿，相去几何？美之与恶，相去若何？
人之所畏，不可不畏。荒兮，其未央哉！
众人熙熙，如享太牢，如春登台。我⑨独泊兮，其未兆；沌沌兮，如婴儿之未孩；傫傫兮，若无所归。
众人皆有余，而我独若遗。我愚人之心也哉！俗人昭昭，我独昏昏。俗人察察，我独闷闷。
澹兮，其若海；飂兮，若无止。众人皆有以，而我独顽且鄙。我独异于人，而贵食母①。

Translation & Meaning

恭顺的应诺与轻慢的呵斥，相差究竟有多少？世俗的美好与丑恶，相距又有多远？众人所敬畏的天理法则，确实不可不存敬畏；然而世俗追逐的风气多么荒茫无边、没完没了啊！ 众人兴高采烈，像赴盛大祭宴，又像春日登高欢游；唯独我恬淡安静、不露端倪，像尚未学会嬉笑的婴儿，闲散自在得好似无处归宿。 众人都显得精明富足有余，唯独我好似有所遗落不足。我真是怀着一颗浑朴愚人的心啊，多么淳厚混沌！ 世人个个精明外露，唯独我内敛含蓄；世人个个斤斤计较，唯独我宽厚浑穆。 辽阔平静啊有如大海，清朗自在啊有如长风无所滞留。众人都各有功利企图，唯独我质朴浑厚而不通世故。 我之所以与众人截然不同，是因为我珍视并仰仗那滋养万物的大道母体。

Commentary

青禾散人评注：此章极具抒情诗意。在全社会狂欢逐利之时，行道者甘受孤独、不随波逐流，外似愚拙而内怀沧海，因深扎于大道本源（食母）而精神独立。

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 唯 (wéi): only / precisely because
  • 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
  • 与 (yǔ): classical character (yǔ)
  • 阿 (ā): classical character (ā)
  • 相 (xiāng): mutually / each other
  • 去 (qù): depart / lose / abandon
  • 几 (jǐ): resembles / close to
  • 何 (hé): classical character (hé)
  • 美 (měi): beauty / aesthetic ideal
  • 恶 (è): ugly / aversion / evil
  • 若 (ruò): classical character (ruò)
  • 人 (rén): person / human
  • 所 (suǒ): place / frontier / that which
  • 畏 (wèi): classical character (wèi)
  • 不 (bù): not / un- / without
  • 可 (kě): can / capable of being
  • 荒 (huāng): classical character (huāng)
  • 兮 (xī): classical character (xī)
  • 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
  • 未 (wèi): classical character (wèi)
  • 央 (yāng): classical character (yāng)
  • 哉 (zāi): classical character (zāi)
  • 众 (zhòng): multitude / myriad mass
  • 熙 (xī): classical character (xī)
  • 如 (rú): classical character (rú)
  • 享 (xiǎng): classical character (xiǎng)
  • 太 (tài): classical character (tài)
  • 牢 (láo): classical character (láo)
  • 春 (chūn): classical character (chūn)
  • 登 (dēng): classical character (dēng)
  • 台 (tái): classical character (tái)
  • 我 (wǒ): classical character (wǒ)
  • 独 (dú): classical character (dú)
  • 泊 (bó): classical character (bó)
  • 兆 (zhào): classical character (zhào)
  • 沌 (dùn): classical character (dùn)
  • 婴 (yīng): classical character (yīng)
  • 儿 (ér): classical character (ér)
  • 孩 (hái): classical character (hái)
  • 傫 (lěi): classical character (lěi)
  • 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
  • 归 (guī): classical character (guī)
  • 皆 (jiē): all / universally
  • 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
  • 余 (yú): classical character (yú)
  • 而 (ér): yet / and / but
  • 遗 (yí): classical character (yí)
  • 愚 (yú): classical character (yú)
  • 心 (xīn): heart-mind / awareness
  • 也 (yě): [modal particle of assertion]
  • 俗 (sú): classical character (sú)
  • 昭 (zhāo): classical character (zhāo)
  • 昏 (hūn): classical character (hūn)
  • 察 (chá): classical character (chá)
  • 闷 (mēn): classical character (mēn)
  • 澹 (dàn): classical character (dàn)
  • 海 (hǎi): classical character (hǎi)
  • 飂 (liù): classical character (liù)
  • 止 (zhǐ): classical character (zhǐ)
  • 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
  • 顽 (wán): classical character (wán)
  • 且 (qiě): classical character (qiě)
  • 鄙 (bǐ): classical character (bǐ)
  • 异 (yì): differ / distinct / contrasting
  • 于 (yú): to / at / in
  • 贵 (guì): prize / cherish / valuable
  • 食 (shí): classical character (shí)
  • 母 (mǔ): mother / generative root