Tao can be told, (but) not (with) the unchanged way (of words).

體道 · Tǐ Dào

Classical Chinese Text

道 可 道也， 非 恒/常 道 也。
名 可 名， 非 恒 名也。
无名，万物之始也；有名，万物之母也。
故恒无欲也，以观其眇；恒有欲也，以观其所徼。
两者同出，异名同谓。玄之又玄，众眇之门。

Translation & Meaning

Tao can be told, (but) not (with) the unchanged way (of words).

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak
  • 可 (kě): can / capable of being
  • 也 (yě): [modal particle of assertion]
  • 非 (fēi): is not / false / not equal to
  • 恒 (héng): eternal / dynamic constant
  • 常 (cháng): constant / dynamic invariable
  • 名 (míng): name / conceptual label / to name
  • 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
  • 万 (wàn): ten thousand / myriad / all
  • 物 (wù): things / phenomena / forms
  • 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
  • 始 (shǐ): dawn / primordial origin
  • 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
  • 母 (mǔ): mother / generative root
  • 故 (gù): therefore / thus / consequence
  • 欲 (yù): intent / desire / craving
  • 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
  • 观 (guān): observe / contemplate essence
  • 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
  • 眇 (miǎo): subtlety / mystical profundity
  • 所 (suǒ): place / frontier / that which
  • 徼 (jiǎo): frontier / outer boundary
  • 两 (liǎng): two / duality / polarity
  • 者 (zhě): aspects / those who / things
  • 同 (tóng): identical / unified / same source
  • 出 (chū): emerge / issue forth / originate
  • 异 (yì): differ / distinct / contrasting
  • 谓 (wèi): called / named / designated
  • 玄 (xuán): mystery / fathomless depth
  • 又 (yòu): upon / further / layered
  • 众 (zhòng): multitude / myriad mass
  • 门 (mén): gateway / portal of reality