The profundity of grand virtues, follow only the Tao.
虛心 · Xū Xīn
Classical Chinese Text
孔德之容，惟道是从。 道之为物，惟恍惟惚。惚兮恍兮，其中有象；恍兮惚兮，其中有物；窈兮冥兮，其中有精，其精甚真，其中有信，自今及古，其名不去，以阅众甫。 吾何以知众甫之状哉？以此。
Translation & Meaning
The profundity of grand virtues, follow only the Tao.
Linguistic & Character Analysis
- 孔 (kǒng): classical character (kǒng)
- 德 (dé): Intrinsic Virtue / inner power
- 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
- 容 (róng): classical character (róng)
- 惟 (wéi): classical character (wéi)
- 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak
- 是 (shì): this / therefore
- 从 (cóng): classical character (cóng)
- 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
- 物 (wù): things / phenomena / forms
- 恍 (huǎng): classical character (huǎng)
- 惚 (hū): classical character (hū)
- 兮 (xī): classical character (xī)
- 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
- 中 (zhōng): classical character (zhōng)
- 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
- 象 (xiàng): appearance / image / form
- 窈 (yǎo): classical character (yǎo)
- 冥 (míng): classical character (míng)
- 精 (jīng): classical character (jīng)
- 甚 (shèn): classical character (shèn)
- 真 (zhēn): classical character (zhēn)
- 信 (xìn): truth / fidelity / honesty
- 自 (zì): classical character (zì)
- 今 (jīn): classical character (jīn)
- 及 (jí): classical character (jí)
- 古 (gǔ): classical character (gǔ)
- 名 (míng): name / conceptual label / to name
- 不 (bù): not / un- / without
- 去 (qù): depart / lose / abandon
- 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
- 阅 (yuè): classical character (yuè)
- 众 (zhòng): multitude / myriad mass
- 甫 (fǔ): classical character (fǔ)
- 吾 (wú): I / myself
- 何 (hé): classical character (hé)
- 知 (zhī): know / distinguish / recognize
- 状 (zhuàng): classical character (zhuàng)
- 哉 (zāi): classical character (zāi)
- 此 (cǐ): classical character (cǐ)