There is this thing formed by chaos, born before the Heaven and Earth.

象元 · Xiàng Yuán

Classical Chinese Text

有物混成，先天地生。寂兮寥兮，独立而不改，周行而不殆，可以为天地母。吾不知其名，强字之曰：道，强为之名曰：大①。大曰逝，逝曰远，远曰反。
故道大，天大，地大，人亦大。域②中有四大，而人居其一焉。人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。

Translation & Meaning

There is this thing formed by chaos, born before the Heaven and Earth. It is silent and profound, independent and unchanging, cyclically moving and uninterrupted, could be the mother of Heaven and Earth. I don't know its name, so I reluctantly name it: Tao, also reluctantly name it: Grand. Grand is called Move, Move is called Distant, Distant is called Return.

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
  • 物 (wù): things / phenomena / forms
  • 混 (hùn): classical character (hùn)
  • 成 (chéng): complete / fulfill
  • 先 (xiān): before / front
  • 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
  • 地 (dì): classical character (dì)
  • 生 (shēng): give birth to / arise
  • 寂 (jì): classical character (jì)
  • 兮 (xī): classical character (xī)
  • 寥 (liáo): classical character (liáo)
  • 独 (dú): classical character (dú)
  • 立 (lì): classical character (lì)
  • 而 (ér): yet / and / but
  • 不 (bù): not / un- / without
  • 改 (gǎi): classical character (gǎi)
  • 周 (zhōu): classical character (zhōu)
  • 行 (xíng): practice / teach / walk
  • 殆 (dài): classical character (dài)
  • 可 (kě): can / capable of being
  • 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
  • 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
  • 母 (mǔ): mother / generative root
  • 吾 (wú): I / myself
  • 知 (zhī): know / distinguish / recognize
  • 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
  • 名 (míng): name / conceptual label / to name
  • 强 (qiáng): strengthen / firm / robust
  • 字 (zì): classical character (zì)
  • 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
  • 曰 (yuē): classical character (yuē)
  • 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak
  • 大 (dà): classical character (dà)
  • 逝 (shì): classical character (shì)
  • 远 (yuǎn): classical character (yuǎn)
  • 反 (fǎn): classical character (fǎn)
  • 故 (gù): therefore / thus / consequence
  • 人 (rén): person / human
  • 亦 (yì): classical character (yì)
  • 域 (yù): classical character (yù)
  • 中 (zhōng): classical character (zhōng)
  • 四 (sì): classical character (sì)
  • 居 (jū): reside in / carry oneself
  • 一 (yī): classical character (yī)
  • 焉 (yān): classical character (yān)
  • 法 (fǎ): classical character (fǎ)
  • 自 (zì): classical character (zì)
  • 然 (rán): classical character (rán)