任成 · 大道氾兮

Rèn Chéng

Classical Chinese Text

大道汜兮，其可左右。万物恃之以生而不辞，功成而不有。衣养万物而不为主，常无欲，可名于小；万物归焉而不为主，可名为大。以其终不自为大，故能成其大。

Translation & Meaning

大道浩瀚周流啊，無所不在、左右逢源。 萬物依靠它得以生長，它從不推辭厭倦；成就了化育之功，它從不據為己有。覆育滋養萬物而不自居為主宰，恆常無私無欲，甚至可以把它稱作微小的存在；萬物皆歸依於它而它仍不強作主宰，又可以把它稱作至大的存在。 正因為它始終不自以為偉大，所以才真正成就了它無與倫比的偉大。

Commentary

青禾散人評注：「以其終不自為大，故能成其大。」凡急於證明自己偉大者，格局已然侷促；如大道般默默潤物而不居主宰，偉大自成。

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 大 (dà): classical character (dà)
  • 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak
  • 汜 (sì): classical character (sì)
  • 兮 (xī): classical character (xī)
  • 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
  • 可 (kě): can / capable of being
  • 左 (zuǒ): classical character (zuǒ)
  • 右 (yòu): classical character (yòu)
  • 万 (wàn): ten thousand / myriad / all
  • 物 (wù): things / phenomena / forms
  • 恃 (shì): classical character (shì)
  • 之 (zhī): particle: of / possessive / it
  • 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
  • 生 (shēng): give birth to / arise
  • 而 (ér): yet / and / but
  • 不 (bù): not / un- / without
  • 辞 (cí): classical character (cí)
  • 功 (gōng): achievement / merit
  • 成 (chéng): complete / fulfill
  • 有 (yǒu): manifest being / cosmos / to possess
  • 衣 (yī): classical character (yī)
  • 养 (yǎng): classical character (yǎng)
  • 为 (wèi): act / deem / become
  • 主 (zhǔ): classical character (zhǔ)
  • 常 (cháng): constant / dynamic invariable
  • 无 (wú): formless void / non-being / without
  • 欲 (yù): intent / desire / craving
  • 名 (míng): name / conceptual label / to name
  • 于 (yú): to / at / in
  • 小 (xiǎo): classical character (xiǎo)
  • 归 (guī): classical character (guī)
  • 焉 (yān): classical character (yān)
  • 终 (zhōng): classical character (zhōng)
  • 自 (zì): classical character (zì)
  • 故 (gù): therefore / thus / consequence
  • 能 (néng): fruitful / capacity / ability