归根 · 致虚守静

Guī Gēn

Classical Chinese Text

致虚极，守静笃；万物并作，吾以观复。
夫物芸芸，各复归其根。归根曰静，静曰复命⑦。复命曰常，知常曰明。不知常，妄作凶。
知常容，容乃公，公乃全，全乃天，天乃道，道乃久，没身不殆。

Translation & Meaning

使心灵虚明达到极致，让笃定宁静坚守不移。世间万物蓬勃生长，我从中静观它们循环往复的规律。 万物纷纭繁茂，最终各自回归它们的本根。回归本根叫做“静”，在宁静中涵养本性叫做“复命”。 复归生命本真便是永恒的“常道”，洞悉常道叫做“明”。不明白常道而轻举妄动，必然招致灾凶。 洞悉常道就能胸怀包容，包容就能处事公正，公正就能周全无偏，周全就能合乎自然天理，合乎天理就契入大道，契入大道便能恒久绵长，终身不会陷入危殆。

Commentary

青禾散人评注：本章乃道家静观心法之总枢。“致虚极，守静笃”并非木石死寂，而是清明觉照万物之“观复”。识得荣枯盛衰之常理，便不会在顺逆交替中盲目妄作。

Linguistic & Character Analysis

  • 致 (zhì): classical character (zhì)
  • 虚 (xū): empty / clear / open
  • 极 (jí): classical character (jí)
  • 守 (shǒu): classical character (shǒu)
  • 静 (jìng): classical character (jìng)
  • 笃 (dǔ): classical character (dǔ)
  • 万 (wàn): ten thousand / myriad / all
  • 物 (wù): things / phenomena / forms
  • 并 (bìng): classical character (bìng)
  • 作 (zuò): move / arise / operate
  • 吾 (wú): I / myself
  • 以 (yǐ): in order to / by means of
  • 观 (guān): observe / contemplate essence
  • 复 (fù): classical character (fù)
  • 夫 (fū): for / indeed / now
  • 芸 (yún): classical character (yún)
  • 各 (gè): classical character (gè)
  • 归 (guī): classical character (guī)
  • 其 (qí): its / their / his / her
  • 根 (gēn): classical character (gēn)
  • 曰 (yuē): classical character (yuē)
  • 命 (mìng): classical character (mìng)
  • 常 (cháng): constant / dynamic invariable
  • 知 (zhī): know / distinguish / recognize
  • 明 (míng): classical character (míng)
  • 不 (bù): not / un- / without
  • 妄 (wàng): classical character (wàng)
  • 凶 (xiōng): classical character (xiōng)
  • 容 (róng): classical character (róng)
  • 乃 (nǎi): classical character (nǎi)
  • 公 (gōng): classical character (gōng)
  • 全 (quán): classical character (quán)
  • 天 (tiān): heaven / nature / cosmos
  • 道 (dào): The Way / Logos / to speak
  • 久 (jiǔ): classical character (jiǔ)
  • 没 (méi): classical character (méi)
  • 身 (shēn): classical character (shēn)
  • 殆 (dài): classical character (dài)