虚心 · 惟道是从

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

深宏大德所显现的气象，完全顺随大道而运行。 “道”这一本源存在，微妙恍惚而难以捉摸。恍惚不定之中，却蕴含着万物的意象；隐约迷离之中，却孕育着真实的造化；幽深冥远之中，却凝聚着纯粹的精气；这精气至真不妄，其中自有确凿可验的法则。 从远古直到今日，大道的运作从未消逝，借此可以遍察万事万物的起始。我凭什么能洞悉万物生成的本来面貌呢？正是凭借这恒常真实的大道。

Commentary

青禾散人评注：道虽无形（惟恍惟惚），却绝非虚无幻灭，其中有象、有物、有精、有信——宇宙秩序在幽微处最为信实不欺。

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)