任成 · 大道泛兮
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，无所不在、左右逢源。 万物依靠它得以生长，它从不推辞厌倦；成就了化育之功，它从不据为己有。覆育滋养万物而不自居为主宰，恒常无私无欲，甚至可以把它称作微小的存在；万物皆归依于它而它仍不强作主宰，又可以把它称作至大的存在。 正因为它始终不自以为伟大，所以才真正成就了它无与伦比的伟大。
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
Commentary
青禾散人评注：“以其终不自为大，故能成其大。”凡急于证明自己伟大者，格局已然局促；如大道般默默润物而不居主宰，伟大自成。