古之善为士者，微妙玄通，深不可识。
夫唯不可识，故强为之容：
豫兮若冬涉川，犹兮若畏四邻，俨兮其若客，涣兮若冰之将释，敦兮其若朴，旷兮其若谷，浑兮其若浊。
孰能浊以止？静之徐清。
孰能安以久？动之徐生。
保此道者不欲盈，夫唯不盈，故能蔽不新成。
The ancient Taoist master knew the whys beneath all appearances through the way of complementarity, so he is too deep to be fathomable.
Since he is beyond any description, we can only draw a rough picture of him.
He looks jittering like walking on a river frozen in winter,
hesitating like being threatened by neiboughs,
courteous like a guest,
easygoing like melting ice,
primitive like unformed wood,
open-minded like an empty vally,
and cloudy like the Chaos.
What can settle down the Chaos?
It gradually becomes clear when resting in peace.
What can maintain the peace for long?
It develops a natrual equilibrium when being animated.
The one who follows the Tao does not want to be filled up.
Just because he is never complacent with himself, he can always avoid being blinded by new prejudices.
译注：
微妙玄通，即通过“玄之又玄”的互补原理，常有以探幽入微，常无以观其奥妙。
“豫兮、犹兮”，参见《古诗源•尧戒》：战战栗栗，日谨一日。人莫踬于山，而踬于垤。
“静之徐清”，参见《功夫熊猫》：Your mind is like this water,my friend,when it is agitated,it becomes difficult to see,but if you allow it to settle,the answer becomes clear.
“蔽不新成”，就是超越一切“知见障”的束缚，不为新形成的偏见所蒙蔽。而这，唯有虚心不自满者可以做到。囿于成见者也就放弃了思考，在静止中僵化而失去了生机，这同样是不能长久的。
参见康德:什么是启蒙运动(1784)通过革命，可以铲除个人的专制统治，可以结束贪婪与霸道的压迫，但却决不可能带来思想状态的真正革新。相反，新的偏见就像旧的偏见一样，会成为引导那些没有思想的芸芸众生的缰绳。
KANT: What is Enlightenment? (1784)Through revolution, the abandonment of personal despotism may be engendered and the end of profit-seeking and domineering oppression may occur, but never a true reform of the state of mind. Instead, new prejudices, just like the old ones, will serve as the guiding reins of the great, unthinking mass.
夫唯不可识，故强为之容：
豫兮若冬涉川，犹兮若畏四邻，俨兮其若客，涣兮若冰之将释，敦兮其若朴，旷兮其若谷，浑兮其若浊。
孰能浊以止？静之徐清。
孰能安以久？动之徐生。
保此道者不欲盈，夫唯不盈，故能蔽不新成。
The ancient Taoist master knew the whys beneath all appearances through the way of complementarity, so he is too deep to be fathomable.
Since he is beyond any description, we can only draw a rough picture of him.
He looks jittering like walking on a river frozen in winter,
hesitating like being threatened by neiboughs,
courteous like a guest,
easygoing like melting ice,
primitive like unformed wood,
open-minded like an empty vally,
and cloudy like the Chaos.
What can settle down the Chaos?
It gradually becomes clear when resting in peace.
What can maintain the peace for long?
It develops a natrual equilibrium when being animated.
The one who follows the Tao does not want to be filled up.
Just because he is never complacent with himself, he can always avoid being blinded by new prejudices.
译注：
微妙玄通，即通过“玄之又玄”的互补原理，常有以探幽入微，常无以观其奥妙。
“豫兮、犹兮”，参见《古诗源•尧戒》：战战栗栗，日谨一日。人莫踬于山，而踬于垤。
“静之徐清”，参见《功夫熊猫》：Your mind is like this water,my friend,when it is agitated,it becomes difficult to see,but if you allow it to settle,the answer becomes clear.
“蔽不新成”，就是超越一切“知见障”的束缚，不为新形成的偏见所蒙蔽。而这，唯有虚心不自满者可以做到。囿于成见者也就放弃了思考，在静止中僵化而失去了生机，这同样是不能长久的。
参见康德:什么是启蒙运动(1784)通过革命，可以铲除个人的专制统治，可以结束贪婪与霸道的压迫，但却决不可能带来思想状态的真正革新。相反，新的偏见就像旧的偏见一样，会成为引导那些没有思想的芸芸众生的缰绳。
KANT: What is Enlightenment? (1784)Through revolution, the abandonment of personal despotism may be engendered and the end of profit-seeking and domineering oppression may occur, but never a true reform of the state of mind. Instead, new prejudices, just like the old ones, will serve as the guiding reins of the great, unthinking mass.
