dào cháng wú míng。
pǔ suī xiǎo， tiān xià mò néng chén yě。
hóu wáng ruò néng shǒu zhī， wàn wù jiāng zì bīn。
tiān dì xiāng hé， yǐ jiàng gān lù， mín mò zhī lìng 'ér zì jūn。
shǐ zhì yòu míng， míng yì jì yòu， fū yì jiāng zhī zhǐ， zhī zhǐ kě yǐ bù dài。
pì dào zhī zài tiān xià， yóu chuān gǔ zhī yú jiāng hǎi。
Though in its primordial simplicity it may be small,
the whole world dares not deal with (one embodying) it as a minister.
If a feudal prince or the king could guard and hold it,
all would spontaneously submit themselves to him.
Heaven and Earth (under its guidance) unite together
and send down the sweet dew.
Without any directions, men can reach equally everywhere as of their own accord.
As soon as it proceeds to action, it has a name.
When it once has that name, (men) can know to rest in it.
When they know to rest in it, they can be free from all risk of failure and error.
The relation of the Tao to all the world is like that of the great rivers and seas to the streams from the valleys.
pǔ suī xiǎo， tiān xià mò néng chén yě。
hóu wáng ruò néng shǒu zhī， wàn wù jiāng zì bīn。
tiān dì xiāng hé， yǐ jiàng gān lù， mín mò zhī lìng 'ér zì jūn。
shǐ zhì yòu míng， míng yì jì yòu， fū yì jiāng zhī zhǐ， zhī zhǐ kě yǐ bù dài。
pì dào zhī zài tiān xià， yóu chuān gǔ zhī yú jiāng hǎi。
Though in its primordial simplicity it may be small,
the whole world dares not deal with (one embodying) it as a minister.
If a feudal prince or the king could guard and hold it,
all would spontaneously submit themselves to him.
Heaven and Earth (under its guidance) unite together
and send down the sweet dew.
Without any directions, men can reach equally everywhere as of their own accord.
As soon as it proceeds to action, it has a name.
When it once has that name, (men) can know to rest in it.
When they know to rest in it, they can be free from all risk of failure and error.
The relation of the Tao to all the world is like that of the great rivers and seas to the streams from the valleys.