十四章

　　视之不见，名曰微；听之不闻，名曰希；搏之不得，名曰夷。此三者，不可
致诘，故混而为一。其上不皎，其下不昧，绳绳兮不可名，复归于物。是谓无状
之状，无物之象，是谓惚恍。迎之不见其首，随之不见其后。执古之道，以御今
之有。能知古始，是谓道纪。

Chapter 14. Mystery

Looked at but cannot be seen - it is beneath form;

Listened to but cannot be heard - it is beneath sound;

Held but cannot be touched - it is beneath feeling;

These depthless things evade definition,

And blend into a single mystery.

In its rising there is no light,

In its falling there is no darkness,

A continuous thread beyond description,

Lining what can not occur;

Its form formless,

Its image nothing,

Its name silence;

Follow it, it has no back,

Meet it, it has no face.

Attend the present to deal with the past;

Thus you grasp the continuity of the Way,

Which is its essence.