Stephen Mitchell译本《道德经》第11章

第十一章

三十辐共一毂

当其无

有车之用

埏埴以为器

当其无

有器之用

凿户牖以为室

当其无

有室之用

故有之以为利

无之以为用

Chapter11

We join spokes together in a wheel,

But it is the center hole

that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,

but it is the emptiness inside

that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,

but it is the inner space

that makes it livable.

We work with being,

but non-being is what we use.