正巧今年开始读道德经，家里是中法双语版的书，没想到再看许先生14本译著合集，也有一册中英文版的道德经。另外，道德经也无定本吧，翻过几个版本都有少许字句的差异。
“故恒无欲也，以观其妙；恒有欲也，以观其所噭。”
So we should be free from desires
in order to understand the internal mystery of the divine law;
and we should have desires
in order to observe its external manifestations.
“是以圣人处无为之事，行不言之教。万物作而弗始也，为而弗恃也，成功而弗居也。”
Therefore the sage does everything without interference,
teaches everyone without persuasion,
and lets everything begin uninitiated and grow unpossessed.
Everything is done without being his deed,
and succeeds without being his success.
“天地不仁，以万物为刍狗；圣人不仁，以百姓为刍狗。”
Heaven and earth are ruthless, they treat everything as straw or dog.
The sage is ruthless, he treats everyone as straw or dog.
“上善若水。水善利万物而不争，处众人之所恶，故几于“道”矣。”
The highest good is like water.
Water benefits everything by giving without taking or contending.
It likes the place others dislike, so it follows closely the divine law.
“生之畜之，生而不有，为而不恃，长而不宰，是谓玄德。”
Give life and make live, but lay no claim, benefit but do not interfere,
lead but do not rule, Such is the mysterious virtue.
“见素抱朴，少私寡欲，绝学无忧。”
be simple and plain, selfless and desireless, unlearned and unworried.
“夫唯不争，故天下莫能与之争。”
As he contends for nothing, none in the world could contend with him.
“故善人者，善人之师；不善人者，善人之资也。不贵其师，不爱其资，虽智乎大迷，是谓要妙。”
Thus a sage is the teacher of common people,
and the common people are the stuff for good men.
If the teacher is not honored and the stuff not valued,
even a wise man will be at a loss. This is the essential secret.
“知其白，守其黑，为天下式。”
Learn to be bright and remain in the dark, and try to be a model for the world.
“知人者智也，自知者明也；胜人者有力也，自胜者强也。”
It needs observation to know others, but refection to know oneself.
Physically strong, one can conquer others; mentally strong, one can conquer oneself.
“将欲去之，必固与之；将欲夺之，必固予之。”
Raise what is to fall! Give before you take!
“天下之物生于有，有生于无。”
All things in the world come into being with a form; the form comes form the formless.
“道生一，一生二，二生三，三生万物。”
One is the child of the divine law.
After one come two, after two come three, after three come all things.
“大直若屈，大巧若拙，大赢若㶧。”
The straight may seem crooked; the most skillful may seem clumsy; the most eloquent may seem slow of speech.
“为学者日益，为道者日损。损之又损，以至于无为而无以为。”
The more you know of the human world, the less you know of the divine law.
Less and less you need to know till nothing need to be done.
“知者不言，言者不知。”
Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.
“以正治国，以奇用兵，以无事取天下。”
Rule the state in an ordinary way, but fight the war in an extraordinary way.
Win the world by doing nothing wrong.
“祸兮，福之所倚；福兮，祸之所伏，孰知其极？”
Weal comes after woe; woe lies under weal. Who knows the line of demarcation?
“治大国若烹小鲜。”
A large state should be ruled as a small fish is cooked.
“为无为，事无事，味无味。大小多少，报怨以德。图难于其易，为大于其细。”
Do nothing wrong! do a deed as if it were not a deed;
take the tasteful as if it were tasteless.
Big or small, more or less, any difficulty has an easy part,
any great deed has a small detail.
“江海所以能为百谷王者，以其善下之也，故能为百谷王。”
The sea can lord it over all the streams flowing from the vales,
for it takes a lower position, so water flows into it from hundreds of vales.
“我恒有三宝，持而宝之：一曰慈，二曰俭，三曰不敢为天下先。”
I have three treasures which I hold and keep:
the first is magnanimity, the second is frugality,
and the third is humility to be the last of the world.
“知不知，尚矣；不知知，病矣。”
It is good to know that you do not know;
it is wrong to pretend to know what you do not.
“天之道，损有余而补不足。人之道则不然，损不足以奉有余。”
In accordance with the divine law, excess shall be reduced to supplement the insufficient.
The human law is otherwise: man takes from the poor to give to the rich.
“信言不美，美言不信。知者不博，博者不知。”
Truthful words may not be beautiful; beautiful words may not be truthful.
A good man need not justify himself; who justifies himself may not be a good man.
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