There are things that are mixed together and are born before heaven and earth. Silent and lonely, independent and unchanged, circumambient and not perilous, can be the mother of heaven and earth. I do not know its name, the strong word is said to be Tao, strong for the name is said to be big. Great is said to pass away, pass away is said to be far, far is said to be against. Therefore, the road is big, the sky is big, the earth is big, people are also big. There are four major in the domain, and one of its habitat. Man law of the earth, the law of the earth, the law of heaven, the law of heaven, the law of nature.

Translated directly into modern vernacular, it reads as follows

There is a thing that is all in one, that existed before heaven and earth were formed. I can't hear its voice or see its form, it is silent and empty, independent of any external force and never stops, circulating and never fails, and can be the root of all things. I do not know his name, so reluctantly called it Tao, and then reluctantly give him a name called big. It is vast and boundless and runs endlessly, runs endlessly and stretches far and wide, stretches far and wide and returns to the original. Therefore, the Tao is big, the sky is big, the earth is big, and human beings are also big. The universe has four major elements, one of which is man. Man takes the law of the earth, the earth takes the law of the sky, the sky takes the law of the Tao, and the Tao is purely natural.

1. Mixed into: mixed into, referring to the state of simplicity.

2. Silence: no sound, no form.

3. Independent and Unchangeable: describes the independence and eternity of the Tao, which is absolute and does not depend on any external force.

4. Circumstantial: running in cycles. Uncertainty: the meaning of uninterruptedness.

5. Mother of heaven and earth: one of the books is "Mother of the world". The mother refers to the "Tao", and all things in heaven and earth are produced by the "Tao", so it is called "mother".

6, strong word of the Road: barely named it called "Road".

7, big: to describe the "Tao" is boundless, infinite power.

8, passed: refers to the "Tao" of the operation of the flow of the endless, never stopping state.

9, against: another book as "return". It means to return to the origin, return to the original state.

10, people are also big: a book as "king is also big", meaning that people are the spirit of all things, and heaven and earth stand side by side for the three talents, that is, the sky is big, the earth is big, people are also big.

11, domain: that is, in space, between the universe.

12, the law of nature: "Tao" is purely natural, originally so.

In this chapter, Lao Zi describes the existence and operation of the Tao, which is a very important part of the Tao Te Ching. It includes the following: "Something is mixed into something", which explains that the Tao is a state of simplicity, and that it is a complete and harmonious whole, not a combination of different factors. "Tao" is soundless and invisible, exists before heaven and earth, and runs in an uninterrupted cycle, and is the "mother" of all things in heaven and earth. "Tao" is an absolute body. Everything in the real world is relative, but only the Tao is unique, so the Tao is "independent and unchanging". In this chapter, Lao Tzu puts forward the four existences of "Tao", "man", "heaven" and "earth". "The Tao is the first. It does not disappear with changes. It goes back to the original state after the change of operation, and this state is the most basic and root place where things can come into being.