Episode One - Daodejing - Chapter One

Joan Miró's art reminds me of the simplicity of Dao.

Listen to the podcast on Spotify to follow along.

Ian's Translations

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Poetic Translation

The way we speak of is not the way itself.

The names we give will never capture it.

The nameless is the beginning of everything.

The named gives shape to all manifestations.

Let go of desire to see its subtle creativity.

Hold on to desire to see its contours and edges.

The creative field and manifestations arise together, but we reference them apart.

Together, they are called numinous darkness.

Depths upon depths of mystery.

The gateway to every wonder.

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Stricter Translation

道可道非常道

The Dao that can be spoken is not the constant Dao.

名可名非常名

The name that can be named is not the constant name.

无名天地之始

The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.

有名万物之母 The named is the mother of ten thousand things.

故常无欲以观其妙

Thus, in constancy without desire, its subtleties are observed.

常有欲以观其徼 In constancy with desire, its contours are observed.

此兩者同出而异名 These two emerge together, yet bear different names.

同谓之玄 Together, they are called “The Deep.”

玄之又玄 Depth upon depth.

众妙之门

The gateway to countless wonders.

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Notes on Translation Choices

Constant vs. Enduring vs. Unchanging:

"Constant" (非常道, 非常名) emphasizes continuous presence and structure. “Enduring” sounds more fragile and “unchanging” is too limiting.

Beginning:

"Beginning" (始) instead of "origin" maintains the direct interpretation of the character without expanding on alternatives. Other translators' choices, while similar, mean something different.

故常无欲以观其妙 and 常有欲以观其徼:

These two lines intuitively seem to be explaining that there is a bifocal nature to Dao and its observation is contingent upon or moderated by the desire within the observer.

Contours (徼):

I render 徼 as “contours.” “Contours” allows for ambiguity between limit, manifestation, and field. It also plays well as a contrast word against “subtleties.”

玄 as “depth”:

"Depth" preserves the archaic ambiguity and poetic resonance, avoiding commitment to specific metaphysical or cosmological readings, as is faithful to the tone of early manuscripts. This is the most difficult character to translate since so many words from English carry meanings that can push the translation a direction that doesn't feel internally consistent. For example, "mystery" sounds too trivial. "Dark" has negative connotations. "Profound" sounds too intellectual. I went with "deep" because it keeps the reader inside of Dao, swimming inside it--an ocean that can never be exhausted or fully explored.

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Daily Life Integration

Purpose: Make the philosophy actionable and measurable.

• Micro-practices:

  • “Two-mode attention drill”: 60 seconds without labeling (breath, sound), then 60 seconds deliberately naming contours (objects, roles). Notice the shift.

  • “Desire diary”: Note moments of wanting throughout the day; what becomes visible when wanting is present versus absent?

  • “Naming fast”: For an hour, refrain from evaluative labels; afterward, reflect on what felt more “subtle” and what felt “contoured.”

• Work and relationships:

  • Using “contours” when decisions require clarity; inviting “subtleties” when empathy or creativity is needed.

• Technology and social media:

  • Algorithmic “desire amplification” and how it biases perception toward contours; carve intentional spaces for non-desire modes.

• Ethics of naming:

  • Language shifts reality; practice gentle naming to avoid freezing living processes.

Reflection Prompts

• Where in your day do you notice subtlety more clearly when not striving?

• What “contours” help you act decisively without collapsing complexity?

• Which word for 玄 best guides your practice—deep, mystery, dark, profound—and why?

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Character Dictionary

Below is a compact reference for every distinct Chinese character that appears in Chapter 1 of the Daodejing. For each character you'll find:

• Pinyin – the standard modern reading (helps locate the character in dictionaries).

• Core classical meaning(s) – how the character was understood in early Chinese texts (Guodian bamboo slips, Mawangdui silk, Han‑era commentaries such as those of Gongyang, Huang‑fu, and later Wang Bi).

• Typical English renderings – the range of translations you will see in scholarly editions of the Daode‑Jing.

Note: The Daodejing is a very terse, poetic work; many characters carry layered philosophical nuance. The definitions below aim to capture the most widely‑cited senses without venturing into speculative interpretation.

#	Character	Pinyin	Classical / lexical sense (selected sources)	Common English renderings in Daodejing translations
1	道	dào	“Way”, “path”, the fundamental order of the cosmos (cf. Guodian “道” = “the way things naturally proceed”). In Wang Bi: “the nameless origin of all things”.	way-making, path, the Dao
2	可	kě	“can, may; permissible”; also a particle indicating possibility or suitability. In early texts it can mean “acceptable” or “worthy of being named”.	may, can, be called
3	非	fēi	Negation particle “not, non‑”. In classical usage it marks the opposite of a preceding term.	not, non‑
4	常	cháng	“constant, perpetual, ordinary”. In the Mawangdui version of the Daodejing, “常” often contrasts with “very” (非常) to stress the ordinary, unchanging nature of the Dao.	always, ordinary, permanent
5	名	míng	“name, reputation, designation”. Early glosses link it to the act of labeling; in Daoist thought it signifies the conceptual world that distinguishes phenomena.	name, designation, reputation
6	无	wú	“absence, nothingness”. In the Guodian corpus it denotes the lack of fixed form; in Daoist philosophy it points to the ineffable origin.	without, nothing, non‑being
7	天	tiān	“heaven; sky; celestial realm”. Classical sense includes the natural order governing human affairs.	Heaven, the heavens
8	地	dì	“earth; ground; place”. Paired with 天 to denote the two fundamental realms of the cosmos.	Earth, the ground
9	之	zhī	Classical genitive/possessive particle (“of”) and also a pronoun “it, this”. Frequently used to link nouns.	’s, of, that
10	始	shǐ	“beginning, to start”. In early texts it marks the point where something comes into existence.	beginning, origin
11	有	yǒu	“to have, there is”. Contrasts with 无; indicates presence or existence.	have, there is
12	万	wàn	“ten thousand; myriad; countless”. Used figuratively for “all” or “myriad things”.	myriad, ten‑thousand
13	物	wù	“thing, object, creature”. In Daoist usage it denotes the manifold of concrete phenomena.	things, creatures, entities
14	母	mǔ	“mother; source”. In early commentaries it is the generative principle, the “mother” of all things.	source, mother
15	故	gù	“cause, reason; therefore”. Classical sense links cause and effect.	therefore, hence
16	欲	yù	“desire, wish, longing”. In Daoist texts it signals the restless mind that seeks to grasp the Dao.	desire, longing
17	以	yǐ	Preposition “by means of, using; to take”. Classical function is instrumental.	by, with
18	观	guān	“to look at, observe; to contemplate”. In early Daoist thought it implies a meditative observation of the Dao’s subtlety.	observe, contemplate
19	其	qí	Pronoun “its, his, her, their”. Serves as a third‑person possessive.	its, their
20	妙	miào	“subtle, exquisite, mysterious”. In the Daodejing it points to the wondrous, unfathomable quality of the Dao.	wonderful, mysterious, subtle
21	徼	jiào	“boundary, frontier; limit”. Rarely used elsewhere; in this context it suggests the “edge” or “limit” of perception.	border, limit
22	此	cǐ	Demonstrative “this”.	this
23	两	liǎng	“two; both”.	both
24	者	zhě	Nominaliser “one who…; that which…”. Turns verbs/adjectives into nouns.	one who, that which
25	同	tóng	“same, together, alike”. In Daoist usage it can indicate unity or sameness of opposites.	same, together
26	出	chū	“to exit, emerge”. Here it conveys “to arise together”.	emerge, appear
27	而	ér	Conjunctive particle “and, but, yet”. Links clauses.	and, yet
28	异	yì	“different, strange, unusual”. Contrasted with 同.	different, other
29	谓	wèi	“to call, to name; to speak”. Classical verb for labeling.	call, refer to
30	玄	xuán	“dark, profound, mysterious”. In Daoist terminology it denotes the deep, inscrutable aspect of the Dao.	darkly numinous, profound, mysterious
31	又	yòu	“again, also”. Used for emphasis or addition.	also, again
32	众	zhòng	“multitude, crowd”. Refers to the many phenomena of the world.	multitude, the many
33	门	mén	“gate, door; entrance”. Metaphorically the “gateway” to understanding the Dao.	gate, door

This post and its contents are copyright Ian Felton, 2026 and may not be used without permission.