第1段上得不得

Section 1The greatest Gain is not to gain1

第2段失道後德

Section 2Emphasizing the Virtue after 
losing the Tao2

第3段卑賤若石

Section 3Be humble as the stone4

第4段善始善成

 Section 4Good at starting and finishing7

第5段有生於無

Section 5Existence came out of Nonexistence9

第6段損之而益

Section 6Benefit from losing10

第7段至柔致堅

Section 7The weakest becomes the 
strongest11

第8段知足不辱

Section 8Knowing contentment avoids 
disgrace12

第9段大成若缺

Section 9Great achievement seems 
incomplete13

第10段知足恆足

Section 10Knowing satisfaction is the 
eternal contentment14

第11段不見而明

Section 11One can understand without 
seeing much15

第12段為道日損

Section 12Following the Tao, 
desires decrease day by day16

第13段百姓之心

Section 13The heart of the people
17

第14段其無死地

Section 14Not to place himself in danger of death18

老子散文詩英文對譯
目錄
第15段為而弗恃

Section 15Contributing to some things,but not forcing them20

第16段用光復明

Section 16Understanding the essence through its appearance22

第17段盜誇非道

Section 17Secretly showing off is not the Tao24

第18段以家觀家

Section 18Understanding more families by knowing one family25

第19段物老不道

Section 19Getting old due to reaching strength is not in line with
 the Tao27

第20段和光同塵

Section 20Blending with the bright and mixing with the common29

第21段無事自富

Section 21Let them seek wealth through keeping peace30

第22段禍福相倚

Section 22Misfortune and luck coexist32

第23段治人唯嗇

Section 23Government must be frugal with power33

第24段兩不相傷

Section 24Two sides are not hurt by each other35

第25段大者宜下

Section 25It is best to adopt a low posture to get a great

achievement36

第26段萬物之注

Section 26Watering all things38

第27段圖難從易

Section 27Doing what is difficult should start with what is easy40

第28段治其未亂

Section 28Governing before unrest42

第29段慎終若始

Section 29Considering carefully the end as with the beginning44

第30段不智治邦

Section 30Governing without shrewdness46

第31段莫能與爭

Section 31No one can compete with him48

第32段小邦寡民

Section 32Small vassal fief with a small population50

第33段為而不爭

Section 33Making a difference and not competing52

第34段善戰不怒

Section 34Those good at fighting will not be provoked53

第35段哀者勝矣

Section 35The side showing weakness will win56

第36段被褐懷玉

Section 36The outside is brown with jade hidden within57

第37段將病作病

Section 37Treating the ailment as sickness58

第38段自知自愛

Section 38Selfknowledge and selfrespect59

第39段天網恢恢

Section 39The net of heaven is vast60

第40段司殺者殺

Section 40The judiciary enforces the law61

第41段稅多人饑

Section 41Heavy taxes will cause people to starve62

第42段柔弱居上

Section 42Those who show weakness can have a high position63

第43段為而不有

Section 43Making a difference but never possessing it64

第44段弱能勝強

Section 44The weak can win over the strong66

第45段天道無親

Section 45The Tao is indifferent to who is close or distant67

第46段萬物之始

Section 46The beginning of all things68

第47段難易相成

Section 47The difficult and easy are formed of each other70

第48段不敢不為

Section 48Not daring not to do their duties72

第49段挫銳解紛

Section 49Ending sharp contradictions and resolving general

disputes74

第50段不若守中

Section 50It is better to think and discern inwardly75

第51段無私成私

Section 51Being selfless so to achieve oneself76

第52段上善如水

Section 52Great kindness is like water78

第53段富驕遺咎

Section 53Being rich and overbearing will threaten ruin79

第54段長而不宰

Section 54Accommodating and raising people but not dominating

them80

第55段無之為用

Section 55Making something nonexistent can be useful82

第56段五色目盲

Section 56Many colours make the peoples eyes blind83

第57段可托天下

Section 57The World can be entrusted to him84

第58段無形之形

Section 58The shape without a shape86

第59段濁而靜之

Section 59Making the turbid calm down88

第60段復歸其根

Section 60Returning to their own roots90

第61段下知有之

Section 61People below only know of his existence92

第62段少私寡欲

Section 62Being less selfish and free of desire94

第63段獨貴食母

Section 63Being special and valuing all people95

第64段孔德之容

Section 64The image of greatest virtue97

第65段自視不彰

Section 65It is difficult for one to display clearly if he is

selfrighteous99

第66段曲全成全

Section 66Bearing grievances to secure the overall situation 

will succeed in the end100

ⅩⅧ

第67段得者同得

Section 67The real Gain is the common Gain102

第68段有物昆成

Section 68The thing took shape vaguely and naturally103

第69段重為輕根

Section 69Sobriety is fundamental in overcoming frivolity105

第70段物無棄財

Section 70There is nothing to be given up106

第71段復歸無極

Section 71Returning to the extreme place of Nonexistence108

第72段去甚去大

Section 72Removing the excessive and the extreme110

第73段果而不驕

Section 73Win without arrogance 112

第74段吉事尚左

Section 74For the auspicious things the left side is the most 
important side114

第75段小谷江海

Section 75A stream and a river or sea116

第76段死而不忘

Section 76Dead but not being forgotten118

第77段不大成大

Section 77Not achieving as the great but achieving the great119

第78段用之不盡

Section 78It is inexhaustible120

ⅩⅨ

第79段欲奪故予

Section 79Wanting to take,one must deliberately give121

第80段天地自正

Section 80The World will become orderly by itself122

注釋123

參考文獻125

Preface
 of the original 
Laozis Prose Poetry parallel Translation

本書是用一種樸素而客觀邏輯的視角，對散文詩化的帛書《老子》這部古代經典著作的逐句對譯，以此得到這部著作的現代散文詩形式，便於體會原文的旨意。

帛書《老子》是1973年湖南長沙馬王堆三號漢墓出土的《老子》抄本復原本，是目前可得到的早全的《老子》版本。該版本《老子》原文全文見本書附錄，共計5500多字，正應老子又稱“五千言”之說。帛書《老子》有甲本和乙本，甲本謄前202年前，乙本謄前202年前185年之間，甲本更早於乙本。甲本三無，無標題無段落無標點。乙本無段落無標點，但有德篇和道篇的小標題。甲乙兩本都是德篇內容在前，道篇內容在後。所以通常所謂的“老子”，即是指這部著作，又是指它的作者。而近兩千年來一致流傳下來的《老子》版本稱為通行本《老子》，或稱《道德經》。由於段落順序完全相逆，所以帛書《老子》不會被這樣稱呼。

本書使用的帛書《老子》原文是參照梁海明先生的《老子》［1］一書形成的，是因他采用的《老子》原文的形成，是實行以帛書《老子》甲本為底本，然後是甲本不足乙本補，乙本不足通行本《老子》補的原則，這樣就盡量保證了原文的原貌，盡量避免了兩千多年來無數次謄抄可能帶來的變動。本文所得原文的個別特殊字句還參照了高明先生的《帛書老子校注》［2］一書和裘錫圭先生主編的《長沙馬王堆漢墓簡帛集成（肆）》［3］一書。因此，本文使用的原文保留了帛書《老子》甲本的基本原貌，即無標題無段落無標點，且德篇內容在前，道篇內容在後。希望我們能使用盡量接近於《老子》原著成文時的版本原貌，能用一種樸素而客觀邏輯的視角去讀《老子》原文。
老子散文詩英文對譯

《老子》是中國文化思想中非常重要的經典，對中國社會有著深遠的影響，其中的一些道理和格言，至今仍在流傳和沿用。兩千多年來對《老子》已經有很多解讀，關於這一點，參照陳鼓應先生《老子注釋及評介》［4］一書中的參考書目清單，就可見一斑。現存的這些解讀，從不同的立場出發，都有各自的道理，並且，他們對傳播老子的文化思想，都有著積極的作用。本書將用一種不同的視角，以一種樸素的觀念去重新精讀這部古文，無意與其他現存的解讀爭論，而是想向大家呈現一種新視角下的《老子》，僅僅是在眾多的現存解讀中，再增添小小而平凡的一筆。如果讀來還能有一點兒新意和啟發，將是本書一個意外的收獲。

老子成文的年代約為春秋末期，當時是以竹簡為文字記錄載體。由於竹簡厚重，為了減輕竹書的重量和體積，導致當時著書惜字如金，言簡意賅。一些可以意會的連詞、副詞、代詞等都難以誕生，或被省略。當然，這對文章的理解會增加一定難度。所以，當時的文章大都是需要師傅講解的。即使是這樣，《老子》的作者還是盡量使這篇著作容易被理解，可以說，與當時的其他著作相比，它是接近現代文的。怪不得《老子》中提道：“吾言，甚易知”，“而人，莫之能知”。也就是說，自古至今，人們對老子都有一種神秘的感覺，由此給《老子》中講述的“道”的理解也蒙上了一層神秘的色彩，怪不得作者在著述中也說道：“大道甚夷，民甚好解”。所以，我們研讀這篇著作要回歸本心，從一種樸素的視角去理解，可能會得到事半功倍的效果。《老子》中的文學修辭也很樸素，不似現代文章這麼華麗。那個時代，中華文化中的成語還未形成，行文直截了當，多用多音字和多義字，即多音修辭和多義修辭，來取得一些文學修辭上的出其不意，使行文得以生動。但給後人對帶有這些原始修辭的行文的解讀，帶來了需要憑理解選擇的排列組合。所謂樸素視角，就是沒有成見，不帶神秘感，隻是結合著書時代春秋末期當時的歷史背景，隻是從古文的字裡行間、上下文含義、中心思想和段落大意等一般研讀文章的視角，獲得解讀的靈感和質樸的結論。

《老子》這部著作涉獵甚廣，包羅萬像，立意高遠。他用精練的文字，論述了天地之道、天下之道、萬物之道，還有人之道。故本文基於前面提到的無標題無段落無標點的帛書《老子》原文，根據原文意境，進行了分段。並根據語義，在段內再分句加標點。這樣，原文就自然形成了類似於現代散文詩一樣的體裁，因此就順其自然地將其稱之為“老子散文詩”。為使段間便於區別，給每一段加了一個小標題。這些小標題都來自該段內的某句話，隻是該段區別於他段的代表，並非該段的概括。《老子》作者思想活躍，整篇著述即使是給予了分段，但每段內還可能闡述了不止一個思想點，豈是一個小標題所能概括？與老子散文詩中的每一句對應，在其右側，對應給出了相應的現代文譯文。所以本文整體上稱之為“老子散文詩對譯”。本文的古今對譯，主要依據古漢語詞典——漢典［5］。據此，對難於理解的字詞，都給出了相應的注釋。這些注釋，都另起一文“老子散文詩注”，在老子散文詩的詩句右側的括弧中給出了相應的注。
從帛書《老子》整篇的內容來看，《老子》作者是一個知識性、哲學性和思想性都非常高的人，整篇內容較像是寫給某位君王，或具有君王領導力人物的一篇治世策論。是建議這位君王，或者可以是某位有此領導力的人物，如何治理好一個國家或者整個天下，實現和平、繁榮與強盛。若將《老子》中的一些“德”字理解為“得”，更是如此。其實，從《老子》中的一些句子可以很明顯地看出，“德”字與“得”字本來就是通用的。

在《老子》中，老子提出了一繫列與君王治世相關且具有深刻哲理的觀點，使《老子》成為一篇具有深刻領導力哲理和韜略的經典。其中的一些經典領導力哲理，即使是放在兩千多年後的今天，雖然社會已發生了天翻地覆的變化，也不為過時，隻是其應用可以更為廣泛，可以為社會上希望得到領導力提升的各類民眾借鋻。

連小珉
於清華大學
lianxm@tsinghua.edu.cn
2019年10月

     In this book,from a simple and logical perspective,the Silk Book Laozi,a poemlike philosophical classic of ancient Chinese,is translated sentence by sentence. In this way,the modern prose poem form of the Silk Book Laozi is obtained,which is convenient for understanding the connotations of Laozi.
The Silk Book Laozi is a restored copy of the Laozi manuscript unearthed in 1973 at Mawangdui No.3 Han Tomb in Changsha,Hunan Province. It is the earliest and most complete version of Laozi currently available. The full text of the Silk Book Laozi can be found in the appendix of this book,with a total of more than 5,500 Chinese characters. It is in response to the saying that Laozi is also called “Five Thousand Words”. Two versions of the Silk Book Laozi were unearthed at the same time,Book A and Book B. Book A is a manuscript of Laozi before 202 BC,while  Book B is a manuscript from 202 BC to 185 BC. Both Book A and Book B have no punctuation. Both books are manuscripts copied continuously,and their contents are basically consistent with each other. Book A is divided into two parts,but there is no title. Book B is also divided into two parts, with subtitles “De” and “Tao” respectively. Whether it is Book A or Book B,the part of “De” comes first,and the part of “Tao” comes after. The socalled Laozi usually refers to this work. Because the Silk Book Laozi has no title,everyone uses the authors name Laozi as its title. The version of Laozi that has been popular in the world for nearly two thousand years is called Laozi,or Tao De Jing.The Silk Book Laozi is not so called because of the completely reversed sequence of paragraphs.
The original text of the Silk Book Laozi used in this book is based on Mr. Liang Haimings book,Laozi［1］. It is because of the forming principle of the original text of his Laozi. At first,it is based on the Book A of the Silk Book Laozi. And then,if there is something lacking in Book A,that in Book B is used to make it up; if there is a similar lack in Book A and B,that in the popular version Laozi is used to make it up. In this way,the earliest nature of the original text can be guaranteed,so as to avoid possible changes that might be brought about by countless transcriptions over the past two thousand years. Some special words and sentences in the original text of the Silk Book Laozi used in this book also refer to Mr.Gao Mings Commentary Notes on Silk Book Laozi［2］,and Changsha Mawangdui Han Tomb Bamboo Slips and Silk Book Collection (4) ［3］ edited by Mr. Qiu Xigui. Therefore,the original text of the Silk Book Laozi used in this book retains the basic original appearance of Book A,that is,with no punctuation,and the part “De” is in the front and the part “Tao” is in the back. I hope we can keep as close as possible to the appearance of Laozis original work,and read the original text of Laozi from a simple and logical perspective.
序
Laozi is a very important classic in Chinese cultural thought and has a profound impact on Chinese society. Some of its principles and maxims are still circulating and used today. There have been many interpretations of Laozi for more than two thousand years. For this point,you can refer to the reference list in Mr. Chen Guyings Laozis Notes and Criticism［4］. These existing interpretations have their own reasons from different standpoints. Moreover,they all play a positive role in spreading Laozis cultural thought. This book will reinterpret this ancient classic with a different perspective and a simple concept. It has no intention of arguing with other existing interpretations,but wants to show everyone Laozi from a new perspective,just adding a small and ordinary stroke to the many existing interpretations. If there is a bit of novelty and enlightenment in the reading,it will be an unexpected harvest for this book.
The time when Laozi wrote his book was about the end of the Spring and Autumn Period of the Zhou Dynasty in ancient China,when bamboo slips were used as the record carrier. Because bamboo slips were thick and heavy,in order to reduce the weight and volume of bamboo slip books,the writings at that time were concise. Some conjunctions,adverbs,and pronouns that can be inferred are difficult to either include or omit. Of course,this understanding of the article will increase its difficulty,so most of the articles at that time need to be explained by the master. Even so,The author of Laozi tried his best to make this work easy to understand. It can be said that compared with other works of the time,it is the closest to modern writing. No wonder that it is mentioned in Laozi: “My words are very easy to understand.” and “People cannot understand them.” In other words,since ancient times,people have a mysterious feeling towards Laozi. As a result,the understanding of the “Tao” described in Laozi also casts a layer of mystery. No wonder that it also mentioned in Laozi: “The Tao is easy,but the people are easy to misunderstand.” Therefore,in studying Laozi we must return to the original heart,and from a simple perspective,you may get a multiple effect with half the effort.