Chapter 25

有物混成，先天地生。
寂兮寥兮，獨立而不改，周行而不殆，可以為天地母。
吾不知其名，強字之曰道，強為之名曰大。
大曰逝，逝曰遠，遠曰反。
故道大，天大，地大，人亦大。
域中有四大，而人居其一焉。
人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。

There is a thing formed in confusion, born before heaven and earth.
Silent and empty, it stands alone and does not change, goes round everywhere and is in no danger; it could be the mother of heaven and earth.
I do not know its name. Forced to style it, I call it the Way; forced to name it, I call it great.
Great, it goes away; going away, it is far; far, it turns back.
So the Way is great, heaven is great, earth is great, and man too is great.¹
Within the realm there are four great ones, and man is one of them.
Man follows earth, earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Way, the Way follows what is so of itself.

Notes

1. 1. Our source reads 人, “man,” here and in the next line. Wang Bi’s text has 王, “the king”: “the king too is great,” “the king is one of them.”