The "Tao" advocated by Lao Tzu is not an ordinary Tao, but an "extraordinary Tao". This "extraordinary way" contains the familiar way, that is, the common way, that is, the way, the doorway, the morality, the saying and so on. But what exactly is the "Tao"? Lao Tzu has about 15 chapters in the Tao Te Ching that illustrate this thing. Lao Tzu himself admits that he can't say it clearly, and he doesn't understand it. Chapter 4 is one of the "Word."
The first sentence of this chapter is "Tao Chong, and use it or not profitable." This is the original text of the popular version. There are different versions of this sentence, the text and the broken sentence are different:
River Gongben: "The Tao is used for it, or it is not profitable." "沖" is a variant of Chong, and the sentence before "or".
Wang Biben: "The Tao is used or not profitable. "沖" is a variant of Chong, and there is no broken sentence.
Fu Yiben: "Dao Cup, and I am dissatisfied with it." "Cup" is also a variant of Chong, and "or" and "ying" are changed to "again" and "full".
Silk books: "The Tao is flushed, and the use of it is also prosperous." "There are more imaginary words "also", and "no" is "Fu", which means the same.
This sentence "rush" is the key word. What exactly does the "rush" of "Dao Chong" mean? Rush is not a verb here, nor does it mean "charge", but the adjective emptiness and modesty. Fu Yiben's "Dao Chong" is "Dao Cup". "Cup" is an empty solution, and the ancient pass is "rushed", and the instrument is also empty. Let's look at the annotations of the ancients:
The official seal sentence on the river: "'The road is used and used', rushing, and the middle is also." Tao anonymous Tibetan reputation, its use in the in. 'Or not profitable', or, often also. The Tao is always modest, not full. "Chong" is interpreted as "in", which means inner and inner, as opposed to "outside"; "Its use in the middle" means that the function of the Tao is within; Later, it is said that "the Tao is always modest", which is inconsistent.
Wang Bi's note: "If you rush to use it, you can't be poor if you use it." It is full of solidity, and it is overflowing. Therefore, it is not profitable to use it, and it is infinite and extreme. Although the shape is large, it cannot be tired; Although it is a lot of things, it can't be done at best. "The general idea is that the Tao is a very strange thing, it seems to be empty but always pretends to be dissatisfied, the body is large but not tired, and it does not feel the maximum limit when trying to do things, or the body is flexible and powerful. Let's look at the explanations of modern celebrity scholars:
Yu Qiuyu translated: "The Tao is empty, but it is inexhaustible. (Yu Qiuyu, "Lao Tzu's General Interpretation", Beijing United Publishing Company, 2021, p. 19.) "Rush" is understood as emptiness.
Nan Huaijin said: "The meaning of the word 'chong' in this chapter of Lao Tzu should be interpreted as 'humble chong' for chong and modesty. In other words, rushing is to be empty and dissatisfied, and at the same time has a long-standing and endless meaning. If we interpret the meaning of 'rushing' to use the middle and not clinging to one end or not clinging to the other, it can also be used in the same way. (Nan Huaijin, "Lao Tzu Said", Fudan University Press, 2016, p. 92.) He said that "rushing" is false and dissatisfied, and he said that "'rushing' is the meaning of using the middle and not clinging to one end or not clinging to one side, and it can also be connected", and "rushing" is the middle; The "rush" of "its use in the middle" is internal, not the same meaning, and it is a bit of a snake to add to the feeling.
Chen Gu Yingjin translated: "The Tao body is empty, but its function is not exhausted. (Chen Guying, "Lao Tzu Jinzhu Jinjing", The Commercial Press, 2016, p. 91.) "Rush" is emptiness, and "use" is action.
Therefore, "Dao Chong" and "Dao Cup" can be, which means emptiness; "In the way" doesn't make sense. "Use" is to use the Tao, which can be taken and pretended, inexhaustible, and overflowing. Kind of like the magic bag of the mythical Brahmin. This sentence should be translated like this:
The Tao is empty and formless, yet its functions are endless, or it may be unsatisfying.