Emptying the Heart
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孔德之容，唯道是從。道之為物，唯恍唯惚。惚兮恍兮，其中有像；恍兮惚兮，其中有物。窈兮冥兮，其中有精；其精甚真，其中有信。自古及今，其名不去，以閱眾甫。吾何以知眾甫之然哉？以此。
The form of great virtue follows only the Way. The Way, as a thing, is only elusive, only shadowy. Shadowy, elusive: within it there is a likeness. Elusive, shadowy: within it there is a thing. Deep, dark: within it there is an essence. Its essence is very real; within it there is a sure sign. From ancient times to now, its name has not gone away, and by it all things are given their start. How do I know that all things start this way? By this.
Chapter 21. Heshang Gong titles it 虛心, "Emptying the Heart."
The Way here is a presence, glimpsed rather than grasped. The paired near-synonyms circle one experience from different sides, and each time they land on the same claim: something real is in there.
The last lines turn from description to evidence. Heshang Gong reads 精 (essence) as the vital breath from which everything, the body included, takes its form, one thread in his recurring interest in longevity.
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