道德經

Tao Te Ching 32 · 32

Sacred Virtue

道常無名，樸雖小，天下不敢臣。侯王若能守之，萬物將自賔。天地相合，以降甘露，民莫之令而自均。始制有名，名亦既有，天亦將知之，知之所以不殆。譬道之在天下，猶川谷之與江海。

The Way is ever without a name. Though the uncarved block is small, the world does not dare make it a servant. If lords and kings can hold to it, the ten thousand things will submit of themselves. Heaven and earth join together and send down sweet dew; no one orders the people, yet they come out even by themselves. The Beginning governs what has a name. Once the named, too, have fully come to be, Heaven, too, will know it; and knowing it is why there is no danger. Compare the Way in the world: it is like streams and valleys flowing into rivers and seas.

Word by word

道dàoThe Wayis常chángever無wúwithout名mínga name，樸pǔthe uncarved block雖suīThoughis小xiǎosmall，天下tiān xiàthe world不bùdoes not敢gǎndaremake it臣chénservant。侯王hóu wánglords and kings若ruòIf能néngcan守shǒuhold to之zhīit，萬物wàn wùthe ten thousand things將jiāngwill自zìof themselves賔bīnsubmit。天地tiān deHeaven and earth相xiāngtogether合héjoin，以yǐand降jiàngsend down甘gānsweet露lùdew，民mínthe people莫mòno one之zhīthem令lìngorders而éryet自zìby themselvesthey均jūncome out even。始shǐThe Beginning制zhìgoverns有yǒuwhat has名mínga name，Once名míngthe named亦yìtoo既jìfullycome to be有yǒuhave come to be，天tiānHeaven亦yìtoo將jiāngwill知zhīknow之zhīit，and知zhīknowing之zhīit所以suǒ yǐis whythere is不bùno殆dàidanger。譬pìCompare道dàothe Way之zhī(’s)在zàiin天下tiān xiàthe world，it is猶yóulike川chuānstreamsand谷gǔvalleys之zhī(’s)與yǔflowing into江jiāngriversand海hǎiseas。。，。，。；，。。，，，；。：。

The setting

Even after the world fills with names and distinctions, Laozi says the nameless Way still governs everything, the way streams find the sea on their own.

A note on this passage

Small and nameless as it is, the Way stays in charge. Order comes without anyone ordering it, the way the dew falls evenly, and even after names and distinctions appear, the Way still governs what has taken on name and form.

Heshang Gong reads "Heaven will know it" quite literally as heavenly reward for virtue, with spirits protecting a ruler who governs this way. That is a more religious, fate-centered reading than the "know when to stop" caution usually drawn from Wang Bi's version of the same line.

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