有物混成，先天地生。寂兮寥兮，独立不改，周行而不殆，可以为天下地母。吾不知其名，强字之曰道，强为之名曰大。大曰逝，逝曰远，远曰反。故道大，天大，地大，人亦大。域中有大，而人居其一焉。人法地，地法天，天法道，道法自然。

There is a thing confusedly formed, born before  heaven and earth.

Silence and void

It stands alone and does not change, goes round  and does not weary.

It is capable of being the mother of the word.  

I know not its name

So I style it ‘the  way’.

I give it the makeshift name of ‘the  great’.

Being great, it is further described as  receding,

Receding, it is described as far  away,

  Being  far away, it is described as turning back.

Hence the way is great; heaven is great; earth is  great; and the king is also great. Within the realm there are four things that  are great, and the king counts as one.

  Man  models himself on earth,

  Heaven  on the way,

And the way on that which is naturally  so.