42 道生一 一生二

老子道德經第四十二章

道生一　一生二
二生三　三生萬物
萬物負陰而抱陽　沖氣以為和

人之所惡　唯孤　寡　不穀
而王公以為稱
故物或損之而益　或益之而損

人之所教　我亦教之
強梁者不得其死　吾將以為教父

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FORTY-TWO

The Tao begot one.
One begot two.
Two begot three.
And three begot the ten thousand things.

The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang.
They achieve harmony by combining there forces.

Men hate to be "orphaned,", "widowed," or "worthless,"
But this is how kings and lords describe themselves.

For one gains by losing
And loses by gaining.

What others teach, I also teach; that is:
"A violent man will die a violent death!"
This will be the essence of my teaching.

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42

In the beginning there is Universe.
Universe divides itself into yin and yang.
From there comes heaven, earth, and man.
Then all things come to being.
Immersed in yin and ying, all things are in harmony.

People hate humble words,
But they use them on themselves.
This is because one gains by losing,
And loses by gaining.

What everyone teaches, I also teach:
"A violent man will die a violent death."
And this is the first of my teaching.