Original Text
The Great Way is empty and formless, yet its function is never-ending. It is as vast as an abyss, seeming to be the ancestor of all things. It blunts sharp edges, untangles knots, softens glare, and mingles with dust. It appears hidden and void, yet it truly exists. I do not know whose offspring it is; it seems to have existed before the Lord of Heaven.
Guide
The Way is formless and imageless, like an empty vessel that can contain all things yet has no boundaries or limits. It is within this elusive, expansive, and adaptable Way that the creative essence of the world resides. Laozi points out that the Way creates all things and governs everything in the world. In life, one should emulate the Way—remain humble like a valley, be simple and restrained, and embrace all with openness.
Analysis
In this chapter, Laozi continues to further discuss the essence of the Dao. He believes that the Dao is abstract, formless and imageless, invisible to the eye and intangible to the touch, perceptible only through consciousness. Although the Dao is abstract, it is not nothingness; rather, it contains the creative factors of the material world. These factors are extremely abundant and existed before the emergence of the Heavenly Emperor. Therefore, it is the Dao, not the Heavenly Emperor, that creates the universe, heaven and earth, all things, and nature. Thus, Laozi once again explains the attributes of the Dao from a material perspective.
"The Way is empty, yet when used it never overflows. Deep it is, like the ancestor of all things." The Way is compared to a vessel with an empty interior, the most intuitive and vivid metaphor for its mysterious, intangible nature and infinite function. The realm of the Way is the world of the mind; its emptiness is relative to the self-world and cannot be perceived by external senses. Deep describes the profound and boundless nature of the Way's realm, with no edge to be found. The realm of the Way is illusory, yet it contains substance within its emptiness; for those who attain the Way, its infinite utility never leads to satiety. For the mind freely soaring in the world of the Way finds the greatest joy and best satisfies human nature. Within the vast and boundless realm of the Way lies the origin of all things in heaven and earth.
"Blunt the sharpness, untangle the knots, soften the glare, merge with the dust." Sharpness refers to arrogance and impulsive emotions, while knots represent fragmented and chaotic matters. Dust denotes the phenomenal world, as opposed to the essential world. Wandering in the wonderful realm of the Tao, one fully comprehends the true meaning of life and attains great wisdom. The once-overbearing sharpness and restlessness are subdued, and all distracting chaos that does not benefit oneself is resolved. Abandon the ostentatious and aggressive mindset, replacing it with a humble and non-contending attitude toward life. Viewing beauty and ugliness, good and evil, honor and disgrace, nobility and baseness through the lens of the Tao, one becomes truly clear and awakened. This is where the function of "teaching without words" manifests.
Profound and elusive, it seems to exist. I do not know whose offspring it is; it appears before the Lord. Profound and elusive refers to the Way being hidden and not manifest. "Seems to exist" means it is illusory yet real, seemingly absent yet truly present. Laozi believes the Way is deep, hidden, and unfathomable, appearing empty yet truly existing. Here, Laozi asks himself: Where does the Way originate? He does not answer directly but says it exists before the manifestation of the Lord. Since it exists before the Lord's emergence, then the Lord is undoubtedly produced by the Way.
This chapter aims to illustrate the immense power of teaching without words. Only by personally experiencing the realm of the Tao and not being fettered by the phenomenal world can one attain a correct worldview and outlook on life. The Tao is both illusory and objectively existent; it is precisely its illusory nature that can enrich people's inner selves. With an enriched inner self, one can blunt sharpness, resolve entanglements, harmonize with light, and mingle with dust. By grasping the essential laws of the world, one can master one's own destiny.
In the first four chapters, Laozi centrally presents the following views: the Dao is the origin of the universe and exists before the Heavenly Emperor; all things exist in mutual contradiction and are in a state of change and development; and so on. Additionally, Laozi puts forward certain basic views on social politics and life conduct, all of which are filled with wisdom.