| The Way that can be told of is not the eternal Way; |
| The name that can be named is not the eternal name. |
| The Nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth; |
| The named is the mother of all things. |
| |
| Therefore let there always be non-being, |
| so we may see their subtlety, |
| And let there always be being, |
| so we may see their result. |
| The two are the same, |
| But after they are produced, |
| they have different names. |
| |
| -- The Way of Lao-Tzu, tr. Wing-tsit Chan |