The Law of Tao

What is seen yet unseen is called Yi (formless).

What is heard yet unheard is called Xi (soundless).

What is grasped yet ungraspable is called Wei (intangible).

These three cannot be dissected

they blend into Oneness.

Above, it holds no light;

below, no shadow.

Endless yet indefinable,

it returns to the void.

This is the form of the formless,

the image of the imageless

the elusive flux.

Approach it, and its beginning vanishes;

follow it, and its end retreats.

Hold fast to the ancient Dao

to govern present realities.

To know the primal origin

is to grasp the Dao’s eternal thread.

(This chapter describes the Dao’s transcendence beyond sensory perception: invisible, inaudible, and untouchable, yet permeating time and governing all things. Laozi reveals that the Dao, though shapeless, is the root of cosmic order. By tracing its primordial essence, one comprehends the laws of existence.)

Key Terms:

Yi (夷) – "formless" (beyond visual perception)

Xi (希) – "soundless" (beyond auditory perception)

Wei (微) – "intangible" (beyond tactile perception)

惚恍 – "elusive flux" (the Dao’s evershifting, indefinable nature)

道纪 – "eternal thread" (the Dao’s timeless continuity structuring reality)

Core Philosophy:

The Dao defies categorization yet underlies all phenomena. Its paradox—being simultaneously empty and allencompassing—reflects the unity of existence. To align with the Dao is to perceive the infinite within the finite, the eternal within the transient.