The Unity of Tao

The highest wisdom hears the Tao and diligently practices it.
The middling wisdom hears the Tao and wavers between belief and doubt.
The lowest wisdom hears the Tao and laughs aloud—for if it were not laughed at, it would not be the true Tao.

Thus ancient teachings say:
The bright Tao appears dim;
Advancing Tao seems to retreat;
The smooth Tao feels rugged;
Noble virtue resembles an empty valley;
The purest seems stained;
Vast virtue seems insufficient;
Strong virtue appears lazy;
Genuine simplicity seems flawed.

The greatest square has no corners;
Great vessels take time to complete;
The grandest sound is nearly silent;
The greatest form has no shape.

The Tao remains hidden and nameless.
Yet only the Tao nourishes all things and brings them to fulfillment.

(Note: This passage from Laozi's Dao De Jing Chapter 41 uses paradoxical contrasts to reveal the profound and unified nature of the Tao, emphasizing how ultimate truth often contradicts worldly perceptions.)

This translation preserves the poetic paradoxes while adapting them to natural English phrasing. Key terms like "Tao" (道) are kept untranslated to maintain philosophical resonance, and the structure mirrors the original's rhythmic contrasts.