Poem 4 Translation Notes, Tao Te Ching

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Here is the 4th poem in Putonghua with English gloss. The hanzi are taken from Yellowbridge.

(The Classical Chinese words are listed here alphabetically with English gloss, you may want to open it in a separate window.)

道	沖，	而	用	之	或	不	盈。
dào	zhong1,	ér	yòng	zhī	hùo	bù	yíng
way	cup,	yet	use	of	perhaps	not	become full

淵	兮，	似	萬	物	之	宗﹔
yuān	xī	sì	wàn	wù	zhī	zōng
abyss	(pause)	seems	myriad	object	of	worship

挫	其	銳，	解	其	紛，
cùo	qí	rùi,	jiě	qí	fēn
defeat	that	sharp,	separate	that	varied

和	其	光，	同	其	塵﹔
hé	qí	guāng,	tóng	qí	chén,
harmony	that	glossy,	similar	that	dust,

湛	兮	似	或	存。
zhàn	xī	sì	hùo	cún
sunked	(pause)	seems	perhaps	exist

吾	不	知	誰	之	子？
wú	bù	zhī	shéi	zhī	zǐ
I	not	know	who	of	child

象	帝	之	先。
xiàng	dì	zhī	xiān
image	emperor	of	before

Bikol Translation
Here is the translation.

4
Чan Paчagih saroŋ panharok
Sah paggamit daчih napapanoч
Pagkararum.
Siriŋ sah sanlaksaŋ bagaybagay nah sarambahon

Minadaчog sah matarum,
Minahurusay sah чiribaчibah.
Minaчuruyon sah makikintab,
Minapaчagid sah maчaчalpog.

Pagkalubog.
Siriŋ sah garoh yaчon
Daчih koh чaram kuŋ kiчisay nah чakiч
Ladawan nin suчanoy nah hadeч.

Translation Notes
I translated dào here as “Paчagi” since that is what I think is the abstract meaning in this instance. I don’t exactly remember the term for the water dipper so I used “panharok”. I used “pagkararum” instead of “kararuman” since the implied meaning is not the depths, but the state of being deep. fēn could mean also “saralak” or mixed, which are to be sorted, so “husay” is to be used not “laчin” to separate and sort. I cannot use “lubtoh” for sunked since it just means to dip but not necessarily mean submerged. There is no word for emperor in Bikol, so I used the word “hadeч” or king.

My Interpretation.
The Way can be likened to a dipper. It never gets filled, even when constantly used. It can go deep; profound like objects of worship. It defeats the sharp, sorts the mixed, harmonizes the shiny, makes similar the dusty. It exists even if dipped, sunked and submerged. No one knows where its from. Its like an image or symbol of a potentate of ancient times.

A Side Note
This description of the Way as a dipper reminds me of my youth when I stayed with my grandmother who lived close to the woods. She owns a big clay water jar (dulay) which she uses to store drinking water. It has a covering and to get water in it, I have to use a coconut shell dipper. That was a long time ago and I don’t have a photo of it. But have a look at the photoss shown below.

Photo of a clay jar from this site.

The dipper is like this dipper beside the jar, but made of ordinary-looking coconut shell and with a short handle made of bamboo..

It looks very similar except that there is no rosary and no faucet. It is put up high above the ground called banggirahan like this stock photo but bigger. Here is a photo from of an uncleaned water jar that has moss in it. Water jars have to be cleaned regularly to be very hygienic.