Laozi: Dao De Jing: Chapter 14

视之不见
名日 “夷”；
听之不得
名日 “微”；

博之不得
名日 “微”；
此三者不可致诘
故混而为一。

一者，其上不皦
其下不昧。
绳绳兮不可名
复归于无物。

是谓无状之状
无象之象是谓惚恍。

Shi zhi bu jian
Ming ri “yi“;
Ting zhi bu de
Ming ri “wei”;

Bo zhi bu de
Ming ri “wei”;
Ci san zhe bu ke zhi jie
Gu hun er wei yi.

Yi zhe, qi shang bu jiao
Qi xia bu mei.
Sheng sheng xi bu de ming
Fu fui yu wu wu.

Shi wei wu zhuang zhi zhuang
Wu xiang zhi xiang
Shi wei hu huang.

Chapter 14

One may look but does not see
It is called “imageless”;
One may hear but does not listen
It is called “soundless”.
One can touch but does not find it
It is called “formless”.

These three things cannot be analyzed further
For they can be considered as the unitary One.
The One is not brilliant when above
And not dark or concealed when below.

Existing beyond a name, it moves between “you” (有) and “wu” (无) with little restraint
Repeatedly it reverts back and forth between the two.

It is said that the Dao is without shape or form
And therefore cannot be copied or mimicked.
It is said that the Dao is vague and elusive.

Notes:

You: (有) Being-Within-Form
Wu: (无) Being-Without-Form
These two are foundational for Laozi. See chapters one (1) and forty (40), on this website, for more discussions and commentary.

The One: also known as The Dao

Other possible translations:

Lines #1-#6:
One may look but does not recognize
It is called “beyond sight”
One may hear but does not become certain
It is called “vague”
One may touch but cannot obtain it
It is called “elusive”.

Commentary:

This chapter is an elaboration of the first chapter in the Dao De Jing. These three attributes of the Dao: imageless, soundless, and formless reveal that the Dao is beyond our sensory perceptions. The concepts of “you” (Being-Within-Form) and “wu” (Being-Without Form) come directly from chapter one. Understanding the Dao involves understanding how these two exist, how they move from one to another as the Dao’s movement.

The Classic of the Dao: A New Investigation
By Wang Keping
Foreign Languages Press, Beijing 1998