Chapter 25 Dyer
There was something formless and perfect before the universe was born.
It is serene, empty, solitary, unchanging, infinite, eternally present.
It is the mother of the universe.
For lack of a better name I call it the Dao.
Call it great.
Great is boundless.
Boundless is eternally flowing, ever flowing it is constantly returning.
Therefore the Way is great.
Heaven is great.
The Earth is great.
People are great.
Thus to know humanity understand Earth.
To know Earth understand Heaven.
To know Heaven understand the Way.
To know the Way understand the great within yourself.
Chapter 25 Henricks
1. There was something formed out of chaos,
2. That was born before Heaven and Earth.
3. Quiet and Still! Pure and deep!
4. It stands on its own and does not change.
5. It can be regarded as the mother of Heaven and Earth.
6. I do not yet know its name:
7. I "style" it "the Way."
8. Were I forced to give it a name, I would call it "the Great."
9. "Great" means "to depart";
10. "To depart" means "to be far away";
11. And "to be far away" means "to return."
12. The Way is great;
13. Heaven is great;
14. Earth is great;
15. And the king is also great.
16. In the country there are four greats, and the king occupies one place among them.
17. Man models himself on the Earth;
18. The Earth models itself on Heaven;
19. Heaven models itself on the Way;
20. And the Way models itself on that which is so on its own.
Chapter 25 Lau
There is a thing confusedly formed,
Born before heaven and earth.
Silent and void
It stands alone and does not change,
Goes round and does not weary.
It is capable of being the mother of the world.
I know not its name
So I style it 'the way'.
I give it the makeshift name of 'the great'.
Being great, it is further described as receding,
Receding, it is described as far away,
Being far away, it is described as turning back.
Hence the way is great;
Heaven is great;
Earth is great;
The king is also great.
Within the realm there are four things that are great,
And the king counts as one.
Man models himself on earth,
Earth on heaven,
Heaven on the way,
And the way on that which is naturally so.
Chapter 25 Wu
There was Something undefined and yet complete in itself,
Born before Heaven-and-Earth.
Silent and boundless,
Standing alone without change,
Yet pervading all without fail,
It may be regarded as the Mother of the world.
I do not know its name;
I style it "Tao";
And, in the absence of a better word, call it "The Great."
To be great is to go on,
To go on is to be far,
To be far is to return.
Hence, "Tao is great,
Heaven is great,
Earth is great,
King is great."
Thus, the king is one of the great four in the Universe.
Man follows the ways of the Earth.
The Earth follows the ways of Heaven,
Heaven follows the ways of Tao,
Tao follows its own ways.