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Daoism -> Zhuangzi -> Inner Chapters -> The Great and Most Honoured Master -> 3

This is the Dao;
there is in It emotion and sincerity,
but It does nothing and has no bodily form.
It may be handed down (by the teacher), but may not be received (by his scholars).
It may be apprehended (by the mind), but It cannot be seen.
It has Its root and ground (of existence) in Itself.
Before there were heaven and earth,
from of old, there It was, securely existing.
From It came the mysterious existences of spirits, from It the mysterious existence of God.
It produced heaven; It produced earth.
It was before the Tai-ji, and yet could not be considered high;
It was below all space, and yet could not be considered deep.
It was produced before heaven and earth, and yet could not be considered to have existed long;
It was older than the highest antiquity, and yet could not be considered old.
Shi-wei got It,
and by It adjusted heaven and earth.
Fu-xi got It,
and by It penetrated to the mystery of the maternity of the primary matter.
The Wei-dou got It,
and from all antiquity has made no eccentric movement.
The Sun and Moon got It,
and from all antiquity have not intermitted (their bright shining).
Kan-pei got It,
and by It became lord of Kun-lun.
Feng-yi got It,
and by It enjoyed himself in the Great River.
肩吾 Jian-wu got It,
and by It dwelt on mount Tai.
黃帝 Huang-di got It,
and by It ascended the cloudy sky.
顓頊 Zhuan-xu got It,
and by It dwelt in the Dark Palace.
Yu-jiang got It,
and by It was set on the North Pole.
西 Xi Wang-mu got It,
and by It had her seat in (the palace of) Shao-guang.
No one knows Its beginning;
no one knows Its end.
彭祖 Peng Zu got It,
and lived on from the time of the lord of Yu
to that of the Five Chiefs.
傅說 Fu Yue got It,
and by It became chief minister to Wu-ding,
天下 (who thus) in a trice became master of the kingdom.
(After his death), Fu Yue mounted to the eastern portion of the Milky Way,
where, riding on Sagittarius and Scorpio,
he took his place among the stars.


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