第一章
Chapter 1
道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。无名天地之始，有名万物之母。故常无欲，以观其妙；常有欲，以观其徼。此两者同出而异名，同谓之玄，玄之又玄，众妙之门。
The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the origin of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of all things. Therefore, always without desire, one observes its essence; always with desire, one observes its manifestations. These two emerge together but differ in name. Together they are called the mystery. Mystery upon mystery, the gateway to all wonders.
白话译文
可以用言语表达的道，就不是永恒的道；可以用名称来称呼的名，就不是永恒的名。无名是天地的本始，有名是万物的根源。所以常从无欲的角度来观察道的奥妙；常从有欲的角度来观察道的端倪。这两者同出一源而名称不同，都可以称之为玄妙深远。玄妙之中又有玄妙，这是一切奥妙的总门。
AI 解读
老子开篇即揭示了道的不可言说性，提醒我们语言文字只是指向月亮的手指，而非月亮本身。无与有、名与无名的辩证统一，是理解整部《道德经》的钥匙。真正的智慧，往往在概念的边界之外。