Dao belongs to the metaphysical realm. We cannot perceive it through sight, hearing or touch.
We look at it, and we do not see it, and we name it ‘the Equable.’ We listen to it, and we do not hear it, and we name it ‘the Inaudible.’ We try to grasp it, and do not get hold of it, and we name it ‘the Subtle.’ With these three qualities, it cannot be made the subject of description; and hence we blend them together and obtain The One. Its upper part is not bright, and its lower part is not obscure. Ceaseless in its action, it yet cannot be named, and then it again returns and becomes nothing. This is called the Form of the Formless, and the Semblance of the Invisible; this is called the Fleeting and Indeterminable. We meet it and do not see its Front; we follow it, and do not see its Back. When we can lay hold of the Dao of old to direct the things of the present day, and are able to know it as it was of old in the beginning, this is called (unwinding) the clue of Dao.
Note
The essence of the Dao transcends all sensory perception:
- It cannot be grasped by the eyes;
- It cannot be heard by the ears;
- It cannot be touched by the hands.
It exists beyond human temporal coordinates:
- Without beginning in the past;
- Without end in the future.
Yet, we may perceive and benefit from it by observing phenomena generated through the Dao’s operational dynamics.
Though intangible in itself, its ceaseless functioning manifests discernible principles:
- Rhythmic cyclicity;
- Unwavering coherence.
By contemplating these cosmic principles, humanity can:
- Guide present actions;
- Design future strategies.
Further Reading
Chapter Fourteen’s statement, “Look for it, and it cannot be seen—we call it ‘formless.’ Listen for it, and it cannot be heard—we call it ‘soundless.’ Grasp for it, and it cannot be held—we call it ‘intangible,’” echoes Chapter One’s “The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name.” While Chapter One establishes that the Tao is ineffable and transcends concepts, Chapter Fourteen concretely describes its imperceptibility through the terms “formless, soundless, intangible.” Together, they construct the philosophical ontology of the “Tao.”
Both Chapter Fourteen’s “vague and indistinct, it cannot be named, and returns to nothingness” and Chapter Four’s “the Tao is empty, yet when used it is not exhausted; deep, it seems like the ancestor of all things” emphasize the Tao’s nameless and emptiness. Chapter Four describes the Tao’s emptiness and infinite potential, while Chapter Fourteen further explains that the Tao cannot be named and reverts to formlessness. Together, they elucidate the transcendent nature of the “Tao.”
Chapter Fourteen’s “returns to nothingness” is directly related to Chapter Forty’s “all things under heaven are born of Being, and Being is born of Non-being.” Chapter Forty proposes “Non-being” as the source of all things from the perspective of cosmological generation, while Chapter Fourteen validates the practicality of “Non-being” through the “image of nothingness.” Together, they form a complete “theory-phenomenon” logical chain.
視之不見，名曰夷；聽之不聞，名曰希；搏之不得，名曰微。此三者不可致詰，故混而為一。其上不皦，其下不昧。繩繩不可名，復歸於無物。是謂無狀之狀，無物之象，是謂惚恍。迎之不見其首，隨之不見其後。執古之道，以御今之有。能知古始，是謂道紀。
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