Scholastic Study - Did Lao Tze Create 道(Tao) in Chapter 25....?

[ChiDragon]

The first character, in Chapter One, started with 道(Tao).
Where is Tao came from...???
Did LaoTze create Tao by given it a name...???

Lao Tze said: "a name can be named is not an eternal name." Lao Tze also had gaven us an impression that Tao is eternal in Chapter One. Then, why did he given a name to Tao...??? Maybe if we study Chapter 25 close enough might find a clue.

Original classic
Chapter 25
1. 有物混成
2. 先天地生
3. 寂兮寥兮
4. 獨立而不改
5. 周行而不殆
6. 可以為天地母
7. 吾不知其名
8. 強字之曰道
9. 強為之名曰大
10. 大曰逝
11. 逝曰遠
12. 遠曰反
13. 故道大
14. 天大
15. 地大
16. 人亦大
17. 域中有四大
18. 而人居其一焉
19. 人法地
20. 地法天
21. 天法道
22. 道法自然

Edited February 14, 2013 by ChiDragon

[ChiDragon]

Chapter 25
1. There was a thing formed by chaos;
2. Before the sky and earth were born;
3. Soundless and formless;
4. Independent but unchangeable;
5. Moving but never exhaust;
6. It may be the mother of the heaven and earth.
7. I don't know its name.
8. I'm reluctantly calling it "Tao".
9. I'm even more reluctant to have a name "Big" for it.
10.Big but dynamic;
11.Dynamic but far;
12.Far but reciprocating.
13.Therefore, Tao is great.
14.Sky is great.
15.Earth is great.
16.Human is great.
17.In space, there are four great's;
18.Thus human is one of them here.
19.Human follows Earth.
20.Earth follows Heaven .
21.Heaven follows Tao.
22.Tao follows its own nature.

[ChiDragon]

Lao Tze had been talking about Tao from Chapter 1 to 14. Finally, he used Chapter 25 for the first time with a more precise description of how Tao came about in lines 1 thru 9.
1. There was a thing formed by chaos;
2. Before the heaven and earth were born;
3. Soundless and formless;
4. Independent but unchangeable;
5. Moving but never fatigue;
6. It may be the mother of the heaven and earth.
7. I don't know its name.
8. I'm reluctantly calling it "Tao".
9. I'm even more reluctant to have a name "Big" for it.


We should pay close attention to lines 8 and 9. He had made "Tao" as a proper noun in line 8.
8. 強字之曰"道"
9. 強為之名曰"大"

8. I'm reluctantly calling it "Tao".
9. I'm even more reluctant to have a name "Big" for it.

We need to follow a little close to the history of the first character 強 in line 8. It was not there in the previous versions before Fu Yi's version.
8. 字之曰"道"
8. I'm calling it "Tao".

However, with the character 強 added, then the meaning had changed quite drastically.
8. 強字之曰"道"
8. I'm reluctantly calling it "Tao".

This change falls into the logic with line 2 of Chapter One, 名可名非常名, "A name can be named is not an eternal name". Another words, we cannot give a name to Tao, but we can reluctantly call it something for convenience to describe it. It also links in the logic with line 9.

Can we come to a conclusion that LaoTze did create Tao(道) by Line 8 in Chapter 25....???

Edited February 14, 2013 by ChiDragon

[Bao Pu]

I feel that Fuyi's version of line 8 (故彊字之曰道) is unattested in all other versions, so we should not put much weight in it.

Just my opinion.

Edited February 20, 2013 by Bao Pu

[ChiDragon]

故彊字之曰道

彊(qiang2): boundary; a phonetic of 強(qiang2).

This character, 彊, is meaningless in the phase.

It has been corrected by the native knowledgeable scholars as:
8. 故強字之曰道
8. Therefore, I'm reluctantly calling it "Tao".

Edited March 1, 2013 by ChiDragon

[ChiDragon]

故彊字之曰道

 

彊(qiang2): boundary; a phonetic of 強(qiang2).

This character, 彊, is meaningless in the phase.

 

It has been corrected by the native knowledgeable scholars as:

8. 故強字之曰道

8. Therefore, I'm reluctantly calling it "Tao".

 

 

My apologies.....

 

Correction:

彊(qiang2) is a homonym and synonym of 強(qiang2). These two characters are interchangeable.

 

I was mistakenly thought that 彊(qiang) was 疆(jiang, boundary).