Legge   25 
There was something undefined and complete, coming into 
existence before Heaven and Earth. How still it was and formless, 
standing alone, and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere and in 
no danger (of being exhausted)! It may be regarded as the Mother of 
all things. I do not know its name, and I give it the designation of the Tao 
(the Way or Course). Making an effort (further) to give it a name I 
call it The Great. Great, it passes on (in constant flow). Passing on, it becomes 
remote. Having become remote, it returns. Therefore the Tao is 
great; Heaven is great; Earth is great; and the (sage) king is also 
great. In the universe there are four that are great, and the (sage) 
king is one of them. Man takes his law from the Earth; the Earth takes its law from 
Heaven; Heaven takes its law from the Tao. The law of the Tao is its 
being what it is. 
Lau    25 
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.    Feng/English    25
Something mysteriously formed, 
Born before heaven and Earth. 
In the silence and the void, 
Standing alone and unchanging, 
Ever present and in motion. 
Perhaps it is the mother of ten thousand things. 
I do not know its name 
Call it Tao. 
For lack of a better word, I call it great. Being great, it flows 
I flows far away. 
Having gone far, it returns. Therefore, "Tao is great; 
Heaven is great; 
Earth is great; 
The king is also great." 
These are the four great powers of the universe, 
And the king is one of them. Man follows Earth. 
Earth follows heaven. 
Heaven follows the Tao. 
Tao follows what is natural.
Jonathan Star   25
Something formless, complete in itself
There before Heaven and Earth
Tranquil, vast, standing alone, unchanging
It provide for all things yet cannot be exhausted
It is the mother of the universe
I do not know its name so I call it ?Tao?
Forced to name it further
I call it ?The greatness of all things? ?The end of all endings?
I call it ?That which is beyond the beyond? ?That to which all things return?
From Tao comes all greatness ?
I makes Heaven great
It makes Earth great
It makes man great
Mankind depends on the laws of the Earth
Earth depends on the laws of Heaven
Heaven depends on the laws of Tao
But Tao depends on itself alone
Supremely free, self-so, it rests in its own nature
Flowing Hands   25
Something mysteriously formed, born before Heaven and Earth. 
In silence and from within the void. 
Alone and constant, ever present and flowing. 
It is the Mother of the Ten Thousand Things. 
I do not know its name, so I call it Dao. 
For lack of a better word I call it great.  
Being great it flows. 
It nourishes the Ten Thousand Things far and away. 
From whence it came I do not know.  
Therefore the Dao is great. 
Heaven is great. 
Earth is great. 
The Ten Thousand Things are great. 
These are the four great powers of the Universe, And one of them is the Ten Thousand Things. 
Man follows the Earth. 
Earth follows Heaven. 
Heaven follows the Dao. 
Dao is what is natural.