曲則金 枉則定
[qu1] [ze2] [jin1] [wang3] [ze2] [ding4]
[What is] wrong becomes [lit.] metal [solid, firm], [what is] crooked becomes settled,
曲則全，枉則直，
[qu1] [ze2] [quan2]， [wang3] [ze2] [zhi2]，
[What is] wrong becomes whole, [what is] crooked becomes straightened,
The characters for “金” and “全” are extremely similar, despite different meanings.… Read the rest here “道德经 Chapter 23 (22 Standard Order)”
This is our first major divergence between versions. Chapter 22 of the alternative matches with Chapter 24 of the more “standard” edition. There are also some ordering changes and simplifications between the versions.
炊者不立 自視不彰
[chui1] [zhe3] [bu4] [li4] [zi4] [shi4] [bu4] [zhang1]
One who stands up [high] [or] steps out [wide] does not stand up [straight], one who proclaims their own enlightenment does not manifest [their own enlightenment]
企者不立﹔跨者不行﹔
[qi3] [zhe3] [bu4] [li4]﹔ [kua4] [zhe3] [bu4] [xing2]﹔
One who stands up [high] does not stand up [straight], one who steps out [wide] does not travel
By reaching above what is natural, one strains themselves and loses their stability.… Read the rest here “道德经 Chapter 22 (24 Standard Order)”
孔德之容 唯道是從 道之物 唯望唯忽
[kong3] [de2] [zhi1] [rong2] [wei2] [dao4] [shi4] [cong2] [dao4] [zhi1] [wu4] [wei2] [wang4] [wei2] [hu1]
The great Virtue holds only [when] the Dao is followed, the Dao’s substance, [it’s] only indistinct [flurried, confused] [and] only indistinct [unclear]
孔德之容，惟道是從。道之為物，惟恍惟惚。
[kong3] [de2] [zhi1] [rong2]， [wei2] [dao4] [shi4] [cong2]。 [dao4] [zhi1] [wei2|wei4] [wu4]， [wei2] [huang3] [wei2] [hu1]。
The great Virtue holds only when the Dao is followed, the Dao’s actions [on] things, [it’s] only flurried [indistinct] [and] only confused [indistinct]
Virtue comes from the Dao.… Read the rest here “道德经 Chapter 21”
唯與訶 其相去幾何 美與惡 其相去何若
[wei2] [yu3] [he1] [qi2] [xiang1] [qu4] [ji3] [he2] [mei3] [yu3] [e4] [qi2] [xiang1] [qu4] [he2] [ruo4]
“Yes” and “yep”, how close or far are they? Benevolence and evil, how close or far are they?
絕學無憂。唯之與阿，相去幾何？善之與惡，相去若何？
[jue2] [xue2] [wu2] [you1]。 [wei2] [zhi1] [yu3] [e1]， [xiang1] [qu4] [ji3] [he2]？[shan4] [zhi1] [yu3] [e4]， [xiang1] [qu4] [ruo4] [he2]？
Abandon learning without care, “yes” and “yep”, how close or far are they?… Read the rest here “道德经 Chapter 20”
絕聖棄智 民利百負
[jue2] [sheng4] [qi4] [zhi4] [min2] [li4] [bai3] [fu4]
Refuse sainthood and abandon wisdom, [and] the people benefit 100 fold
絕聖棄智，民利百倍﹔
[jue2] [sheng4] [qi4] [zhi4]， [min2] [li4] [bai3] [bei4]﹔
Refuse sainthood and abandon wisdom, [and] the people benefit 100 fold
This follows on from Chapter 18 (and can in some ways be argued to be the cycle from Chapter 17).… Read the rest here “道德经 Chapter 19”
故大道廢 案有仁義
[gu4] [da4] [dao4] [fei4] [an4] [you3] [ren2] [yi4]
Thus [when] the great Dao is lost [abandoned, stopped, revoked], then there can be kindness and compassion
大道廢，有仁義﹔
[da4] [dao4] [fei4]， [you3] [ren2] [yi4]﹔
[When] the great Dao is lost [abandoned, stopped, revoked], there can be kindness and compassion
When the Dao is lost, then there can still be kindness and compassion.… Read the rest here “道德经 Chapter 18”
大上 下知有之 其次親譽之 其次畏之 其下母之
[da4] [shang4] [xia4] [zhi1] [you3] [zhi1] [qi2] [ci4] [qin1] [yu4] [zhi1] [qi2] [ci4] [wei4] [zhi1] [qi2] [xia4] [mu3] [zhi1]
The highest, those below [only] know [of] them; those after, are close and praise them; those after, fear and respect them; those after, are their mother
太上，下不知有之﹔其次，親而譽之﹔其次，畏之﹔其次，侮之。
[tai4] [shang4]， [xia4] [bu4] [zhi1] [you3] [zhi1]﹔ [qi2] [ci4]， [qin1] [er2] [yu4] [zhi1]﹔ [qi2] [ci4]， [wei4] [zhi1]﹔ [qi2] [ci4]， [wu3] [zhi1]。
The highest, those below do not know [of] them; those after, are close and praise them; those after, fear and respect them; those after, hate them
On the surface, these two sections are largely different, but they end up being very similar with different implications.… Read the rest here “道德经 Chapter 17”
至虛 極也 守靜 督也 萬物旁作 吾以觀其復也 天物雲雲 各復歸於其根
[zhi4] [xu1] [ji2] [ye3] [shou3] [jing4] [du1] [ye3] [wan4] [wu4] [pang2] [zuo4] [wu2] [yi3] [guan1] [qi2] [fu4] [ye3] [tian1] [wu4] [yun2] [yun2] [ge4] [fu4] [gui1] [yu2] [qi2] [gen1]
Reach [attain] emptiness, to an extreme degree, maintain calmness, to the utmost, the Ten Thousand Things work side-by-side, I observe their repeating [repetition] [by this], the things of heaven become sprawling [many and disordered], each returns back to its source
致虛極，守靜篤，萬物並作，吾以觀復。夫物芸芸，各復歸其根。
[zhi4] [xu1] [ji2]， [shou3] [jing4] [du3]， [wan4] [wu4] [bing4] [zuo4]， [wu2] [yi3] [guan1] [fu4]。 [fu2] [wu4] [yun2] [yun2]， [ge4] [fu4] [gui1] [qi2] [gen1]。
Reach [attain] extreme emptiness, maintain the utmost calmness, the Ten Thousand Things work in unison, [thus] I observe their repeating [repetition], these things [the Ten Thousand Things] grow and flourish [and multiply constantly], each returns back to its source
The top translation for the first 8 characters on the top is more of a poetic delivery which is a bit rough to translate into plain text.… Read the rest here “道德经 Chapter 16”
古之善爲道者 微眇玄達 深不可志
[gu3] [zhi1] [shan4] [wei2] [dao4] [zhe3] [wei1] [miao3] [xuan2] [da2] [shen1] [bu4] [ke3] [zhi4]
The virtue of the ancients made [for] those who follow the Dao, profound, subtle, obscure, penetrating, deeper than can be understood [lit. kept in mind]
古之善為士者，微妙玄通，深不可識。
[gu3] [zhi1] [shan4] [wei2] [shi4] [zhe3]， [wei1] [miao4] [xuan2] [tong1]， [shen1] [bu4] [ke3] [zhi4]。
The virtue of the ancients made [for] scholars, profound, subtle, obscure, penetrating, deeper than can be understood [lit.… Read the rest here “道德经 Chapter 15”
視之而弗見 名之曰微 聽之而弗聞 名之曰希 捪之而弗得 名之曰夷
[shi4] [zhi1] [er2] [fu2] [jian4] [ming2] [zhi1] [yue1] [wei1] [ting1] [zhi1] [er2] [fu2] [wen2] [ming2] [zhi1] [yue1] [xi1] [min2] [zhi1] [er2] [fu2] [de2] [ming2] [zhi1] [yue1] [yi2]
Looked at but not seen, its name is [called] “mysterious”, listened to but not heard, [its] name is [called] “rare”, felt but not obtained, [its] name is [called] “foreign”
視之不見，名曰「夷」﹔聽之不聞，名曰「希」﹔搏之不得，名曰「微」。
[shi4] [zhi1] [bu4] [jian4]， [ming2] [yue1] 「[yi2]」﹔ [ting1] [zhi1] [bu4] [wen2]， [ming2] [yue1] 「[xi1]」﹔ [bo2] [zhi1] [bu4] [de2]， [ming2] [yue1] 「[wei1]」。
Looked at but not seen, [its] name is [called] “foreign”, listened to but not heard, [its] name is [called] “rare”, held but not obtained, [its] name is [called] “mysterious”
The words in this section traditionally have a contextual translation in most translations of the DaoDeJing rather than the more literal translations I have gone with.… Read the rest here “道德经 Chapter 14”
