天下皆知美爲美 惡已
[tian1] [xia4] [jie1] [zhi1] [mei3] [wei2] [mei3] [e4] [yi3]
When everyone [under heaven] recognizes beauty as beauty, there is already ugliness [lit. evil]
天下皆知美之為美，斯惡已﹔
[tian1] [xia4] [jie1] [zhi1] [mei3] [zhi1] [wei2] [mei3] ， [si1] [e4] [yi3] ﹔
When everyone [under heaven] recognizes beauty as beauty, then there is already ugliness [lit. evil]
The sheer act of recognizing beauty as beauty creates ugliness. By there being a state which is considered beautiful, for this state to exist, there must be a state which is not beautiful which is ugliness. The original uses something more in line with “evil” and a more abstract “beauty” which can also represent something along the lines of “good”.
This is the root of Yin and Yang. By the sheer act of differentiation, we have planted the seeds of the other which may grow. Yin defines Yang by defining itself, and Yang defines Yin by defining itself. By defining what constitutes one, you have indirectly defined the opposite.
皆知善 訾不善矣
[jie1] [zhi1] [shan4] [zi3] [bu4] [shan4] [yi3]
When everyone recognizes adeptness [or kindness, virtue, etc.], then people speak disparagingly [of it]
皆知善之為善，斯不善矣。
[jie1] [zhi1] [shan4] [zhi1] [wei2] [shan4]， [si1] [bu4] [shan4] [yi3] 。
When everyone recognizes virtue as virtue, then there is immorality [lit. un/not virtue]
These two sections say the same thing, but say it a bit differently. When there is virtue or skill, people will tend to either turn from it, or try to bring it down. This continues what the previous section set up. The act of trying to differentiate the “good” inevitably brings to light the “bad”.
有无之相生也 難易之相成也 長短之相形也 高下之相盈也 音聲之相和也 先後之相隨 恆也
[you3] [wu2] [zhi1] [xiang1] [sheng1] [ye3] [nan2] [yi4] [zhi1] [xiang1] [cheng2] [ye3] [chang2] [duan3] [zhi1] [xiang1] [xing2] [ye3] [gao1] [xia4] [zhi1] [xiang1] [ying2] [ye3] [yin1] [sheng1] [zhi1] [xiang1] [he4 or he2 ]* [ye3] [xian1] [hou4] [zhi1] [xiang1] [sui2] [heng2] [ye3]
Having and lacking give rise to one another, difficulty and ease complete each other, long and short define each other, high and low complete each other, notes and sounds harmonize, beginning and end give sequence to each other, into perpetuity
故有無相生，難易相成，長短相形，高下相傾，音聲相和，前後相隨。
[gu4] [you3] [wu2] [xiang1] [sheng1]， [nan2] [yi4] [xiang1] [cheng2]， [chang2] [duan3] [xiang1] [xing2]， [gao1] [xia4] [xiang1] [qing1]， [yin1] [sheng1] [xiang1] [he4 or he2 ]*， [qian2] [hou4] [xiang1] [sui2]。
Thus, having and lacking give rise to one another, difficulty and ease complete each other, long and short define each other, high and low complete each other, notes and sounds harmonize, beginning and end give sequence to each other
This section continues to define the previous parts. The formula here is that opposites exist because of each other, not in spite. Each differentiation defines the spectrum and without it, there is nothing. Having can only exist when there is the concept of lacking. Difficulty and easy complete each other as difficulty is relative and means nothing without there being ease. Long and short are relative to each other and describe each other. High and low cannot be defined without high points and low points to complete one another and show the contrast.
Notes of music are defined by raw sounds. Without noise and random sounds to stand in contrast, musical notes are meaningless. The beauty and harmony from music comes from the dissonance of noise. Music harmonizes with chaotic noise because of this contrast. Beginning and end cannot exist without each other either.
The translations drift ever so slightly here in that the first provides a bit more information. These cycles continue to propagate endlessly, shifting from one state to the next, and back. This is the seed in Yin and Yang which grows into the other, only to plant the next seed to repeat the cycle.
和 is a bit weird here as there are two readings I would argue work. Per 新华字典: he4 – 和谐地跟着唱：曲高和寡。
依照别人的诗词的题材或体裁作诗词：和诗。
he2 – 相安，谐调：和美。和睦。和谐。和声。和合（a.和谐；b.古代神话中象征夫妻相爱的两个神）。和衷共济。
Ultimately, I feel it most fits he4 first mainly due to tradition, and he2 second, but I feel that both pronunciations have a compelling case.
是以聖人居无爲之事 行不言之教
[shi4] [yi3] [sheng4] [ren2] [ju1] [wu2] [wei2] [zhi1] [shi4] [xing2] [bu4] [yan2] [zhi1] [jiao4]
It is through this that the wise occupy themselves with un-coerced actions [affairs], and teach that which can not be spoken
是以聖人處「無為」之事，行「不言」之教。
[shi4] [yi3] [sheng4] [ren2] [chu3] 「 [wu2] [wei2] 」 [zhi1] [shi4] ， [xing2] 「 [bu4] [yan2] 」 [zhi1] [jiao4] 。
It is through this that the wise occupy themselves with “un-coerced” actions [affairs], and teach “quiet” teachings [those which cannot be spoken]
These sections are basically the same, but with a little more emphasis on certain terms. Here, we see that the wise (literally “sages”) focus on un-coerced or natural actions and affairs in the world, and try to teach that which cannot be put into words (for instance, the Dao). The wording in English is a bit hard to pull off without a bit of a stretch and explanation.
萬物作而弗始也 爲而弗志也 成功而弗居也
[wan4] [wu4] [zuo4] [er2] [fu2] [shi3] [ye3] [wei2] [er2] [fu2] [zhi4] [ye3] [cheng2] [gong1] [er2] [fu2] [ju1] [ye3]
The Ten Thousand Things are worked but not started [by the wise], acted on but not marked, [and] completed but not claimed
萬物作焉而不辭，生而不有，為而不恃，功成而弗居。
[wan4] [wu4] [zuo4] [yan1] [er2] [bu4] [ci2]， [sheng1] [er2] [bu4] [you3]， [wei2] [er2] [bu4] [shi4]， [gong1] [cheng2] [er2] [fu2] [ju1]。
The Ten Thousand Things are worked but not quit [by the wise], started but not possessed, acted on but not relied on, [and] completed but not claimed
These sections translate differently though they are very similar, but have a different focus. The first focuses on the fact that the aforementioned wise person is involved in the process, but never fully claims or controls it. They go with the flow of the workings of the world. The second says similar, but I would argue the first is less forceful. The wise will jump into the flow in the first, while the flow pulls them in the second.
夫惟弗居 是以弗去
[fu1] [wei2] [fu2] [ju1] [shi4] [yi3] [fu2] [qu4]
[It is] because he [one] does not dwell [on completion], that [what one sees to fruition] does not fade [lit. leave]
夫唯弗居，是以不去。
[fu1] [wei2] [fu2] [ju1]， [shi4] [yi3] [bu4] [qu4] 。
[It is] because he [one] does not dwell [on completion], that [what one sees to fruition] does not fade [lit. leave]
The wise focus on the process and not the result. They focus on mindfulness of the moment and the work they are doing and not the result except wherein it affects the process. By focusing on what is hand, they do not lose what they gain. Focus on just the result harms the process. Focus on just the future harms the present.