The tao that can be told
is not the eternal Tao.
The way you can go
isn’t the real way.
A Way called Way
isn’t the perennial Way.
The Tao that can be spoken
is not the eternal Tao.
The Way that can be told of
is not an Unvarying Way;
The Tao that can be told of
is not the eternal Tao;
The Tao that can be Told
is not the True Tao;
Tao that can be spoken of,
Is not the Everlasting Tao.
Any track one can walk
is no path for the eternal Way.
The Tao that can be trodden
is not the enduring and unchanging Tao.
The Tao that can be understood
is not the eternal, cosmic Tao.
The Principle that can be enunciated
is not the one that always was.
The way that can be told
IS not the constant way;
If It can be spoken of, then it is the branch not the root, the manifestation, not the source.
The path that can be told
Is not the Eternal Path;
The Tao that can be spoken
Is not the eternal Tao.
The Tao that can be followed
is not the eternal Tao
The Tao that can be described
is not the enduring and unchanging Tao.