Translation

All under heaven realize beauty as beauty,
There is wickedness already.
All realize goodness as goodness,
There is no goodness already.
Hence existence and nothing give birth to each other,
Difficult and easy become one another,
Long and short form one another,
High and low incline to each other,
Sound and tone blend with one another,
Front and back follow each other.
Considering this, the wise person manages without doing anything,
Carries out the indescribable teaching.
Gives birth to but does not have,
Does but does not depend on,
Achieves success but does not dwell in it.
The simple man alone does not dwell in it,
Because of this he never leaves it.

sky (heaven; weather; nature) under all (each and every) know (realize; be aware of) beautiful (pretty; good) of do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean) beautiful (pretty; good),

this wickedness (fierce; ferocious) stop (cease; end; already; thereafter; afterwards; too);

all (each and every) know (realize; be aware of) good (perfect; kind) of do (act; act as; serve as; be; mean) good (perfect; kind),

this not good (perfect; kind) stop (cease; end; already; thereafter; afterwards; too).

reason (cause; hence) have (there is; exist) nothing (nil; without) each other (one another; mutually) give birth to (bear; grow; existence; life),

difficult (hard) easy (amiable) each other (one another; mutually) accomplish (become; result),

long (of long duration; steadily; strong point) short (brief; weak point; fault) each other (one another; mutually) form (shape; appear; contrast),

tall (high; above the average) below (under; low; inferior) each other (one another; mutually) incline (lean; bend) ,

sound (news; tidings) sound (voice; tone; reputation) each other (one another; mutually) gentle (harmonious… mix; blend),

front (before; former; first) back (after; later; offspring) each other (one another; mutually) to follow (to allow).

this regard sage person manage nothing (nil; without; no matter whether, what, etc) do (act; act as; serve as; become; be; mean) of matter (affair; thing),

go (do; carry out) no speech (word; say; talk; speak) of teach (instruct.).

all things on earth do (make; work) herein (usu. negative questioning) how; why) but not diction (poetry; take leave; decline; dismiss; discharge; shirk ).

give birth to (bear; grow; existence; life) but not have (there is; exist)

do (act; act as; serve as; become; be; mean) but not rely on (depend on),

merit (achievement; result; skill; work) accomplish (succeed; capable) but not reside (dwell; live; store up). (i.e. not claim credit for oneself.)

man (a person engaged in manual labor) only (alone) not reside (dwell; live; store up),

this use (take; according to; because of; in order to; so as to) not go (leave; remove; get ride of).

Original

天下皆知美之为美，
斯恶已；
皆知善之为善，
斯不善已。
故有无相生，
难易相成，
长短相形，
高下相倾，
音声相和，
前后相随。
是以圣人处无为之事，
行不言之教。
万物作焉而不辞。
生而不有，
为而不恃，
功成而弗居。
夫唯弗居，
是以不去。

Commentary,  October 2008

I find that insights comes not from any answers that a translations (or anything else) offers, but rather from the questions it (or experience) evokes. Questions, puzzlement, mystery all turn the light of Consciousness on, while answers just put it to sleep. That’s alright though; sleep feels good too.

Of course, as this chapter suggests, answers and questions give birth to each other. In light of this, how shall I proceed? Sit as loose to life as possible is the advice this chapter gives. If both sides of everything are so intimately intertwined (inseparable) holding out for one side or the other feels like an unrelenting struggle. And so, considering this, the wise person manages without doing anything,… This defies common sense naturally. And yet, it is the only way that actually works. When ‘all under heaven realize common sense as common sense, there is folly already‘.