When the highest scholar hears the Way,
they practice it with unwavering devotion.
When the average scholar hears the Way,
they cling to it some days and doubt it the next.
When the lowest scholar hears the Way,
they laugh out loud.
If they did not laugh,
it would not be the Way.

So it is said:
the bright Way seems dim;
the advancing Way seems to retreat;
the smooth Way seems rough.

The highest virtue seems hollow;
the purest white seems stained;
the most abundant virtue seems lacking;
the steadiest virtue seems frail;
the truest substance seems shifting.

The greatest square has no corners;
the greatest vessel is slow to complete;
the greatest sound is hard to hear;
the greatest image is without form.

The Way remains hidden, beyond name.
Yet it is the Way alone that nourishes and completes all things.