原文
公有领域道生一，一生二，二生三，三生萬物。萬物負陰而抱陽，沖氣以為和。人之所惡，唯孤﹑寡﹑不穀，而王公以為稱。故物或損之而益，或益之而損。
人之所教，我亦教之。
強梁者不得其死，吾將以為教父。
王弼注
待校读萬物萬形，其歸一也，何由致一，由於無也。由無乃一，一可謂無，已謂之一，豈得無言乎。有言有一，非二如何？有一有二，遂生乎三，從無之有，數盡乎斯，過此以往，非道之流，故萬物之生，吾知其主，雖有萬形，沖氣一焉。百姓有心，異國殊風，而得一者，王侯主焉。以一為主，一何可舍，愈多愈遠，損則近之，損之至盡，乃得其極。既謂之一，猶乃至三，況本不一而道可近乎，損之而益，豈虛言也。
我之非強使人從之也，而用夫自然，舉其至理，順之必吉，違之必凶。故人相教，違之自取其凶也，亦如我之教人，勿違之也。
强梁則必不得其死。人相教為强梁，則必如我之教人不當為强梁也。舉其強梁不得其死以教邪。若云順吾教之必吉也，故得其違教之徒，適可以為教父也。
河上公章句
待校读道使所生者一也。
一生陰與陽也。
陰陽生和、清、濁三氣，分為天地人也。
天地人共生萬物也，天施地化，人長養之也。
萬物無不負陰而向陽，迴心而就日。
萬物中皆有元氣，得以和柔，若胸中有藏，骨中有髓，草木中有空虛與氣通，故得久生也。
孤寡不轂者，不祥之名，而王公以為稱者，處謙卑，法空虛和柔。
引之不得，推之必還。
夫增高者志崩，貪富者致患。
謂眾人所教，去弱為強，去柔為剛。
言我教眾人，使去強為弱，去柔為剛。
強粱者，謂不信玄妙，背叛道德，不從經教，尚勢任力也。不得其死者，為天命所絕，兵刃所伐，王法所殺，不得以壽命死。
父，使也。老子以強梁之人為教，誡之始也。
Legge 1891
Public domainThe Tao produced One; One produced Two; Two produced Three;
Three produced All things. All things leave behind them the Obscurity
(out of which they have come), and go forward to embrace the
Brightness (into which they have emerged), while they are harmonised
by the Breath of Vacancy.
What men dislike is to be orphans, to have little virtue, to be as
carriages without naves; and yet these are the designations which
kings and princes use for themselves. So it is that some things are
increased by being diminished, and others are diminished by being
increased.
What other men (thus) teach, I also teach. The violent and strong
do not die their natural death. I will make this the basis of my
teaching.