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The “most accurate translation” of the first line of the Tao Te Ching (The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao) would be “Tao that is Tao is not Tao”. The original Chinese leaves a lot of room for interpretation, and the best translation (in my opinion) is by Gia-Fu Feng & Jane English.


IIRC Smullyan "literally" translates a modern "literal" Chinese translation as "The Tao that can be Taoed is not the true Tao" which I think is a little more accessible without meaningful compromise.

(I cribbed that for my personal rendering as "Tao that is 'tao' is not really tao" and it's one of the few lines I don't think I changed in many years. Maybe it's something other programmers will appreciate.)




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