易经说道: 形而上者谓之道 Yijing: What is above Form is Called the Dao

易经为五经之首，是中国最重要的一本古典经书。从古到今，学者无不对它终生研读。他对中国古典哲学无论是儒道释三家，影响深刻。

道是哲学中最重要的中心思想，为儒释道广泛研论。道在中国哲学的地位犹如‘存在’和‘真理’在西方哲学所占据的地位一样。中国哲学所说的“道”归根到底是一样的，都是天地人等万物如何生成。

易经说：形而上者谓之道，形而下者谓之器。

形而上就是超乎形象之外的非现实世界。那么，形而下就是现实世界了。器自然就是器物。把道和器放在一起，道就没有那么神秘了。

老子认为一切形而下的东西都有名字，或者至少有命名的可能。形而上的东西虽然也有可命名的，但是所有不可命名的都是形而上的。道就是这一类的概念。

老子说：‘道可道，非常道，名可名，非常名。’又说：‘道常无名，朴。’

就是说，可以说的道是形而下之道，不是永恒的形而上之道。所以说道恒常而不能命名，道也是朴实的。

道既然不可命名，为什么又被称为‘道’呢？因为我们要谈论它，不得不以语言来加以形容，只好称它为‘道’了。道其实不是个名字。它是个符号，与我们所称树木的东西是不同的。我们叫一棵树为树时，我们知道树是有属性的。而我们谈道时，不是因为它有什么属性，而只把它当成一种指称。

所以，道不是神秘的虚谈，只是我们对那些不可命名的超乎形象的指称和符号罢了。

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The Yijing易經, or I Ching, the Book of Changes, is unquestionably one of the most important books in China. Its origin goes back to mythical antiquity, and it has occupied the attention of the most eminent scholars of China down to the present day. Nearly all that is greatest and most significant in the three thousand years of Chinese cultural history has either taken its inspiration from this book, or has exerted an influence on the interpretation of its text.

And Dao (Tao) is a pivotal concept of ancient Chinese thought and is the center of Chinese philosophical discussion. It occupies the position at the center of thought that in Western philosophy is filled by terms like 'being' or 'truth'.

Yijing has this to say about Dao:

What is above form is called the Dao; what is within Form are called Qi (器) ie ‘actual things and affairs.’

Forms are things that lie within shapes and features, they are physical things.

Laozi, the great Taoism philosopher elaborated that all those within Form, ie physical things must have names, ie they are nameable. While not all above Form are unnameable, what is unnameable mostly is above form. Laozi therefore said: "The Dao that can comprised in words is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the abidding name." and that "Dao is eternal, nameless, the Uncarved Block. Once the block is carved, there are names."

As Dao is unnameable, it cannot be comprised in words. Then how can we give it a name Dao? This is because we wish to talk about it, we are forced to give it some kind of designation.

So Dao is really not a name. That is to say, to call the Dao Dao, is different from calling a tree tree. When we call a tree tree, we mean it has some attributes by which it can be named. But when we call the Dao Dao, we do not mean that it has any such nameable attributes. It is simply a designation.

So, Dao is actually not something mysterious, it is just a designation to what is above form, which is unnameable.