著為圖籍，開示後昆，露見枝條，隱藏本根，託號諸名。
They wrote charts and texts to aid posterity in seeing,
but exposed only the branches and left the roots concealed;
they disguised every name and enveiled every word.
The Seal of the Unity of the Three
…
異名同出，少人知。
They have different names, but they come forth together.
Few people know this.
Awakening to Reality
…
種種異名，無非譬喻，使學者自得之也。
There are different names of all kinds. All of them are metaphors.
They serve to enable students to get it by themselves.
Li Daochun, ca. 1290
…
不得泥文執象。
You should not get mired in the words and stuck in the images.
Liu Yiming, 1734–1821
…
The most important points are not committed to writing: they are handed down in person from master to disciple and are transmitted by word of mouth. Therefore when the alchemical masters write their books, they are extremely cautious. As the saying goes, they hide the mother and talk of the son, and they leave the root to pursue the branches. Their writings are more complex than riddles.
Wang Mu, 1908–92
…
道本無言，言以顯道。
The Dao is fundamentally devoid of words.
Words are used to manifest the Dao.
Anonymous
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