Abstract: The first chapter of Lao Tzu plays a very important role in Lao Tzus philosophy and the history of Lao Tzus studies.The first chapter clearly addresses three basic issues of Lao Tzus Taoism: first,the differentiation between Tao and expression,which interprets the metaphysical meaning of “Tao”;second,the discrimination of Being or Not,revealing the transcendence,existence and unity of Tao;third,the distinction between Tao and the matter,by using “The Doorway Whence Issued all Secret Essences” as a metaphor to explain the origin of endless life of Tao,the Tao giving birth to all things,and all things respecting Tao.These three aspects fundamentally solve the ultimate concern of life: “where does the world of life come from,and where does it go”,which is the logical premise for ancient and modern philosophy to settle the meaning of life,and also the most fundamental problem that philosophy deals with.With the help of the intuition of metaphor to penetrate the “interval of Tao and expression”,Lao Tzu uses “the doorway of the mysterious female” to metaphorize the Tao body,and develops the life experience of ancient reproduction worship into a profound philosophical thought.

Key words: Lao Tzu, the differentiation between Tao and expression, the discrimination of being or not, the distinction between Tao and the matter