Tao Teh Ching Chapter 4

Chapter 4

道冲，而用之或不盈。渊兮，似万物之宗；挫其锐、解其纷、和其光、同其尘、湛兮似或存。
吾不知谁之子，象帝之先。
The tao is very deep, in utilizing it seems never to be full; Like an abyss, it seems to be the origin of all beings. It blunts its sharpness, untangle its entanglements, softens its bright light and identifies itself with the mundane. It is so clear that it only seems to exist.
I don't know whose child it is, but it is must be before god.

Detailed Comments
In this chapter the author describe the properties of the tao, and it is repeated through out the whole scripture. The property is that the Tao is deep, profound, inexhaustible.
冲, Deep, it is the same as 渊.. 或, seems, likely. I have translated as such because it correlates with the 似 in the next sentence. 其, its. It is unclear what "it" stands for. It is likely to stand for all beings, which Tao had created. 纷, many of the same things. Originally it means horse tail. In 湛兮似或存, this is difficult sentence. 湛, clear.