Written more than two thousand years ago, the Tao Teh Ching, or "The Classic of the Way and Its Virtue," has probably had a greater influence on Asian thought than any other single book. It is also one of the true classics of world literature. Traditionally attributed to the near-legendary "Old Master," Lao Tzu, the Tao Teh Ching teaches that the qualities of the enlightened sage or ideal ruler are identical with those of the perfected individual. Today, Lao Tzu's words are as useful in mastering the arts of leadership in business and politics as they are in developing a sense of balance and harmony in everyday life. To follow the Tao or Way of all things and realize their true nature is to embody humility, spontaneity, and generosity.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Language Notes
Text: English, Chinese, Chinese (translation)
About the Author
Not much is known about the legendary Lao Tzu, to whom authorship of the Tao Te Ching is popularly attributed. Some scholars believe the author was an elder contemporary of Confucius.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
66 of 71 people found the following review helpful
By tepi
Format:Paperback
Anyone who may be looking for a stripped-down edition of the Tao Te Ching, one without Introduction, Commentaries, or Footnotes, so that one may immediately come to grips with this most fascinating and profound of texts without any distracting impedimenta at all, could hardly do better than get hold of a copy of this book.
A brief description of its translator, Dr John C. H. Wu, will be found in the Introduction to Red Pine's 'Lao-tzu's Taoteching.' From Red Pine, who attended a graduate course on the Tao Te Ching given by Dr Wu at the College of Chinese Culture in Taiwan many years ago, we learn that he was a person of considerable attainments.
Besides translating the Tao Te Ching, Dr Wu also translated the New Testament, drafted his country's constitution, and served as China's ambassador to the Vatican and it's chief representative to the Hague. Clearly we are dealing here, not with some sort of 'mystical' dreamer, but with an accomplished scholar, diplomat, and man of the world, and one who must have realized the world has never stood in greater need of Lao Tzu's religion of peace than it does in our present era of aggression.
After a brief Foreword, and a couple of pages of Editor's Notes, we are immediately confronted by the text. Here is an example of Dr Wu's style from the opening of Chapter 29, slightly adjusted since it should be set out as poetry:
"Does anyone want to take the world and do what he wants with it? / I do not see how he can succeed. // The world is a sacred vessel, which must not be tampered with or grabbed after. / To tamper with it is to spoil it, and to grasp it is to lose it" (page 59).
In the present age of manipulators both great and small, could there be any more apt words for us than these? And could they have been expressed more effectively? One doubts it.
But it gets better. Classical Chinese is an extremely rich language, a language of multiple meanings. No English translation, no matter how good - and Dr Wu's is very good indeed - could possibly hope to capture more than a fraction of the meaning inherent in the Chinese text. Given this, we see the hand of the diplomat at work in Dr Wu's next move, for facing each page of the English translation he has given us Wang Pi's edition of the original Chinese text.
Evidently Dr Wu went to some pains to present us with a truly striking version of this text, for we are told that it is reproduced from the Lao Chieh Lao edition compiled by Ts'ai T'ing Kan, and privately printed in 1922. It would seem we have been given a collector's item, and it is certainly one of the most beautifully printed Chinese texts of the Tao Te Ching that I have ever seen.
The traditional full-form Chinese characters are printed in a large, clear, bold font, and even a beginner, after a week's study of the Chinese radicals, would have no trouble at all making out the structure of even the more complex characters. Somehow I get the feeling that Dr Wu would like YOU to become that beginner...
There is of course enough to keep anyone busy pondering for years in any competent English translation of the Tao Te Ching. But for those who may find themselves stirred by the visual beauty of the Chinese characters, each of which is an exquisitely balanced and supreme work of art, and who may be curious to learn more about them and how they work and what they mean, there are a number of books that would help.
One of them is the 'Gate of All Marvelous Things : A Guide to Reading the Tao Te Ching' by Gregory C. Richter. This is an interlinear edition of the Tao Te Ching which gives the Chinese text in simplified characters, pinyin transliterations, a literal word-by-word gloss and a final translation. By means of this book you can learn to read the original, or some of your favorite passages, in Chinese.
I think that if one or two of you were so impelled, Dr Wu would be left feeling very happy indeed. He seems to be a man with a keen desire to share the most important and beautiful things he has found in life.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I absoutely love this edition of the "Tao Te Ching"! I've bought multiple coppies as gifts. It's simple read, it provides some feedback from the translator to help you think about what you just read in perhaps a different way or wiht better insight, and it's tiny which is great for traveling-it takes no more room then a pack of cards. This is convienient becuse I personaly find the content perfect for traveling. Reflecting on days past and events past happens naturally while suspended between one place and the next which makes relating to the content even easier.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
It cannot be underemphasized that this edition has the traditional Chinese in its entirety, printed large enough to read, as well as the English translation. Having read only one other translation , I am not the most qualified to judge the translation's relative quality, but I can say that this is the best edition I have seen as far as clearly displaying the Chinese text.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
just because
i purchased this only because its a requirement for a sociology course. it has a lot of helpful life-skills lessons and requires some introspection.
Published 2 months ago by Jordan Blaza
5.0 out of 5 stars
The 2nd most translated book in the world after the Bible,
If your into Philosophy, Love Mother Nature & enjoy
esoteric readings it doesent get better then Lao Tzu short book Dao De Ching or Tao Te Ching depending on which spelling... Read more
esoteric readings it doesent get better then Lao Tzu short book Dao De Ching or Tao Te Ching depending on which spelling... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lee Burgess
4.0 out of 5 stars
Simple on the surface, an infinitely deep pond on closer observation.
As far as the book condition and all that were concerned, I have no complaints. The shipping did take a bit but I suppose that's because it was a third party retailer. Read more
Published 6 months ago by nikhil
5.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful yet simple
I think this book gets to the essence of what the Tao Te Ching is. It is written simply, yet allows for many interpretations. Read more
Published on April 30, 2011 by Kilgore
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lao Tze's Work
The Tao Te Ching is not a manual for leadership, but rather, a description of all existence condensed into one philosophical work. Read more
Published on June 22, 2007 by star_dingo747
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Most Influential Books I've Ever Read
The Tao Teh Ching is by far one of the best books I've ever read on spirituality, ontology, and leadership. Read more
Published on June 27, 2004 by Daniel Clausen
5.0 out of 5 stars
The classic from the Great Master and founder of Taoism
This book is a necessity for anyone who looks with distrust at the excessive organization and mechanization that our country and other countries have gone through, Lao Tze... Read more
Published on March 10, 1998
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