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Tao Te Ching (Everyman's Library)

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This is a review of D.C. Lau's translation of the _Tao Te Ching_, as republished in the Everyman's Library series.

The _Tao Te Ching_ is a collection of brief sayings and verse attributed to Lao Tzu. Lao Tzu is semi-mythical. He is traditionally supposed to have been a contemporary of Confucius (about 500 B.C.), but he may just be a "composite" of stories about various early sages. The _Tao Te Ching_ itself is probably an anthology of early wisdom literature. It is concise to the point of being cryptic. Ironically, this probably helps to account for its popularity. Since it is so hard to understand, people tend to find in it what they want to find.

For millennia, the standard text of the _Tao Te Ching_ was the "Wang Pi text," named after an early commentator. However, earlier versions of the text were unearthed in a tomb in China in the 70's. These were called the "Ma-wang-tui" versions, after the place where the tomb was located.

D.C. Lau was one of the most talented translators of the 20th century. His translations of the _Analects_ of Confucius, the _Mencius_, and the _Tao Te Ching_ are among the best available. His original translation of the _Tao Te Ching_ was based on the Wang Bi text, and was published by Penguin Books. The book on this page includes both the original Penguin Books translation and a revised translation based on the Ma-wang-tui texts.

Lau is a very well informed scholar, but he does not allow the scholarship to overwhelm the translation. The language of his translation is concise and elegant. There will always be deep controversy over how to translate this deeply enigmatic text, but Lau's interpretations are always defensible.

One disadvantage of this book is that it does not include the introduction to Lau's Penguin Books translation. That introduction was itself one of the better philosophical studies of the _Tao Te Ching_. Overall, though, this is a fine translation in an elegant (and reasonably priced) format. I strongly recommend it.

Some different, but equally good, translations are those by Victor Mair and Philip J. Ivanhoe. Mair's translation has been published as a separate book, while Ivanhoe's is included in Ivanhoe and Bryan W. Van Norden, eds., _Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy_. If you would like some help interpreting the _Tao Te Ching_, a good collection of secondary essays is Mark Csikszentmihalyi and Philip J. Ivanhoe, eds., _Essays on Religious and Philosophical Aspects of the Laozi_.

I've been using this translation since 1965 and have found no better. When I want to clarify something, I struggle with a Chinese language edition - my knowledge of Chinese is sufficient to know at least the 'raw' meaning of the characters. Some thoughts and discoveries I've had...

1. D.C.Lau's translation comes closest to the actual Chinese most of the time.

2. I believe he does not consider himself a Taoist, and thus brings less 'pro' bias to his translation. Many other translations (not all) I've seen are written by 'pro Tao' folks who, to one degree or another, unconsciously bend their translations to agree with the 20th century cultural paradigm (values) in which they were conditioned.

3. It is not what a particular translation says, or how it says it, that is 'enlightening'. How you interpret what you read (hear or see) reflects who you really are at that moment. In other words, what you perceive the book to say is actually your own mind's reality. The notion that one translation or another is going to impart 'knowing' is wishful thinking. The knowing lies in the eye of the beholder. Thus, the disclaimer in chapter 1 of the Tao Te Ching, "The way that can be spoken of is not the constant way; The name that can be named, is not the constant name." This sentiment speaks to just how very inward and personal a Taoist journey is. For me, D.C.Lau's translation gets in the way of this journey less than others I've seen over the years.

Although D. C. Lau's edition of the Tao Te Ching has been sitting on my shelves for years, I've never felt particularly drawn to it. In contrast to my well-thumbed copies of Lin Yutang, J. J. L. Duyvendak, Ellen M. Chen, Zen adept Stephen Mitchell, and others, the Lau is still in a relatively pristine condition.

I don't think this is because of the quality of the translation, a translation which, though occasionally a bit wordy, reads well enough in other places. I think it's more because Lau strikes me as a hard-boiled Confucian with a thesis.

Today we are all more than used to theses. The air is thick with them. Given a bit of time, any clever woman or man can easily construct one. But we should never forget what Lu Chi (+ 754-805) reminds us of in his brilliant 'Essay on Literature,' the 'Wen fu,' when he tells us that: 'Theses are convincing - but deceptive...'

Chapter 18 of the Tao Te Ching offers what seems to me to be a perfect comment on thesis books:

"When the body's intelligence declines, / cleverness and knowledge step forth" (tr. Stephen Mitchell).

In Ellen M. Chen the same passage reads: "When intelligence (hui) and knowledge (chih) appear, / There is great artificiality (wei)" (page 99).

And in Lau: "When cleverness emerges / There is great hypocrisy" (page 74).

Many readers will probably find that Lau's edition suits them well enough for their purposes, but those who might prefer an edition which is not merely scholarly but also sympathetic might take a look at Professor Ellen M. Chen's 'The Tao Te Ching - A New Translation with Commentary' (New York: Paragon House, 1989 ISBN 1-55778-238-5). I think that for your money you'll be getting a little more than "cleverness."

This is a first-rate, hard-bound volume with a scholarly and informative introduction by Sarah Allan. This version also provides a historical chronology, followed by a fresh translation of the Ma Wang Tui manuscripts of the Tao Te Ching. This version may not be the one to buy your mom as an introduction to Lao-tzu, but it's a must have for serious students of the Tao Te Ching. One should be aware that the Ma Wang Tui manuscripts are dated earlier than the traditional Wang Pi manuscripts that are behind most popular translations, and there are notable differences. The biggest difference is in the order of verses. The MWT manuscripts first have all the verses on "Te," and then all the verses on "Tao." The result is that what starts as verse 1 in this version starts at verse 38 in the more common (Wang Pi-based) Tao Te Chings. Lau does have a comparitive table cross referencing all the verses, but you will have to refamiliarize yourself with reading Roman Numerals to use it with any speed.
The translation itself is excellent, reflecting Lau's aptitude with both languages as well as historical and linguistic issues. He leaves the translation clean of any notes, which is nice except where they could explain a few differences in beginning points or ending points of verses, etc.
There is an appendix dealing extensively with the "problem" of authorship, and another on the nature of the Tao Te Ching, and finally,a very helpful glossary of terms.

This was the first translation I read (and reread) of the *Tao Te Ching* -- I have since read (and reread) about a dozen others. What stands out in my mind about Lau's translation is the pure poetry, the haunting lyrical quality of some of the images. Furthermore, ironically, this is a starkly pragmatic and realistic translation. It stands in striking contrast to the spiritualized New Age translations that try to sublimate the entire text into the realm of the mystical. This is a *Tao Te Ching* that considers the harsh realities of government and warfare, and stakes out bold counterpositions to the Confucianism which prevailed in the late Chou Dynasty (c. fifth century BCE). This *Tao Te Ching* is not un-spiritual, but its spirituality is well-grounded in a human world of seemingly intractable problems. Other translations may appeal to the more idealistic, but this is perhaps the best translation for those whose spirituality is essentially bound to the social and political problems of the world as it is.

I love this translation. Not so much for the translation but for the introduction in the original edition. Lau was really the first critic of the traditional story of Laozi and the Dao De Jing to bring it to the English masses. The DDJ is a composite work, not the work of one author, as romantic as the story of Laozi may be. It was the work of many and thus the reason for some of its inconsistencies. Sure the work can be made to fit into one's particular scheme (the Dao obviously has plenty of flexibility to accommodate) but quite often this reflects the reader/translator/interpreter more than it does the actual DDJ which makes sense as the 'mirror' is a latent symbol in this work.

Lau grounds this translation. Though he notes there may be hints of an ancient cosmology and perhaps traces of a guide to lengthening one's life through mystical practice, he notes that in reality the DDJ does not emphasize these at all. Any hints of these are reinterpreted and recontextualized due to the multiple layers of sayings represented here. It's just one particular view of the multitude of views of the Daoism school. If anything, such views are actually stripped away. Contrary to the belief (and translation) of many, the DDJ does not emphasize long life. In fact, it even points out that those who emphasize life too much surely come to an early end.

In all my years and in all my readings (from at least a dozen different translations) I too have come to a similar conclusion. This isn't a mystical treatise; it isn't an otherworldly spiritual guidebook; it isn't even a philosophy. It is a guidebook that teaches us how to live here and now, on earth, in the dirt,with the people. No fortune telling, no mystical visions, no otherworldly gurus, no escapism, nothing transcendent here.

Lau's translation reflects this spirit. Don't expect a poetic, mystical, New Agey translation tailored toward a Western audience nor one that embodied in the Perennial Philosophy. Too often the book is viewed as exotic, as "the Other", an alternative to the overly analytical, linear and often overbearing Western religious traditions.

But as the DDJ reminds us:

"Beautiful words aren't true; true words aren't beautiful."

"When people hear the Dao they think: How bland it is."

I first encountered the Tao Te Ching in the Mithcell translation as a sophomore in college, and we read it--fitting the context of a course on world religions--as a religious text. What is really nice about D. C. Lau's translation (and he mentions this in his fine intro) is that, in keeping with a longstanding tradition in Chinese culture, he attempts to restore some of the political import to the text. Re-reading Lao Tzu's lyrical fragments in Lau's rendering of them really brought home to me an aspect of the text that is completely overshadowed, in most translations, by the religious angles that are important but not sole determiners of the Tao's relevance and message. (This view sees me in disagreement with the avowed "Taoist" reviewer below who lamented Lau's attention to Lao Tzu's political import.)

While I heartily disagree with the political message of the Tao Te Ching--which sponsors a hands-off, laissez-faire, small-government formation, letting everything work itself out without intrusion from leaders and other well-intentioned officials, as if things ever just work themselves out on their own!--I appreciate Lau's efforts to recover in his translation a crucial, crucial aspect of Lao Tzu's thought, and one that has been shuffled under the magic carpet by Taoism's New Agey popularity among many Anglophones.

D C Lau's version is one of the best currently in the market, despite it being made in 1963. As a native speaker his Chinese is certainly sound, unlike some of the so-called "translators" who just work using a dictionary or software program to do the job; he doesn't make wayward interpretations or renditions, his grasp of the grammatical structure of classical Chinese bear examination, and his translation retain some of the aphoristic poetry of the original. Of more concern is the now-dated introduction and commentary, while the work itself could go with more connotations. However, the translation certainly deserves recommendation.

As a student of T'ai Chi Chuan I am always looking for good translations of this work. This is my favorite translation of many that I have reviewed in the past twenty years.I am particularly fond of the XV verse and that is my own standard to evaluate a "good" translation.

D.C. Lau's translation is as good a place to start as any if you're new to the Tao Te Ching, though his introductory essay might scare off some with its dry, scholarly tone. I would suggest that you avoid reading it, unless of course you really want to hear his thoughts on the text. Given the ambiguity of Lao Tzu's masterpiece to interpretation, translations of the Tao Te Ching are wide and varied. Lau's is very much a Confucian-based interpretation. Which is not to say it is not any good, however, be aware that you're essentially reading one school of thought on the text. As for the text itself and it's meaning, it is difficult to explain. The Way is the path to truth, but what has to be understood is that this path has no start or finish. To put it another way, it is eternal and cyclic, much like the idea of Karma. It's about finding the true nature of existence and in turn, non-existence. Lao Tzu says, "Those who speak do not know; those who know do not speak". So perhaps I don't know what I'm talking about! I guess the meaning of the Tao Te Ching is up to the individual to decide upon. Regardless, D.C. Lau's translation is recommended.