Customer Reviews

Tao Te Ching

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4 star:		(1)
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David Hinton is one of the very few translators who understands the subtlety of ancient Chinese and translates it well. The first sentence of the first paragraph of Tao Te Ching is usually translated as something like "[t]he Way that can be told is not the permanant Way". Such popular translation is often controversial because the Chinese word "way" was not used to mean "be told" until about 1000 years after Tao Te Ching was written. Hinton translated the same sentence as "[a] Way become Way isn't the perennial Way". How elegant! And what an accurate articulation of its philosophical meaning.

A couple sentences down in the same paragraph, Hinton wrote, "... in perennial being you see appearance". Again, the word that he translated as "apperance" is very tricky in Chinese. It originally means "covering by coiling" (or "winding around to block a view") and has mutated throughout history to refer to fences, alleys, and many other things that would totally obscure the meaning of the text. Most popular translations use the word "manifestation" in this context. This is not necessarily a bad choice because religion is, after all, subject to interpretations. But personally I think the emphasis here should not be on the indication of an existence, but should rather be on the ideal of seeing through the appearance of phenomena in order to attain an understanding that transcends experiences. I think Hinton chose a more appropriate word here.

Yet a few more sentences down, he coined a new word for one of the most fundamental concepts in Taoism `yuan'. Yuan originally means black color with an yellowish undertone. Its also means "dark" and "mysterious" as in the sensation one gets while staring at an abyss. To describe such religious experience in Taoism, any translation of yuan needs to convey both meanings. Hinton calls it "dark-enigma" and not just "mystery" as in most popular translations. And I think he is both etymologically and philosophically right on the mark.

There are many other things that he did right. I have never read a translation that is so faithful to the original yet so wonderfully articulated. Highly recommended to casual readers as well as serious scholars.

The Tao Te Ching is, quite obviously, a work that poses great challenges to translators. Apparently it takes much more than just a through knowledge of the language, but also many years of involvement with spiritual practices that are organized around the principles of the tao. I have read all of the "important" translations of this work and know something of the philosophy of the tao, and say, without reservation that Hinton's translation is the most sublime, the most poetic, and the most profound. Compare them yourself. See what you think and feel.Liberation from the Lie: Cutting the Roots of Fear Once and for All

David Hinton does a nice job of not jumbling up this translation. I can think of a few translations of the TTC that use very technical and archaic words to create a sense of majesty about the TTC. But to me this book has always been about simplicity and wordless teaching.

As someone that has pursued mystical states before I find this translation is easy to remember and conducive to a quick recall when observing the natural world or doing some form of physical exercise.

I've read that the TTC in Chinese reads like a telegram with multiple meanings available from the same words. Hinton's translation is like that and he makes a good attempt of rendering the spirit of the text, even if, he's not always literally correct (I'm thinking of the mysterious chapter 50).

Good translation with a few drawbacks but if your looking for a good introductory text read this

To add to the positive reviews:

I have had experience with a few different translations of the Tao Te Ching, and I feel that this is by far the best--my favorite. To keep it short, the reason that I feel the Hinton translation to be the best is that it retains a closeness to and respect for the original Chinese--it has a rigour to it--while also capturing perfectly a sense of the poetry, the beauty, the ambiguity of the text. It is a translation that only Hinton could do, but it is also a translation that keeps the original at its center.

The importance of this is seen in those unfortunate versions of the Tao Te Ching in which the gaudy mark of the translator is too evident, and too personal--the experience of the text is altered, and not in a good way. Hinton, on the other hand, interprets the text and its poetry, but only insofar as is needed to communicate it to an English-speaking reader, who in turn has the freedom to interpret it for his- or herself. And he does it beautifully.

Also, because it hasn't been noted yet: the introduction gives a brief history of the origins of the concepts and text of the Tao Te Ching; it was concise, clear, and helpful in illuminating the text. The glossary was also useful in quickly clarifying the meaning of certain key terms and different interpretations of their Chinese originals.

i'm really glad i brought this book, it's a great read. on top of that, it was inexpensive compared to the retail prices in stores, but it's a fairly simple book.

This is a nice, short classic filled with just under 100 ancient Chinese poems regarding Taoism. Referring to it as "Way" the reader understands that to grasp Taoism as a reality is to live and think in the Way. It is neither right or wrong it simply is. The author did an excellent job translating these poems into an English we can understand as well as feel... This book is perfect for taking what we know on the subject and painting pictures with it. To take Way and dance in it as we lose ourselves in the amazing works written so very long ago and still profoundly revealing to this day. I keep it close on my bookshelf and you should too.

This is the single most important text in Chinese Spirituallity.
The translation successfully show us how current it is to present day writing and thought. It has the strains of deep environmental and Feminist thought running through it.
And I recommend it all readers of Poetry.

I was touched by not only the wisdom of he text, but also by the beauty of the translation. The text is deep, yet simple. This is very efficient communication. Each section is easy to memorize, yet provides food for thought and analysis for hours. It is surprisingly relevant for an ancient text. The translation brings a nice consistency to the ideas, and highlights the poetic nature of this writing. This is one of my favorite books.

I recently purchased this book on line and was very happy with the service from Amazon and unhappy with the book. I find it very boring and difficult to understand as a Westerner "who wanna be" an Easterner. Surely there must be a more Western friendly interpretation of the Tao Te Ching.