Tao Te Ching (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao..." (more)
Key Phrases: The Master

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Beautiful and accessible; the English, as 'fluid as melting ice,' is a joy to read throughout." -- -- The New Republic

"I have read many translations of this ancient text but Mitchell’s is by far the best." -- James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces

Review

"I have read many translations of this ancient text but Mitchell's is by far the best." (James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Compact edition (August 28, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060812451
• ISBN-13: 978-0060812454
• Product Dimensions: 4.9 x 3.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (192 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #157,366 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Modern paraphrase of ancient classic, January 26, 2007

By	R. Tarbell - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Tao Te Ching is ancient, now a couple of millenia in print. Stephen Mitchell has not translated this classic, but rather has paraphrased it -- as he admits in the Foreward. But he is a Zen student of a couple of decades and has good insight into the Zen of the Tao (Zen Buddhism is Buddhism heavily dosed with Taoism).

Mitchell's version of the Tao Te Ching is very, even extremely, modern. Perhaps to the point of being "politically correct." However, he does have a way with words and this is a very readable version of the Tao. To show how modern it is, let's take an example and compare his version of the beginning of chapter 46 with two other versions:

- Mitchell
"When a country is in harmony with the Tao,
the factories make trucks and tractors.
When a country goes counter to the Tao,
warheads are stockpiled outside the cities."

- Victor Mair
"When the Way prevails under heaven,
swift horses are relegated to fertilizing fields.
When the Way does not prevail under heaven,
war-horses breed in the suburbs."

- Addiss & Lombardo
"With TAO under heaven
Stray horses fertilze the fields.
Without TAO under heaven,
Warhorses are bred at the frontier."

Obviously, there were no factories, trucks, tractors, or warheads in ancient China. So, Mitchell is providing a modern interpretation of the Tao Te Ching, while Mair as well as Addiss & Lombardo are closer to a literal translation (which is not possible however, because the Chinese language and the English language are so completely different from one another.)

None of this is to find fault with Stephen Mitchell. This is just to say that his book cannot be definitive, because it is less literal and not really a translation. However it is good, compelling reading, and honestly makes no pretense of being a literal translation. If you like Mitchell's approach, get one of the more literal translations too. I bet Stephen Mitchell himself would like you to have both.

197 of 236 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Why read a paraphrase instead of a translation?, April 26, 2002

By	bryan12603 (Poughkeepsie, NY USA) - See all my reviews

As Mitchell admits, he doesn't read Chinese. Instead of calling this a "translation," he calls it an "English version." But why would you want to read a loose English paraphrase by someone who can't read either the original or the early Chinese commentaries on it when you could read a translation by any one of a number of gifted and insightful scholars?

The standard defense of a "version" like Mitchell's is that he has some special insight into the text that entitles him to interpret it. But the danger of an interpretation like Mitchell's is that it projects modern Western preconceptions onto the Tao Te Ching instead of allowing us to be challenged by the powerful, paradoxical, and even frightening original text. In fact, Mitchell projects Zen Buddhist and New Age ideas into his "interpetation." (And, No, Zen Buddhism is not the same as Taoism, any more than Catholicism is the same as Judaism.) Someone who actually reads the original Classical Chinese, and is familiar with the historical and cultural context in which the text was composed is much more likely to be insightful about the text. Another common comment is that someone like Mitchell doesn't get lost in boring scholarly stuff. But there are plenty of exciting, fun to read translations by people who can actually read the original. The first Tao Te Ching translation I read was by D.C. Lau. He was a truly great scholar, but his translation is very elegant and very readable. Other terrific translations by people who actually know the "text and context" include those by Victor Mair, Robert Henricks, and Philip J. Ivanhoe. (Ivanhoe's translation is available both as a separate book, and as part of the anthology he co-edited, Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy.)

Oh, and the "editorial review" that Amazon lists above is actually not a review of Mitchell's translation at all. (There is no way to report that using their "corrections" button.)

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeper than you can imagine, November 6, 2005

By	L. Power "nlp trainer" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

..Meaning Book of The Way, or book of the Word. One of the best books ever written. I recommend this version because:

The Chinese language has less specific gender distinction, according to the author. Sometimes using female references broadens the meaning of Tao, at least for me.

Explanations for each chapter are at the back, so you can absorb the content first.

The hardback version has a silk string bookmark like the Bible, so you may easily refer to a specific passage also making this a perfect gift.

If you are like me, then as you read you discover the wisdom
like a raw jewel which you shape into a glittering diamond. That is the brilliance of the book.

The Tao is always present within you.
You can use it any way you want.

The Tao is wise, paradoxical, counterinituitive, puzzling, fascinating, mysterious, inspiring, amazing and true. These concepts bypass ego based thinking, and the idea of doing things by not striving is allowing a higher more authentic way of thinking to inform your being and your action.

81 chapters, all less than one page. Like any great mystery, the Tao is there to be experienced and not necessarily understood.

True words aren't eloquent;
Eloquent words aren't true;
Wise men don't need to prove their point;
Men who need to prove their point aren't wise.

The Tao nourishes by not forcing.
By not dominating the Master leads.

I highly recommend it. When you buy, be sure to check the edition you are buying, as you may buy the pocket edition by mistake.

I also recommend The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, which is another classic book of wisdom.

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