This seems to me the most completeinitself translation. Pdf comparison and analysis of selected english interpretations. This is by far the most convincing translation of the classic tao te ching i have come across. Translations at a glance j legge j h mcdonald lin yutang tao te ching chapter 42 j legge the tao produced one. In response to this, lao tzu wrote a book in two sections, laying out the. A book about the way and the power of the way, 1998 is very free but sometimes illuminating. Over time, i will also be comparing my favorite tao te ching passages to other translationsversions and update this post. Throughout laotses book, empty and full are used as meaning humility and pride respectively. While a literal translation may be beneficial in other works, the tao te ching is filled with a myriad of metaphors, imagery, and symbols that are not supposed to be literal. Lin yutang s featured books the importance of living. The new translation from tao te ching, the definitive edition tarcher cornerstone editions. The wisdom of china edited by lin yutang a four square book the new english library great britain 1963 pp. Welch also tells that in his book, by taoist and taoism he refers to the doctrines of the tao te ching alone, and no other book except the bible has been translated into english as often. Its not quite possible for a book summary to do the tao te ching justice.
Tao te ching translates very roughly as the way of integrity. The tao te ching has a long and complex textual history. Lin also has a yt channel where he teaches on the tao te ching in depth twohour talks on a portion of one chapter. Bills talks merge real life situations with traditional tao teachings in a way that allows one to take the lessons to. The other titles are those of books on the chinese language, and these. Lau lao tzu tao te ching penguin classics cox and wyman ltd. People believe the book was written around 600 bc it is an important text to chinese culture. Tao te ching of lao tzu is so profound its true essence is unable to be captured by any one translation alone. The book of tao, by the legendary founder of taoism, in the version prepared by lin yutang laotse. While confucius is more popularly known to the average man in the west, a small group of critics and scholars in this country, for some.
Thus, the constant void enables one to observe the true essence. He was one of the most influential writers of his generation, and his compilations and translations of classic chinese and related texts into english were. The tao te ching by lao tzu the witter bynner version. Tao te ching, english by lin yutang, terebess asia online. A tao talk by sifu bill bunting from the weekly tao talks with derek lin.
Both tien here and tao in the next line are clearly used as adjectives. Lin, yutang skip to main search results amazon prime. The classic book of integrity and the way, by lao tzu. In order to get the most from the book, the best compromise is to read more than. His background lets him convey eastern teachings to western readers in a way that is clear, simple and authentic. Refer to lin yutang s commentaries on chuang tzu in.
The watercourse way, which though never fully completed was published after the authors death and introduced thousands of readers to taoist thought. Lin yutang, 1948, the wisdom of laotse, random house. One reason for so many western versions lies perhaps in the parallels between the tao te ching in lin yutang s translation and the new testament. I read the first two lines and threw the book across the room.
The tao is a book of deep and insightful eastern oriental wisdom. Please search online for lin yutang and tao te ching to read along with the complete text of this. Known versions and commentaries date back two millennia, including ancient bamboo, silk, and paper manuscripts discovered in the twentieth century. Laozi was a sage a wise man and he was a recordkeeper. Daode jing the daode jing is a short book of about 5,000 chinese characters. The tao the can be told of is not the absolute tao. Now, nearing old age, i am surrounded by hundreds of books in my library, but this book alone would be the one that most influenced the. Oftentimes, one strips oneself of passion in order to see the secret of life. Lin yutang 1895 1976, a highly respected writer, translator, linguist and. On the absolute tao the tao the can be told of is not the absolute tao.
Listen help info is the chinese name of a book by a man named laozi or lao tzu, which literally means old master. In 81 short, poetic chapters, the book looks at the basic predicament of being alive and teaches how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the tao, or the basic principle of the universe. One verse at a time, slowly learn to digest and apply what you have learned in your lives. The first edition of the novel was published in 300, and was written by lao tzu. He wrote his first book, the spirit of zen, at the age of twenty and went on to write over twenty other books including the way of zen, the book, and tao. Translated by lin yutang, 1948 the wisdom of laotse, random house. This is a great introduction to the tao te ching, the original book on taoism, and also has other writings to round out the material. As the title says, this book is indispensable to anyone that has an interest in philosophy, ancient chinese thought, or the basis of taoism. Since the rst english translation of the tao te ching in 1868 by englishman john.
Although the ttc was written thousands of years ago, lin yutang s translation speaks to todays society with a fresh voice. It takes the entire tao te ching and the core thoughts of chuang tzu that compliment the tao te ching and puts them together in one very compact, well bound, hardcover book. Laotse is the reputed author of the tao te ching and founder of philosophical taoism. Tao te ching, english by lin yutang, terebess asia online tao. Translations at a glance j legge j h mcdonald lin yutang tao te ching chapter 63 j legge it is the way of the tao to act without thinking of acting. Tao te ching, chuang tzu tzu, lao, yutang, lin, xu, michael on. The vigil of a nation by lin yutang 18951976 and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
In contrast to my wellthumbed copies of lin yutang, j. Tao te ching chapter one tao the way that can be spoken of is not the constant tao the name that can be named is not a constant name. Laus edition of the tao te ching has been sitting on my shelves for years, ive never felt particularly drawn to it. The tao te ching is a short text of around 5,000 chinese characters in 81 brief chapters or sections. Chen, zen adept stephen mitchell, and others, the lau is still in a relatively pristine condition. What was your reaction after having read the tao te ching. I currently do not have a copy and recomemend anyone to check it out from the library. Besides the basic text it features relevant selections from chuang tzu as comments to each short chapter as well as lin yutang s own very insightful notes.
The translator is too literal in his interpretation. The tao teh ching is a book, an important and coherent book. I found the tao te ching at a school book club distribution drive. If there is one book in the whole oriental literature which one should read above all the others, it is, in my opinion, laotses book of tao. Please dont give up on the tao te cuz ng because of a poor translation or because it seems difficult to understand. Tao te ching is translated as tao the way, te virtue, and ching book or cannon. T he tao teh ching, in the version made by lin yutang, was published in pdf by the associated websites on 18 june 2019. The new translation from tao te ching, the definitive edition tarcher cornerstone editions tzu, lao, star, jonathan on. In its 81 verses it delivers a treatise on how to live in the world with goodness and integrity an important kind of wisdom in a world where many people believe such a thing to be impossible.
The title can mean the book of the way and its virtue. In china,lao tse called tao te ching too,as it is laotses only book and. Choose one of the many translations of lao tzus tao te ching to read daily. The above is the most accurate translation of the ancient classic available anywhere at any price. You can read a variety of tao te ching translations online for free here and here. Although the ttc was written thousands of years ago, lin yutangs translation speaks to todays society with a fresh voice. It may be of interest to some readers that the dictionaries i have used are lin yutangs. Pdf tao te ching book by lao tzu free download 160 pages. Gateway to the vast realms eastern religion and philosophy. It is simply referred to as the tao the way to virtue and wisdom the highly esteemed philosopher dr lin yutang has stated that if their is any one book in all of oriental literature which should be read above all others. Lao tzus tao te ching the book of the way is the classic manual on the art of living. First, a database of english translations of the tao te ching was established. In fact, this translation is disrespectful to laozi. Taosim affirms that each human being is a reflection of the whole universe, a microcosm within the.
All things leave behind them the obscurity out of which they have come, and go. He was born in taiwan and grew up with native fluency in both mandarin and english. Lin yutang 1895 1976 was a renowned chinese writer, translator, linguist, philosopher and inventor. My friend and i ditched two classes to load his hatchback full of books.
So, ive tried to group my favorite passages by key themes. In the beginning of heaven and earth there were no words. Derek lin is an awardwinning, bestselling author in the tao genre. It had been previously published as a series of articles in the aquarian theosophist between april and december 2018. Mitchell, stephen, 1988, tao te ching, harper collins. Tao te ching daode jing english versions terebess asia. Translated by lin yutang the wisdom of china edited by lin yutang a four square book the new english library great britain 1963 translated by d. The names that can be given are not absolute names. I found this book, the lin yutang translation, in 1969 in one of the many bookstores near columbia when i was a grad student.