Interpretation of the Tao Te Ching

Author: Wen Xuande
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: The Tao Te Ching should first and foremost be a philosophical work, relatively reflecting the philosophical thought of ancient China. Laozi's ideas emerged in the late Spring and Autumn period, when society was transitioning from a slave-owning system to a feudal system. Politically, the Zhou had lost the authority to rule the empire, and a new class of wealthy but non-noble people had emerged. Economically, the tax system changed, and laws such as criminal codes and bronze inscriptions reflecting class interests came into being. In terms of social life, the concepts, norms, and ethics of hierarchical order began to change and even break down. Especially due to class struggles and advancements in production technology, people's ideas underwent significant transformations. This great upheaval and transformation forced some wise scholars to begin philosophical thinking by first focusing on "external matters" before understanding their own class interests. Throughout history, the development of philosophy, both in the East and the West, has largely started with a "view of the Dao of Heaven," followed by the idea of "unity between heaven and humanity," leading to the emergence of numerous schools of thought with fierce debates. From Laozi's perspective on the "Dao of Heaven," it objectively explains fundamental philosophical questions such as the origin, movement, struggle, transformation, and mutual conversion of all things. This can be seen as a severe blow to the superstitious beliefs in a "knowing Heaven" and ghosts, which is the foundation and cornerstone of Laozi's philosophical thought—the "Dao." In my opinion, Laozi's "Dao" and "De" both belong to the philosophical category. The "Dao" refers to the natural way, the origin and foundation of all things, while "De" refers to the realm achieved by the natural way, a manifestation of the natural Dao in people's social lives. Therefore, phrases like "the supreme Dao and supreme De," "the great Dao and great De," and "the superior Dao and superior De" all refer to the realm reached by Laozi's thoughts on the Dao of Heaven and the human way. Although Laozi did not and could not clearly define what his "Dao" and "De" truly were, he ultimately had to summarize them as something that is both "formless and form," with both "existence and non-existence." However, Laozi's discussions of the Dao and De were not merely academic or intellectual pursuits; they also emphasized self-cultivation, family harmony, and governance. This is evident throughout the Tao Te Ching. Therefore, from today's perspective, Laozi's philosophical thought, though perhaps simplistic, one-sided, and incomplete, is indeed rich in materialist dialectics and constitutes a core part of classical Chinese philosophy. Laozi is undoubtedly a great philosopher of ancient China, and his philosophical thought is a crystallization of the profound wisdom and cultural and spiritual heritage of the Chinese nation, which continues to shine brightly even today. Although this book is titled Interpretation, its content, aside from the preface and epilogue, includes Laozi the person, the Tao Te Ching the book, Laozi the philosopher, and an explanation of the eighty-one chapters of the Tao Te Ching, with the main focus naturally being on the latter. Traditional or common editions of the Tao Te Ching sometimes label the first thirty-seven chapters as the "Dao Jing" (Book of the Way) and place them at the beginning, while the last forty-four chapters are labeled the "De Jing" (Book of Virtue) and placed at the end. This book, however, considers the eighty-one chapters of the Tao Te Ching and, given that the "Dao Jing" and "De Jing" interweave in terms of content, finds it difficult to strictly separate them. As a result, it does not divide the work into separate "Dao Jing" and "De Jing" sections but instead covers all eighty-one chapters in sequence. Traditional or common editions of the Tao Te Ching sometimes include a "title" for each chapter, though it may not fully encompass all the content, it indicates the main focus of the chapter. Others do not have such titles and simply arrange the chapters in order from one to eighty-one. This book, aiming to be a popular reading, adopts the practice of some traditional editions by adding a "title" to each chapter for clarity. The writing of this book, especially the explanations of the eighty-one chapters of the Tao Te Ching, follows a method of first transcribing the original text, then providing a thematic explanation, followed by annotations, and finally translating the text into colloquial Chinese.