Laozi said - (Chinese-English Parallel Text) (Image and Text)

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: "The Tao Te Ching," also known as "Tao De Jing," is one of the most renowned classics of the Chinese Taoist school and Taoism. It encompasses centuries of wisdom, vast and profound, with its concise five thousand characters centered around the concept of "the Tao." It constructs a philosophical system that ranges from the governance of emperors to the self-cultivation of recluses, embodying an extraordinary wealth of wisdom. The author, with a deep foundation in literature and history and a keen social insight, has thoroughly elucidated, corrected, and quoted from the essence of "The Tao Te Ching" in exquisite English. The book simplifies and translates "The Tao Te Ching," featuring clarity and accessibility. "The Tao Te Ching" consists of five thousand characters, concise yet profound, truly the source of Chinese philosophical works and the crystallization of the wisdom of our ancestors. It has been passed down through the ages, exerting a profound and far-reaching influence. Two years ago, at the recommendation of my younger brother Qingyang, an editor from Shanghai World Book Publishing Company invited me to translate "The Tao Te Ching." Unable to resist the temptation, I accepted the challenge. However, translation is difficult, translating Chinese classics is even more so, and translating "The Tao Te Ching" is particularly challenging. First, it is difficult to sort out the variant readings of the original text. "The Tao Te Ching" has been passed down for over a thousand years, revised by countless hands, with frequent variant readings, making it hard to distinguish between good and bad. Selecting the best versions is truly a "tangling of the threads." Second, it is difficult to determine the pauses in the original text. "The Tao Te Ching" has been handed down in several versions, including the He Shang Gong edition, the Wang Bi edition, and the Mawangdui Han tomb manuscripts (Jia and Yi versions) unearthed in 1973. These versions not only differ in text but also in punctuation, making interpretation extremely challenging and laborious. Third, it is difficult to understand the meaning of the original text. The chapters and sentences of "The Tao Te Ching" are concise, with many words and phrases having multiple meanings, making it hard to decide on the most appropriate interpretation. Fourth, it is difficult to express the meaning in English. During translation, while striving to clarify and convey the meaning, I often felt at a loss for words. Every word and sentence took months of hesitation.