Interpretation of the Tao Te Ching

Author: Wen Xuan De
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-05-01
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 not noble people had emerged. Economically, tax systems changed, and laws such as criminal codes and bronze inscriptions reflecting class interests appeared. In terms of social life, the concepts and norms of hierarchy and ethics 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 change and transformation forced some wise scholars to begin philosophical thinking, first focusing on "external matters" and then recognizing their own class interests. Throughout history, the development of philosophy, both in the East and the West, has largely begun with the "view of the Dao of Heaven," followed by the concept of "unity of heaven and man," leading to the emergence of numerous schools of thought with intense debates. From Laozi's "view of the Dao of Heaven," it objectively explains a series of fundamental philosophical questions, such as the origin, movement, struggle, transformation, and interconversion of all things. This can be seen as a severe blow to the superstitious beliefs in a "knowing heaven" and ghosts and gods. This is also the foundation and essence of Laozi's philosophical thought—the "Dao." In my opinion, Laozi's "Dao" and "De" both belong to the philosophical category. The "Dao" speaks of the natural way, the origin and foundation of all things, while "De" speaks of the realm achieved by the natural way, a manifestation of the natural Dao in people's social life. Therefore, "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" were, he ultimately had to summarize them as something that was "both present and absent" and "formless and substantive." However, Laozi's discussions of the Dao and De were not just about academic pursuits or philosophical ideas; 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 full of materialist dialectics and is 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, still shining 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 explaining these eighty-one chapters. In traditional or common editions of the Tao Te Ching, some place the first thirty-seven chapters under the title "Dao Jing" as the upper part at the beginning, while the last forty-four chapters are titled "De Jing" as the lower part at the end. This book, considering the eighty-one chapters of the Tao Te Ching, finds that the content of "Dao Jing" and "De Jing" are interwoven and cannot be strictly separated. Therefore, it does not divide them into "Dao Jing" and "De Jing" but explains them from chapter one to eighty-one in a continuous manner. In traditional or common editions of the Tao Te Ching, some have a "title" for each chapter, though it may not fully encompass all content, it indicates the main focus of the chapter, while others do not have this "title" 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" before each chapter to provide guidance. The writing of this book, especially the explanation of the eighty-one chapters of the Tao Te Ching, follows a method of first copying the original text, then providing a thematic explanation, followed by annotations, and finally translating it into colloquial Chinese.