Laozi Interpretation

Author: Ren Jiyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: This book is a commentary and interpretation of the most important classic of the Chinese nation—the Tao Te Ching—by Mr. Ren. At the beginning of each chapter of the Tao Te Ching, the author has written highly concise content summaries and central ideas. For the key and difficult phrases in the original text, he has provided annotations one by one, along with the collation results of famous scholars from past generations. The translation is precise, fluent, standardized, and easy to understand. The author began translating and annotating the Tao Te Ching in 1956 and has published three previous works on the text, which have been highly regarded and loved by generations of scholars. This book is a culmination of the author's half-century of research on the Tao Te Ching and represents the newest research on the text in over 2,000 years since its inception. The translation of this book is not based on ancient or rare editions but uses the Wang Bi edition, which is widely circulated and influential. The author believes that the basic ideas of the Tao Te Ching from the Warring States period and the early Han Dynasty were already well-established and mature. Because the classic works of traditional Chinese culture are not those rare editions, such as good or ancient copies, but rather the commonly used versions. References are made to the Tao Te Ching in the Mawangdui silk manuscript (Jia and Yi editions), the Guodian Chu Tomb bamboo slips (Tao Te Ching in Jia, Yi, and Bing editions) for annotations and translations. Each chapter begins with the author's concise introduction to the chapter; the original text and footnotes follow the traditional style of the book, with footnotes providing annotations on key and difficult phrases in the original text, along with the collation results of famous scholars from past generations, fully reflecting its academic nature; on the right side of the original text, there is a simplified translation that is precise, fluent, standardized, and easy to understand, demonstrating its accessibility and popular nature; an index of important terms and a content classification index are appended at the end of the book to help readers better appreciate the depth of Laozi's teachings; at the very end of the book, there are transcriptions of the Mawangdui silk manuscript (Tao Te Ching in Jia and Yi editions) and the Guodian Chu Tomb bamboo slips (Tao Te Ching in Jia, Yi, and Bing editions), as well as the author's long-term research findings and insights into the Tao Te Ching. The text of the book is clear and easy to read, concise yet profound in meaning, and it is believed to inject a refreshing stream into the current of today's society.