Philosophy

Tao Te Ching

Tao Te Ching

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  • Create Date：2021-05-18 11:54:19
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Lao Tzu
  • ISBN：0711212783
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Summary

'Do you want to improve the world？ I don't think it can be done。 The world is sacred。 It can't be improved。 If you tamper with it， you'll ruin it。 If you treat it like an object， you'll lose it。' Stephen Mitchell's translation of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching （The Book of the Way） has sold over half a million copies worldwide。 In this stunningly beautiful edition of the fundamental modern Taoist philosophy text， Mitchell's words are set against ancient Chinese paintings selected by Asian art expert， Dr Stephen Little。

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Reviews

Gladiola Carolina ，

Creo que en general está bien， pero tal vez la versión en español no esté tan bien traducida。No me encantó。

Anandha Krishnan ，

Tao Te Ching is a classic， traditional， philosophy manual that paved the way for Taoism。 While starting to read， I knew this was one of the most important works in philosophy， needless to say， I had huge hopes。 But after finishing it I would say I am not very much satisfied。 I would definitely not blame it on the book but mostly on myself since I was not able to grasp several points it made， because of its poetic and philosophical nature。 I have read my fair share of philosophy books， ranging fr Tao Te Ching is a classic， traditional， philosophy manual that paved the way for Taoism。 While starting to read， I knew this was one of the most important works in philosophy， needless to say， I had huge hopes。 But after finishing it I would say I am not very much satisfied。 I would definitely not blame it on the book but mostly on myself since I was not able to grasp several points it made， because of its poetic and philosophical nature。 I have read my fair share of philosophy books， ranging from self-help， biographies and your typical "get good" books， Tao Te Ching falls into none of these categories， in fact， it creates a new one altogether。 A mix of wisdom and look into how lives were in Medival China。 Tao Te Ching is a very short 160-page work that is written in a poetic technique。 Since it was written in the late 6th-century BC， it definitely shows its age compared to the greeks that have lasted a bit more relevant。 But there are definitely certain aspects of the book that really caught my attention。 1。 "Heaven and earth do no act from （ the impulse of ） any wish to be benevolent; "2。 "It is better to leave a vessel unfilled than to attempt to carry it when it is full。 "3。 "Clay is fashioned into vessels; but it is on their empty hollowness， that their use depends。。。Therefore， what has a （ positive ） existence serves for profitable adaptation， and what has not that for （ actual） usefulness。"4。 "Disgrace is being in a low position。。。。The getting that （favor） leads to the apprehension （of losing it）， and then losing it leads to the fear of （still greater calamity）"5。 "He who would so win it destroys it; he who would hold it in his grasp loses it。。。。the sage puts away excessive effort， extravagance， and easy indulgence。"6。 "Great Tao， what I should be most afraid of would be a boastful display"7。 "Action should be taken before a thing has made its appearance; order should be secured before disorder has begun"8。 "The ancients who showed their skill in practicing the Tao did so， not to enlighten the people， but rather to make them simple and ignorant。"9。 "Rivers and seas are able to receive the homage and tribute of all the valley steams。。。being lower than they。。。。sage （ruler）， wishing to be above men， puts himself by his words below them"10。 "To know and yet （think） we do not know is the highest （attainment）; we do not know is the highest （attainment）; not to know （and yet think） we do know is a disease"11。 "Man at his birth is supple and weak; at his death， firm and strong。。。Trees and plants， in their early growth， are soft and brittle; at their death， dry and withered。 。。。。firms and strength are the concomitants of death; softness and weakness， the concomitants of life。"If anyone did read some of the good points that I mentioned， you might understand that the main virtue of Tao Te Ching and in turn Taoism is simplicity and minimalism。 The idea that enlightenment is reached through not owning less and doing less。 This is the main aspect of the book that I was interested in and could relate to。 So If anyone is interested into a quick dip into eastern philosophy or philosophy in general I would definitely recommend it but for the normal Joe maybe skip this one。 。。。more

Abhishek ，

The Tao that can be reviewed is not the real Tao。 Tao Te Ching contains very dense wisdom about life and how to live it。 Some of the meaning is lost in the literal translation。 For example， the book says "A journey of a thousand miles starts under one’s feet。" which is widely known as "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step" which is easier to understand。 I don't know how many such gems I have not understood because the meaning is obfuscated by the literal translation。 I underst The Tao that can be reviewed is not the real Tao。 Tao Te Ching contains very dense wisdom about life and how to live it。 Some of the meaning is lost in the literal translation。 For example， the book says "A journey of a thousand miles starts under one’s feet。" which is widely known as "A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step" which is easier to understand。 I don't know how many such gems I have not understood because the meaning is obfuscated by the literal translation。 I understood about 10% of the book which has been enlightening。 The section at the end of the translations provides more context and meaning but it would have been helpful to have it at the end of each chapter。 。。。more

Susan ，

I read a version of this translated by James Legge。 I have a sad feeling it was not the best translation to read of this sacred text。 I have to say that some of the Tao resonated and some of it was surprising。 I am not sure I like it or dislike it。 Maybe that is the Tao。。。

Buster Chambless ，

I've read it， but I can't claim to understand it I've read it， but I can't claim to understand it 。。。more

Philip of Macedon ，

Daodejing — Esoteric poetry， metaphysical and dreamlike and ambiguous。 Maybe best described by a word that keeps appearing in this translation: abstruse。 The suggestions of scholars that these fragments may be incomplete and are all that is left of a more complete version， passed down through the centuries， or that these were enigmas written down to get students thinking on a subject which would then be expounded on later by a teacher who makes sense of these statements， seems the most believabl Daodejing — Esoteric poetry， metaphysical and dreamlike and ambiguous。 Maybe best described by a word that keeps appearing in this translation: abstruse。 The suggestions of scholars that these fragments may be incomplete and are all that is left of a more complete version， passed down through the centuries， or that these were enigmas written down to get students thinking on a subject which would then be expounded on later by a teacher who makes sense of these statements， seems the most believable hypothesis。 It’s hard to know what to make of this or get out of this， yet it is enjoyable to read and contemplate。 From a poetry angle， it sounds kind of nice and has a certain flow to it， although I’m sure this is greatly changed by translation。 From other angles， it takes some unraveling to make much sense of it。The translation must have been a difficult process。 The notes point out multiple instances where the translated words or even the grammar could have gone one of a few different ways， and each was a viable path， but each would produce quite a different meaning。 Even ancient Chinese scholars apparently did not know which way was the intended interpretation， or if the multiple interpretations were perhaps intentional。 This lends the translated book even more ambiguity than it probably already has in Chinese。It proceeds by strange internal logic that is sometimes musical and haunting and confounding， builds ideas out of folkloric style verses or colorful contradictions or contrasts or paradoxes or imagery that seem intuitive but sometimes vague， or plays with language as an art form， which is not unusual since this is poetry， personifies the unliving or immaterial， and surprisingly still presents a coherent idea or a passage of serene calm from time to time in the form of an aphorism or axiom or proverb。Ideas here are cryptic and can be hard to make sense of， but if treated as meditations and attention is given to the editor’s notes， they materialize into something thoughtful。 There are recurring moments of good wisdom and insight in these teachings — avoidance of excess and luxury， obtaining vitality from emptiness， cultivating self-knowledge instead of self-aggrandizement， finding balance， unlearning oneself into silence， not imposing on the world， maintaining control by not acting， ruling so unobtrusively that none are aware of you， understanding the Way in terms of many metaphors and natural behaviors， as a mother， as a universe， as the world， as water， as a road， and modeling oneself after the Sage， a sort of monk-like person who embodies all the teachings of the Daodejing。 I noticed some similarities to Confucius， particularly in characterizing the Way， although both seem to characterize it differently， and even to Sun Tzu， like the theme of trying to resolve conflict or hostility without violence， or to embrace passivity in certain circumstances。It does not seem like this is intended as a full treatment of a philosophy but a book of poetic mind puzzles or riddles to get one thinking in some specific direction， or in unfamiliar ways， to eventually lead one to The Way via an instructor’s guidance。 Those instructors and their original， maybe more complete， manuscripts are gone and this is what remains。 I think its greatest value is the historic and cultural insight it provides。 。。。more

Emmanuel Bijaoui ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 "The supreme good is like water， which nourishies all things without trying to。 It is content with the low places that people disdain" （8）"If you want to become whole， let yourself be partial。 If you want to become straight， let yourself be crooked。 If you want to become full， let yourself be empty。 If you want to be reborn， let yourself die" （22）"A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving。 A good scientist has free himself of concepts and keeps his mind open to what is" "The supreme good is like water， which nourishies all things without trying to。 It is content with the low places that people disdain" （8）"If you want to become whole， let yourself be partial。 If you want to become straight， let yourself be crooked。 If you want to become full， let yourself be empty。 If you want to be reborn， let yourself die" （22）"A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving。 A good scientist has free himself of concepts and keeps his mind open to what is"（27）"The soft overcomes the hard。 The slow overcomes the fast。 Let your workings remain a mystery。 Just show people the results。" （36）"Ordinary men hate solitude， but the master makes use of it， embracing his aloneness， realising he is one with the whole universe" （42）"If you want to be a great leader， stop trying to control。 Let go of fixed plans and concepts， and the world will govern itself"（57）"The best athlete wants his opponent at his best。 The best general enters the mind of his enemy。 The best businessman serves the communal good。 The best leader follows the will of the people" （68）"Not knowing is true knowledge。 Presuming to know is a disease。 First you realise you are sick; then you can move toward health" （71） 。。。more

Kumar Raghavendra ，

This is not a book to be read in one go， but a chapter here and a chapter there over many weeks and months。 The real gain is in debating， understanding， internalising and applying the way of the Tao。 This is more than a book。

Thomas James West ，

I like the Dao Te Ching。 I think I'm missing out because if the translation from its original Chinese。 But I got enough out of it。 I don't know if this was intended， but I enjoyed meditating on the poems。 I like the Dao Te Ching。 I think I'm missing out because if the translation from its original Chinese。 But I got enough out of it。 I don't know if this was intended， but I enjoyed meditating on the poems。 。。。more

Alejandro Sanoja ，

This is one of those books that can and should be read several times。This is the way。 Flow: 5/5Actionability: 4/5Mindset: 5/5Some of My Highlights:"Not to desire material things is to know the freedom of spirituality; and to desire them is to suffer the limitations of matter。""The wise are not conspicuous in their actions or given to much talking When troubles arise， they are not irritated。""They produce， but do not hoard; They act， but expect no praise; The build， but do not dwell therein。""The This is one of those books that can and should be read several times。This is the way。 Flow: 5/5Actionability: 4/5Mindset: 5/5Some of My Highlights:"Not to desire material things is to know the freedom of spirituality; and to desire them is to suffer the limitations of matter。""The wise are not conspicuous in their actions or given to much talking When troubles arise， they are not irritated。""They produce， but do not hoard; They act， but expect no praise; The build， but do not dwell therein。""The wise humble themselves - and because of their humility， they are worthy of praise。""Because wise rulers love the people， they lead without using force。""The wise attend to the inner truths of things and are not fooled by outward appearances。 They ignore matter and seek the spirit。""Over-concern is just as harmful as disregard。""If rulers treat the people in this same way - neither too soft nor too hard - they are worthy to be trusted with authority。""To clarify muddy waters， you must hold them still and let things settle。 To glimpse the secret of the Tao， you must keep still and quiet your mind。""Good rulers win the affection and praise of their subjects。""But when great rulers lead， the people are hardly aware of their existence。""Not striving， they will become enlightened; not asserting themselves， they will become distinguished; not boasting， they will be praised; not building up themselves， they will endure。""Failing to control himself， he lost control of the empire。""The wise， trusting in goodness， see the potential in others， treating no one as an outcast。""The wise take the lost under their wings， and so the lost become newfound treasures of the wise。""Radiating simplicity， wise rulers inspire others to follow their path。 Such is the making of a great administration。""The wise respect the roles of all， and seek moderation in all things。""Peace and tranquility are valued by wise rulers。""Rulers， as they attain unity， become models of conduct for the people。""Were it not easy ridiculed， it would not be the true Tao。""There are some things which it is a gain to lose， and a loss to gain。""Overindulgence creates waste。 Hoarding invites loss。""Not extreme perfection， but purity and clarity are the targets at which we should aim。""Again and again， students of the Tao must humble themselves， until they reach the state of non-doing。" 。。。more

Mina Nasry ，

كتاب عظيم ملآن بالحكمة وفن العيش

Joshua Clark ，

Started every morning with a section of these ancient writings。 They really helped set a positive tone for the entire day。 Highly recommend！

Brandon Nankivell ，

Be like water my friend。

Kimberley ，

I was very pleased with Stephen Mitchell's translation。 He took some liberties， but very poetic and beautiful liberties。 I was very pleased with Stephen Mitchell's translation。 He took some liberties， but very poetic and beautiful liberties。 。。。more

ADDVIOLENCE ，

The Lao Tzu is as apocryphally compiled as it is challenging of my personal views。 Even though I don’t consider it as a perfect manual for life， there are some eye-opening points made nonetheless。 D。C。 Lau’s informative introduction is brilliant， as is his crystal-clear translation。The further one goesThe less one knows。

Bookreadingnarcissist ，

A pretty strange work。 No clue if the translation is good or not， but the actual text was interesting and surprisingly easy to read。 Can't say it was philosophically stimulating， as the work just assumes that nature is good。 A pretty strange work。 No clue if the translation is good or not， but the actual text was interesting and surprisingly easy to read。 Can't say it was philosophically stimulating， as the work just assumes that nature is good。 。。。more

Yasaman M ，

چند سال پیش این کتاب را خوانده بودم و باز به سرم زد که نگاهی دوباره بیاندازم 。جمله به جمله ی این کتاب درس ِ زندگی و راهنماستاگر روزی قصد کردید که جمله های کتاب را جایی بنویسید تا برای همیشه در یادتان بماند ، خیلی زود متوجه خواهید شد که تمام برگه های کتاب رو سیاه کرده اید و هنوز چیزهایی مانده است که بنویسید ！چند جمله از کتاب :*وقتی از این که خودتان هستید خوشنودیدو از رقابت و مقایسه دست کشیده اید همگان به شما احترام میگذارند 。*به دنبال تایید دیگران باشید ، برده ی آنها خواهید بود

Rümeysa BAYRAKTAR ，

Kitabın tamamı bilgece olsa da benim için yeni olan şey edimsizlik ilkesiydi。 İyi ki okumuşum。"。。çünkü savaşmayanla kim savaşabilir dünyada。。" Kitabın tamamı bilgece olsa da benim için yeni olan şey edimsizlik ilkesiydi。 İyi ki okumuşum。"。。çünkü savaşmayanla kim savaşabilir dünyada。。" 。。。more

Mikey James ，

Some of the messages in this were nice but the more of these 'Zen' kind of books I read， I just find the messages always seem to be the same。 Whilst they are nice to read， actually applying the teachings to daily life seem to be too difficult。 Now， if I were a millionaire on a beach somewhere， it would be easy。 I will definitely read this again in future。 Perhaps it'll read different then。 Some of the messages in this were nice but the more of these 'Zen' kind of books I read， I just find the messages always seem to be the same。 Whilst they are nice to read， actually applying the teachings to daily life seem to be too difficult。 Now， if I were a millionaire on a beach somewhere， it would be easy。 I will definitely read this again in future。 Perhaps it'll read different then。 。。。more

Saralyn ，

How does one really rate this book？ I listened to a beautiful translation and there are fantastic thoughts。 There are lots of things to meditate on。 But plenty of untruth to wade through。 I guess like books most people write。

Hristian Trendafilov ，

Desire withers the heart。If you dont trust the people， you make them untrustworthy。The Master doesnt talk， he acts。He who wants to shine - dims his own light。 He who rushes ahead - doesnt go far。Let things happen。 Action by non action。No need to push。 The moment you try to grasp something， you lose it。If you arent afraid of dying， there is nothing you cant achieve。Lead by not forcing。

Frankie ，

I’m not sure how the translation I read holds up in terms of representing the whole of Taoism accurately， but I definitely got a lot out of it nevertheless。 I also understand that the Tao Te Ching is typically not read at the pace I read it， so unfortunately I probably had a vastly different experience with Lao Tzu than a Taoist would find to be ideal （maybe？）。 I’m interested in checking out other translations sometime。

Mason Frierson ，

If you're looking for a good， hardcore， truly Taoist translation of the great Ching， don't buy it。The author， Stephen Mitchell， as others have mentioned， has admitted to going to great liberties to make the translated text sound more "poetic" to the modern reader。 And I am not just talking about the author's choice to use female pronouns as well as male pronouns in his version （incidentally - how close can one get to awareness of Tao if one allows oneself to get hung up on seeing "He" rather tha If you're looking for a good， hardcore， truly Taoist translation of the great Ching， don't buy it。The author， Stephen Mitchell， as others have mentioned， has admitted to going to great liberties to make the translated text sound more "poetic" to the modern reader。 And I am not just talking about the author's choice to use female pronouns as well as male pronouns in his version （incidentally - how close can one get to awareness of Tao if one allows oneself to get hung up on seeing "He" rather than "She" in the teachings？） besides the original text doesn't even mention gender。 The truth is， if you read other versions of the Ching （even online）， it's easy to see that the doing so distracts from the true message of the text， and that the best versions don't even need to use specific pronouns to get the message across。In one portion of this "tao de ching: A New English Version" （"Version" is the key word） the author chooses to translate "When the Tao is absent in a country，/ war horses are bred on the borders" to "When a country goes counter to the Tao， Warheads are stockpiled outside the cities"。 This author has written his "modernized" version of the Tao Te Ching and he claims to have been open in this fact， supposedly by him using the terms "A New English Version"。 When one reads further one in the notes you see the author admitting he does not even know Chinese （so his interpretation of the Tao is from other translations - and how he thinks the lines should read for poetics sake， or P。C。 sake， etc）。At first I thought I would not write a review on this book。 But when seeing the author admit to what I had suspected it made me feel like I really got ripped off。 If you are looking for a translation of the Tao Te Ching do not get this author's book。 The author respects the Tao but this is not the real deal。 I will be purposefully losing this book and looking for a better translation。 。。。more

Joanna O。 ，

Great translation

George Latta ，

Very practical wisdom and while there may seem to be contradictions within the text the sage will， upon closer study， find that the confusion is within himself。

Lucas ，

Interesante

Reigne ，

I love this authors books and I thought this one was exceptional。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Monica ，

I absolutely LOVE this book， I love the plot and everything about this！！ I highly recommend it。 I want you to know， there is a competition happening this April till the end of May on the NovelStar app。 I hope you can consider joining。 You can also publish your stories there。 just email our editors hardy@novelstar。top， joye@novelstar。top， or lena@novelstar。top。

Ondřej Plachý ，

This is a very contemporary thousands years old philosophical text。 It is short yet it offers wide variety of advices about important aspects of everyday life。 After first read a couple of things stood out for me: 1。 the only way how to achieve something is to not try to achieve anything。 When you try hard things get worse; 2） stay in the present moment （clearly a connection with Mahayana Buddhism which came later）; 3） be like you are， don't give shit about other people judgments。 But be kind; 4 This is a very contemporary thousands years old philosophical text。 It is short yet it offers wide variety of advices about important aspects of everyday life。 After first read a couple of things stood out for me: 1。 the only way how to achieve something is to not try to achieve anything。 When you try hard things get worse; 2） stay in the present moment （clearly a connection with Mahayana Buddhism which came later）; 3） be like you are， don't give shit about other people judgments。 But be kind; 4） Its ok to do good stuff and bad stuff， if it does not destroy the balance。 I translate it as don't try hard to be good at all costs， or it will backfire。 Embrace what you are and then all of sudden you will realize you becoming a better person in life。 5） good ruler is a ruler who is not visible so people can take credit for creating better state， government， laws， etc。 （following is good ruler， then authoritarian ruler， and last is despised ruler）; 6） live in peace - both as an individual or as a ruler。 Destroying peace leads to bad things， such as nationalism。 。。。more

Sean ，

Such wisdom。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Tao Te Ching

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Tao Te Ching&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Tao Te Ching&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0