Tao Te Ching (Translated with commentary by James Legge) by Lao Tzu (PDF)

Description

A classic Chinese text dating from the 6th century BC, the “Tao Te Ching” or “Book of the Way” consists of 81 short poems that unfold the spiritual nature of Taoism, one of the ancient Chinese religions. In describing the universal life force implicit in all things, this work shows readers a path that teaches contentment and balance. The simple language of Lao Tzu’s manual on the art of living, essentially encourages being humble, temperate, and considerate in the face of life’s predicaments. The wisdom of being a part of the Tao leads to a serenity of spirit that improves all aspects of human life, from the demands of work and family, to the dealing with life’s joys and difficulties. An essential for the meditation of Taoists for thousands of years, the “Tao Te Ching” is as beneficial and informative as it is enduring. This edition is translated with commentary by James Legge.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Tao Te Ching is referred by plenty as one of the best books on wisdom. But the translation by James Legge is just awful. It’s so chaotic and untidy, there’s no clear defining line between the translation itself and the commentary (which seems to take up the majority of the book), with the real gems of the classic writing got diluted among the nonsense. Still not giving up on Tao Te Ching, however, and I will revisit this book in the future via other translator.

⭐I suppose if you can’t get your hands on any other translations, this one will do. It’s alright, in the sense that it does follow along with the original stories rather well.The main problem, to me, is that different languages need to be represented differently. You can’t take a Chinese book and translate it, expecting it to stay true to its beauty in English. I found this book to be a bit dry, and I lost interest in it rather easily.If you’re looking for a translation that doesn’t strictly adhere to the Chinese version, but interprets it, flowing into a gorgeous English version, I suggest

⭐by Stephen Mitchell.

⭐This a beautiful little book with the emphasis on little. The illustrations are old oriental paintings and are beautiful. The translation is poetical without giving much additional insight into the Tao Tai Ching. My primary problem with the book is that I cannot read it without aid of a magnifying glass. Though of a certain age, I generally do not have problems reading anything (except the finer print on contracts). For those computer literati, imagine a font size of 6, maybe less. It is a pretty coffee table book for those with better eyes.

⭐This book is slightly larger than a pocket book, and didn’t need to be. This is a metaphor for the entire book, IMO.First off, the translator seemed to feel that he needed to “interpret” the translation, and so weakened the text that it might as well have ended up being a novel. e.g. First line of the first chapter reads: “The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao.” … “TRODDEN”???? This is as bad (or worse) than John Wu’s (versions) use of the word “ado”. (Shambhala pocket classics edition) Four of Chapter 20’s first five lines have been turned into a POEM(?!?). Chapter 81’s first line reads: “Sincere words are not fine, fine words are not sincere.” … “FINE words”??? This is a horrible dilution of original meaning!I’d slit my throat if I actually managed to read this entire “translation”, and wadded through all of these constipated and arrogant interpretations. This Scot should have stuck to reading his bible!It’s very tempting to return this to Amazon, but at $2.99, it’s hardly worth the trouble.

⭐Good addition to any book James Frey… this is the one he wrote about in “A Million Little Pieces”. Easily understood in the most basic language. Perfect for those who are searching for a higher power that makes sense.

⭐Excellent translation. Easily read and understood. Although I found the commentary a bit laborious at certain points, it was ultimately helpful.

⭐This is not the best version of this classic book, to be sure. However, it is the best one I could find for $1 (on Kindle). The translation is quite a bit different than the others that I have (Stephen Mitchell, Random House, or Jane English), but that makes for new perspectives. Tao Te Ching is the epitome of a great book, in any version.

⭐I have read the Tao Te Ching before and this translation is cumbersome and awkward. For example, other translations of verse 2 read “Being and non being create each other.” This translation reads “So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to (the idea of) the other.” Who wants to memorize that mantra? The Tao Te Ching is, if anything, about simplicity. This translation is anything but simple. It’s not worth 99 cents. Spend your money on a version that you can connect with and imbibe. Skip this wordy piece of junk.

⭐I use this book as daily readings throughout my life. It brings peace and light and understanding.

⭐So very happy with this read. It opened my mind to all kinds of possibilities. Reading words that jumped off the page into my mind making absolute sense from start to finish. Thank you Amazon for bringing this to me.

⭐This version didn’t work too well for me as they seemed very keen to make a rhyme at the expense of the meaning.This may just be me as the Tao te ching can be a very personal thing. Others strike a better chord with me.

⭐Love this

⭐Worst traslated book by James Legge.Example of making reader fool by grammatically correct and misleading translated book.Waste of money, waste of time!

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