Tao te Ching

About this book

"Within ancient Chinese, a sole character possesses a broad, and sometimes contradictory, range of meanings. Moreover, the Tao Te Ching is rife with terms and expressions that have no exact counterpart in English. So while the Tao Te Ching ranks behind only the Bible as the most widely translated book in the world, it remains one of the least understood.". "Jonathan Star's Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition helps remedy this situation. The distinction of this new edition is that it supplies readers with the first comprehensive verbatim translation, which can be used to explore the multiple meanings contained in the Chinese characters. This unique tool gives readers direct access to the text and a way to understand the different interpretations put forth by modern-day translators. Perhaps most important, the verbatim translation gives each reader the ability to penetrate the inner meaning of the text and come up with his or her own personal interpretation."--BOOK JACKET.

Themes & subjects

About the author

老子

c. 604 BC

Laozi (Chinese: 老子; pinyin: Lǎozǐ; Wade–Giles: Laosi; also Lao Tse, Lao Tu, Lao-Tzu, Lao-Tsu, Laotze, Lao Zi, Laocius, and other variations) was a mystic philosopher of ancient China, and is a central figure in Taoism (also spelled "Daoism"). Laozi literally means "old master", and is generally considered honorific. Laozi is revered as a deity in most religious forms of Taoism. Taishang Laojun is title for Laozi in the Taoist religion, which refers to him as "One of the Three Pure Ones". According to Chinese tradition, Laozi lived in the 6th century BC. Historians variously contend that Laozi is a synthesis of multiple historical figures, that he is a mythical figure, or that he actually …