The Tao Te Ching (alt. spelling: Dao De Jing) originated in China over 2000 years ago, although the exact date it was written isn't known. It is said to have been written by a man named Lao Tzu (Laozi) - for further information about him, look in the Taoist section of this directory under Lao Tzu. The Tao Te Ching is comprised of 81 chapters (or verses). It has been translated into different languages more than any other book in the world except the Bible, and the English translations can vary quite a bit depending on the person doing the translation. That's because Classic Chinese (in which the TTC was written) is very difficult to understand, and there is little punctuation or grammar. Basically, the Tao Te Ching is a philosophical text in which Lao Tzu tried to explain Tao (Dao). It is steeped in mystery and ambiguosity, but the common thread throughout is a reflection on Nature and the ways in which people can attain a more fulfilling life by being like Tao and Nature. Since there are so many different translations of the Tao Te Ching, it's a good idea to explore a variety of the versions available in English. For those who want a deeper understanding, it can be advantageous to do your own translation from Chinese.
Related categories 1
Sites 30
Loading new listings for you to review...
- Zhongwen Rick Harbaugh's Chinese text of the Tao Te Ching, hyperlinked to definitions of Chinese characters and to an English translation.
- Comments on the Tao Te Ching Translational information and comparison, based on D. C. Lau's translation.
- Tao Teh King Translation and personal introduction by Aleister Crowley.
- Dao De Jing Way Power Book By Sanderson Beck, as included in the Wisdom Bible.
- Tao Te Ching Translation by Steven Mitchell.
- Dao De Jing - Tao Te Ching Interpolation by Tormod Kinnes, based on the English versions of Lin Yutang, Arthur Waley and Wing-tsit Chan.
- Laozi (Lao Tzu) Commentaries on the Dao De Jing by Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping, including translations of some chapters.
- Terebess Asia Online Over 30 translations, including some well-known authors and some new ones.
- The Tao Te Ching A work in progress including short introductory notes on various English translations.
- Tao Te Ching Interpreted Succinctly A 9-fold pattern of 81 insights presented as phrases.
- Tao Teh Ching - The Classic Words of Tao & Virtue Translated by John Louis Albert Trottier.
- Dao Is Open Translations with commentaries by Nina Correa. Site also includes the Seal Script characters used in the Guodian Laozi with English definitions, and a Taoist discussion forum.
- Laozi Debate A 1998 article in Archeology magazine by Spencer P.M. Harrington on the discovery of the Guodian text of the Dao De Jing.
- Tao Te Ching - Book of Wisdom Hilmar Klaus provides translations of the Dao De Jing in German and English. He also includes the Chinese characters for the Guodian, Mawangdui and Wang Bi versions as well as the PinYin spellings.
- Tao Te Ching A translation by J.H. McDonald, with hyperlinked table of contents.
- Tao Te Ching History of the Book, summary, quotes and various translations - James Legge PDF - meaning of the Book and an online course.
- Dao De Jing - Chinese Text Project Chinese version by Wang Bi with James Legge's English translation. Each paragraph has links to the Wang Bi commentary, dictionary, parallel passage data and other information.
- Tao Te Ching Readers can post different chapters by different translators and comment upon them.
- Center Tao Translation and commentary by Carl Abbott.
- Lao Zi Dao De Jing Online personal translation by Bradford Hatcher.
- Lao Tse Tao Te Ching Edition by Dr. Vladimir Antonov.
- Tao Te Ching A modern interpretation perpetrated by Ron Hogan - PDF download.
- Tao Te Ching by James Legge And other several online resources.
- What is Tao Explains several key concepts and their application.
- The Taoistic Source Each chapter explained by Stefan Stenudd.
- Tao Te Ching - Tattered Tree Trunk Translation by David Lindauer.
- Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching Translation by A. S. Kline.
- Introduction to the Dao De Jing Provides three side-by-side translations by J. Legge, D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, Dwight Goddard and Henri Borel. Also included is the Chinese text, each character with a drop-down menu with English definitions.
- Tao in You Providing short explanations on the key concepts and a free video tutorial.
- Tao Te Ching Meaning Providing teachings on Tao Te Ching and a guide for beginners (PDF).