Daodejing - The New, Highly Readable Translation of the Life-Changing Ancient Scripture Formerly Known as the Tao Te Ching (Paperback)

The Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) or Laozi (Lao Tzu) is the most fundamental scripture of Daoism and a classic of world literature. This new English translation is based on the most recent scholarship in the field and takes into account the ancient manuscripts of the text that were discovered in 1973 (Mawangdui) and 1993 (Guodian) and which date back to the 3rd and 4th century B.C.E. While academically sound and as close to the original as possible, this translation also presents the text in highly readable contemporary English. The introduction explains the poetic imagery of the Daodejing within the context of ancient Chinese symbolism, and a brief philosophical analysis accompanies each of the 81 translated chapters of the Daodejing. In these commentaries, Moeller explains the meaning of the often-cryptic verses in a clear and concise way.