A Taoist Classic: The Book of Lao Zi (A Taoist Classic)

Author - Ren Jiyu ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Hardcover Book item from Foreign Languages Pr was reviewed on 7-Nov-2008.

Search ISBN:7119015710 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. A Taoist Classic: The Book of Lao Zi (A Taoist Classic) Reference Book. Classifications : Taoism Eastern Philosophy Nonfiction Subjects Books General Eastern Philosophy Nonfiction Subjects Books General AAS Eastern Philosophy Nonfiction Subjects Books General Philosophy Nonfiction Subjects . Click the following link to view the cover of A Taoist Classic: The Book of Lao Zi (A Taoist Classic).

Related topics: Taoism. Eastern. Philosophy. Nonfiction. Subjects. Books. General. Eastern. Philosophy. Nonfiction.

1) Hardcover Book A Taoist Classic: The Book of Lao Zi (A Taoist Classic) by Foreign Languages Pr. As a student (among other things) of Chinese philosophy, I came across this translation/exegesis looking for a decent English translation. The translation itself is reasonable and accurate. If you read only this, you´ll do fine. However, the explanations and introductory parts are very shallow and uninteresting (not to mention seriously lacking). If meant as a book for the general public, it does Lao Zi discredit. If meant as an academic publication, its treatment of the material is mediocre and unhelpful. My recommendation: find a copy without interpretation and figure it out yourself. It´s beautiful and is meant to be understood intuitively to begin with! But the book itself (not this version) _is_ a must-read.¤

2) Hardcover Book A Taoist Classic: The Book of Lao Zi (A Taoist Classic) by Foreign Languages Pr. this was the first version of the tao te ching i came across, and i bought it in china in 1994. it took me a while to make any sense of what lao zi was saying, and now i think it makes a little more sense to me... since then, i´ve gotten other translations of this book and have something to compare it to.

i´ve kept this version because i felt it was a pretty raw translation, and not overly interpretive or flowery, which can be good. i feel, however, that the English of the author was not too hot and at times comes across as painfully wooden. the poems themselves, however, retain their beauty and power, and sometimes i wonder if the poor English of the author might not be an advantage...

as for the author´s explanatory writings about the poems, my lord, it´s not even worth reading. it´s like he´s written a bad mini-book report on each poem, and when tries to make sense of what the poems are about, he doesn´t convince me that he gets the point of it at all. i´d hate to sit in a classroom with him! and i have a distinct feeling lao zi would also!¤

3) Hardcover Book A Taoist Classic: The Book of Lao Zi (A Taoist Classic) by Foreign Languages Pr. The Taoist Classic, the Book of Lao Zi also known as Dao De Jing (The Way and Its Virtue), is said to have been written by Lao Zi in the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.). The book contains a wealth of dialectic thinking. It interprets the changes of all things in the universe with its Tao (the Way). It advocates contentment with the existing status quo and holding few desires and ´a return of human society to the primeval state characterized by a small nation and a sparse population. The philosophy propounded in The Book of Lao Zi occupies an important position in the history of Chinese thought, for it has influenced Chinese philosophers of the succeeding periods to varying degrees. Since the Han Dynasty, well over a thousand scholars have made annotations to the work, which is very unusual for ancient Chinese books. The book consists of eighty-one chapters, each of which is preceded by a synopsis of its content, and an index of themes.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 5-Dec-2008, 71190157109787119015712, 540-107-8

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