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Lao-Tzu

Tao Te Ching Paperback – January 1, 1994

by Laozi (Author), Stephen Mitchell (Editor)

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Lao-tzu's Tao Te Ching, or Book of the Way, is the classic manual on the art of living, and one of the wonders of the world. In eighty-one brief chapters, the Tao Te Ching looks at the basic predicament of being alive and gives advice that imparts balance and perspective, a serene and generous spirit. This book is about wisdom in action. It teaches how to work for the good with the effortless skill that comes from being in accord with the Tao (the basic principle of the universe) and applies equally to good government and sexual love; to child rearing, business, and ecology.

Stephen Mitchell's bestselling version has been widely acclaimed as a gift to contemporary culture.

Print length

144 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harper Perennial
Publication date

January 1, 1994
Dimensions

5 x 3.5 x 0.6 inches
ISBN-10

0060812451
ISBN-13

978-0060812454
Lexile measure

910L
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Mitchell's rendition of the "Tao Te Ching comes as close to being definitive for our time as any I can imagine. It embodies the virtues its translator credits to the Chinese original: a gemlike lucidity that is radiant with humor, grace, largeheartedness, and deep wisdom."-- Huston Smith, author of "The Religions of Man""Mitchell's great talent is to communicate with the profound simplicity utterly appropriate for this task. The obscure has been made transparent and available."-- "Common Boundary""Beautiful and accessible; the English, as 'fluid as melting ice, ' is a joy to read throughout."-- "The New Republic"

About the Author

Stephen Mitchell's many books include the bestselling Tao Te Ching, Gilgamesh, and The Second Book of the Tao, as well as The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, The Gospel According to Jesus, Bhagavad Gita, The Book of Job, and Meetings with the Archangel.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; Compact edition (January 1, 1994)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060812451
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060812454
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 910L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.92 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 3.5 x 0.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #10,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5 in Taoism (Books)
- #6 in Taoist Philosophy
- #7 in Tao Te Ching (Books)

Customer Reviews:
920 ratings

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4 star		7%
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dr m davis

Poor choice

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2018

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I've been a student of the Tao Tei ching for almost 50 years and this is one of the worst interpretations I have come across. For readers interested in getting a simple, concise and informative understanding of Lao Tzu' teaching, try to get the book by Archie J Bahm.

72 people found this helpful

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Kris

Tao Te Ching

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2020

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This is one of the best translations of the Tao te Ching I've read. Simple and concise yet profound. I lost the first copy I bought over 10 years ago and just tracked down and bought another copy through Amazon.

10 people found this helpful

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Robert Jacoby

One interpretation of a Taoist classic

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2015

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(Background: Over a couple of decades' time I planned to read the scriptures of the world's great religions/philosophies. I started with my own, reading the Bible in two different translations--first the Hebrew-Greek Word Study Bible by Spiros Zodhiates, and then the KJV--to gain a better grasp on my spirituality and to think critically about why and what I believed. I also wanted to get a better understanding of the world's major religions so that I could be more in tune with people, their language and their culture, and current events. Next I turned to Islam and Al-Quaran. After that The Bhagavad Gita and the Analects of Confucius. Every reading is helping me go a bit deeper and wider into man's search for God and, through that, meaning in this life. More books and reviews to come.)
(UPDATE January 2015: Added the Tao Te Ching.)

I decided to read the Tao Te Ching because a friend recommended it. In his words: he discovered the book during college; it had a powerful impact on him; and he found himself returning to it more and more as time went on. I shared with him my interest in reading the world's scriptures and canonical texts. He encouraged me to pick up a copy. So I did.

The Tao Te Ching (or more appropriately translated into English as Dao De Jing) is one of the classic Chinese texts. The title is often translated into English as "The Book of the Way." It is a small book; literally, this version of the book is 3.5 x 5 inches. The text consists of 81 brief chapters/sections, some only a few lines long, most only a page. The text purportedly dates to about the 6th century BC, written by Lao Tzu, a Chinese sage. It is a fundamental text for philosophical and religious Taoism, which today is one of five religions recognized by the Chinese communist government.

The central figure in the Tao Te Ching, we are told in Mitchell's Introduction, is the "man or woman whose life is in perfect harmony with the way things are..... The Master has mastered nature; not in the sense of conquering it, but of becoming it...." The Master is ultimately able to say, "I am the Tao, the Truth, the Life." Sound familiar?

Or this: "Since before time and space were, the Tao is" (Chapter 21).

Or this: If you know the Tao "there will be nothing you can't do" (Chapter 28).

And: "In the beginning was the Tao" (Chapter 52).

There's also a time for everything (Chapter 29; cf. Ecclesiastes 3) and taking Blake's Proverbs of Hell out of context (note on Chapter 36).

Mitchell provides a Notes section in the back of the book for details on his translation work and some textual analysis. Unfortunately, he has a habit of dropping a lot of names without providing context and/or much in the way of references to source material. For example, he'll simply write "Bunan said" or "I asked my friend and teacher Emile Conrad-Da'oud, founder of Continuum, to comment on this verse," or "Rama Maharshi said." Search the Introduction and the Notes and the Acknowledgements and you'll finding nothing on Bunan, Conrad-Da'oud, or Maharshi. Who are they? What makes them quotable on the Tao Te Ching? I don't know. You'll have to google them yourself.

About the actual "translation": I know many people in their reviews have complained about it, noting that Mitchell has taken too much liberty. He admits this in his Introduction and in some Notes on each chapter provides examples of "original text" compared to his translation. His text is usually wildly different than what he claims to be the "literal" text. Online you can find different and free translations of the Tao Te Ching, so it's easy to compare, if you like, different passages as you're reading along. Just google "tao te ching translation"; I used the "accurate translation" at taoism.net mostly, but consulted others. When I did spot check Mitchell's book against other translations they were often very different. Sometimes his seemed "better"; sometimes his text was completely off.

Overall, though, I enjoyed reading this version of the Tao Te Ching. It's full of maxims and aphorims on what life is and how to live it harmoniously in a distinctly eastern philosophy and collectivistic culture. Some of the timeless sayings include:

If you look to others for fulfillment,
you will never be truly fulfilled.
If your happiness depends on money,
you will never be happy with yourself.

Success is as dangerous as failure.

Wise men don't need to prove their point.

And, of course:

The journey of a thousand miles starts from beneath your feet.

***

For fellow Christians who want to read this book, a word of caution ("Watch out that you are not deceived..." [Luke 21:8]). Mitchell references and interprets the Bible as he likes and makes links between the Tao and the God revealed in the Bible as he likes (see his note for Chapter 64). But understand that Taoism is most definitely pantheism. While the Tao Te Ching never talks about "God" per se, there is a profound sense of reverence for the essence of being and that being in all things. This can be classified as pantheism. Also, Mitchell tries to draw the line from "the Tao" to "Christ." In the Notes on Chapter 22, for example, he cites Paul from Galatians 2:20 "Not I, but Christ in me" to interpret the line in Chapter 22 "Only in being lived by the Tao." Mitchell conveniently omits the full passage from Galatians: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." The biblical text, in context, gives a much different reading than what Mitchell has selected to show; and is also in direct conflict with what Mitchell later notes as the search of every Taoist, for his/her "inner messiah" (p. 72). About Mitchell's biblical revisionism: "God doesn't say, 'Let there be light.' The light simply is, and is God" (note on Chapter 34, p. 109).

***

While I read Mitchell's version of the Tao Te Ching I also read The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. That book had been sitting on my shelf never-read for some years, since I picked it up off my mother's bookshelf after she died and we were going through her things. I just happened to be looking at my bookshelf (after I began reading the Tao Te Ching) when I spied Hoff's book; and I thought it would be neat to read it along with the real "Book of the Way." A Taoist would likely simply smile at that and nod.

***

Recommended for those curious about popular world philosophies/religions, especially eastern, and how they impact individuals, cultures, and nations.

I really liked it
4/5 Goodreads
4/5 Amazon

21 people found this helpful

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Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabadoo

It's more than just backwards talk.

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2016

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This translation of the book got me through some really dark times in my life. There were times when the only place I found peace was within these pages, which is sad and ironic, because you don't find the Tao in a book, do you?

Mitchell's translation is disputed and maligned, but if you're just a dumb American kid who needs to find some other way to look at things, I think he captured enough of the wisdom in the book to help.

Some people call the Tao "backwards talk," because so much of it is about going up to go down or whatever. Nope -- the Tao is really about divergent thinking and seeing not BOTH sides of a thing, but seeking to see ALL sides of a thing. Or none of them, I guess?

16 people found this helpful

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Sistah Sunshine

NOT FULL SIZED EDITION!!

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2019

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extremely disappointed!! The review of the book is great! However this is a MINIATURE VERSION. for the money I spent I was expecting a full sized book. It does not clearly explain this in the description.

5 people found this helpful

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Kaley

My favorite translation of the Tao in a pocket-sized package

Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2017

Verified Purchase

The Good:
This pocket-sized book of wisdom goes with me everywhere.
This is my favorite translation of the Tao Te Ching.
I find myself giving it away to curious folks who like it and purchasing it again and again!
This book has helped me through rough times. Very useful for peace of mind. I flip through to a random page for inspiration.

The Bad:
Nothing.

Overall:
Lovely, travel-sized inspiration.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

shawnonamazon

Best Translation - This edition is the POCKET version

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2017

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Best translation I have come across for westerners. CAVEAT! This specific edition is the "pocket" version. If you want the standard paperback version or hardcover, then this is not the one you're looking for. Having stated that, the Tao is one of the true classics of Eastern philosophy and remains one of the simplest, yet most profound works in human civilization. Stephen Mitchell's translation is at once poetic and literal. I think it is the best translation since it was first published in 1988.

5 people found this helpful

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Bev478

Too Small To Read! Pocket?

Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

Love the Tao Te Ching...but this version is so tiny I can't read it without getting a headache. The description should CLEARLY state that it is a TINY version. I knew it was paperback but not that it was a "pocket" paperback before purchasing. And yes, if you read the specifications/details it shows the measurements but I don't usually check the specs on books. So, unless this is really what you want, do not buy.

2 people found this helpful

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Sir Benedict Godfrey

A blue print for a better world?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2015

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Having been brought up in a moderately Christian household and having attended schools where daily prayers and bible readings were the norm, I thought divine scriptures were the blue print of how to live ones life. How wrong I have been for such a long time.

If we also followed the Tao Te Ching, I am fairly certain there would be no wars and we would all live in harmony with one another. Also it is older than the New Testament and simpler. I think its simplicity is part of its beauty and I sort of wish I had bought the paperback version instead of the kindle format because of the calligraphy and paintings.

On a lunch break at work, I sat on a small stone bridge in the sunshine in the middle of a nature reserve listening to the peaceful flowing of water and reading the Tao Te Ching, if anyone could experience and feel what I felt, they would understand why this is such a beautiful book. As many others suggest, do not ponder, leave something off your shopping list and buy the book, it will change your perception and, I hope, enlighten you.

37 people found this helpful

A. Customer

For once, a book that isn't all about the translator

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2014

Verified Purchase

All too often, translations of works of philosophy are dominated by notes, introductions, footnotes, interpretation and explanation. This can make it difficult to take a view other than that of the editor or interpreter, and can really obstruct any attempts to create your own interpretation: which is just as legitimate as that of the editor.

This book doesn't do that. It's the text, with a small intro, no footnotes and a translation of some important words at the back. The translation itself is unobtrusive and clear, and the Tao Te Ching is a short work, so I've already read it about five times. Interpret away!

14 people found this helpful

DDStretch

Only one problem. Otherwise very good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2018

Verified Purchase

This translation is effective in many ways, but it has one deficiency. It is a pity that the italicised Chinese romanizations of the Chinese characters is not done in standard pinyin.

4 people found this helpful

Molly Baker1

this is the book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

Everyone should be given this book to read every seven years of their lives. So they can grow up to be thoughtful, decent, balanced human beings. It's such a shame so many people are dotting around the planet busying themselves with gossip, designer clothes and pretend 'coolness' to impress others and to feel they are better than others, when we are all exactly the same, with just different life stories. Everyone should read this book. If you have doubts, read it and hand it over to all your friends and family.

11 people found this helpful

Luke puttock

An interesting book...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 16, 2017

Verified Purchase

Really enjoyed this book and learnt a lot. I am not a scholar nor a wiseman but took a lot from the book and it has encouraged me to read further into this topic. My interest has been piqued....

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