Translators Index

Index to Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) Translations

Online and In Print English Language Versions  

Sorted by Translator 


A hypertext research tool by Michael P. Garofalo
© Green Way Research, 2010-2023, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington
 

 

Bibliography of Tao Te Ching Books

Comments on Translations and Interpretations     Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu     Cloud Hands Blog

 

A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M  

N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z

       

 

A

Abbott, Carl, 2012.     Book     Online 1    VSCL


Addiss, Stephen and Stanley Lombardo, 1993.   Book   Online 1     Online 2    Online 3     GGNC


Allchin, Douglas, 2002.    Online 1     Online 2    


Alquiros, Hilmar.   Online 1    Text in Chinese, English, and German. 


Ames, Roger T., 2003.  Book     VSCL      


Anonymous 231     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC  


Anonymous (Dutch-English)    Online 1


Atamanchuk, Stanley.     Book     Online  


Tao Te Ching Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index


Codes Used in this Document: 
PD = Public Domain
GGNC = Gushen Grove Notebook Collection; The webpage document of a translation was saved to my home computer reference files, and backed up. 
VSCL = Valley Spirit Center Library, Book Collection


Concordance to the Tao Te Ching

 

 

Creative Commons License
This webpage work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington (2010-2023), CCA 4.0


 

B


Backhofen, Rudolf, 1949, German Translation.   Online 1    
Online 2     GGNC 


Bahm, Archie J.   Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     GGNC


Balfour, Frederic Henry (1871-1908), 1884.   Online1     Online 2     GGNC             


Beck, Sanderson, 1996.   Online1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC


Bibliography for the Tao Te Ching


Blakney, Raymond B., 1955.   Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     Online 5     GGNC


Borel, Henri and Dwight Goddard, 1919.    Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC     


Bosch, Cristina, 2002.  Spanish Version.  Online 1     Online 2     GGNC 


Bright-Fey, John, 2006.   Book     VSCL 


Bryce, Derek, 1999.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     GGNC 


Bullen, David.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC


Burgess, Wes     Book


Bynner, Witter, 1944.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC 


Byrn, Tormod, 1997.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    Online 4    GGNC 


Concordance to the Daodejing 


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index


Cloud Hands Blog

 

 

C


Carus, Paul and
D. T. Suzuki, 1913.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC     VSCL 


Chan, Wing-Tsit, 1963.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC    


Chang, Chung-Yuan.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    GGNC      


Chapters of the Tao Te Ching - A Thematic Index


Chen, Chao-Hsiu.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     GGNC


Chen, Ellen Marie, 2000.    Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC     VSCL 


Cheng.      Online 1     Online 2


Cheng, Hong David, 2000     Online 1      GGNC 


Cheng, Man-ch'ing (1902-1975),  1971, 1981.   Book     VSCL 


Chilcott, Tim, 2005.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     GGNC 


Chinese Characters for Chapters of the Tao Te Ching    
Chinese Text Project     Yellow Bridge     Resources


Chohan, Chou-Wing.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC    


Ch'u Ta-Kao, 1904     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC    


Cleary, Thomas, 1991.   Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC     VSCL Books   


Clatfelter, Jim, 2000.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     GGNC     


Cloud Hands Inc., 2003     Book.   VSCL


Colodrón, Alfonso, 1993, Spanish Version.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC     VSCL  


Concordance to the Daodejing   


Correa, Nina, 2005.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     GGNC   


Cronk, George, 1999.    Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC      


Crowley, Aleister, 1918.    Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     Online 5     GGNC      


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching
 Chapter Number Index


Standard Traditional Chapter Arrangement of the Daodejing
Chapter Order in Wang Bi's Daodejing Commentary in 246 CE
Chart by Mike Garofalo
Subject Index
 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81                  

 

 

 


D


Damascene, Hieromonk "Christ the Eternal Tao" A Eastern Orthodox Christian Interpolation and Commentary on the Daodejing. Book


Deng Ming Dao - Prolific Taoist scholar. Books


Den Hond, Bram.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC     


Dicus, John, 2002.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC 


Dieterich, Wulf.     Online 1   


Donohue, Brian, 2005.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC    


Duyvendak, Jan Julius Lodewijk, 1954.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    GGNC


Dyer, Wayne W., 2009.     Book     VSCL   


Concordance to the Tao Te Ching


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

E

 

Elorduy, Carmelo, 2006, Spanish Version     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC   VSCL  


Elyxr     Online 1


English, Jane and Gia Fu Feng, 1989.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Book     GGNC     VSCL       


Enlish Langauge Translations of the Tao Te Ching at Terebess Asia Online


English Language Translations of Chapters of the Tao Te Ching from Green Way Research


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 


 

F

Feng, Gia-fu and Jane English, 1989.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Book     GGNC     VSCL     


Ferrara, Álex, 2003, Spanish Version    Online 1     Online 2     GGNC


Fex, Aalar, 2006.     Online 1     Online 2    GGNC 


Frantzis, Bruce 2022
E-Book


French Translations


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index


Cloud Hands Blog

 

 

Creative Commons License
This webpage work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington (2010-2023), CCA 4.0
 


 

 

G


Ganson, C.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC       


Garofalo, Michael Peter, M.S.  (Compiler, Indexer, Webpage Publisher). Publisher of the Daodejing 81 WebsiteTaoist researcher.  2010-2021. 


Garofalo, Michael Peter, M.S.  (Translator).  I use other Spanish translations, interpretations, versions, machine translations, and research to prepare a Spanish version of a Chapter verse of the Tao Te Ching.  I select a different English language translation from the Chinese each week.  The English source is cited.  I started in 2021, beginning with Chapter 29. 


Garon, Jesse.     Online 1     Online 2     (See Hogan, Ron)    GGNC


Gautier, Andre von     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC


Gia-fu Feng and Jane English, 1989.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC     VSCL  


Gibbs, Tam, 1981     Online 1     Online 2    Online 3     Online 4     GGNC    


Giles, Lionel and Herbert.   Book


GNL Interpolation, 1991     Online 1     GGNC  


Goddard, Dwight and Henri Borel, 1919.     Book      Online 1     Online 2      Online 3    Online 4    GGNC   


Goddard, Dwight and Bhikshu Wai-Tao, 1939.  Online 1   


Gong Heshang.  The Ho-Shang Kung Commentary on Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching.  Translated into English by Dan G. Reid. 2016. 


Gong, Tienzen (Jeh-Tween)     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC  
 

Gorn Old, Walter (Sepharial, 1864-1929), 1904     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3      GGNC  


Grigg, Ray,Zen Tzu. Transcription of the Tao Te Ching from a Zen Buddhist perspective. 181 pages, 2021. VSCL


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

H

Hall, David L., 2003.    Book     VSCL      

 
Hansen, Chad.     Online 1    Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     GGNC


Hatcher, Bradford, 2005.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC   


Heider, John, 1985.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC   


Hendricks, Robert G., 1989.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     VSCL   


Heshang Gong (180-157 BCE), Chinese Characters.     Online 1     GGNC


Heysinger, Isaac Winter (1842-1917), 1903.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC  


Hinton, David.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC   Books


Ho, Lok Sang, 2002.   Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC


Hogan, Ron, 2004.   Online 1: Includes an audio version.     Online 2    Online 3    Online 4    By Jesse Garon (Pseud.) Online     GGNC           


Hond, Bram den.     Online 1     Online 2    


Hong Kong City University   Online 1     In English and Chinese


Hua Ching Ni, 1995.   Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC     VSCL         


Huang, Chichung.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC


Huang, Tao.     Online 1      Online 2     Online 3     GGNC         


Hu Huezhi, 2006.     Book


Hwang, Shifu.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC  


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index


Codes Used in this Document: 
PD = Public Domain
GGNC = Gushen Grove Notebook Collection; The webpage document of a translation was saved to my home computer reference files.
VSCL = Valley Spirit Center Library, Book Collection


Cloud Hands Blog

 

 

 

I

Ivanhoe, Philip.     Book


Tao Te Ching Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

J

Jiyu, Ren, 1985.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC  


Julien,
Stanislas, 1842, French Translation    Online 1    Online 2     Online 3     


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

K

Kim, Ha Poong.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC    


Kimura, Yasuhiko Genku.     Online 1      Online 2     Online 3     GGNC       


Kinnes, Tormod Byrn, 2003.     Online 1   


Kisa, Sonja Elen.   Online 1    


Klaus, Hilmar.     Online 1 


Kline, A. S., 2003.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC    


Kohn, Livia, 1998.     Book     VSCL  


Kromal, Karl, 2002.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC    


Kunesh, Tom.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC        


Kwok, Man Ho and Martin Palmer, and Jay Ramsey, 1993.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC   


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

L

LaFargue, Michael, 1994.    Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     VSCL     GGNC      


Larose, Ray, 2000.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    GGNC        


Lau, Din Cheuk (D.C.) , 1963.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     VSCL     GGNC   Obituary (1921-2010)


Leary, Timothy, 1965.     Online 1     Online 2    


Legge, James (1815-1897), Professor of Chinese at Oxford University.  His translation of the Tao Te Ching was made in 1891.    
                    Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     Online 5    
Online 6 GGN    Online 7     VSCL     GGNC  


Le Guin, Ursula K., 1997     Book     Online 1     VSCL       


Li, David H.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC  


Lin, Cheng     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC  


Lin, Derek, 2006.    Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    Online 4     VSCL     GGNC      


Lin, Paul J., 1977.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC    


Lindauer, David.    Online 1     Online 2    Online 3     GGNC      


Linnell, Bruce R. 2015   Online 1    


Lok Sang Ho, Lingnan University, 2002   Online 1 PDF


Lombardo, Stanley and Stephen Addiss, 1993.   Book   Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    VSCL     GGNC           


Ludd, Ned.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC        


Lynn, Richard John, 2004.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC    VSCL 


Cloud Hands Blog


Tao Te Ching Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

M

Mabry, John R., 1994.     Book     Online 1     Online 2    Online 3     GGNC      


McCarroll, Tolbert, 1982.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC               


McDonald, John H., 1996.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     Online 5     GGNC        


MacHovec, Frank J., 1962.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC        


McIntyre, Stephen, 2009.    Online 1   


Mair, Victor H., 1990.     Book     Online 1    Online 2     Online 3     GGNC     VSCL        


Marshall, Bart, 2006   Online 1     GGNC


Martin, William, 1999.   Book     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC     VSCL     


Maurer, Herrymon, 1985.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4    GGNC    
 

Mears, Isabella, 1916.    Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC


Medhurst, C. Spurgeon (1860-1927), 1905.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3      GGNC


Merel, Peter A., 1995.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     Online 5     Online 6     GGNC     


Mitchell, Stephen, 1988.   
Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4   Online 5     GGNC     VSCL           


Moran, Patrick E..     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC           


Muller, Charles A.
, 1891.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     GGNC     VSCL       


Muller, Charles, 2011.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     


Muro, Manuera, 2020    Book


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index



Codes Used in this Document: 
PD = Public Domain
GGNC = Gushen Grove Notebook Collection; The webpage document of a translation was saved to my home computer reference files.
VSCL = Valley Spirit Center Library, Book Collection

 

 

 

 

N

Ni, Hua Ching.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC     VSCL      


Nikolenko, Mikhail   Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    Online 4    GGNC    


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

O

Org, Lee Sun Chen.     Online 1     Online 2 


Ould, Herman, 1946.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3      GGNC


Tao Te Ching Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

P

Martin Palmer and Kwok, Man Ho and Jay Ramsey, 1993.     Online 1     Online 2 


Porter, Bill (Red Pine), 1996.    Book     Online 1     Online 2    VSCL      


Preciado, Juan Ignacio, 1978, Spanish Version.   Online 1     Online 2     GGNC 


Cloud Hands Blog


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

Q

Qixuan, Liu.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    GGNC         


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching
 Chapter Number Index


Standard Traditional Chapter Arrangement of the Daodejing
Chapter Order in Wang Bi's Daodejing Commentary in 246 CE
Chart by Mike Garofalo
Subject Index
 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81                  

 

 

 

R

Ramsey, Jay and Kwok, Man Ho and Martin Palmer, 1993.     Online 1     Online 2 


Red Pine (Bill Porter), 1996.    Book     Online 1     Online 2    VSCL        


Reid, Dan G. 
Book: The Ho-Shang Kung Commentary on Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching, 2016. 


Rivenrock.  The Tao of Rivenrock.    Online 1     GGNC 


Roberts, Moss, 2001.     Book    Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC    


Rosenbaum, Robert Meikyo, 2013.     Book     VSCL   


Rosenthal, Stan, 1984.    Online 1     Online 2    Online 3     Online 4    GGNC


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

Creative Commons License
This webpage work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington (2010-2023), CCA 4.0

 

 

 

S

Saint Xenophon Wayist Seminary.     Online 1     


Sarbatoare, Octavian, 2002.     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC  


Schmidt, K. O., 1975     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC


Scott, Michael.     Online 1     Audio edition narrated by Michael Scott.   


Seddon, Keith H.     Online 1     Online 2    Online 3     GGNC  


Shaw, Edwin, 1996.     Online 1    GGNC    


Sheets, Alan and Barbara Tovey, 2002.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC  


Shimomissé, Eiichi, 1998     Online 1     GGNC  


Shrine of Wisdom.     Online 1    Online 2     GGNC      


Siji Tzu, Jade Purity, 2000.     Online 1     Interpretaion 


Solska, Agnieszka, 2005.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC


Sorrell, Amy M. and Rodric Sorrell, 2003.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    GGNC  


Spanish Language Translations (7 Webpage Versions)     Online 1


Spanish Language Versions of the Tao Te Ching in Print and Online


Star, Jonathan, 2001.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC     VSCL   


Stenudd, Stefan, 2011.   Book     Book 2     Online 1


Suzuki, D. T. and Paul Carus, 1913.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     GGNC     VSCL      


Cloud Hands Blog


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

T

TaKao, Ch'u, 1904.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC        


Tan, Han Hiong.     Online 1     Online 2    
GGNC     


Tang, Tien Cong     Online 1    
GGNC


Tang, Zi-Chang    
GGNC


Tao Te Ching - Sixty Interactive Translations Index


Tao Te Ching: A Key to Translators


Taplow, Alan B., 1982.     Online 1     Online 2    
GGNC   


Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse   Offline in 2013. 


Taoist Sacred Texts - Daodejing


Towler, Solala   Book 


Terebess Asia Online Index to Enlish Langauge Translations of the Tao Te Ching


Thematic Index to Chapters of the Tao Te Ching


Tovey, Barbara, and Alan Sheets, 2002.     Online 1     Online 2    Online 3     GGNC   


Towler, Solala, 2016.     Book   VSCL. 


Tran, Tien Cong.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    
GGNC  


Trottier, John Louis Albert, 1994.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    
GGNC      


Tuffley, David     Online 1    
GGNC


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

U

 

Ubekannten     GGNC


Tao Te Ching    Universal Dialectic Institute  


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

V

Von Lauer, Conradin   A French Translation     Online 1


Tao Te Ching Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index


Cloud Hands Blog

 

 

W


Waley, Arthur, (1889-1966), Daodejing in 1934.     Books     Book     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     Online 5     GGNC


Walker, Brian Browne, 1996.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     GGNC  


Wang, Wayne L., 2004.     Online 1     Online 2   


Wayist St. Xenophon Seminary.    Online 1     


Wei, Henry. 1982.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3   
GGNC  


Welch, Jerry C., Khiron, 1998.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    
GGNC     


Wieger, Leon, 1913.     Online 1     Online 2 


Wilhelm,
Richard, 1911, German Translation.    Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4     Das Buch des Alten vom Sinn und Leben, 1911. 


Wing, R. L., 1986.     Online 1     Online 2    
GGNC  


Wing-Tsit, Chan, 1963.     Online 1     Online 2


Wong, Eva Books


World Peace, John, 1997.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    
GGNC       


Wrigley, Ted.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     Online 4    
GGNC       


Wu, John C. H., 1961.     Book     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    
GGNC     VSCL     


Wu, Yi.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    
GGNC   


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

X

Tao Te Ching Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

 

 

Y

Yang, Xiaolin.     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3     GGNC  


Yang, Jwing-Ming, Ph.D., 2018.  Book    


Yutang, Lin, 1948.     Online 1     Online 2    Online 3     Book: The Wisdom of Laotse     GGNC     VSCL 


Cloud Hands Blog


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 

   

 

Z

Zhang, Thomas Z.     Online 1     Online 2    Online 3     GGNC   


Zhengkun, Gu     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    GGNC   


Zi Chang, Tang     Online 1     Online 2     Online 3    GGNC

 

 

Creative Commons License
This webpage work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington (2010-2023), CCA 4.0

 

 

 


Tao Te Ching
Chapters:     Chapters 1-20     Chapters 21-40     Chapters 41-60     Chapters 61-81     Index

 


Codes Used in this Document: 

PD = Public Domain  

GGNC = Gushen Grove Notebook Collection; The webpage document of a translation was saved to my home computer reference files.

VSCL = Valley Spirit Center Library, Book Collection

 

 

Tao Te Ching, Translations into English: Terebess Asia Online (TAO).  124 nicely formatted complete English language translations, on separate webpages, of the Daodejing.  Alphabetical index by translators.  Each webpage has all 81 chapters of the Tao Te Ching translated into English.  An outstanding collection─ the Best on the Internet.  Online as of 7 August 2015. 

Das Tao Te King von Lao Tse  The largest collection of very nicely formatted complete versions of the Tao Te Ching.  The collection includes 209 complete versions in 27 languages, plus 28 Chinese versions.  There are 112 English language versions of the Tao Te Ching available at this website.  A variety of search methods and comparision methods are provided, as well a a detailed index.  Offline as of 5/14/2013.

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching
 Chapter Number Index


Standard Traditional Chapter Arrangement of the Daodejing
Chapter Order in Wang Bi's Daodejing Commentary in 246 CE
Chart by Mike Garofalo
Subject Index
 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81                  

 

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi)


Valley Spirit Center Library (VSCL), Vancouver, Washington


 

Abbott, Carl.  Tao Te Ching: Word for Word  By Carl Abbott.  Translation and Commentary by Carl Abbott.  Santa Cruz, California, 2012.  223 pages.  ISBN:  9781469949147.  VSCL. 


Ames, Roger.  Daodejing: "Making This Life Significant" - A Philosophical Translation.  Translated with introduction and commentary by Roger T. Ames and David L. Hall.  New York, Ballantine Books, 2003.  Glossary, appendix, thematic index, notes, bibliography, 241 pages.  ISBN: 0345444191.  VSCL.   


Bright-Fey, John. 
The Whole Heart of Tao: The Complete Teachings from the Oral Tradition of Lao-Tzu.  By John Bright-Fey.  Birmingham, Alabama, Crane Hill Publishers, 2006.  376 pages.  ISBN: 1575872471.  The Reverend Venerable John Bright-Fey, Sifu Fey, is the 12th generation lineage holder of the Blue Dragon Order of Esoteric Zen Buddhism, a distinct line of knowledge descended directly from Shaolin Temple. Sifu Bright-Fey teaches at the New Forest Center for Contemplative Living, Birmingham, Alabama.  This version of the Tao Te Ching is both a translation by a Chinese scholar and a fascinating interpolation based on his religious training.  He uses a schema of interpretation for lines in each of the 81 Chapters of the Tao Te Ching based on the concepts of the Taoist Mind (mindset and world view), Taoist Body (day to day concerns of living), Taoist Hand (training techniques by a Cultivator of the Tao, spiritual disciplines) and Taoist Heart (core and cherished beliefs) [p.21-].  His rigorous experiential approach resonates with my training in Taijiquan, Qigong, gardening, spiritual practices, and ritual.  VSCL. 


Bright-Fey, John.  The Whole Heart of Zen: The Complete Teachings From the Oral Tradition of Ta-Mo.  Crane Hill Publishers, 2006.  298 pages. 


Carus, Paul.  The Teachings of Lao-Tzu: The Tao Te Ching.  Translated by Paul Carus, 1913.  New York, St. Martin's Press, 2000.  ISBN: 0312261098.  VSCL. 


Chapter Index to the Tao Te Ching  


Concordance to the Daodejing 


Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao  By Wayne W. Dyer.  Carlsbad, California, Hay House, 2007.  392 pages.  ISBN:  978-1401917500.  VSCL. 


Chen, Helen M.  Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary.  By Ellen M. Chen.  St. Paul, Minnesota, A New Era Book, Paragon House, 1989.  Index, glossary, bibliography, notes, 274 pages.  ISBN: 1557782385.  VSCL. 


Cheng Man-ch'ing (1902-1975).   Lao-Tzu: My Words are Very Easy to Understand.  Lectures on the Tao Teh Ching by Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing.  Translated from the Chinese by Tam C. Gibbs, 1981.  Berkeley, California, North Atlantic Books, 1981, 1971.  240 pages, Chinese characters for each of the 81 Chapters.  Brief biography of Professor Cheng.  VSCL. 


Clearly, Thomas.  The Essential Tao: An Initiation into the Heart of Taoism Through the Authentic Tao Te Ching and the Inner Teachings of Chuang-tsu.  Translated and Presented by Thomas Cleary.  San Francisco, Haper, 1993.  168 pages.  ISBN: 0062502166.  VSCL.   


Cleary, Thomas.  Further Teachings of Lao-tzu: Understanding the Mysteries.  By Thomas Cleary.  A translation of the Taoist Classic Wen-Tzu.  The Wen-tzu is dated circa 200 BCE.  This translation has 180 chapters.  Translated with introduction and notes by Thomas Cleary.  Boston, Shambhala, 1991.  184 pages.  ISBN: 087773609X.  VSCL.   


Cloud Hands, Inc.  Tai Chi Chuan: The Technique of Power.  By Cloud Hands Inc., 2003.  290 pages.  ISBN: 0974201308.  VSCL.    


English Language Translations of the Tao Te Ching - Sorted by Translators 


The Feminine Tao: Early Women Masters East and West    A webpage for each chapter provides multiple translations, and Chinese-English translation chart, and seal scripts.  An attractive layout makes comparisons between different translations easier to view. 


Grigg, Ray.  The New Lao Tzu: A Contemporary Tao Te Ching.  Tuttle, 1995.  187 pages.  ISBN: 978-0804830348. 


Henricks, Robert G.  Lao-Tzu Te-Tao Ching.  A new translation based on the recently discovered Ma-wang-tui texts.  Translated with and introduction and commentary by Robert G. Henricks.  New York, Ballantine Books, 1989.  Includes Chinese characters for each chapter.  Bibliography, notes, 282 pages.  ISBN: 0345370996.  Professor Hendricks says "the Ma-wang-tui texts do not differ in any radical way from later versions of the text." (xv).  VSCL.   


Heshang Gong.  The Ho-Shang Kung Commentary on Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching.  Author: Heshang Gong.  Translated into English by Dan G. Reid.  Center Ring Publishing, 2016.  326 pages.  ISBN: 9780994978127.  VSCL.


Hinton, David.  Tao Te Ching  Translated by David Hinton.  Counterpoint, 2002.  128 pages.  ISBN: 978-1582431826. 


Kohn, Livia and Michael LaFargue.  Lao-Tzu and the Tao-te-Ching.  330 pages.  ISBN: 978-0-7914-3599-1. 


La Fargue, Michael.  The Tao of the Tao Te Ching.  A Translation and Commentary by Michael LaFargue.  State University of New York Press, 1992.  Bibliography, 270 pages. ISBN: 0791409864.  This translation is based on the oldest version ( 168 BCE) of the Tao Te Ching found in King Ma's tomb - the famous Magwandali manscript.  VSCL. 


Lau, D. C..  Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching.  Translated with an introduction by D. C. Lau.  New York, Penguin Books, 1963.  Glossary, 192 pages.  ISBN: 014044131X.  VSCL. 


Le Guin, Ursula K.  Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching: A Book about the Way and the Power of the Way  An English version by Ursula K. Le Guin.  With the collaboration of J.P. Seaton.  2 audio CDs are included.  Boston, Shambhala, 2009.  144 pages.  ISBN: 978-1590307441.  VSCL. 


Lin, Derek.  Tao Te Ching: Annotated and Explained.  Translation and Annotation by Derek Lin.  Foreword by Lama Surya Das.  An inspiring, precise translation of the ancient Chinese wisdom classic with facing page commentary that brings the text to life for you.  Woodstock, Vermont, 2006, 2010.  167 pages.  ISBN: 1594732043.  VSCL. 


Lynn, Richard John.  The Classic of the Way and Virtue: A New Translation of the Tao-te Ching of Laozi as Interpreted by Wang Bi.  Translated by Richard John Lynn.  Translations from the Asian Classics Series.  New York, Columbia University Press, 1999.  Extensive index, glossaries, notes, 244 pages.  ISBN: 978-0231105811.  VSCL. 


Mair, Victor.  Tao Te Ching: The Classic Book of Integrity and the Way by Lao Tzu.   Translated, annotated and with an afterword by Victor H. Mair.   Woodcuts by Dan Heitkamp.  An entirely new translation based on the recently discovered Ma-Wang-Tui manuscripts.  New York, Bantam Books, 1990.  168 pages.  ISBN: 0553070053.   VSCL.   


Meacham, William, PhD.  Tao Te Ching Ontology.  2010.  Relates the thought of Lao Tzu to that of Alfred North Whitehead's "Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology," 1929. 


Mitchell, Stephen.  Tao Te Ching: An Illustrated Journey  Translated by Stephen Mitchell.  Illustrated with ancient Chinese paintings.  Frances Lincoln, 2009.  96 pages.  ISBN: 978-0711229648.  VSCL. 


Mitchell, Stephen.  Tao Te Ching: An Illustrated Journey.  Translated by Stephen Mitchell.  London, Frances Lincoln, 1999.  Text translation by Stephen Mitchell in 1988.  No pages numbers.  Illustrated with color paintings.  ISBN: 978071122948.   VSCL. 


Muro, Manuera, 2020   Lao Tzu's Tao Te King.  Translated by Dwight Goddard (1919).  With parallel original full text in Chinese ideograms.  2000, 150 pages.


Ni, Hua Ching.  The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching & Hau Hu Ching  Translation and Elucidation by Hua-Ching Ni (Grandmaster Ni).  Sevenstar Communications, Revised Edition, 1995.  253 pages.  ISBN: 978-0937064009.  VSCL. 


Ni, Hua Ching.  Esoteric Tao Teh Ching  By Grandmaster Ni, (Master Ni, Hua Ching). Los Angeles, Tao of Wellness Press, Sevenstar Publications, First Edition, 1992, 2011.  Index, 192 pages.  ISBN: 978-0937064498.  VSCL.


On Rendering the Tao Te Ching by Michael Rossman


Red Pine.  Lao-tzu's Taoteching.  Translated by Red Pine (Bill Porter).  Includes selected commentaries of the past 2,000 years.  Includes the text in Chinese. San Francisco, Mercury House, 1996, Second Edition.  184 pages.  ISBN: 1562790854.  VSCL.   


Rosenbaum, Robert Meikyo.  Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with the Tao Te Ching.  By Robert Meikyo Rosenbaum.  Foreword by Sojun Mel Weitsman.  Boston, Wisdom Publications, 2013.  Index, term/subject index, bibliography, 364 pages.  ISBN 9781614290254.  VSCL. 


Sixty Translations of the Tao Te Ching: Bibliography and Index


Star, Jonathan.  Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition; Translation and Commentary  By Jonathan Star.  New York, Jeremy Tarcher/Penguin, 2001, 2003.  Extensive indexes and tables, bibliography, 349 pages.  ISBN: 158542269X.  VSCL.  


Lin, Derek.  Tao Te Ching: Annotated and Explained.  Translation and Annotation by Derek Lin.  Foreword by Lama Surya Das.  An inspiring, precise translation of the ancient Chinese wisdom classic with facing page commentary that brings the text to life for you.  Woodstock, Vermont, 2006, 2010.  167 pages.  ISBN: 1594732043.  VSCL. 


Tao Te Ching: The Taoism of Lao Tzu Explained.  By Stefan Stenudd.  CreateSpace Independent Pub., 2015.  320 pages.  ISBN: 9781514208045. 


Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu: Selected Translations, Commentary, Resources, Index


Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu's Dao De Jing: Selected Translations, Commentary, Bibliography, Links, Notes


Terebess Asia Online (TAO)  Dozens of complete translations of the Tao Te Ching.  


Towler, Solala.  Practicing the Tao Te Ching: 81 Steps on the Way.  By Solala Towler.  Foreword by Chunglang Al Huang.  Sounds True, 2016.  320 pages.  ISBN: 9781622036035.  VSCL.  I own the book and Kindle edition. 


Waley, Arthur.  The Way and Its Power: Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought.  By Arthur Waley, 1889-1966.  Translation and commentary by Arthur Waley in 1934.  Part of the UNESCO collection of representative works, 1994.  New York, Grove Press, 1958.  Introduction, commentary, index, notes, 262 pages.  ISBN: 978-08021-5085-1.  "Arthur Waley’s brilliant and definitive translation of one of the foremost of all mystical books, Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, has become a modern classic in its own right. Unlike previous translations, it is founded not on the medieval commentaries but on a close study of all the early Chinese literature, and it provides a singular example of authoritative scholarship skillfully blended with brilliant, precise writing. In his introduction, Dr. Waley gives an extensive scholarly account of Chinese thought down to the end of the third century B.C. Here, the author presents a full picture of Chinese prehistory, early philosophy, and literature, showing the original, lofty conception of Taoism before the gradual corruption through the course of centuries, tracing this conflict of philosophies and its background of politics."


Walker, Brian Browne.  The Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu  Translated by Brian Browne Walker.  St. Martin's Griffin, Reprint Edition, 1996.  112 pages.  ISBN: 978-0312147440. 

 


Wang Bi (Wang Pi, Fusi)  226-249 CE  Commentary on the Tao Te Ching


Chinese Reading of the Daodejing  Wang Bi's Commentary on the Laozi with Critical Text and Translation.  By Professor Rudolf G. Wagner.  A SUNY Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture.  English and Mandarin Chinese Edition.  State University of New York Press; Bilingual edition (October 2003).  540 pages.  ISBN: 978-0791451823.  VSCL.  Wang Bi (Wang Pi, Fusi)  226-249 CE  Commentary on the Tao Te Ching.


Two Visions of the Way: A Study of the Wang Pi and the Ho-Shang Kung Commentaries on the Lao-Tzu.  By Professor by Alan Kam-Leung Chan.   SUNY Series in Chinese Philosophy and Culture.  State University of New York Press, 1991.  Index, bibliography, glossary, notes, 314 pages.  ISBN: 0791404560.  VSCL.    


"Among the many transmitted editions of the Tao Te Ching text, the three primary ones are named after early commentaries. The "Yan Zun Version," which is only extant for the Te Ching, derives from a commentary attributed to Han Dynasty scholar Yan Zun (巖尊, fl. 80 BC-10 AD). The "Heshang Gong Version" is named after the legendary Heshang Gong (河上公 "Riverside Sage") who supposedly lived during the reign (202-157 BC) of Emperor Wen of Han. This commentary (tr. Erkes 1950) has a preface written by Ge Xuan (葛玄, 164-244 AD), granduncle of Ge Hong, and scholarship dates this version to around the 3rd century AD. The "Wang Bi Version" has more verifiable origins than either of the above. Wang Bi (王弼, 226 – 249 AD) was a famous Three Kingdoms period philosopher and commentator on the Tao Te Ching (tr. Lin 1977, Rump and Chan 1979) and the I Ching."
Wikipedia, Tao Te Ching

 

"Wang Bi (Wang Pi), styled Fusi, is regarded as one of the most important interpreters of the classical Chinese texts known as the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) and the Yijing (I Ching). He lived and worked during the period after the collapse of the Han dynasty in 220 CE, an era in which elite interest began to shift away from Confucianism toward Daoism. As a self-identified Confucian, Wang Bi wanted to create an understanding of Daoism that was consistent with Confucianism but which did not fall into what he considered to be the errors of then-popular Daoist sectarian groups.  He understood his main task to be the restoration of order and a sense of direction to Chinese society after the turbulent final years of the Han, and offered the ideal of establishing the “true way” (zhendao) as the solution.  Although he died at the age of twenty-four, his interpretations of Daoism became influential for several reasons.  The edition of the Daodejing that he used in his commentary on that work has been the basis for almost every translation into a Western language for nearly two centuries.  Moreover, his interpretations of Daoist material did not undermine Confucianism, making them palatable to later Confucian thinkers.  Finally, Wang Bi’s work provided a way of talking about indigenous Chinese beliefs that made them seem compatible with the introduction of Indian Buddhist texts and ideas in the decades to follow."
Wang Bi (Wang Pi, Fusi)  226-249 CE  Commentary on the Tao Te Ching.


Yang, Jwing-Ming, Ph.D..  The Tao Te Ching: A Qigong Interpretation.  Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, YMAA Publication Center, 2018.  In this book, each Chapter of the Tao Te Ching includes the Chinese characters, English translation and commentary.  539 pages, glossary of Chinese terms, notes.  ISBN: 978-1594396199.  VSCL. 

 

 

Creative Commons License
This webpage work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington (2010-2021), CCA 4.0

 

 

 

 

The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Circa 100 BCE

Comments on Compiling, Translating, Interpreting, Explaining, Interpolating, Studying, Scholarship


Compiled by Miichael P. Garofalo



"No translation of the Tao Te Ching is sufficient to understand the text, as the Chinese is subtle and frequently brilliant, carrying a different range of connotations than English, and the Tao Te Ching plays repeatedly on the double and extended meanings of words, which can only be appreciated in the Chinese, unless you have read a wide array of English translations (and perhaps a commentary or two), which will start to convey to you the range of each word's meaning in its given context. Then you can build on what you understand on your own."

Richard Carter

 

"The first assignment for Daisetz "Great Simplicity" T. Suzuki in 1898 was to help Paul Carus with the Tao Te Ching.  Dr. Carus knew no Chinese, but he wanted this translation to a scholarly one and he had Suzuki supply a character by character gloss, as best he could, but Suzuki found himself unable to check Carus's use of Teutonic abstractions.  "The Chinese are masters in reproducing the most subtle changes in their innermost feelings," Suzuki wrote of his first collaboration with Carus, "thus, in order to translate passages from Lao Tzu, I had to explain to Dr. Carus the feeling behind each Chinese term.  But being himself a German writing in English, he translated these Chinese ideas into abstract conceptual terms.  If only I had been more intellectually equipped then," he thought later, "I might have been better able to help him understand the original meaning."
In order to supply a corresponding Chinese text, Suzuki cut out the Chinese characters from Chinese and Japanese books, and pasted them in the proper places on the manuscript pages, which where then reproduced photographically [and then printed in 1913]."
How the Swans Came to the Lake, by Rick Fields, 1981, p. 139

 

"Now scriptures are collections of symbols.  Their peculiar characteristic is a kind of magical elasticity.  To successive generations of believers they mean things that would be paraphrased in utterly different words.  Yet for century upon century they continue to satisfy the wants of mankind; the are 'a garment that need never be renewed'.  The distinction I wish to make is between translations which set out to discover what such books mean to start with, and those which aim only at telling the reader what such a text means to those who use it today.  For want of better terms I call the first sort of translation 'historical', the second 'scriptural'.  There are several good 'scriptural' translations of the Tao Te Ching.  Here again I think Wilhelm's is the best, and next to it that of Carus."
-  Arthur Waley, The Way and Its Power, 1934, 1958, p.13.

 

"Translation," as T. S. Eliot wrote of the Fennollosa-Pound version of Noh plays, "is valuable by a double power of fertilizing a literature: by importing new elements which may be assimilated, and by restoring the essentials which have been forgotten in traditional literary method.  There occurs, in the process, a happy fusion between the spirit of the original and the mind of the translator: the result is not exoticism by rejuvenation."
How the Swans Came to the Lake, by Rick Fields, 1981, p. 165

 

Is That a Fish in Your Ear?: Translation and the Meaning of Everything  By David Bellos.  New York, Faber and Faber, 2011.  Index, notes, 393 pages.  ISBN: 9780865478763. VSCL. 

 

"The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence by Carl Sagan (1977), recounts a story, probably fictional, about the lack of accuracy in text translation programs.  A deputation that included an American Senator was proudly led to a demonstration of a translation program. The Senator suggested a phrase to be translated, "Out of sight, out of mind". The machine printed Chinese characters and these were then entered into the machine to be translated back to English. The visitors were all astonished when the machine printed the phrase "invisible idiot" on the paper. The computer had literally translated the separate expressions "out of sight" and "out of mind". The anecdote and the phrase "invisible idiot" have entered popular culture."  -  Wikipedia, Dragons of Eden

 

"I wish to make another, quite different, kind of distinction.  It has reference to two sorts of translation.  It seems to me that when the main importance of a work is its beauty, the translator must be prepared to sacrifice a great deal in the way of detailed accuracy in order to preserve in the translation the quality which gives the original its importance.  Such a translation I call 'literary', as opposed to "philological'."
-  Arthur Waley, The Way and Its Power, 1934, 1958, p.13.  Arthur Waley (1889-1956), was an eminent independent scholar and author from England.  He was fluent in English, and could read and translate Chinese and Japanese.  However, he could not converse with people in any any East Asian language, and he never visited the Far East.  His many translations are still widely available. 

 

 

 

"World literature students need to keep in mind that different translations, particularly of the classical texts, can impact interpretation. In general, there seem to be four major concerns for translation. 

  1. Accuracy (Whether the translation accurately portray the original meaning of the text)
  2. Coherence (Whether the translation as a piece itself is able to get its point across)
  3. Style (Whether the translation captures the style, e.g. meter and rhyme, of the original piece)
  4. Contextualization (Whether the translator makes the context of the text clear)
By definition, academically rigorous translations focus on characteristics one and two, to the extent that it sometimes diminishes the quality of the second two. Non-academic translations usually focus on the second two traits. While this is not intrinsically a bad thing, it is essential to remember that some amateur "translators" may not know Classical Chinese and may not be maintaining fidelity to the original text.

With this in mind, I usually select academic translations, ones that favor interpreting the Daodejing as a political text first and foremost. Historians who intend to invoke the classical text should really take this context into mind before citing passages. Translations focusing on Daoist cosmology and alchemical theory tend to overanalyze in way that can be detrimental for classical historians, even if it is incredibly useful for understanding Daoism as understood during the Han Dynasty (e.g. for understanding the work of Ge Hong)."
Jonathan Reiter
 

 


Translating Phrases Used in Taijiquan

What Does "Xu Ling Ding Jin" Mean?

"One of the most vexing phrases in this body of texts appears in Wang Zongyue's "The Taijiquan Treatise."  This is the phrase that I've translated "An intangible and lively energy lifts the crown of the head."  The actual phrase in Chinese is xu ling ding jing Xu means "empty," "void," "abstract," "shapeless," or "insubstantial."  Ling can mean "neck," "collar," "to lead," "to guide," or "to receive."  Ding here means "the crown of the head."  Jin is a word that should be familiar to most Taijiquan practitioners, meaning "energy" or "strength."  To translate this phrase literally in a way that makes sense is seemingly impossible. ...  To demonstrate the difficulties presented in translating the phrase, I've assembled for comparison a number of different renderings:

Yang Jwing-Ming translates xu ling ding jin as:
"An insubstantial energy leads the head upward."

T.T. Liang renders it:
"A light and nimble energy should be preserved on the top of the head."

Benjamin Pang Jeng Lo translates the phrase:
"Effortlessly the jin reaches the headtop."

Douglas Wile translates the phrase variously:
"The energy at the top of the head should be light and sensitive."
and
"Open the energy at the crown of the head."

Guttmann gives one rendering as,
"... the head is upheld with the intangible spirit."
Elsewhere, he gives it a fairly plausible if incomprehensible literal rendering as a noun phrase:
"Empty dexterity's top energy."

Huang Wen-Shan translates it as:
"The head-top should be emptied, alert, and straight."

Robert Smith's version has it:
"The spirit of vitality reaches to the top of the head."

Jou Tsung Hwa's rendering is similiar:
"The spirit, or shen, reaches the top of the head."

Finally, in one of the freer renderings I've seen, T. Y. Pang renders the phrase:
"The spine and the head are held straight by strength, which is guided by the mind."

As the reader can see, the range of nuance in these diverse translations of this one phrase is considerable.  Virtually all of the readings are interpretive; that is, the four-character phrase as it has been handed down will not yield a dependable reading based on the characters alone.  One can only conclude that this phrase is a remnant of an oral formula whose original structure eludes our knowledge.  Our understanding of it inevitably depends upon the context─ the following phrase about sinking the qi to the dantian─ and upon commentaries of former masters, including Yang Chengfu's elaboration in the first of his "Ten Essentials."  The concept is also linked to differently worded but related phrases appearing in other classics, for example, "the spirit (shen) threads to the crown of the head" (shen guan ding) in the "Song of the Thirteen Postures," and the phrase about "suspending the crown of the head" (ding tou xuan) appearing in both "The Mental Elucidation of the Thirteen Postures" and the "Song of the Thirteen Postures." "

-  By Taijiquan Master Fu Zhongwen.  Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan.  Translated by Louis Swaim.  Blue Snake Books, 2006, p. 182-183

 

 

"Yes, there is a difference – occasionally profound – depending on the translator. Ninety percent of the time, authoritative translations (like those recommended here) convey the spirit, if not the letter of the literal original Chinese. Why? Understandably, translators need to use some beautiful and persuasive words to make their translations readable. Also, the brightest translators in academia have centered their life’s work around words. This may impede their ability to plumb the depths of the Taoist point of view (e.g., words and speech). Nevertheless, no problem; if we get that 90%, the rest comes to us naturally.

Translators will also tend to bend the Taoist view to match the Western humanist paradigm into which they are conditioned. No problem either! If a reader is likewise steeped in the humanist paradigm, nothing else would be palatable anyway. Understandably, the translation that feels best to us is the one that matches our own personal world view."
-  Center Tao, Translations

 

 

Tao Te Ching:  Translating, Compiling, Indexing, Bibliography, Scholarship

Gushen Grove Notebooks for the Tao Te Ching 

Introduction

Bibliography  

Index to English Language Translators of the Tao Te Ching

Thematic Index 1-81  

Chapter Index 1-81    

Concordance to the Daodejing

Translating, Interpretating, Interpolating, Commenting

Spanish Language Translations of the Tao Te Ching

Resources

The Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) by Lao Tzu (Laozi) circa 500-100 BCE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

Laozi, Dao De Jing

 

 

Gushen Grove Notebooks for the Tao Te Ching

Research and Indexing by
Michael P. Garofalo

Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington
Green Way Research, 2010-2023. 
Indexed and Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo

 

This webpage was last improved, edited, modified or updated on February 19, 2023.    

Revised and updated by Mike Garofalo, Cloud Hands Home, City of Vancouver, State of Washington, Northwestern USA (2017-)

This webpage was first distributed online on March 3, 2010. 



Creative Commons License
This webpage work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Created by Michael P. Garofalo, Green Way Research, Valley Spirit Center, Gushen Grove Notebooks, Vancouver, Washington (2010-2023), CCA 4.0

 

 

 



 

Michael P. Garofalo's E-mail

Brief Biography of Michael P. Garofalo, M.S.

 

 

 

 

Ripening Peaches: Daoist Studies and Practices

Taoism: Resources and Guides

Taoism: A Bibliography, Links, Resources, Notes, Quotes


Cloud Hands Blog


Valley Spirit Qigong

Valley Spirit Taijiquan, Cloud Hands

Ways of Walking

The Spirit of Gardening

Months: Cycles of the Seasons

Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu, Zhuang Zhou, Master Chuang)  369—286 BCE

Chan (Zen) and Taoist Poetry

Yang Style Taijiquan

Chen Style Taijiquan

Meditation

Bodymind Theory and Practices, Somaesthetics

The Five Senses

How to Live a Good Life: Advice from Wise Persons

Grandmaster Chang San Feng

Virtues

Qigong (Chi Kung) Health Practices

One Old Daoist Druid's Final Journey: Notebooks of the Librarian of Gushen Grove

Cloud Hands: T'ai Chi Ch'uan

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Index to Cloud Hands and Valley Spirit Websites

 

Gushen Grove Notebooks for the Tao Te Ching 

Introduction

Bibliography  

Index to Translators of the Tao Te Ching

Thematic Index 1-81  

Chapter Index 1-81    

Concordance to the Daodejing

 

Cloud Hands Blog

 

 

 

            

Mike Garofalo

 


      
      
Lao-Tzu (Laozi), Circa 500 BCE

Old Master, Old Sage, Long-eared Wise Man, Wise Child
The Grand Supreme Elder Lord  (Taishang Laojun 太上老君)
The Universally Honored One of Tao and Virtues
(Daode Tianzun 道德天尊)
          


                                 
 

 

 

 

Cloud Hands Blog

 

 

 

Tao Te Ching
 Chapter Number Index


Standard Traditional Chapter Arrangement of the Daodejing
Chapter Order in Wang Bi's Daodejing Commentary in 246 CE
Chart by Mike Garofalo
Subject Index
 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81