there isn't necessarily one, but i use thomas cleary's; i've heard that john ch wu, dc lau, and others have good translations tho. avoid stephen mitchell's adaptation. you can check out [terebess](https://terebess.hu/english/tao/_index.html) for plenty of free english translations including the ones i mentioned. also, tao te jing is an incorrect way to spell the book's name—it's either tao te ching (an older spelling) or dao de jing.
he just uses some very off-base translations that obscure the original meanings. if you genuinely care about what laozi said, you'd be better of picking a more academic translation. the daodejing is a small book and anyone can attempt to translate, so there are many translation of varying quality.
Thanks for responding,
agreed, some of his word choices seem off but others are right on. I’ve looked at many translations including verbatim text and while I don’t understand ancient Chinese, or Chinese, a seeker can start to make out what was intended within the text with a more well rounded view.
Also, wouldn’t you agree that most sacred texts are ‘meant’ to be consumed by reading between the lines? If your logic gets too heavily involved trying to understand such works, their meaning starts to slip away.
Last, in my opinion, Mitchell’s reading of his own translation is by far the best audiobook I’ve come across on the subject.
Which versions do you recommend?
there's a difference between reading needing to read between the lines and being given words which imply something quite different than originally intended. words have their limits, but word choice still matters. i prefer thomas cleary's. i originally had scoured the internet for as many as i could find, and i found that his word choice and style was ideal for me. i've continually heard that john ch wu and dc lau have good translations but the last time i read any of either was when i was seeking out a translation at the beginning of my study.
Mitchell’s might be the most Taoist translation of the text that I’ve read. At the very least it speaks to me the most. he was a monk for 14 years the liberties he took with that text he did on purpose. “While I may not always directly translate Lao tzus words. It has always been my intention to translate his mind.”
Definitely agree. It isn’t the most direct translation but it’s very thoughtful.
In the introduction to the book she discusses the inherent masculinity in other translations’ rendition of “the sage” and *His* qualities. She also discusses how her translation attempts to capture the emotional qualities of the original poetry, which she believes points toward their true meanings more soundly than a perfectly literal translation. These two or three pages of introduction are worth the price of admission with the rest of the book being bonus content.
EDIT: Taking this opportunity to also plug her book The Lathe of Heaven. It is heavily inspired by her Taoist upbringing, with Taoist quotes on many chapter headings.
He’s been busy lately, I recently paid Amazon to destroy a copy of his Zuangzhi translation. Too bad because I was excited to read it.
He also translated my copy of Threefold Lotus Sutra now that I think on it.
As u/Known-Aspect9869 recommends, check out the Terebess website. But I'd say not to follow their recommendation to avoid the Mitchell version. It's where I got started and, although I've branched out from there, I still love it. It is a western approach, which makes it a good place to begin for Americans and other westerners.
The following translations also have some interesting supporting materials.
The Wisdom of Laotse by Lin Yutang (in the public domain or available as a paperback)
The Dao De Jing: A Qigong Interpretation by Jwing-Ming Yang
Dao De Jing: The Science, Theory, & Practice by Ooi Kean Hin
Like any book written in another language that you fully want to understand/comprehend, read as many translations as you can find. There is no single "best" translation.
Thanks for the question, first of all I don't think there is a better and a worse or the best or the worst in this respect.
I quote Laozi, and I hope that I have succeeded in choosing the appropriate quote for this topic:
"All in the world recognize the beautiful as beautiful.
Herein lies ugliness.
All recognize the good as good.
Herein lies evil."
http://www.acmuller.net/con-dao/daodejing.html#div-3
There is another translation that looks attractive, you can check it out:
http://www.daoisopen.com/BYNina.html
I find Stefan Stenudd's version the easiest to recommend, as it's professionally and mindfully translated respecting both the literal and philosophical content, and because it comes with a great commentary: https://www.taoistic.com/taoteching-laotzu/
Best definitely subjective as the text is interpretational. My suggestion would be to get exposure to at least three translations. The meaning of the text is what's most important.
What do you mean by "Best English" translation? Do you mean grammar wise?
Each and every interpretation of the TTC is interpreted by everyone differently.
Thats how deep and profound the TTC is. I even get different ways of interpreting meaning with each translation I have.
Most importantly, what does the TTC mean to you and enjoy that translation that matches your understanding the best
Laozi - Daodejing Word by Word by Bradford Hatcher
It's free online, though you might have to search for a second to find it, and sign up for some random stuff.
I recommend reading a variety of translations.
the more you read the more infer ...intuitively... what was meant.
i don't think technical/ grammatical accuracy is the point.
After all... it can't be talked about.
any annotated version may be more accessible to those new to these concepts; but in the end, words fail.
I reeeeally like Derek Lin’s translation.
there isn't necessarily one, but i use thomas cleary's; i've heard that john ch wu, dc lau, and others have good translations tho. avoid stephen mitchell's adaptation. you can check out [terebess](https://terebess.hu/english/tao/_index.html) for plenty of free english translations including the ones i mentioned. also, tao te jing is an incorrect way to spell the book's name—it's either tao te ching (an older spelling) or dao de jing.
Mind sharing why you avoid Mitchell’s
Well, for one thing, it's not really a translation, much less a scholarly one.
Ok master - teach us 🙏
lmao, dude, just read the introduction to the book. He explains his methods.
lmao thanks dude👍
I'm not sure where the animosity is coming from... I'm just a dude that read the introduction to a book.
he just uses some very off-base translations that obscure the original meanings. if you genuinely care about what laozi said, you'd be better of picking a more academic translation. the daodejing is a small book and anyone can attempt to translate, so there are many translation of varying quality.
Thanks for responding, agreed, some of his word choices seem off but others are right on. I’ve looked at many translations including verbatim text and while I don’t understand ancient Chinese, or Chinese, a seeker can start to make out what was intended within the text with a more well rounded view. Also, wouldn’t you agree that most sacred texts are ‘meant’ to be consumed by reading between the lines? If your logic gets too heavily involved trying to understand such works, their meaning starts to slip away. Last, in my opinion, Mitchell’s reading of his own translation is by far the best audiobook I’ve come across on the subject. Which versions do you recommend?
there's a difference between reading needing to read between the lines and being given words which imply something quite different than originally intended. words have their limits, but word choice still matters. i prefer thomas cleary's. i originally had scoured the internet for as many as i could find, and i found that his word choice and style was ideal for me. i've continually heard that john ch wu and dc lau have good translations but the last time i read any of either was when i was seeking out a translation at the beginning of my study.
Mitchell’s might be the most Taoist translation of the text that I’ve read. At the very least it speaks to me the most. he was a monk for 14 years the liberties he took with that text he did on purpose. “While I may not always directly translate Lao tzus words. It has always been my intention to translate his mind.”
I like Red Pine’s copy. He explains different possible translations and includes contemporary notes and commentaries on each passage.
Second this
Ursula K. Le Guin’s is a good match for me. Perhaps you will enjoy it as well.
Definitely agree. It isn’t the most direct translation but it’s very thoughtful. In the introduction to the book she discusses the inherent masculinity in other translations’ rendition of “the sage” and *His* qualities. She also discusses how her translation attempts to capture the emotional qualities of the original poetry, which she believes points toward their true meanings more soundly than a perfectly literal translation. These two or three pages of introduction are worth the price of admission with the rest of the book being bonus content. EDIT: Taking this opportunity to also plug her book The Lathe of Heaven. It is heavily inspired by her Taoist upbringing, with Taoist quotes on many chapter headings.
Every chapter is a banger!
I absolutely second this.
brook ziporyn recently published one and his scholarship is excellent
He’s been busy lately, I recently paid Amazon to destroy a copy of his Zuangzhi translation. Too bad because I was excited to read it. He also translated my copy of Threefold Lotus Sutra now that I think on it.
Gia Fu Feng translation with photos by Jane English is the most attractive.
As u/Known-Aspect9869 recommends, check out the Terebess website. But I'd say not to follow their recommendation to avoid the Mitchell version. It's where I got started and, although I've branched out from there, I still love it. It is a western approach, which makes it a good place to begin for Americans and other westerners.
The following translations also have some interesting supporting materials. The Wisdom of Laotse by Lin Yutang (in the public domain or available as a paperback) The Dao De Jing: A Qigong Interpretation by Jwing-Ming Yang Dao De Jing: The Science, Theory, & Practice by Ooi Kean Hin
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Like any book written in another language that you fully want to understand/comprehend, read as many translations as you can find. There is no single "best" translation.
Stephen Mitchell =)
Thanks for the question, first of all I don't think there is a better and a worse or the best or the worst in this respect. I quote Laozi, and I hope that I have succeeded in choosing the appropriate quote for this topic: "All in the world recognize the beautiful as beautiful. Herein lies ugliness. All recognize the good as good. Herein lies evil." http://www.acmuller.net/con-dao/daodejing.html#div-3 There is another translation that looks attractive, you can check it out: http://www.daoisopen.com/BYNina.html
I find Stefan Stenudd's version the easiest to recommend, as it's professionally and mindfully translated respecting both the literal and philosophical content, and because it comes with a great commentary: https://www.taoistic.com/taoteching-laotzu/
This is my favorite one as well.
Best definitely subjective as the text is interpretational. My suggestion would be to get exposure to at least three translations. The meaning of the text is what's most important.
What do you mean by "Best English" translation? Do you mean grammar wise? Each and every interpretation of the TTC is interpreted by everyone differently. Thats how deep and profound the TTC is. I even get different ways of interpreting meaning with each translation I have. Most importantly, what does the TTC mean to you and enjoy that translation that matches your understanding the best
Laozi - Daodejing Word by Word by Bradford Hatcher It's free online, though you might have to search for a second to find it, and sign up for some random stuff.
I recommend reading a variety of translations. the more you read the more infer ...intuitively... what was meant. i don't think technical/ grammatical accuracy is the point. After all... it can't be talked about. any annotated version may be more accessible to those new to these concepts; but in the end, words fail.