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Summary: A Quantum Leap in Tao Te Ching Translation
Review: For students and lovers of Lao Tzu's timeless poems of insight, gentle humor, and guidance in living a truly human life on both the inner and outer planes of being, Jonathan Star's translation must be considered essential. It is a marvelous work of research, scholarship, and truly creative presentation: he offers the first verbatim translation since Paul Carus' turn of the century (20th, that is) offering, using spreadsheet-style table to organize ideograms, lines, radicals, and translational possibilities. A marvelous essay on the first poem in the traditional ordering (Star uses the Wang Bi version and not the Ma Wang-Tui texts) is appended at the back of the book, along with an excellent lexicon. Best of all, Star offers us his own literary translation, which is worth the cost of the book all by itself: it has some breathtakingly beautiful points and is always a reflection not of a mere scholar but of a true lover of the Tao. This book is about $... in hardcover and will repay you exponentially for that small investment. And if you wish, you can even create your own translation of Lao Tzu with the help of this book--I did, and I recommend it as an excellent psychospiritual adventure.
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Summary: Definitive is better.
Review: I have Stephen Mitchell's version of the Tao Te Ching which I just received and read today and I have to say I was VERY disappointed in it. I would say it's not so much a translation as a paraphrase of his own thoughts with some of those of Lao Tzu blended in to make it seem like a translation of the Tao Te Ching. This is a much, much better version.
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Summary: All translations are not equal
Review: I reviewed the Feng/English translation of this work on 12-11-02. I think it important to point out that this review site has all of the Tao Te Ching reviews together. They are not separated by translators. In writting reviews it would be helpful to add the translator and in reading the review it would be useful to note the translation. As I said on 12-11-02 I have not found a translation I value more than the Feng/English translation. Jared
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Summary: Truly wonderful way to explore the Tao Te Ching for yourself
Review: One of the core ideas in Taoism (especially if you read a lot of Chuang-Tzu) is that there are infinite perspectives on anything and everything, and no one is more absolute or "correct" than the others. I think it's safe to say that the Tao Te Ching itself is an excellent example of this principle - just look at how many translations have been done, in various styles, approaching various perspectives on life, society, money, etc. And while there are certainly translations that speak to me far better than others do, I'd have to say that they are not always completely satisfying.If you feel the same way, then Jonathan Star has come to your rescue with /Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition/. It starts out with an overview of Lao Tzu's work and the challenges that come with translating it. Then there is a rather good literary translation by the author, which sometimes takes a bit of artistic license - definitely not a bad thing. This is not the meat of the book, however. That part is the "definitive" translation itself - the literal translation. Every character of every chapter is provided, along with multiple possible meanings. Using this, you can compose your own interpretations of your favorite chapters, or the whole book if you wish. The literal translation is extremely well done, and provided in a very accessible format that provides a lot of information in an easy to use manner. If I had to pick something to gripe about, it would be the fact that the literal translation uses Wade-Giles instead of Pinyin (this from a book with a 2001 copyright). I suppose this was to keep things consistent with the similarly old-style spellings "Tao", "Lao-Tzu", etc. This niggle is mitigated a bit by the concordance section of the book, which includes translations from Wade-Giles to Pinyin. Not very convenient, but then again you probably won't be reading the literal translation for its phonetic qualities anyway. Like I said, that's basically the only gripe I can come up with. Other juicy bits in the book: a section devoted totally to the different interpretations of the first chapter over the years, a summary of the many meanings used for each character throughout the Tao Te Ching, and a nice commentary on chapter one courtesy of Jonathan Star. If you want to explore the Tao Te Ching as it speaks to *you* then this is definitely a book you want in your collection. As good a job as Jane English, Le Guin, et al have done with their respective translations, nothing can compare to the one that comes from your own spirit and heart. Thus, this truly is the definitive Tao Te Ching. Highly, HIGHLY recommended.
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Summary: The Definitive translation of the Tao Te Ching
Review: There are so many translations of the Tao Te Ching that choosing one may be difficult. I like Jonathan Star's translation the most, for two reasons: first, because I feel it's a good translation, and second, because the entire text of the Tao Te Ching is included, word for word, in the original chinese, with word for word translations. This gives the reader some insight into the original text. Also included is some commentary and history. I highly recommend this translation. Also recommended is the translation by Brian Browne Walker.
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Summary: The Definitive translation of the Tao Te Ching
Review: There are so many translations of the Tao Te Ching that choosing one may be difficult. I like Jonathan Star's translation the most, for two reasons: first, because I feel it's a good translation, and second, because the entire text of the Tao Te Ching is included, word for word, in the original chinese, with word for word translations. This gives the reader some insight into the original text. Also included is some commentary and history. I highly recommend this translation. Also recommended is the translation by Brian Browne Walker.
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Summary: A beautiful piece of work
Review: This book is three in one - a graceful and seemingly accurate translation of the text into English, a literal character by character rendering with glossary, and reference material including some commentary, samples of other translations and bibliography.
Unlike typical approaches, these are separated so that reading for one purpose does not entangle one in footnotes and parenthesized comments best suited for another.
It might even serve as an introduction to written Chinese for those so inclined.
It seems of great value, particularly at the low price of this edition.
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Summary: An edition you can sink your teeth into.
Review: This edition of the Tao Te Ching is the only one you will ever need. The translation provided is beautiful, peotic, and understandable. The verbatim translation is absolutely amazing for really understanding what you're reading. It gives you the ability to create your own interpretation, and understand some of the more nuanced meanings of the original chinese text. The book gives you everything you need to simply enjoy the Tao Te Ching, and provides you with the first few steps toward a serious study of the work. Whether you are interested in the Tao Te Ching for spiritual, intellectual, or recreational purposes, this is the ideal book.
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Summary: Why do you need another translation?
Review: Well, this one's a bit different. While I enjoyed his translation, what really stands out in this book is the fact that every single Chinese character in every single line is listed with a whole host of meanings that particular ideogram can have. Not only are the meanings given but the subtle nuances of the text are also included so implied meanings and combinations of terms that form a certain thought are also included. References to many, many translators throughout the years and their particular understandings of the terms and the text as a whole are also included. It's a plethora of information for those who don't speak a lick of Chinese. The great thing about is that by looking at the shades of meaning of even one particular character, one gets a better 'feel' on their own for the Tao itself. Rather than sheer dependence on the expertise of a particular author's Chinese, you can really work it out yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Why do you need another translation?
Review: Well, this one's a bit different. While I enjoyed his translation, what really stands out in this book is the fact that every single Chinese character in every single line is listed with a whole host of meanings that particular ideogram can have. Not only are the meanings given but the subtle nuances of the text are also included so implied meanings and combinations of terms that form a certain thought are also included. References to many, many translators throughout the years and their particular understandings of the terms and the text as a whole are also included. It's a plethora of information for those who don't speak a lick of Chinese. The great thing about is that by looking at the shades of meaning of even one particular character, one gets a better 'feel' on their own for the Tao itself. Rather than sheer dependence on the expertise of a particular author's Chinese, you can really work it out yourself.
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