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1 About this book
The Tao Te Ching, the Classic of the Way and its Virtue, is an ancient Chinese text traditionally attributed to the sage Laozi and regarded as a founding work of Taoism. Its date and authorship are debated; the oldest surviving fragments are from around 300 BCE. It consists of some five thousand Chinese characters in eighty-one brief chapters. They describe the Tao, the unseen source and pattern of all things, immensely powerful and yet humble, and they teach a return to a natural way of living in harmony with it. Because the original is so compact, translations differ widely.
- Taoism
- Asian Philosophy
- Philosophy
- China
- Military art and science
- Classics
- Philosophy and religion
- Philosophy, asian
2 What to expect
An ancient Chinese classic of eighty-one very short chapters, a founding text of Taoism. It speaks in paradoxes and images about the Way behind all things and about living, and ruling, through simplicity, humility and not forcing. It can be read in an hour and returned to for years, and the meaning shifts with the translation, so the choice of version matters a good deal.
Good for readers who want: Eastern philosophy, short poetic chapters, and a book to return to again and again.
3 About Laozi
Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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