The Best Tao Te Ching Translation?

[DalTheJigsaw123]

The Best Tao Te Ching Translation? Links/Books?

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

The one I find most beautiful and poetic, and that I keep returning to to read for inspiration, is

Witter Bynner's translation:

 

http://www.terebess.hu/english/tao/bynner.html

 

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Life-According-L...u/dp/0399512985

 

 

Note the Amazon reviews.

 

I use verse 20 as my guideline, I know it, and whenever I see a new Translation of the Tao Te Ching, I turn to #20 and compare. Bynner's translation always wins. Not the most scholarly version, but certainly the most beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited September 10, 2009 by TheSongsofDistantEarth

[DalTheJigsaw123]

The one I find most beautiful and poetic, and that I keep returning to to read for inspiration, is

Witter Bynner's translation:

 

http://www.terebess.hu/english/tao/bynner.html

 

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Life-According-L...u/dp/0399512985

Note the Amazon reviews.

 

I use verse 20 as my guideline, I know it, and whenever I see a new Translation of the Tao Te Ching, I turn to #20 and compare. Bynner's translation always wins. Not the most scholarly version, but certainly the most beautiful.

.

 

Great thank you so much!

[Marblehead]

The Best Tao Te Ching Translation? Links/Books?

 

I prefer Robert Henricks' translation. It can be found at the same link.

 

Happy Trails!

[wudangspirit]

I know that in my training my Master preferred the Jane English/ Gia Gu Feng translation. My wife is a professional translator from China and she said it was good. However, they both also said that although it's close there still isn't a perfect translation out there.

 

I'll go with close any day.

 

I personally like the one translated by Laozi. hahahaha just kidding.

 

 

 

The Best Tao Te Ching Translation? Links/Books?

[Marblehead]

... Jane English/ Gia Gu Feng translation.

 

Indeed. I have met many who feel their translation is the best.

 

Happy Trails!

[Birch Tree]

I like the Jane English/ Gia Gu Feng translation as well.

[mattmiddleton]

DC Lau's translation for its simplicity

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Te-Ching-Penguin...s/dp/014044131X

[Mal]

I like Revealing the Tao Te Ching as I especially found the commentaries and general info at the start very helpful.

review

 

I don't know about "best" but it is a good starting place for something more studious with basic "Taoism" information rather than just a translation of the text.

[Ninpo-me-this-ninjutsu-me-that]

I like James Legge's version. Simply because it's close to the original and a lot of the secret code words related to practice are still intact, whereas more recent versions have translated the real Taoist hidden instruction and meaning out of it trying to be philosophical and poetic, and in their opinion express the essence of the chinese character, as opposed to understanding the Taoist view point and symbolism. Having said that James Legge doesn't understand it either and trys to interpret the meaning, often badly, but at least the actual as close as translation is put in with the changing lines translation.

[Apech]

This may be a re-post but lots of versions of TTC here - in many languages:

 

Tao te Ching resource

 

includes the Jane English version

 

Jane English

 

 

A.

Edited September 24, 2009 by apepch7

[Lucky7Strikes]

Red Pine is always good. Although I've noticed a few misprints.

[trailmaker]

The Best Tao Te Ching Translation? Links/Books?

 

 

good question leon - i've been enjoying the david hinton translation for a couple of years now, and there

are many others that remain to be compared.

 

does anybody know the translator/compiler of the edition that came out in the 70s with brief, poetic verses

and large black-and-white photographs complimenting/reflecting each verse. i had a copy, but loaned it

and never got it back - would like to get another copy.

 

trailmaker