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By Derek Lin Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained ([Large Print]) [Paperback]
The enduring wisdom of the Tao Te Ching can become a companion for your own spiritual journey.Reportedly written by a sage named Lao Tzu over 2,500 years ago, the Tao Te Ching is one of the most succinct - and yet among the most profound - spiritual texts ever written. Short enough to read in an afternoon, subtle enough to study for a lifetime, the Tao Te Ching distills into razor - sharp poetry centuries of spiritual inquiry into the Tao - the ''''Way'''' of the natural world around us that reveals the ultimate organizing principle of the universe.Derek Lin's insightful commentary, along with his new translation from the original Chinese - a translation that sets a whole new standard for accuracy - will inspire your spiritual journey and enrich your everyday life. It highlights the Tao Te Ching's insights on simplicity, balance, and learning from the paradoxical truths you can see all around finding strength through flexibility (because bamboo bends, it is tough to break); achieving goals by transcending obstacles (water simply flows around rocks on its way to the sea); believing that small changes bring powerful results (a sapling, in time, grows into a towering tree).Now you can experience the wisdom and power of Lao Tzu's words even if you have no previous knowledge of the Tao Te Ching. SkyLight Illuminations provides insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that describes helpful historical background, explains the Tao Te Ching's poetic imagery, and elucidates the ancient Taoist wisdom that will speak to your life today and energize your spiritual quest.
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About the author
Derek Lin
16 books29 followersDerek Lin is an award-winning, bestselling author in the Tao genre. His Tao Te Ching: Annotated & Explained is an original translation that not only sets a new standard for accuracy, but also has been lauded by critics as the first to faithfully capture the lyrical beauty of the original. His The Tao of Daily Life, a breakout Eastern wisdom bestseller, integrates Taoist stories with dharmic lessons for life in the modern world. His The Tao of Success reveals the secrets of the ancients to transform the self in order to live life to the utmost. His The Tao of Joy Every Day provides short yet profound daily thoughts for meditation, or for keeping in mind as one goes through the day's activities. His The Tao of Happiness introduces Western readers to the fun yet profound stories of Chuang Tzu.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 16, 2019
Fine commentary, natural translation
Lin’s translation is natural, even lyrical, but the main strength of this book, at least for the serious student, is in his line by line commentary. The layout, with the commentary on the left (even numbered) pages and the text on the right (odd numbered) pages, makes for easy reading and study.
Lin’s introduction gives a bit of the history of the Tao while exploring its accessibility and purpose. In “A Note on the Translation” he recounts some of the difficulties and presents his theory about how the “Lao Tzu” should be rendered into modern English. One of his methods was to
“Start from scratch and create an entirely original work. I could not use existing translations as references because they were not sufficiently accurate.” (p. xxiii)
Lin adds “Existing translations tended to present interpretations as translations.” (p. xxiv)
Of course any translation would be an interpretation to some extent. Lin calls our attention to this distinction:
“A literal translation (also known as formal equivalence) is the nearest linguistic equivalent between the source and the target language, while an interpretation (also known as dynamic equivalence) consists of amplifications and clarifications...” (p. xxiv)
He believes that he has kept his interpretations in the commentary. However whenever choices are made between ambiguous alternatives—and Lin and others all admit that the ancient Chinese they are translating from is full of them—that choice involves an interpretation. Furthermore because the Tao Te Ching is a treatise written in poetic language—actually it can be considered a long poem—interpretation is unavoidable.
We should keep in mind that a real poem is a non-linear extra-denotative expression. There are layers of meaning in poetic words and phrases beyond their denotative meanings. Allusion, sound, rhythm, rhyme, simile, reference—hyperbole even (or in the Tao, especially!)—create a context of meaning that often cannot be directly translated. So something is always lost in translation and something is sometimes gained. That which is gained may not be what was originally meant.
Another thing to remember is that ancient texts get corrupted. D. C. Lau in his Penguin Classics edition of the Lao Tzu from 1963 indicates that sometimes a negative slips in that doesn’t seem to fit. But can we be sure? Sometimes scribes copying the text make mistakes. Sometimes they purposely alert the text to suit their beliefs.
It is also true that the meaning of some of the Chinese calligraphy characters has changed over time. Lin gives the example of the character “shuang” in his commentary for Chapter (or Verse) 12. He translates it as meaning “tasteless” whereas in modern Chinese the character means “refreshing.”
In this context let’s compare the first three lines of Lin’s translation of “12” with the well-known poetic and dynamic translation from Stephen Mitchell. First here’s Lin’s:
“The five colors make one blind in the eyes
The five sounds make one deaf in the ears
The five flavors make one tasteless in the mouth”
Now here is the way Mitchell has it:
“Colours blind the eye.
Sounds deafen the ear.
Flavours numb the taste.
Thoughts weaken the mind.
Desires wither the heart.”
It appears that the number “five” is in the original and Lin wants to keep it. However he notes on the facing page that “The five colors, five sounds, and five flavors denote the vast array of sensory stimulations in the material world.” This usage is similar to the “ten thousand things” that the Chinese refer to when addressing something containing large entities. Our word “myriad” comes from the Greek meaning “ten thousand.”
So which translation is better? True to his intent Lin’s is truer to the denotative meaning, but to my sensibilities at least Mitchell’s is the more poetic, and perhaps is more in keeping with the spirit of simplicity in the Tao. Mitchell writes in the Harper Perennial Modern Classic edition of his book from 2006: “With great poetry, the freest translation is sometimes the most faithful.” (p. x)
By the way, notice the lack of punctuation marks in Lin’s translation. Lin purposely eschews punctuation whenever possible. He notes that “punctuation marks did not exist in the ancient Chinese...” and so his lines do not have periods or commas or semi-colons. He says he “wanted to approximate the open, porous feel of ancient Chinese...”
I don’t want to give the impression that I think Mitchell’s translation is superior or even more poetic. Let’s look at the first nine lines of the famous number “56.” Let’s look at Mitchell’s first this time:
“Those who know don't talk.
Those who talk don't know.
Close your mouth,
block off your senses,
blunt your sharpness,
untie your knots,
soften your glare,
settle your dust.
This is the primal identity.”
Now here is Lin’s:
“Those who know do not talk
Those who talk do not know
Close the mouth
Shut the doors
Blunt the sharpness
Unravel the knots
Dim the glare
Mix the dust
This is called Mystic Oneness”
Here I would say that Lin’s rendition is more poetic and more in keeping with the Tao’s simplicity.
It is noteworthy that in his Forward for this book Lama Surya Das, an American born Tibetan Buddhist master, calls the Tao Te Ching “the wisest book ever written.” Yes, from a Buddhist; but recall that the wisdom of the Tao informs and is compatible with Zen Buddhism.
Bottom line: the fine translation and the informed commentary make this book very much worthwhile.
—Dennis Littrell, author of “Yoga: Sacred and Profane (Beyond Hatha Yoga)”
Lin’s translation is natural, even lyrical, but the main strength of this book, at least for the serious student, is in his line by line commentary. The layout, with the commentary on the left (even numbered) pages and the text on the right (odd numbered) pages, makes for easy reading and study.
Lin’s introduction gives a bit of the history of the Tao while exploring its accessibility and purpose. In “A Note on the Translation” he recounts some of the difficulties and presents his theory about how the “Lao Tzu” should be rendered into modern English. One of his methods was to
“Start from scratch and create an entirely original work. I could not use existing translations as references because they were not sufficiently accurate.” (p. xxiii)
Lin adds “Existing translations tended to present interpretations as translations.” (p. xxiv)
Of course any translation would be an interpretation to some extent. Lin calls our attention to this distinction:
“A literal translation (also known as formal equivalence) is the nearest linguistic equivalent between the source and the target language, while an interpretation (also known as dynamic equivalence) consists of amplifications and clarifications...” (p. xxiv)
He believes that he has kept his interpretations in the commentary. However whenever choices are made between ambiguous alternatives—and Lin and others all admit that the ancient Chinese they are translating from is full of them—that choice involves an interpretation. Furthermore because the Tao Te Ching is a treatise written in poetic language—actually it can be considered a long poem—interpretation is unavoidable.
We should keep in mind that a real poem is a non-linear extra-denotative expression. There are layers of meaning in poetic words and phrases beyond their denotative meanings. Allusion, sound, rhythm, rhyme, simile, reference—hyperbole even (or in the Tao, especially!)—create a context of meaning that often cannot be directly translated. So something is always lost in translation and something is sometimes gained. That which is gained may not be what was originally meant.
Another thing to remember is that ancient texts get corrupted. D. C. Lau in his Penguin Classics edition of the Lao Tzu from 1963 indicates that sometimes a negative slips in that doesn’t seem to fit. But can we be sure? Sometimes scribes copying the text make mistakes. Sometimes they purposely alert the text to suit their beliefs.
It is also true that the meaning of some of the Chinese calligraphy characters has changed over time. Lin gives the example of the character “shuang” in his commentary for Chapter (or Verse) 12. He translates it as meaning “tasteless” whereas in modern Chinese the character means “refreshing.”
In this context let’s compare the first three lines of Lin’s translation of “12” with the well-known poetic and dynamic translation from Stephen Mitchell. First here’s Lin’s:
“The five colors make one blind in the eyes
The five sounds make one deaf in the ears
The five flavors make one tasteless in the mouth”
Now here is the way Mitchell has it:
“Colours blind the eye.
Sounds deafen the ear.
Flavours numb the taste.
Thoughts weaken the mind.
Desires wither the heart.”
It appears that the number “five” is in the original and Lin wants to keep it. However he notes on the facing page that “The five colors, five sounds, and five flavors denote the vast array of sensory stimulations in the material world.” This usage is similar to the “ten thousand things” that the Chinese refer to when addressing something containing large entities. Our word “myriad” comes from the Greek meaning “ten thousand.”
So which translation is better? True to his intent Lin’s is truer to the denotative meaning, but to my sensibilities at least Mitchell’s is the more poetic, and perhaps is more in keeping with the spirit of simplicity in the Tao. Mitchell writes in the Harper Perennial Modern Classic edition of his book from 2006: “With great poetry, the freest translation is sometimes the most faithful.” (p. x)
By the way, notice the lack of punctuation marks in Lin’s translation. Lin purposely eschews punctuation whenever possible. He notes that “punctuation marks did not exist in the ancient Chinese...” and so his lines do not have periods or commas or semi-colons. He says he “wanted to approximate the open, porous feel of ancient Chinese...”
I don’t want to give the impression that I think Mitchell’s translation is superior or even more poetic. Let’s look at the first nine lines of the famous number “56.” Let’s look at Mitchell’s first this time:
“Those who know don't talk.
Those who talk don't know.
Close your mouth,
block off your senses,
blunt your sharpness,
untie your knots,
soften your glare,
settle your dust.
This is the primal identity.”
Now here is Lin’s:
“Those who know do not talk
Those who talk do not know
Close the mouth
Shut the doors
Blunt the sharpness
Unravel the knots
Dim the glare
Mix the dust
This is called Mystic Oneness”
Here I would say that Lin’s rendition is more poetic and more in keeping with the Tao’s simplicity.
It is noteworthy that in his Forward for this book Lama Surya Das, an American born Tibetan Buddhist master, calls the Tao Te Ching “the wisest book ever written.” Yes, from a Buddhist; but recall that the wisdom of the Tao informs and is compatible with Zen Buddhism.
Bottom line: the fine translation and the informed commentary make this book very much worthwhile.
—Dennis Littrell, author of “Yoga: Sacred and Profane (Beyond Hatha Yoga)”
November 6, 2021
Ayoo, Imma be a monk now. :)))
September 13, 2021
Very appreciable dedication to presenting as authentic a translation as possible along with thoughtful and easily digestible explanations of meaning / interpretation. I will refer back to these specific translations as I continue to study!
June 9, 2021
Good translation with excellent notes and background. Greta version of this classic.
October 28, 2024
“The sun rises today just as it did thousands of years ago. Similarly, the Tao holds true for us just as it held true for the ancients"
My second time reading the Tao Teh Ching, with a different translation by Derek Lin (the first one was by Gia-Fu Feng), plus his commentary.
There's not much I can say about the Tao Te Ching itself, some passages struck me as great, while others left me a bit indifferent, but there was never a verse I disliked; the first 37 chapters contain more metaphysical especulations, while the remaning chapters are related to ethics. I would say the Tao Te Ching is inferior to the Principal Upanishads, but superior to anything in the bible.
My favorite verse is in chapter 25:
"There is something formlessly created
Born before Heaven and Earth
So silent! So ethereal!
Independent and changeless
Circulating and ceaseless
It can be regarded as the mother of the world"
Absolutely fascinating! So much to unpack.
Lin's translation was alright, not as good as Feng's. His commentary is also only okay. It is too secular and self-helpish for my taste, and didn't make me have any particular insight.
My second time reading the Tao Teh Ching, with a different translation by Derek Lin (the first one was by Gia-Fu Feng), plus his commentary.
There's not much I can say about the Tao Te Ching itself, some passages struck me as great, while others left me a bit indifferent, but there was never a verse I disliked; the first 37 chapters contain more metaphysical especulations, while the remaning chapters are related to ethics. I would say the Tao Te Ching is inferior to the Principal Upanishads, but superior to anything in the bible.
My favorite verse is in chapter 25:
"There is something formlessly created
Born before Heaven and Earth
So silent! So ethereal!
Independent and changeless
Circulating and ceaseless
It can be regarded as the mother of the world"
Absolutely fascinating! So much to unpack.
Lin's translation was alright, not as good as Feng's. His commentary is also only okay. It is too secular and self-helpish for my taste, and didn't make me have any particular insight.
April 9, 2022
I was interested in this book for quite some time. I got an e-book and read it finally. Flipping pages to read the explanations to the chapters was a bit tedious but worth the effort. A book that probably transcends time. I think it requires a much more dedicated effort to learn all that it has to offer.
August 21, 2021
The annotations are the best part of this text. Clearly, Lin has studied and devoted a great deal of research in translating and annotating Tzu’s work.
January 30, 2024
Loved the annotations. It was a tranquil read.
March 13, 2024
Clássico mundial, e do pensamento chinês.
January 26, 2025
Definitely very interesting and reflective on the way that people might interpret the world and its happening
April 29, 2025
Maybe my new favorite translation. Not too much flourish or poetry, but a close literal translation. The annotations are excellent as well!
January 11, 2024
Clear and in-depth insights accompany each chapter, making it an excellent companion to other translations and interpretations of the Tao Te Ching.
November 17, 2023
Most translations of the Tao Te Ching have been written by those who know no Chinese whatsoever. The author of this translation is fluent both in Chinese and in English. It should come as no surprise, then , that his work is essential reading for anyone interested in this Chinese classic. Beyond that it is not merely its fidelity to the original but the richness through which its meaning is revealed in its creative use of English. Some other translations have their strengths but this is where to go for what is quite simply the most important translation of the Tao Te Ching yet accomplished.
December 12, 2019
Glad I read this and meditations near each other. Will definitely need to revisit when I’m all grown and stuff. I love the complementary aspect of the Tao, how it can still function within other ideologies. The water analogy is perfect
January 6, 2023
The translation and annotations in this version is like reading the Tao for the first time. Will reread again and again.
Could not begin my reading challenge with a more suitable book.
Could not begin my reading challenge with a more suitable book.
March 25, 2023
I will be rereading this book over and over for the rest of my life. ♡
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews