Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching

by Ursula K. Le Guin

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Poetry, Self Help, Taoism, Religion

Hardcover

About the author

Ursula K. Le Guin published twenty-two novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc. Her recent publications include the novel Lavinia, an essay collection, Cheek by Jowl, and The Wild Girls. She lived in Portland, Oregon.

She was known for her treatment of gender (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Matter of Seggri), political systems (The Telling, The Dispossessed) and difference/otherness in any other form. Her interest in non-Western philosophies was reflected in works such as "Solitude" and The Telling but even more interesting are her imagined societies, often mixing traits extracted from her profound knowledge of anthropology acquired from growing up with her father, the famous anthropologist, Alfred Kroeber. The Hainish Cycle reflects the anthropologist's experience of immersing themselves in new strange cultures since most of their main characters and narrators (Le Guin favoured the first-person narration) are envoys from a humanitarian organization, the Ekumen, sent to investigate or ally themselves with the people of a different world and learn their ways.

Reviews

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

picked this up specifically because le guin translated it - very interesting to read her interpretations and liberties taken with this. at times funny, moving, but above all thought provoking ! maybe i do need to move like water, the only thing i know is not knowing, i will take action with inaction, etc etc

[Adriana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fifth Tao Te Ching I've read, the first that is an interpretation rather than a translation.

I personally didn't get much out of this one, even though it was fine to read. It was mostly just arbitrary rephrasing, in my opinion. Le Guin mentions that she wanted it to be a more accessible read, but her phrasing isn't always clearer, in fact, sometimes it feels muddled or overly flattened. The words don't lace together as poetically as it intends...it felt a bit awkward with words like "crazy" and even "baby penis". And it sways briefly into poetic language and then back into casual language in a clunky way.

I found her footnotes below some passages, that were just her personal thoughts and interpretations of the meanings, kinda nice in the sense that they felt like getting a bit of conversation from someone who cares about it a lot. She did have some neat things to say sometimes. But everything written around the passages feels more like someone enthusiastic about talking about it more rather than adding artistic nuance to something that's supposed to be more of a poetic take. Which isn't horrible or anything, it just doesn't feel very coherent. It could've maybe been set as a casual conversation with a take on it in her own everyday words, and would've made it make more sense as it is rather than as a "poetic" take. But her enthusiasm and closeness to the text does feel very earnest, and that's nice.

I still think this interpretation is pleasant enough to read and has its moments of insight, but overall it's just a mild rephrasing in my opinion. I still stand by the Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English translation, which Le Guin herself states in her sources as the most literarily satisfying one, and I agree. I think most of the five star ratings here are people rating the Tao Te Ching itself, which seems to be the case in a lot of the Goodreads pages of different translations here. Which is alright, just a bit confusing. Either way though, it was curious to read and I wouldn't /not/ recommend it. I'm glad there's authors trying to do stuff like this; it's neat.

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of Ursula Le Guin, I've always been aware of her involvement with the Tao Te Ching and her attempts to incorporate some of its precepts into her work, so I thought I'd check out this version of it.

Le Guin calls this “a rendition, not a translation”. She doesn't speak Chinese, but has relied on a number of translations through the years to examine the different possibilities in the language of this 2500 year old document. Consequently, it reads a little more modernly (if that's a word) than a 'classical' text might, but that means it might be more understandable. Or at least, less puzzling.

The book is famous for its 'black is white' references, saying things like 'stillness is action'. They are meant to be contemplative rather than provocative. What I found very useful were Le Guin's comments at the end of many of the chapters, and her end notes on the various chapters.

Her view of the Tao Te Ching is consonant with the concepts (e.g., nature of human relationships) she espouses in her books. Thus, I cannot imagine Le Guin writing as, well, as Le Guin, without this influence of the Tao Te Ching.

Any fan of Le Guin's work may benefit from consulting this wellspring from which so much of her work flowed.

[samuel]

I really like the dao de jing, I really like what I have read by Ursula Le Guin. Really cool translation that takes liberties that more academic translation style would not. I dig it. Good notes. Great vibes.

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful translation though I am partial to Ms. Le Guin. I slowly absorbed this book and could open it again and probably ought to in order to continue absorption.

[liza]

this interpretation by Le Guin of the legendary, 2,500 year old Tao Te Ching fell into my hands when i needed it the most. finishing this book feels like i’ve stepped into a whole new universe of understanding, a secret that few else are in on. what is stated so simply and plainly in this work will take many lifetimes to understand. i gained a transformative + refreshed perspective on ideas i’ve been struggling with in my yogic/spiritual practice, especially contemplating and realizing wu wei (action through inaction).

i’ll share a few favorite poems:

Looking Far

You don’t have to go out the door
to know what goes on in the world.
You don’t have to look out the window
to see the Way of heaven.
The farther you go,
the less you know.

So the wise soul
doesn’t go, but knows;
doesn’t look, but sees;
doesn’t do, but gets it done.

💖

Water and Stone

What’s softest in the world
rushes and runs
over what’s hardest in the world.

The immaterial
enters
the impenetrable.

So I know the good in not doing.

The wordless teaching,
the profit in not doing —
not many people understand it.

[HannaClara]

(If there's been any odd harsh reviews from me today it's because I'm cleaning my shelves and accidentally pressed a star! apologies! haha)

This is an english version of Lao Tzus ancient chinese book Tao Te Ching. It feels odd rating an ancient religious/philosophical text so I will not. I really respect Le Guins work and am a follower of eastern spirituality, (at least buddhism) , so I thought I'd love this one. But I had a hard time with it, especially the first half. Maybe I was thinking too much but I couldn't seem to grasp what it was actually about. I've seen comments saying this particular version is less clear and more poetic, so that's maybe why. Perhaps it is because of my lack of prior knowledge of Taoism. I feel I need to read it again, and maybe look up explanations online. Because I feel there is something important in it I want to understand. What I did understand I liked. There is some fundamental wisdom here.

[Piotrek Machajek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wielka i święta księga mądrości świata w całkiem odważnym ujęciu autorki, która ewidentnie darzy tekst wielkim szacunkiem. Podejście to można przemądrzale nazwać "hermeneutyką wieloprzekładowości", gdyż le Guin buduje swoją wizję tekstu w oparciu o całe bogactwo tłumaczeń Dao De Jingu na język angielski. W duchu chińskiej tradycji klasyków jest sporo komentarzy bezpośrednio sąsiadujących z fragmentami.

Le Guin jest świadoma ograniczeń (brak warsztatu badawczego, by rozsądzić niektóre kwestie – czasem wersy zostają po prostu ciachnięte, lecz z uczciwą adnotacją), lecz nie są one problemem dla mnie. Tekst ma w sobie głębię, poetyckie brzmienie, interpretatorską świeżość (Dao De Jing jako "mądrość dla świata" a nie "podręcznik dla władcy"/księga mędrca-w-domyśle-mężczyzny). Powinienem znać ten tekst od dawna i zapewne podchodzić do niego z bardziej akademickich pozycji, ale cieszę się, że taoizm 1.0.1 zacząłem od tego miejsca.

[Mejk97 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic, deep, and feels like an ancient prophetic text.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Treat the small as large.

This is a huge book.

[Hudson Lazzara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this translation, she makes bold self-proclaimed unjustified choices, but I think it pays off. Definitely gets at the spirit of Taoism. End of the day what else are you looking for.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good and short read to get a better understanding of Taoism from a Western perspective. I love the way Le Guin writes, it makes it seem as though you're an anthropologist while reading her work.

[Carylanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zen AF after reading this

[twrctdrv]

i got mixed feelings about this one. i really like leguin, especially her like way of putting words together, but it also just feels so unnecessary, right? maybe its exactly the kind of thing you want to say like, yeah this is lovely, but why was it published? why was it sold. everything stupid about it occurs when its transformed from piece of devotion and care by leguin into a product marketed and sold, one which take the place (seemingly, without research, without info) of a more straitforward version of the text

or, perhaps: damn if leguin was just a little younger, ten fifteen years or so, this would of been a killer addition to the blog. it would be good, unsullied. oh well. it exists as it is, it is foolish to change it

[Hamad AlMannai · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many meditative wisdoms, It’s a book of (81) poems that’s also the foundational text of Taoism, it gave me some exposure to one of the most ancient religions/philosophies on the world.
It was written 2500 years ago by the semi-mythical Master Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher. I chose Ursula LeGuin’s translation because it is the most highly acclaimed and poetic translation.
Lao Tzu influenced Confucius. A continuous progression of ideas can be traced from Taoism and Confucianism to contemporary Eastern philosophy.

Tao means the way, a concept that represents the fundamental order of the universe. It calls cor simplicity, humility, and the balance between opposites “Yin and Yang”. The Tao is ineffable. It has a paradoxical nature. It is everything and nothing, gentle yet powerful, formless yet ever-present. The Tao emphasizes the value of yielding over forcing, likening the Tao to water its most recurring metaphor; soft-flowing, adaptable, yet relentless and capable of carving through stone. (Maybe we Arabs picture water as wells and oases but Chinese picture it as a river)
This concept of being effortless, of bending like a stalk of wheat wherever the wind blows you, it is deep seated in Eastern Philosophy and is referred to as “Wu Wei”. It manifests in the East’s thoughts on:
A. Personal life: how one has to conform to society and not stick out like a sore thumb, be OK with things beyond your control.
B: leadership and governance, the Tao is against the desire for control and instead praises those who lead by example and humility, allowing people to flourish on their own. Sometimes you have to just do nothing and let things fall into place on their own.

Here are a couple of my favourite poems from the Tao, starting with the first one which I think sets the tone for the whole book:

Poem1:
“The way you can go
isn’t the real way.
The name you can say
isn’t the real name.

Heaven and earth
begin in the unnamed:
name’s the mother
of the ten thousand things.

So the unwanting soul
sees what’s hidden,
and the ever-wanting soul
sees only what it wants.

Two things, one origin,
but different in name,
whose identity is mystery.
Mystery of all mysteries!
The door to the hidden.”

This poem introduces the concept of the Tao as a fundamental force or “way” that underlies all existence. It introduces its ineffability, stating that the Tao cannot be truly named or defined. That in attempting to pin down the Tao with words we limit its infinite nature.

Poem 11:

“Thirty spokes
meet in the hub.
Where the wheel isn’t
is where it’s useful.

Hollowed out,
clay makes a pot.
Where the pot’s not
is where it’s useful.

Cut doors and windows
to make a room.
Where the room isn’t,
there’s room for you.

So the profit in what is
is in the use of what isn’t.”

I like this one a lot as it explores the paradoxical idea that absence, emptiness, or “what isn’t” can be more important than presence, substance, or “what is.” The usefulness of the wheel lies in the empty space at its center, which allows it to rotate. The pot’s value isn’t in the clay itself but in the hollow inside where it can hold things. And a room becomes functional not because of the walls but because of the empty space enclosed by those walls. The sharp lesson here is that absence or emptiness can be as valuable, if not more so, than tangible presence. This has also been interpreted as the importance of creating space (decluttering?), whether in our schedules, minds, or surroundings, to let possibilities arise.

Poem 2
“Everybody on earth knowing
that beauty is beautiful
makes ugliness.
Everybody knowing
that goodness is good
makes wickedness.

For being and nonbeing
arise together;
hard and easy
complete each other;
long and short
shape each other;
high and low
depend on each other;
voice and echo
balance each other;
front and back
follow one another.

That’s why the wise soul
does without doing,
teaches without talking.

The things of this world
exist, they are;
you can’t refuse them.

To bear and not to own;
to act and not lay claim;
to do the work and let it go:
for just letting it go
is what makes it stay.”

This poem starts with the duality of opposites. Yin and Yang, then goes into the concept of Wu Wei, doing without doing. The wise person acts without imposing their will, teaches without dominating, and lets go of their work without attachment to results. This idea rejects the need for control or ownership, suggesting that true impact comes from allowing things to unfold naturally. The final lines resonate “To do the work and let it go.. for just letting it go is what makes it stay” . ie. By releasing attachment to outcomes, we achieve lasting influence.

Poem 8
“The best, like water,
serves the common good.

It flows where it will,
and nothing in nature contends with it.

It stays in lowly places,
that others disdain.

Closest to the way.

The best in a house is the site;
in thinking, depth;
in friendship, kindness;
in speaking, truth;
in governing, ease;
in work, skill;
in actions, timing.

No contention.
No blame.”

I like the last lines in this poem: “No contention. No blame,” more Wu Wei, water doesn’t compete, it simply moves where it is needed, it avoids conflict and yet it accumulates achievements over time.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best translation of tao te ching if you can’t translate it yourself line by line.

[Andrew Benzinger]

Personal favorite highlights:

“The way you can go / isn’t the real way. / The name you can say / isn’t the real name. / Heaven and earth / begin in the unnamed: / name’s the mother / of the ten thousand things. / So the unwanting soul / sees what’s hidden, / and the ever-wanting soul / sees only what it wants.” (3)

“When you do not-doing, / nothing’s out of order.” [Le Guin's note] “Over and over Lao Tzu says wei wu wei: Do not do. Doing not-doing. To act without acting. Action by inaction. You do nothing yet it gets done… / It’s not a statement susceptible to logical interpretation, or even to a syntactical translation into English; but it’s a concept that transforms thought radically, that changes minds. The whole book is both an explanation and a demonstration of it.” (6)

“Hollowed out, / clay makes a pot. / Where the pot’s not / is where it’s useful. / Cut doors and windows / to make a room. / Where the room isn’t / there’s room for you. / So the profit in what is / is in the use of what isn’t.” (14)

“So people who set their bodily good / before the public good / could be entrusted with the commonwealth, / and people who treated the body politic / as gently as their own body / would be worthy to govern the commonwealth.” [Le Guin's note] “Lao Tzu, a mystic, demystifies political power. / Autocracy and oligarchy foster the beliefs that power is gained magically and retained by sacrifice, and that powerful people are genuinely superior to the powerless. / Lao Tzu does not see political power as magic. He sees rightful power as earned and wrongful power as usurped. He does not see power as virtue, but as the result of virtue. The democracies are founded on that view. / He sees sacrifice of self or others as a corruption of power, and power as available to anybody who follows the Way. No wonder anarchists and Taoists make good friends.” (17)

“The more restrictions and prohibitions in the world, / the poorer people get. / The more experts the country has / the more of a mess it’s in. / The more ingenious the skills are, / the more monstrous their inventions. / The louder the call for law and order, / the more the thieves and con men multiply.” [Le Guin's note] “I don’t think he is exactly anti-intellectual, but he considers most uses of the intellect to be pernicious, and all plans for improving things to be disastrous. Yet he’s not a pessimist. No pessimist would say that people are able to look after themselves, be just, and prosper on their own. No anarchist can be a pessimist.” (68-69)

[Gary Knoke · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have two major problems with this book. First, there is essentially zero commentary or explanation of the concepts by the author, leading me to believe strongly that she just skated on her reputation to publish this with about zero effort.

Second, going against the grain of thousands of years of history, there was nothing, zip zero nada, in here that made any sense. Okay, up is down, back is forward, history is future, failure is success, you are me and I am you , I am the walrus, I am the eggplant, and we are all together (sorry), yin is yang, east is west, lost is found, zero is infinity, old is young, blah blah blah. And aren't we all ever so clever that we REALIZE all this? Yes, this chardonnay IS sublime!

Now compare this to countless Buddhist books that talk about everyday situations, the human mind in all its complexity and wonder, the minds of non-humans, how to live, how to be happy, how to avoid suffering, and the worthlessness of the Tao book is even more apparent.

[Jorge Buitrago · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Le Guin's poetic sensibilities and literary background bring an interesting feminine perspective to the Tao Te Ching, I found the text often sacrifices clarity for poetic expression. Her commentary, though thoughtful, sometimes feels too personal and academic rather than practical or universally applicable.

The translation has beautiful moments, but frequently requires multiple readings to grasp concepts that other translations handle more directly. This opacity, while perhaps faithful to the original's ambiguity, makes it less accessible as a primary source for understanding Taoist principles.

While this version might resonate with those approaching the text from a literary angle, readers seeking clear insights into Taoist wisdom might want to explore other options first.

What makes this a 3-star rather than a higher rating is its tendency to prioritize poetic form over functional understanding.

[Kelly Miess]

No rating - how could I -a classic spiritual text, interpreted by the incredible Ursula K. Le Guin? Which by the way, she makes clear, she does not read Chinese, this is not a translation, but her interpretation. Still, she was its student for decades, used many scholarly versions as a basis and guide and the language, as one could guess, is beautiful. Did I understand it much? Probably not much, on this my first way through, but her comments on some of the chapters were very helpful. I wish there had been more. The introduction is interesting, giving us a peek into Le Guin's history with the text. Then come the 81 verses, followed by her notes, also very interesting, and a good guide to the various translations she used for her interpretation. In particular, I loved that she used gender neutral language, for example, "wise souls" rather than "holy men." Glad I read it.

[Rose Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read any other renditions/translations of Tao Te Ching, but I knew this one would be a good place to start being rendered by Le Guin. And I was right. Why was this so easy to get through while Meditations was so hard, even though they're so similar? I never thought poetry would be easier than prose but this little guide to life was simple on the surface with an ocean of complexity underneath. I'm sure I'll read it many times throughout my life, and hopefully take more time to just sit there and think about certain passages for hours as I stare at a wall. That's how you know it's good philosophy, at least in my book. Now I have to get back to reading more Le Guin!

[Dan Gilman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I generally haven't considered audiobooks as part of my "reading" but I got this off audible because the preview seemed really good.

I've tried reading Tao Te Ching a few times when I was younger and it just felt very... "reverse psychology" blanket statements. Having it read as a form of poetry result made all the difference in the world for my brain in processing this.

As someone who has studied and consulted the I-Ching (yijing) off and on for over thirty years I've always had many other Chinese classics highly recommended for context,but struggled with dry presentation, so I absolutely recommend this if the topic interests you but you've found it difficult to approach!

[Adrian Breto · Rating 4 out of 5]

UKLG is my author's muse. A beautiful translation and interpretation of the Way of Heaven.

Is not the way of heaven like the stretching of a bow?
The high it presses down,
The low it lifts up;
The excessive it takes from,
The deficient it gives to.

It is the way of heaven to take from what has in excess in order to make good
what is deficient. The way of man is otherwise. It takes from those who are in
want in order to offer this to those who already have more than enough. Who is
there that can take what he himself has in excess and offer this to the empire?
Only he who has the way.

[Finn Kearney · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite translation of the founding text of Daoism, Ursula Le Guin translates the collection of poems into English poetry. While not technically a literal translation, being able to read the poems as poetry as opposed to a list of ideas is refreshing and, I believe, more true to the source material. She also includes helpful footnotes explaining her translations and alluding to other sources, which provides the reader with more context for each passage. The care she puts into this is indicative of the ways in which Daoism and cultural exploration has influenced her other work.

[Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess the Tao of Pooh wasn't all that far off from what the Tao Te Ching was talking about after all. Some of the poetry was nice, although I'm not the best when it comes to reading poetry. It's a very anti-progress, anti-technology text, and rather anti-intellectual too (although I'm sure some Taoists would take issue with that). Not a fan of the whole wu wei idea either. Just a little bit too much trust in the universe to make everything work out and trust in how you instinctually would handle things. Some of the lines were good though.

[meltemdegil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved Le Guin’s commentary on the Tao Te Ching. As a long-time Le Guin fan, it was fascinating to see how she approached these verses with both simplicity and depth. Reading this made it even clearer how strongly Taoist thought influenced her own writing, from her themes of balance and harmony to her quiet, poetic style. A beautiful and thoughtful interpretation that I’ll keep coming back to.

[Mauricio Coronel Guzmán · Rating 3 out of 5]

Versión libre del Tao a manos de Ursula Le Guin, una interpretación del clásico libro del camino y la virtud. Un mirada poética, feminista y profundamente humana de cómo entender el rumbo a una vida sensata, en equilibrio, feliz. Con todo es un libro complejo, interesante y provocador. Con esta lectura me quedo con la idea de no pelear, nunca.

[Melodie Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

The great delight of reading this translation is not just the universality of Lao Tzu’s philosophy of non-dualism and non-doing—but LeGuin’s ability to find the humor and modernity in the poems, expressed in her footnotes. If you love her novels, read this to understand the deeper layers buried in her storytelling. I feel like I need to go read them all over again through the lens of the Tao.

[Tanushri Saha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flipped to a different page over coffee each day and was spooked each time by how timeless and deeply resonant Lao Tzu's words are. Thank you Ursula le Guin for this invitation to the philosophy of taoism and for always making the world make sense. What a beautiful rendition of the tao te ching.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le Guin did not read Chinese at the time she wrote this book, so this is more of a reinterpretation than a translation. This is the fourth version of the Tao Te Ching that I have read, and while it's not the most authoritative or the most poetic, I certainly enjoyed Le Guin's take on things.