Content Summary:
Tao Te Ching is a classic philosophical work written by Lao Tzu during the Spring and Autumn Period. Divided into two parts, Dao Jing (Tao Classic) and De Jing (Virtue Classic), it consists of 81 chapters in total. The book places humanity within the infinite spacetime of nature to explore the relationships between humans and nature, between people, and between the body and mind, expressing the universal laws of the universe and nature. Its content spans multiple fields, including philosophy, ethics, politics, and military science, offering advice for both rulers and ordinary people. Revered as a treasure for governing states, managing families, and cultivating the self, this English edition provides a reference for readers at home and abroad to learn about traditional Chinese culture, and is of great significance for deepening their understanding of the wisdom of ancient Chinese philosophers.
About the Author and Translator:
• Author: Lao Tzu, born Li Er with the courtesy name Dan, lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period. He was an ancient Chinese thinker, philosopher, writer, and historian, and the founder and main representative of Taoism. His ideas have had a profound impact on the development of Chinese philosophy, with their core being simple dialectics. His masterwork, Tao Te Ching (also known as Lao Tzu), is one of the most widely published and distributed works in world literature.
• Translator: James Legge (1815–1897), a renowned British sinologist in modern times, served as the principal of Anglo-Chinese College in Hong Kong. He was the first to systematically study and translate Chinese classical texts. Over 25 years (1861–1886), he translated all major Chinese classics, including the Four Books and Five Classics. His multi-volume works such as The Chinese Classics and Chinese Chronology hold a significant position in Western sinology.
