Overview

"In 1993, an astonishing discovery was made at a tomb in Guodian in Hubei province (east central China). Written on strips of bamboo that have miraculously survived intact since 300 B.C., the ""Guodian Laozi,"" is by far the earliest version of the Tao Te Ching ever unearthed. Students of ancient Chinese civilization proclaimed the text a decisive breakthrough in the understanding of this famous text: it provides the most conclusive evidence to date that the text was the work of multiple authors and editors over hundreds of years, rather than the achievement of a single individual writing during the time of Confucius. Robert Henricks now presents the first English translation of the ""bamboo slip Laozi."" Differing substantially from other versions we have of the text, the Guodian Laozi provides us with clues on how and when the text came into being. As Henricks's translation shows, many chapters are missing in this form of the text, and some chapters remain incomplete. All of this seems to suggest that the Tao Te Ching was not yet ""complete"" when these slips were copied. In his translation, Henricks focuses attention on lines in each of the chapters that vary from readings in other editions. In addition, he shows how the sequence of chapters in this form of the text is totally unrelated to the sequence readers commonly see in the ""standard"" form of the text, i.e., in other translations. Here are just a few of the noteworthy features of this new Tao Te Ching: ⁊ A lucid introduction to the Guodian Laozi, offering background on the archaeological interpretation of the discovery ⁊ Line-by-line comparisons of the Guodian Laozi against the Mawangdui and Wang Bi editions ⁊ Extensive notes on each chapter describing the unique elements of the Guodian Laozi in comparison with other versions ⁊ Transcriptions for each chapter, noting both the ancient and modern form of the characters in the chapter ⁊ An appendix featuring the official biography of Laozi written by Sima Qian, the Grand Historian of China, as well as Henricks's commentary and notes on this biography This groundbreaking work will lead to a reassessment of the history and significance of this well-known and critical work as well as a reevaluation of the role it played in the development of Taoism in early China."

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9780231118170

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Far more than 'just another translation' of the Tao Te Ching, this work is an outstanding contribution.... [Henricks's] translation is meticulous in its attention to detail, eloquent in its rendering of archaic Chinese, and eminently scholarly in its copious and illuminating comments and notes. - Choice

Author Information

Robert G. Henricks is professor of religion at Dartmouth College. He is the translator of the highly regarded Lao-Tzu: Te-Tao Ching: A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered Ma-wang-tui Texts and the author of several works, including Philosophy and Argumentation in Third-Century China and The Poetry of Han-Shan.

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