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Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Revised)
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Revised) | Lao-Tzu, Ursula K Le Guin, Laozi
10 posts | 7 read | 1 reading | 11 to read
This is a completely fresh and poetic version of the twenty-five-hundred-year-old Chinese spiritual classic, by one of America's most thought-provoking writers. Moved by a lifelong love for the Tao Te Ching, the novelist and poet Ursula K. Le Guin has been working on this version of the text since the 1950s. Scholar J. P. Seaton has added expert linguistic guidance to her work, bringing to it an equally passionate commitment to scholarly accuracy. Together they have created a translation that is unlike any seen before. Le Guin's version captures all the brilliance of Lao Tzu's poetry while conveying with immediacy and clarity the astonishing depth of his spiritual insights. It also corrects many of the distorted views of Lao Tzu's philosophy, freeing it from gender-bias and revealing its universal relevance. This new version is sure to be welcomed by the many readers of the Tao Te Ching, as well as those coming to the text for the first time.
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Caryl
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Revised) | Lao-Tzu, Ursula K Le Guin, Laozi
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Pickpick

I tried reading the Tao Te Ching years ago, but didn‘t get far. I don‘t remember what inspired me to give it a try again — I saw it mentioned somewhere recently — but I am so glad I came across Ursula K. LeGuin‘s version of it at my library. Her approach worked really well for me. She examined many translations, then decided on the words/meanings/interpretations that worked best for her. (cont‘d below)

Caryl Her notes were just as fascinating as the text itself, and helped me engage with its complex ideas. 3mo
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Sunraven
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Revised) | Lao-Tzu, Ursula K Le Guin, Laozi
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Almost done with this one! I like it enough that I think I might need a hard copy (this copy belongs to the library). It‘d be nice to have it just kicking around the house to pull out at random and consult on a whim.

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Thndrstd
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Revised) | Lao-Tzu, Ursula K Le Guin, Laozi
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Pickpick

Late science fiction master presents her take on Lao Tzu's classic work. She calls it a "rendition," as she does not translate Chinese, but uses other translations and interpretations to create one uniquely her own and well suited to modern readers. It's a classic because it speaks to timeless problems and paradoxes of human existence.

[I received an advanced copy of this reissue from #Netgalley. The book is due to be published May 14, 2019.]

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batsy
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Revised) | Lao-Tzu, Ursula K Le Guin, Laozi
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Pickpick

Lovely and unexpected. Slippery with playful twists and turns to upturn conventional logic. Interesting to see that figuring out my own views about how to exist in the death spectacle of capitalism has led me to similar conclusions, especially where it concerns ambition, greed, envy, "being competitive", "being the best", "climbing the corporate ladder", "surviving the rat race", and other similar "common sense" notions that make me want to die.

batsy Read it alongside A Wizard of Earthsea to understand what Le Guin was doing, and despite having a rocky start with WoE I ended up racing through the chapters to finish and can say that I actually love WoE now that I understand what she's trying to do, or once the story sort of clicked for me. #EarthseaChapterADay
6y
TrishB Great review. She was an awesome writer- though I haven‘t read this one. 6y
batsy Thank you @TrishB :) It's nice to read this when the world is too much! 6y
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TrishB I can relate to that! 6y
MCYmermaid I have been reading this in small doses for a couple of years now. 6y
batsy @MCYmermaid It's definitely something I want to keep dipping in and out of 💙 6y
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batsy
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Revised) | Lao-Tzu, Ursula K Le Guin, Laozi
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Reading this to get an understanding of Le Guin's philosophy in Earthsea, thanks to discussion comments by @2BR02B. I didn't know she had done this; it's a lyrical interpretation, not a translation as such. It's not something you read straight through, more like something to dip in and out of and think about... I'm loving the rhythm, the pace, the subtle winding loops of the philosophy 💫 #always #QuotsyFeb18 @TK-421

#EarthseaChapterADay

erzascarletbookgasm Interesting. I didn‘t know about this. 🙂 6y
Cathythoughts I really like this ✨✨✨ 6y
batsy I was so intrigued when I found out @erzascarletbookgasm 6y
batsy @Cathythoughts It's very soothing and hypnotic even while it's complex or not instantly decipherable ... 6y
Suet624 Oooohhhh, Love. 6y
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catiewithac
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Revised) | Lao-Tzu, Ursula K Le Guin, Laozi
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Pickpick

I highly recommend this particular interpretation of the Tao Te Ching! It may not be the most literal or academic version, but it is accessible and poetic. This classic needed a woman's touch! 🌊☯🚺

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catiewithac
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Revised) | Lao-Tzu, Ursula K Le Guin, Laozi
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catiewithac
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Revised) | Lao-Tzu, Ursula K Le Guin, Laozi
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When the mail comes with all the books! I ordered a book set from the Brookings Institute on current affairs issues in December that came with a tote bag. The cherry on top: Ursula K. Le Guin's translation of Tao Te Ching! 🍒📚

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MCYmermaid
Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching (Revised) | Lao-Tzu, Ursula K Le Guin, Laozi
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Reading/ studying/ absorbing this work at a very sedate pace. #poetry Maybe not a conventional choice, but one that resonates with me.

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