About this Site

The translation
I call this an American English version rather than a translation. My competence in Chinese does not rise to the level of translator. The Tao Te Ching has been translated many times before into English and I have compared numerous translations in coming up with my version of the text.

The translation I relied on most was The Way of Lao Tzu by Wing-tsit Chan, the Library of Liberal Arts, 1963. His seemed the most scholarly and has a complete commentary from the perspective of the entire history of Chinese thought. He goes into depth regarding other historical commentaries and interpretations regarding the text. Every verse includes his own detailed commentary and has a separate section of extensive footnotes. You can drill down as deeply as your heart desires on any concept.

If one wants learn more about the Tao Te Ching, I strongly recommend this book.

What’s its purpose?
This is meant to be a work of philosophy in the eastern tradition. In the western tradition, a work of philosophy is usually an original book. In the eastern tradition, a classic text is chosen and a commentary is written to interpret its meaning in light of the present times.

Why online instead of a book?
We are in a digital age. More and more, this is how information is transmitted.

Online sites can be free and have universal access. It’s almost no cost to the publisher except for the rent of the server space and the labor of writing and coding.

Online sites are flexible and open to change. Unlike a book, they can be constantly updated. New commentary can be added at any time or changed for the better.

Design
Considering the topic, we wanted the simplest possible design. Easiest to use. Closest to the uncarved block.