In association with Max Müller he prepared the monumental Sacred Books of the East series, published in 50 volumes between 18, and the translation of Tao Te Ching is found in Volume 39.

James Legge (1815 – 1897), a Scottish Sinologist and the first Professor of Chinese at Oxford University (1876–1897).

For this reason, we have put together three well-received translations side-by-side for your convenience.

In order to get the most from the book, a compromise is to read more than one of them - if reading it in Chinese is not an option for you.

Le Guin’s intuitive and personal ingenuity.Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu is so profound we can’t rely on only one translation to appreciate its depth. There is something startlingly fresh and creatively alive here, brought forth by Ms. Le Guin’s new version is a special treasure-a delight. “Among the many translations of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, Ursula K. “A student of the Tao for several decades, Le Guin has created an English text that will speak to modern readers in a fresh and lively way, while conveying the humor, insight and beauty of the original.” undeniably refreshing, capturing a language that is casual and clear, reflective and pointed, full of the wise humor of the Way.” “Reading translations is like taking a shared walk down a familiar trail where we discover rocks and water that we somehow missed before. “A student of the Tao for several decades, Le Guin has created an English text that will speak to modern readers in a fresh and lively way, while conveying the humor, insight, and beauty of the original.”

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. Included are Le Guin's own personal commentary and notes on the text.

Avoiding scholarly interpretations and esoteric Taoist insights, she has revealed the Tao Te Ching 's immediate relevance and power, its depth and refreshing humor, in a way that shows better than ever before why it has been so much loved for more than 2,500 years. She has consulted the literal translations and worked with Chinese scholars to develop a version that lets the ancient text speak in a fresh way to modern people, while remaining faithful to the poetic beauty of the work. Le Guin, best known for thought-provoking science fiction novels that have helped to transform the genre, has studied the Tao Te Ching for more than forty years. No other English translation of this greatest of the Chinese classics can match Ursula K.

Tao te ching translated