Laozi: Modern Annotation and Modern Translation
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Summary
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Beginners and enthusiasts with a strong interest in Daoist philosophy and traditional Chinese culture
- Students and researchers in the humanities and social sciences who need a reliable text for studying the Laozi
- Readers seeking inner calm and life wisdom, hoping for inspiration from classical philosophy
- People in management, education, and similar fields who wish to draw on the essence of "governing through non-action"
Not a good fit for
- Readers expecting highly story-driven popular reading with intricate plots
- Those who want only the simplest vernacular translation and have no interest in scholarly annotation or deeper interpretation
Reading tips
- First read through the translation to grasp the overall structure and core ideas of the Laozi's eighty-one chapters.
- Then read key chapters closely alongside the annotations (such as Chapter 1 on the Dao and Chapter 25 on "the Dao follows nature") to deepen understanding of the concepts.
- While reading, connect the text to your own life experience or social observations and reflect on how Laozi's wisdom applies and inspires today.
About the publisher
The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 北京商务重排版序
- 三次修订版序
- 二次修订版序
- 修订版序
- 初版序
- 老子哲学系统的形成和开展
- 一 “道”的各种意义
- 二 道的脉络的意义
- 三 自然无为、虚静、柔弱
- 四 总结和批评
- 注释、今译与引述
- 一章
- 二章
- 三章
- 四章
- 五章
- 六章
- 七章
- 八章
- 九章
- 十章
- 十一章
- 十二章
- 十三章
- 十四章
- 十五章
- 十六章
- 十七章
- 十八章
- 十九章
- 二十章
- 二十一章
- 二十二章
- 二十三章
- 二十四章
- 二十五章
- 二十六章
- 二十七章
- 二十八章
- 二十九章
- 三十章
- 三十一章
- 三十二章
- 三十三章
- 三十四章
- 三十五章
- 三十六章
- 三十七章
- 三十八章
- 三十九章
- 四十章
- 四十一章
- 四十二章
- 四十三章
- 四十四章
- 四十五章
- 四十六章
- 四十七章
- 四十八章
- 四十九章
- 五十章
- 五十一章
- 五十二章
- 五十三章
- 五十四章
- 五十五章
- 五十六章
- 五十七章
- 五十八章
- 五十九章
- 六十章
- 六十一章
- 六十二章
- 六十三章
- 六十四章
- 六十五章
- 六十六章
- 六十七章
- 六十八章
- 六十九章
- 七十章
- 七十一章
- 七十二章
- 七十三章
- 七十四章
- 七十五章
- 七十六章
- 七十七章
- 七十八章
- 七十九章
- 八十章
- 八十一章
- 历代老子注书评介
- 一、先秦至六朝
- 二、初唐至五代
- 三、两宋至元代
- 四、明代
- 后 记
- 附录一 帛书老子甲乙本释文
- 老子甲本释文
- 老子乙本释文
- 附录二 郭店竹简《老子》甲乙丙三组释文
- 甲组释文
- 乙组释文
- 丙组释文
- 附录三 老子校定文
- 一章
- 二章
- 三章
- 四章
- 五章
- 六章
- 七章
- 八章
- 九章
- 十章
- 十一章
- 十二章
- 十三章
- 十四章
- 十五章
- 十六章
- 十七章
- 十八章
- 十九章
- 二十章
- 二十一章
- 二十二章
- 二十三章
- 二十四章
- 二十五章
- 二十六章
- 二十七章
- 二十八章
- 二十九章
- 三十章
- 三十一章
- 三十二章
- 三十三章
- 三十四章
- 三十五章
- 三十六章
- 三十七章
- 三十八章
- 三十九章
- 四十章
- 四十一章
- 四十二章
- 四十三章
- 四十四章
- 四十五章
- 四十六章
- 四十七章
- 四十八章
- 四十九章
- 五十章
- 五十一章
- 五十二章
- 五十三章
- 五十四章
- 五十五章
- 五十六章
- 五十七章
- 五十八章
- 五十九章
- 六十章
- 六十一章
- 六十二章
- 六十三章
- 六十四章
- 六十五章
- 六十六章
- 六十七章
- 六十八章
- 六十九章
- 七十章
- 七十一章
- 七十二章
- 七十三章
- 七十四章
- 七十五章
- 七十六章
- 七十七章
- 七十八章
- 七十九章
- 八十章
- 八十一章
- 附录四 参考书目
- 一 先秦至六朝
- 二 初唐至五代
- 三 两宋至元代
- 四 明代
- 五 清代
- 六 民国以来
- 校后记
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About the author
Chen Guying, born in 1935 in Changting, Fujian, is a contemporary scholar of Daoism. He graduated from the Department of Philosophy and the Graduate Institute of Philosophy at National Taiwan University, where he studied under Fang Dongmei and Yin Haiguang. He has taught at National Taiwan University and Peking University and is regarded as a representative figure of contemporary New Daoism. Long devoted to the philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi and to Daoist culture, his scholarship combines textual annotation with philosophical exposition. His representative works, Laozi: A Modern Commentary and Translation and Zhuangzi: A Modern Commentary and Translation, pair detailed notes with modern translations, making these classical texts more accessible to general readers. Works such as New Discussions of Laozi and Zhuangzi and On the Mainstream of Daoist Philosophy trace the development of Daoist thought from a philosophical-historical perspective. He also edits the journal Daoist Culture Studies, promoting scholarly discussion in the field. His writings have circulated widely and have exerted a considerable influence on the transmission of Daoist philosophy among Chinese-language readers.
