Laozi

Name: Laozi
ISBN: 9787101100747

Laozi / 汤漳平 / 王朝华Zhonghua Book Company2014

Rating 4.5

Word count: 183K words
Chapters: 40
Series: Complete Texts, Full Annotations, and Full Translations of Chinese Classics
ISBN: 9787101100747

Summary

Also known as the Daodejing, Laozi is the foundational work of the pre-Qin Daoist school. A text of just over five thousand characters, it is divided into the Daojing and the Dejing, comprising eighty-one chapters, much of it in rhymed prose. Taking Dao as the cosmological ground, the source of all things, and the principle of motion, it develops a twofold inquiry into the Way of Heaven and the Way of Humanity: on the one hand, it examines such fundamental questions as nature, being and non-being, movement and stillness, and softness versus hardness, constructing a plain dialectical system of thought; on the other, it applies this thinking to statecraft and self-cultivation, proposing ideas such as governing through non-action, attaining emptiness and maintaining stillness, and reducing selfish desires and wants, touching on cosmology, the philosophy of life, political ethics, and many other domains. This volume is one title in Zhonghua Book Company's Complete Texts, Full Annotations, and Full Translations of Chinese Classics series, translated and annotated by Tang Zhangping and Wang Zhaohua. The text is based on the transmitted Wang Bi edition of the Laozi Daodejing zhu, collated against the Guodian bamboo slips and the Mawangdui silk manuscripts. The annotations take the form of a variorum, drawing extensively on the scholarship of earlier and contemporary scholars. Each chapter is arranged in the order of thematic introduction, original text, annotations, and translation, making the book suitable both for beginners reading it through and for researchers comparing different interpretations. The book is modest in length, but its thought is profound and subtle, and it is one of the most far-reaching classics in the history of Chinese thought.

Editor's review

读《老子》，难处不在于字句生僻，而在于寥寥数语之后义理层层打开，历代注家各执一端。这个“三全本”的长处正在于此：它不只给出一家之言，而是采取集注的方式，把前贤与今人的重要解释并列呈现，读者能看到分歧在哪里、依据是什么，从而自己判断。底本用通行王弼本，同时参校郭店楚简与马王堆帛书，遇到关键异文时有据可查，不至于被单一传本局限。每章先题解、再原文、注释、译文，页眉标明章次，检索方便；译文力求平实，不作过度发挥。全书十八万字左右，一册在手即可完成从“读通”到“读懂一点”的过渡。对想认真读一遍《道德经》，又不愿一开始就陷进繁琐考据的读者来说，这是一个稳妥的起点；对需要备课、查考的读者，它也能充当便于翻检的基础本。

Who it's for

A good fit for

想系统通读《道德经》原文的普通读者
需要注释、译文对照阅读的国学入门者
中学语文、历史教师及传统文化课程讲授者
希望比较历代注家解释的哲学爱好者

Not a good fit for

只想要轻松心灵鸡汤式解读的读者
期待深度考据、版本校勘专著的专业研究者

Reading tips

先通读译文把握大意，再回头逐句对照原文与注释，效果更好。
每次读三五章即可，读完停一停，把“道”“无为”“自然”等关键词串起来想。
遇到注家分歧处做标记，第二遍再集中比较，不必强求一次读通。
可配合《庄子》或陈鼓应《老子今注今译》对读，理解会更立体。

About the publisher

Zhonghua Book Company China · Founded in 1912

Zhonghua Book Company is a publisher known for collating ancient texts and academic publishing, with its output centered on Eastern philosophy, culture, classic works, art, and historical reading. Its library contains 532 titles, including Chen Shou's Records of the Three Kingdoms, Guo Qingfan's Collected Commentaries on Zhuangzi, the four-volume Chinese Literature: Four Great Classical Novels, and the two-volume Table of Seal and Clerical Script Forms from Qin, Han, Wei, and Jin. These titles span historical classics, commentaries on the philosophers, classical novels, and philological reference works. Representative authors include Chen Shou, Guo Qingfan, Wu Cheng'en, Shi Nai'an, Cao Xueqin, Luo Guanzhong, Xu Wenwu, and the Hanyu Dazidian character-form group, reflecting a focus on primary sources and scholarly editors. Its publishing character lies in combining authoritative editions and annotated texts with both accessible classics and specialized research. Public information on its fuller catalog is limited; this note describes only the directions evident in the library's holdings.

Preface
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39

FAQ

这个版本和“三全本”《道德经》有什么区别？

两者同属中华书局“中华经典名著全本全注全译丛书”，但译注者不同：本书由汤漳平、王朝华译注，注释取集注形式，广引历代及今人成果；《道德经》由张景、张松辉译注，多数章节增设有“解读”部分，并附全书白文。可按阅读习惯选择。

本书以什么版本为底本？

以传世王弼《老子道德经注》（中华书局版《诸子集成》）为底本，并参校郭店竹简本、马王堆帛书本，重要异文在注释中有所交代。

没有古文基础能读吗？

可以。每章都有题解、注释和完整译文，原文与译文对照排列，初学者可先看译文再回原文，逐步适应其简练的韵语表达。

全书收的是八十一章全本吗？

是。按《道经》《德经》顺序编排，共八十一章，全本收录，不作删节。

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About the author

Laozi Author · Chinese

Laozi, whose personal name was Li Er and courtesy name Dan, was a native of Ku County in the State of Chu during the late Spring and Autumn period and served as keeper of the royal archives of the Zhou court. Tradition holds that Confucius once consulted him on ritual, and that later, on his way west through Hangu Pass, he composed the five-thousand-character Daodejing at the request of Yin Xi, the pass keeper. His dates and life are known mainly from the Records of the Grand Historian and contain much legendary material; reliable public information is limited. As the founder of Daoism, Laozi is revered in religious Daoism as Taishang Laojun. His thought centers on the Dao and advocates accordance with nature and quiet non-action, expressed in spare language with profound meaning. The Daodejing has circulated for over two thousand years, has many commentaries, and has been translated into numerous languages, exerting a deep influence on Eastern philosophy, culture, literary appreciation, and religion.

汤漳平 Author

Tang Zhangping is a Chinese book author about whom limited public information is available. The main identity currently visible is that of the author of Laozi (Jing): Complete Text, Complete Annotation, and Complete Translation of Chinese Classic Masterpieces, a work in the category of Eastern philosophy. The book is designed for general readers and learners who wish to read the full original text of the Laozi. It follows the format of complete text, complete annotation, and complete translation: while retaining the entire text of the Laozi, it provides chapter-by-chapter annotations and modern Chinese translations, helping readers bridge the linguistic and intellectual gaps between past and present and understand the basic content of this Daoist classic. This work suggests that Tang Zhangping's writing focuses on organizing and popularizing classical texts, with attention to accurate annotation and readable translation so that traditional philosophical works can be more accessible to contemporary readers. Beyond this book, no public records of his life, education, or positions have been found, and no speculation is made here.

王朝华 Author

Information about Wang Zhaohua is limited in publicly available sources. At present, only one work by this author is known, namely Laozi (Jing): Complete Text, Full Annotation, and Full Translation of Chinese Classic Masterpieces. Belonging to the series Complete Text, Full Annotation, and Full Translation of Chinese Classic Masterpieces, the book provides annotations and a modern Chinese translation of the full text of the Laozi for general readers who wish to read the original in its entirety. This work indicates that Wang Zhaohua's writing and editorial efforts center on Daoist classics and fall within the field of Eastern philosophy, with attention to presenting the complete original text and making the annotations accessible and readable, balancing scholarly standards with the needs of general readers. Because no public information is available about the author's life or academic background, a full picture of Wang Zhaohua's overall body of work cannot yet be described; readers may consult the book's preface, annotation format, and translation style to understand the author's basic approach to reading and interpreting the Laozi.