道德经
治国济民之道
DAO DE JING
PRINCIPLES OF GOVERNING A NATION AND ITS PEOPLE
ABOUT DAO DE JING 道德经
Dao De Jing (or Tao Te Ching) is an ancient Chinese scripture comprising of eighty-one chapters and can be considered to be the work of Lao Zi (or Lao Tzu).
The scripture records many philosophical thoughts that are highly profound and thought-invoking. The topics it covers are diverse, ranging from the origin of the universe to managing one’s daily affairs.
From an overall viewpoint, Dao De Jing appears to be a guidebook and not merely a religious scripture. It serves to educate the descendants of royal families with the main aim of preparing them for future governance of their nations.
The style of writing it employs is both concise and easily readable. However, it has used many metaphors to conceal its underlying meaning. This has lead to many readers ending up with vastly differing views.
THE BOOK
‘Dao De Jing: Principles Of Governing A Nation And Its People’ seeks to address this issue by translating the original scripture into English. After each chapter’s translation, an insightful short analysis is provided, allowing the reader to gain a better understanding of the scripture.
One of the greatest challenges in comprehending Dao De Jing is that the scripture appears to be fragmented. This book strives to maintain consistency and rationality throughout its entirety. By interpreting the scripture in a holistic manner, it presents Daoism from a new perspective, especially its wisdom of governing a nation.
It is also one of the few books that is written in both English and Chinese. This gives the reader the option to cross-reference between both languages and possibly attain a different level of interpretation.