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strategineer's review
4.0
I much preferred Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English's translation of the Tao Te Ching. I'm not an ancient Chinese scholar so I can't speak to how faithful this translation is compared to the original manuscript.
But I can say that the poetry doesn't flow well and some translation choices left me scratching my head -- wondering if Thomas Cleary understands how the English language works.
Read the Feng / English's translation instead!
Maybe his translation of the Chuang-tzu is worth a read? TBD
EDIT 2023-12-02: Yup the translation of Chuang-tzu was good enough and the commentary on the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang-tzu was interesting reading.
But I can say that the poetry doesn't flow well and some translation choices left me scratching my head -- wondering if Thomas Cleary understands how the English language works.
Read the Feng / English's translation instead!
Maybe his translation of the Chuang-tzu is worth a read? TBD
EDIT 2023-12-02: Yup the translation of Chuang-tzu was good enough and the commentary on the Tao Te Ching and the Chuang-tzu was interesting reading.
lucasmiller's review
4.0
I don't really know how to assign a star rating to this. I'm not nearly well read enough in Chinese philosophy to make a judgement about the translation of presentation of the Daodeching or Zhuangzi here, but it felt introductory and also very much a product of the 1990s. I'm not sure why.
I picked this up because I got suckered into give a forty minute lecture about Confucianism and Daoism to a group of about 60 seniors in high school, and I never imagined I would be so struck by it.
My reading here feels very cursory, but how can it be anything but cursory. I have a feeling that these ancient texts, even in translation are ones that demand multiple readings.
I picked this up because I got suckered into give a forty minute lecture about Confucianism and Daoism to a group of about 60 seniors in high school, and I never imagined I would be so struck by it.
My reading here feels very cursory, but how can it be anything but cursory. I have a feeling that these ancient texts, even in translation are ones that demand multiple readings.
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