Tao Te Ching reviews from Reddit
Summary
We analyzed 201 Reddit reviews across 6 subreddits and 28 posts to rank the best Tao Te Ching brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/taoism, r/Buddhism, r/AlanWatts, r/suggestmeabook, r/ReneGuenon. Top-rated brands include Tao Te Ching (4.4/5), Red Pine (4.9/5), Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English (4.6/5).
Stats
Reviews201
Subreddits6
Posts28
Brands46
Products68
201 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Tao Te Ching
4.4
(85)
"I've done some research and developed a shortlist of recommended versions: 1. Red Pine"
"I've done some research and developed a shortlist of recommended versions: 2. Jonathan Star"
"The one that's part of the foundational texta of Daoism, translated by Dan G. Reid with the Commentary by Heshang Gong. Best version I've come across so far!"
"You can't go wrong with Red Pine or Mark Twain!"
"My personal favourite translation in English is Derek Lin ... Sinological accurate but also poetic and readable for modern readers."
"Https://terebess.hu/english/tao/chan.html Recommended by Eva Wong, a Chinese Taoist."
"Derek Lin's translation. He is from Taiwan and he has a YouTube channel where he talked about the history of the Tao Te Ching text."
"The John C. H. Wu translation is my favourite."
"I'm surprised to see the Red Pine translation hasn't been mentioned yet. For me, I really enjoyed it."
"If you really want a careful translation that does not have a lot of spin doctoring and also has translation notes and commentary explaining the issues, the Chad Hansen translation is very good."
#2
Red Pine
4.9
(15)
"American Red Pine translates himself from the Chinese. He’s also got quite a few translations of Chinese poetry and of Buddhist Sutras. The man knows his business!"
"I have really been enjoying Red Pine’s translation! Lao Tzu’s TaoTeChing. He includes incredibly detailed translation notes as well as quotes from Chinese philosophers and scholars across centuries on the verses."
"Red Pine’s translation is my favourite. He explains which historical versions of the TTC he translates from and when why he makes certain decisions regarding his translations."
"I would recommend Red Pine or Yutang translations. They also have commentaries which is good for a beginner."
"I keep recommending Red Pine even if it's different. Alchemical translation with commentaries from the old Chinese."
"I bought the Red Pine version at a used bookstore for $5. Real nice because of the commentaries."
"I personally recommend Red Pine's. It's a beautiful translation and also includes selected traditional commentaries."
"I do enjoy Red Pine's translation, so maybe you'll find enlightenment from his translation."
"Red Pine translation is *chef's kiss*. Red Pine's reasoning for every translation is justified philosophically at the start of each poem"
"Red Pine's is the best, the commentary is really nice and illuminating"
#3
Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English
4.6
(8)
"Feng/English is my favorite."
"Jane English and Gia-Fu Feng is my go-to"
"The Feng/English is my foundational text and is my personal preference."
"Translation (and photography) by Gai Fu Feng and Jane English is best at capturing the beauty and essence."
"Gia Fu Feng/Jane English was one of the first I read..."
"Gia-fu Feng, Ron Hogan and Derek Lin."
"Gia Fu Feng/Jane English or Stephen Addiss"
"I read it frequently alongside the Ursula Leguin version."
#4
D.C. Lau
4.5
(8)
"I second it, it's easily my favorite."
"DC Lau's is *actually* the best."
"I feel D C Lau's translation is excellent - it really strikes an intuitive chord with me."
"I can't recommend enough DC Lau's or PJ Ivanhoe's."
"DC Lau is great for a more…”academic” approach."
"The Penguin version, by DC Lau."
"I have Lau's, but wanted to try one of these versions that has detailed explanations."
"D.C. Lau or bust :P"
#5
Lin Yutang
4.3
(7)
"Lin Yutang ... a very unique translator and commentator."
"I have long preferred Lin Yutang's translation. It has the advantage of his being a native speaker and scholar."
"*The Wisdom of Laotse* by Lin Yutang. I've never completed it because it's *mostly* notes, 200-ish pages worth. But the chapters I've read are very decent"
"I find Lin Yutang pleasant to read."
"Right now, I am working through Lin Yutang’s The Wisdom of Laotse."
"Lin Yutang's "The Wisdom of Lao Tse" is scholarly and unique."
"Lin Yutang has a very lyrical translation, with notes from Chuangtse."
#6
Ursula K. Le Guin
4.0
(6)
"My favorite translation is from Le Guin and Seaton. *Excellent* rendering with short notes in about half the chapters."
"I've read many translations over the years and this is my favorite by a significant margin. It and the Ursula K. Le Guin versions are the only ones I've kept."
"Thanks everyone. I think I’ve settle on Le Guin’s for now"
"I like Ursula LeGuin."
"Irsula LeGuin is good."
"Honestly I'm a bit disappointed in Ursula's translation, particularly the commentary. She doesn't really clarify anything and is a bit preachy."
#7
Stephen Mitchell
2.2
(10)
"For first-time readers, I'm still happy to recommend Stephen Mitchell though."
"Steven Mitchell definitely."
"Translation by Stephen Mitchell. This i listened to twice in full and from time to time listen to it over again before sleep."
"I prefer the Stephen Mitchel version (not illustrated)."
"I bought the Mitchell translation and agree it is horrible."
"Just stay away from Mitchell's, it isn't an actual translation."
"Don't read Stephen Mitchell, who not only makes mistakes, but actually changes the meaning of entire chapters."
"Stephen Mitchell's is really not good IMO stay away"
"Stephen Mitchell is terrible. He does not speak Chinese, left chunks out."
"That versions really not great for a primary translation."
#8
Roger Ames and David Hall
4.7
(3)
"My favorite is the translation by Roger Ames and David Hall titled, ‘Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation.’"
"Ames and Hall is excellent."
"Ames and Hall. But read the introduction twice so yu can see why they made the choices they did."
#9
Ralph Alan Dale
4.7
(3)
"Ralph Alan Dale is the author and translator. He brings this ancient text into contempo"
"Ralph Alan Dale version with commentary and introduction is considered by bi-lingual Chinese speakers to be a good translation."
"I really like the Ralph Alan Dale version. It is very literal and faithful to the original."
#10
Ellen Chen
4.3
(3)
"I'm a huge fan of the Ellen Chen translation and the commentary that goes with it."
"Ellen Chen's translation"
"I like the Ellen Chen version. She includes a commentary."
#11
Victor H. Mair
4.3
(3)
"I’m a fan of the Victor H. Mair translation from 1990."
"Mair and Henricks are solid."
"I like this scholarly work by the Sinologist Victor Mair."
#12
Derek Lin
4.0
(3)
"Derek Lin"
"I can second Derek Lin. I think he has one of the most accessable translations."
"Derek Lin has a good version with useful notes and explanations."
#13
Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life
4.0
(3)
"Wayne Dyer"
"I really like the Wayne Dyer interpretation."
"I high recommended Wayne Dyer's book "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life." The author does a fine job reading a fairly decent translation of the DDC with commentary."
#14
James Legge
4.0
(3)
"I like the legge one"
"Legge is very old and I think he was a Protestant missionary IIRC look out for that bias."
"I really like James Legge's translation."
#15
Jane English
5.0
(2)
"Jane english hands down is the best"
"Jane English has a version which has become extremely popular down the years."
#16
Gia-Fu Feng
4.5
(2)
"I’m a Gia-Fu Feng boi"
"Gia-Fu Feng's is nice"
#17
Addiss and Lombardo
4.5
(2)
"The Addiss and Lombardo translation is very good -- no interpretation just good translation."
"Addiss and Lombardo is my favourite."
#18
The Wisdom of Lao Tse
4.5
(2)
"Lin Yutang's The Wisdom of Laotse has been my constant companion sense."
"My go to version is The Wisdom of Laotse by Lin Yutang."
#19
David Hinton
4.5
(2)
"I gain much from reading David Hinton’s translation; he doesn’t comment directly on each verse, but does provide a rewarding introduction that brilliantly articulates the Taoist cosmological perspective."
"My pick of translators is David Hinton."
#20
Thomas Cleary
4.5
(2)
"[the essential tao (pdf)] by thomas cleary. it contains both the daodejing and zhuangzi. this pdf has some spelling errors, but if you want, the hardcover is like $5 on ebay."
"I enjoyed Thomas Cleary's translation."
#21
Stefan Stenudd
4.0
(2)
"I really like Stefan Stenudd's."
"I like Stefan Stenudd’s personally."
#22
Wayne Dyer
4.0
(2)
"Wayne W. Dyer's Living the wisdom of the Tao"
"Wayne Dyer’s take on the tao te ching is pretty good."
#23
Aleister Crowley
3.5
(2)
"Aleister Crowley's translation is by far the best that I have found."
"Alister Crowley's is actually very interesting. I feel that it works best with another one though."
#24
Witter Bynner
5.0
(1)
"Witter Bynner's. I've read many over the years and it is hands down my favorite."
#25
Roger Ames
5.0
(1)
"China scholar Roger Ames' translation is excellent for beginners because of the thoroughness of the explanatory notes, background, and commentary."
#26
John C.H. Wu
5.0
(1)
"Dr. John C.H. Wu is highly recommended (Shambhala dragon editions)"
#27
Zen Master
5.0
(1)
"I just ordered and started reading an excellent translation with notes from a zen master. I highly recommend it."
#28
Eva Wong
5.0
(1)
"Personally I love Eva Wong’s translations — “Being Taoist: Wisdom for Living a Balanced Life” is broken into four parts which each draw on excerpted writings by different sages. It’s very approachable for beginners!"
#29
Kristoffer Schipper
5.0
(1)
"I own both his Lao Zi and his Zhuang Zi books. They are a mix of translation and interpretation"
#30
Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy
4.0
(1)
"I recommend Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy by Ivanhoe and Van Norden. Laozi (Dao De Jing) in chapter 4."
#31
Tao Te Ching app
4.0
(1)
"I use a TaoTeChing app for the iPhone complete text separated into chapters and you can ‘favourite’ passages."
#32
Ben Hoff
4.0
(1)
"I really like The Eternal Tao Te Ching: The Philosophical Masterwork by Ben Hoff but don't let the folks here know."
#33
Dwight Goddard
4.0
(1)
"Dudeist Te Ching or the Dwight Goddard versions are great."
#34
John H. McDonald
4.0
(1)
"John H McDonald’s translation is one I like a lot."
#35
Wing-Tsit Chan
4.0
(1)
"Prof. Wing Tsit Chan. Was a chinese professor of philosophy in a Western university"
#36
Arthur Waley
4.0
(1)
"Two older translations are Arthur Waley and Richard Wilhelm."
#37
Richard Wilhelm
4.0
(1)
"Two older translations are Arthur Waley and Richard Wilhelm."
#38
Hans-Georg Moeller
4.0
(1)
"The translation by Hans-Georg Moeller is also very good."
#39
Addiss
4.0
(1)
"I never saw the Addiss Tao. I must check it out."
#40
Klingon Language Institute
4.0
(1)
"I recommend this version that’s translated into Klingon as well as English."
#41
Carl Abbott
4.0
(1)
"I like this word for word translation by Carl Abbott. It is very bare bones with almost no poetic devices."
#42
The Essential Tao
4.0
(1)
"I use The Essential Tao by Thomas Cleary. It seemed to be not only accurate but a style I enjoyed."
#43
Dao De Jing
4.0
(1)
"I use Roger Ames “Dao De Jing: A Philosophical Translation.” It does a very good job to try to faithfully convey its meaning"
#44
The Classic of the Way and Virtue
4.0
(1)
"Good because it contains Wang Bi's commentaries"
#45
Esoteric Tao Teh Ching
3.0
(1)
"Https://www.amazon.com/Esoteric-Tao-Teh-Ching-Lao/dp/0937064491"
#46
Charles Muller
3.0
(1)
"I like the Charles Muller Barnes & Noble edition."
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