This edition of the
Tao Te Ching
by Lao Tzu features both English and Chinese side by side for easy reference and bilingual support. The Tao Te Ching is one of the most influential and profound Chinese texts in the world. Many scholars have attempted to translate the work. Lionel Giles' translation of the book, titled
The Sayings of Lao Tzu
, is one of the most clear English translations in the world. However, he organized Lao Tzu's sayings by category, thus losing the original order and flow of the book. Because of this, many editions utilize other translators, even though Giles translation is often more accurate and vastly superior in our opinion. We have attempted to place Giles' translation into the traditional order and flow of the 81 chapters comprising the Tao Te Ching. Because the work is very difficult and profound, and Giles' translation was completely rearranged, this was quite the feat. The Chinese and English are placed together in the 81 chapters for direct reference and study. We have noted places where the translation does not match the text. After reading many editions of the Tao Te Ching that were poorly translated, we felt that matching Giles' translation to the text would benefit others. Much of the matching works perfectly, though there are some errors you will discover. Enjoy.