Laozi: A Dao and De for the Anthropocene

“This new rendition of the Daodejing opens amazing dimensions of the ancient classic, exploring it to an entirely unprecedented depth. The work offers detailed linguistic analyses of words and phrases, supplements readings from classical commentaries, provides comparative perspectives from Buddhism, psychology, and science, and also contains complete transliterations in both modern Mandarin and reconstructed Old Chinese pronunciation. It pulls all of this together in a powerful and inspiring vista, presenting a truly impressive achievement. ”

Livia Kohn, Professor Emerita, Boston University, USA; Executive Editor, Three Pines Press

“We badly need balance in this careening world, and there is some deep understanding in this text about where it might be found.”

Bill McKibben, Schumann Distinguished Scholar, Middlebury College, USA

“Every generation or so, the great classics of world literature are made new—new times bring new language, new readings, new needs. I cannot offer a scholar's evaluation, only that of a layperson who has lived with this text as lantern for a lifetime, but I can say that for me, Wong Yoo-Chong has opened new slants of light to Laozi's text, while honoring and disclosing the original with great faithfulness. I find the accompanying commentaries nothing less than thrilling—both Wong Yoo-Chong's unfolded understandings, tuned to our current era, and the detailed descriptions of the formal and prosodic qualities of the Chinese verses. This translation – muscular, lyrical, informed by concern for the biosphere and all its beings – brings an original and meaningful contribution to the Dao De Jing's English-speaking readers. Whether a person comes to it for the first time or with long familiarity of previous English-language versions, this volume opens new terrains of mind, heart, spirit, and contemplation.”

Jane Hirshfield, Poet

"What a tremendous gift it is for Wong Yoo-Chong to combine the sagacious wisdom of the Tao Te Ching, his tender care for today’s world, and insight gained through the rich journey of his life into this new translation and commentary of the celebrated text. Wong’s Lao Zi carries more weight than just the accurate translation that it is: its historical and scholarly grounding allows readers to meet the text as an educated adept of the original language would. Further still, this rendition of the timeless text holds the spaciousness of the original, along with its profound teachings, all speaking directly to those of us living in a changing West, searching for an anchor in the sifting tides of this world."

Rebecca D. Nie, MS., Seon Master and co-translator of "Yin Mountain: The Immortal Poetry of Three Daoist Women"