A New Interpretation of a Philosophical Classic

 Laozi's Dao De Jing : A New Interpretation for a Transformative Time 

by Laozi translated by Ken Liu

Ken Liu by Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Laozi's Dao De Jing by Ken Liu book cover

Laozi by Thanato, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

“The path that can be walked is not the path that lasts;” Laozi

Many thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for providing an advanced copy of Ken Liu’s new interpretation of the Dao De Jing, a classic Daoist text from Laozi. As Liu’s subtitle states, this is more than a translation. This is a new interpretation for a transformative time. It’s been a long time since I’ve read the Dao De Jing, and although I’ve encountered separate sections, mostly through the terrific 365 Tao: Daily Meditations by Ming-Dao Deng, I’ve found that translations and the focus for the Tao can vary significantly. In order to compare, I also started to read another, older translation that I found in my Kindle Library. There’s no publication information or translator, and the text is much harder to decipher and make meaning than Ken Liu’s reinterpretation. To further help us understand the process of interpreting this work, Liu incorporates some analogous ideas and stories from Laozi’s fellow Daoist Zhuangzi, another philosopher-storyteller explained Daoist concepts with more storytelling and anecdotes than aphorisms and poetry. I think I’ve encountered his work as “Chuang-Tzu” since I recognized many of the stories and examples (The Emperor and the Tortoise Shell” and “The Butcher and The Knife”) recounted in these asides. Liu also includes biographical sketches of both Laozi and Zhuangzi, noting that these individuals’ works may be the result of a collective or passed down work rather than the work of any one person. Nevertheless, Liu’s contextual information helps to further understand some of the ideas and concepts that Laozi was possibly asking his readers/followers to grapple with. It was also interesting to learn how Liu came across the Dao De Jing during the pandemic, and how he explains that Laozi doesn’t really offer solace or lecture, but rather “invites the reader to have a conversation with his text, through which the readers must discover their own way.” I loved this aspect of the writing, recognizing that the ideas and poems (for lack of a better term) are presented as something that everyone will interpret in their own way. Liu also contextualizes Laozi’s world to help readers better understand the socio-political situation of pre-dynastic China, and how the desire for upward mobility and safety in society was somewhat antithetical to Laozi’s ideas about human relations. Liu shared how reading Laozi during the pandemic didn’t offer any kind of solace, but may have helped him question the events and consider other people’s motivations for comfort and security in times of instability. I loved this aspect of the book, and I can see how it would be an ideal text to read when there is uncertainty or instability.

Throughout the book, Liu shares his process of translating or interpreting the Dao De Jing, noting that translations sometimes reflect more about the translator than what the author actually intended. I found it interesting to learn that more written texts of the Dao De Jing were discovered in China in the 1970s, and this provided additional interpretations and ideas about the meaning. Liu also explains how other editions that were found offer different ways of presenting the ideas and poems. He notes that like other philosophers, Laozi was distrustful of written language (and language in general), explaining how it can limit the concepts and feelings that Laozi may have tried to impart to followers of Daoism. Whether it is the ever changing nature of print or the limitations of words, this interpretation and Liu’s brief essays about the different sections give us insight into the possible meanings and word play that Laozi may have used. I also found this fascinating since Chinese uses ideographs and the meaning can vary. Gaining these insights into the translations was helpful as well as fascinating. I loved learning more about the process of writing and considering meaning from a text that is more than 2000 years old.

At the end of the “non-introduction”, Liu reminds us not to read through the book too quickly, since we shouldn’t necessarily approach the book as a quick read or one that will offer main ideas in certain locations. This is where the stories from Zhuangzi help to supplement our understanding, but it also serves as a reminder that this is a book that we should continue to revisit at various times and points in our lives since we may interpret the ideas and poems in different ways and gain a different understanding and meaning of these verses.

I’m incredibly grateful that Scribner shared this text with me, and I’m also excited that I have this wonderful new “interpretation” of this important text that I can revisit.