LAOZI'S DAO DE JING

Reviewed by Steven H Silver

Although Ken Liu's new interpretation of Laozi's Dao De Jing opens with chapter one, which reads like an epigram made of aphorisms, Liu explains in his "Not Quite an Introduction" that he could have chosen to open the work with a different chapter, for recent discoveries point to an older order for the book that predates the current order. In the end, he decided to start with the more traditional place.

Liu's translation of Dao De Jing intersperses Liu's own writing with the chapters of Laotzi's volume. In some cases, Liu provides background material, such as the scant biographical information about Laotzi, sometimes he offers the Daoist musings of Zhuangzi to illustrate Laotzi's writings, and sometimes he includes his own musings on Laotzi's writings.

What Liu does not do is tell the reader what Laotzi meant in any of the chapters of Dao De Jing. The text of the Dao De Jing is written in a way that it teaches the reader how to read and interpret it as the book is read (which is not to say that any two readers will have the exact interpretation). Liu offers guidance to help the reader learn to read the aphorisms and advice contained in the book.

One of the most important things Liu says in his "Not Quite an Introduction." He notes "The chapters are short, so 'simple,' that the modern reader, trained from toddlerhood to 'consume' content, to race to the end of the paragraph…If you try that approach, you will certainly consume the Dao De Jing, but I won't agree that you've read it." Whenever I found myself skimming a chapter or reading to fast, I remembered Liu's statement and went back and slowly re-read what I had skimmed, consciously trying to interpret the chapter, like a Talmudic scholar squeezing meaning from the simplest verse.

Liu's translation of Laotzi's text offers wisdom disguised as contradictions, apparently simplistic statements, and cliches, but as the reader really thinks about them, there is a consistent underlying philosophy underneath them, which often goes against modern Western thought. Especially when lords are discussed, the contrast between Laotzi's thoughts and Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince is striking.

Although there are times when the text serves as a reminder that it was written more than two millennia ago, there are other times the passages seem to relate directly to the current political situation. While it isn't clear how much of that is due to Laotzi's writing and how much it is due to Liu's decision on translation, but the consistency throughout leads to the belief that it is integral to Laotzi's philosophy on leadership.

Liu's interpretation of Laozi's Dao De Jing offers two books for the price of one. The main text is the translation of Laotzi's text. The other book is Liu's musings, background, guidance, and thoughts about the first book. Liu's interpolations offer the reader a break from the often enigmatic translations as well as hints about ways in which Laotzi's text may be interpreted. It offers a more "traditional" narrative, while the 81 chapters written by Laotzi are more thought-provoking and invite more rigorous consideration.

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