In 1993, an astonishing discovery was made at a tomb in Guodian
in Hubei province (east central China). Written on strips of bamboo
that have miraculously survived intact since 300 B.C., the "Guodian
Laozi," is by far the earliest version of the "Tao Te Ching" ever
unearthed. Students of ancient Chinese civilization proclaimed the
text a decisive breakthrough in the understanding of this famous
text: it provides the most conclusive evidence to date that the
text was the work of multiple authors and editors over hundreds of
years, rather than the achievement of a single individual writing
during the time of Confucius.
Robert Henricks now presents the first English translation of
the "bamboo slip Laozi." Differing substantially from other
versions we have of the text, the Guodian Laozi provides us with
clues on how and when the text came into being. As Henricks's
translation shows, many chapters are missing in this form of the
text, and some chapters remain incomplete. All of this seems to
suggest that the "Tao Te Ching" was not yet "complete" when these
slips were copied.
In his translation, Henricks focuses attention on lines in each
of the chapters that vary from readings in other editions. In
addition, he shows how the sequence of chapters in this form of the
text is totally unrelated to the sequence readers commonly see in
the "standard" form of the text, i.e., in other translations.
Here are just a few of the noteworthy features of this new "Tao
Te Ching: "
- A lucid introduction to the Guodian Laozi, offering background
on the archaeological interpretation of the discovery
- Line-by-line comparisons of the Guodian Laozi against the
Mawangdui and Wang Bi editions
- Extensive notes on each chapter describing the unique elements
of the Guodian Laozi in comparison with other versions
- Transcriptions for each chapter, noting both the ancient and
modern form of the characters in the chapter
- An appendix featuring the official biography of Laozi written
by Sima Qian, the Grand Historian of China, as well as Henricks's
commentary and notes on this biography
This groundbreaking work will lead to a reassessment of the
history and significance of this well-known and critical work as
well as a reevaluation of the role it played in the development of
Taoism in early China.
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