A landmark translation of the timeless classic of Daoist wisdom, rendered in gorgeous poetry that illuminates its enduring teachings.
This bold new translation by two brilliant poets offers a contemporary perspective on a timeless masterpiece of Daoist scripture, introducing Dao De Jing to a new audience while retaining the majesty of the Chinese original. Composed of eighty-one short poems written by the sage Laozi in 400 BC, Dao De Jing is one of the pillars of Chinese thought. Acclaimed poet Li-Young Lee and poet and scholar Yun Wang illuminate Dao De Jing as a unified work of art. This revelatory and faithful translation—presented alongside the original Chinese text—reveals its enduring teachings in their profound simplicity, subtlety, and balance.
About the author
Yun Wang, a poet and cosmologist, is the author of three volumes of poetry, most recently The Book of Mirrors, as well as translations of classical Chinese poetry. Raised in rural southwest China, she lives in California.