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The Tao of Guin

Posted by Mod Lang (@modlang) on Aug. 26, 2025, 5:47 p.m.

Despite her not knowing Chinese, this exists. I just finished my third re-read last month and won’t do that again for at least another year, but when I do, maybe I’ll give it a shot. I always read at least 3 translations side by side, chapter by chapter, and it’s always interesting how they all differ so greatly from each other. The extreme laconicism of ancient Chinese, where every character represents an entire idea, forces paraphrase interpretation - there’s just no other way when an entire sentence is practically crammed into one ideogram. So I guess hers is just as valid even if it’s a translation based on other English translations.

https://www.amazon.com/Lao-Tzu-Ching-About-Power/dp/1570623953