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Yuan Dao: Tracing Dao to Its Source (Classics of Ancient China)

Philosophical and compelling, Yuan Dao is a stunning accomplishment of Daoist literature — now available for the first time in English

Written around 140 b.c., and presented to a young Chinese Emperor by a beloved uncle — a philosopher, scholar, and patron of the arts — Yuan Dao distills and explains in one remarkable work the first several hundred years of Daoist thought. Drawing from and expanding upon the popular Tao-Te Ching and Chuang-tzu texts, this singular work was written to show the inclusionary aspects of Daoism, that one should appreciate the contribution all things make to the well-being of the whole; Yuan Dao was also created as advice to a ruler, on the beauty of uniting a disparate people under one government without destroying their individuality.

Presented here by two of the world's foremost translators of Chinese classics, this unique edition is the only English-language translation in print and features the Chinese text on facing pages. Insightful and fascinating, here is a glimpse into the early Han Dynasty, and into a way of thinking that has been, and continues to be, characteristically Chinese.

  • Format
  • paperback
  • Pages
  • 160
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9780345425683
  • Genres
  • philosophy, taoism
  • Release date
  • 1998