Dao De Jing: a translation and interpretation of the text of Lao Zi

Compare any of the translations of the Dao De Jing that are available and anyone unfamiliar with the original Chinese might be perplexed that there are such great differences in translation to be found. Part of the problem is the abstracted and ambiguous nature of the original Chinese. To overcome the difficulties associated with that text, the translator of this work decided to offer the reader two versions: one a literal, word-for-word, translation, and, the other, a more conventional kind. The literal translation appears side-by-side with the original Chinese. These translations are supplemented by a comprehensive set of notes.