Although the ancient Chinese text
Laozi--also known as the
Daodejing--is highly popular worldwide, few Anglophone readers are familiar with the history of how the Chinese themselves have interpreted it. This volume aims to introduce students and general readers to the two earliest surviving commentaries on the
Laozi, through translations that are approachable for non-specialists and can be read on their own. These two commentaries, the "Jie Lao" (Explaining the
Laozi) and "Yu Lao" (Illustrating the
Laozi), appear as two chapters in the book
Han Feizi, traditionally dated to the 3rd century BCE. They are interesting not only for showing how at least one very early reader understood the
Laozi, but also for what they may reveal about the state of the
Laozi itself at that time, before it achieved the form of the text that is so famous nowadays. The book also includes original essays that explore the commentaries' relation to the rest of the
Han Feizi, compare and contrast them with other
Laozi commentaries, and analyze their place in the larger history of Chinese commentarial writing.
| ISBN | 9780197514900 |
| Autor(a) | Harris, Eirik Lang |
| Editora | Oxford University Press, USA |
| Ano de edição | 2026 |
| Páginas | 256 |
| Acabamento | Capa Dura |
| Dimensões | 21,00 X 14,00 |