num_pages: 160
description: Philosophical and compelling, Yuan Dao is a stunning accomplishment of Daoist literature-- now available for the first time in EnglishWritten 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.
language: English
title: Yuan Dao: Tracing Dao to Its Source (Classics of Ancient China)
titlecomplete: Yuan Dao: Tracing Dao to Its Source (Classics of Ancient China) (English and Chinese Edition)
genres: Philosophy, Taoism, Nonfiction, China
ratings_count: 27
publisher: Ballantine Books