04道德经英译本85种-第414节

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or…God　of　the　Dark　First　Cause。　H黙n　Tsung　honored　him　in　1013　A。　D。　with　the　title　T慳i　Shang　Lao　Chi黱；　the　Great　Exalted　One；　the　Ancient　Master。

　　We　regret　to　say　that　the　Taoism　of　China　is　a　religion　which；　powerful　though　it　is；　little　accords　with　the　venerable　old　philosopher；　and　without　danger　of　doing　its　priests　an　injustice　may　be　branded　as　a　system　of　superstitions　and　superstitious　practices。

　　The　Taoist　church　is　governed　by　a　Taoist　pope　who　lives　in　the　splendor　of　a　palace　surrounded　by　extensive　parks　near　Lung　Hu　Shan；　scarcely　less　beautiful　than　the　garden　of　the　Vatican　at　Rome。




　　Lao…tze's　Tao　Teh　King　contains　so　many　surprising　analogies　with　Christian　thought　and　sentiment；　that　were　its　pre…Christian　origin　not　established　beyond　the　shadow　of　a　doubt；　one　would　be　inclined　to　discover　in　it　traces　of　Christian　influence。　Not　only　does　the　term　Tao　（word；　reason）　correspond　quite　closely　to　the　Greek　term　Logos；　but　Lao…tze　preaches　the　ethics　of　requiting　hatred　with　goodness。　He　insists　on　the　necessity　of　becoming　like　unto　a　little　child；　of　returning　to　primitive　simplicity　and　purity；　of　non…assertion　and　non…resistance；　and　promises　that　the　crooked　shall　be　straight。

　　The　Tao　Teh　King　is　brief；　but　it　is　filled　to　the　brim　with　suggestive　thoughts。




　　Two　issues　of　the　author's　translation　of　Lao…Tze's　Tao　Teh　King　have　appeared　and　two　editions　of　an　extract　entitled　The　Canon　of　Reason　and　Virtue。　In　the　second　issue　of　the　first　edition　of　Lao…Tze's　Tao　Teh　King　attention　has　been　called　to　misprints　in　the　Chinese　text；　and　alternative　readings　have　been　proposed　in　an　additional　chapter　entitled　〃Emendations　and　Comments。〃

　　The　present　edition　is　meant　to　be　popular　and　is　an　enlargement　of　The　Canon　of　Reason　and　Virtue。　Of　the　larger　edition　entitled　Lao…Tze's　Tao　Teh　King；　it　incorporates　the　main　explanations　and　the　Chinese　text　which　in　its　revised　form　we　hope　is　now　quite　reliable。　A　few　variants　which　are　important　for　the　sense　of　the　text　have　been　added　in　footnotes。　Thus　the　present　little　volume　being　a　combination　of　the　larger　and　the　smaller　editions；　is　practically　a　new　work。　It　contains　a　comprehensive　introduction　and　incorporates　the　results　of　the　translator's　latest　labors　in　revising　and　reconsidering　the　many　difficult　passages　of　the　Tao　Teh　King。　A　number　of　new　interpretations　flashed　upon　him　from　time　to　time；　and　some　of　them　will　be　deemed　happy　and　probably　be　accepted　as　final。　This　certainly　is　true　of　the　first　paragraph　of　Chapter　2；　and　also　of　the　second　paragraph　of　Chapter　49。

　　I　do　not　deem　it　necessary　in　this　popular　edition　to　introduce　controversies　or　to　criticize　other　translations；　nor　do　I　want　to　correct　all　the　mistakes　and　misprints　of　my　own　former　editions。　I　must　be　satisfied　with　offering　the　best　results　of　my　labors。　My　ideal　has　been　to　reproduce　the　original　in　a　readable　form　which　would　be　as　literal　as　the　difference　of　languages　permits　and　as　intelligible　to　English…speaking　people　as　is　the　original　to　the　educated　native　Chinese。　While　linguistic　obscurities　have　been　removed　as　much　as　possible；　the　sense　has　upon　the　whole　not　been　rendered　more　definite　than　the　original　or　the　traditional　interpretation　would　warrant。　Stock　phrases　which　are　easily　understood；　such　as　〃the　ten　thousand　things；〃　meaning　the　whole　world　or　nature　collectively；　have　been　left　in　their　original　form；　but　expressions　which　without　a　commentary　would　be　unintelligible；　such　as　〃not　to　depart　from　the　baggage　wagon；〃　meaning　to　preserve　one's　dignity　（Chap。　26）；　have　been　replaced　by　the　nearest　terms　that　cover　their　meaning。

　　The　versification　of　the　quoted　poetry　is　as　literal　as　possible　and　as　simple　as　in　the　original。　No　attempt　has　been　made　to　improve　its　literary　elegance。　The　translator　was　satisfied　if　he　could　find　a　rhyme　which　would　introduce　either　no　change　at　all　in　the　words　or　such　an　indifferent　change　as　would　not　in　the　least　alter　their　sense。

　　The　present　edition　contains　also　an　introduction　and　comments　in　which　my　prior　explanations　of　Lao…tze's　thought　are　restated　in　a　condensed　form　together　with　some　new　observations　which　in　their　appropriate　places　have　been　incorporated。

　　The　division　into　chapters　as　well　as　the　chapter　headings　were　not　made　by　Lao…tze　but　are　the　work　of　later　Chinese　editors。

　　I　have　sought　the　advice　of　Mr。　Ng　Poon　Chew；　editor　of　the　Chung　Sai　Yat　Po；　the　Chinese　daily　paper　of　San　Francisco；　for　the　interpretation　of　some　difficult　words；　and　for　doubtful　passages　I　deemed　a　comparison　with　the　Manchu　translation　desirable；　for　which　purpose　I　have　availed　myself　of　the　assistance　of　Dr。　Berthold　Laufer　of　the　Field　Museum　of　Chicago。

　　Prof。　Paul　Pelliot；　of　Paris；　has　recently　published　in　the　T憃ung　Pao　（1912；　pp。　351…430）　an　account　of　a　Sanskrit　translation　of　the　Tao　Teh　King　made　in　the　seventh　century　for　King　Kumara　of　Assam；　vassal　to　the　famous　Harsha　Ciladitya；　king　of　Magadha。　Unfortunately　this　version　is　lost。




　　For　further　information　on　Lao…tze　the　reader　is　referred　to　the　author's　essays　Chinese　Philosophy　（Religion　of　Science　Library　No。　30）；　Chinese　Thought；　〃The　Authenticity　of　the　Tao　Teh　King〃　（The　Monist；　Vol。　XI；　pp。　574…601）；　written　in　reply　to　Prof。　Herbert　A。　Giles；　〃Medhurst's　New　Translation　of　the　Tao　Teh　King〃　（The　Open　Court；　XX；　174）；　and　the　former　more　complete　edition　of　Lao…Tze's　Tao　Teh　King。

　　This　our　larger　book；　entitled　Lao…Tze's　Tao　Teh　King；　which　contains　a　verbatim　translation　of　the　Chinese　text；　has　not　become　entirely　antiquated；　but　we　warn　students　that　it　stands　in　need　of　a　revision　on　the　basis　of　the　present　emendated　edition。




　　May　this　little　book　fulfil　its　mission　and　be　a　witness　to　the　religious　spirit　and　philosophical　depth　of　a　foreign　nation　whose　habits；　speech；　and　dress　are　strange　to　us。　We　are　not　alone　in　the　world；　there　are　others　who　search　for　the　truth　and　are　groping　after　it。　Let　us　become　better　acquainted　with　them；　let　us　greet　them　as　brothers；　let　us　understand　them　and　appreciate　their　ideals！





　　Introduction

　　A　few　comments　on　Lao…tze's　favorite　expressions　will　help　the　reader　to　understand　the　drift　of　his　thought。

　　The　character　tao　being　composed　of　the　characters　〃moving　on〃　and　〃head；〃　depicts　a　〃going　ahead。〃　The　original　meaning　of　the　word　is　〃way〃　in　the　same　sense　as　in　English；　denoting　both　〃path〃　and　〃method。〃

　　The　same　association　of　ideas　prevails　in　almost　all　languages。　The　Greek　word　methodos　is　a　derivative　of　hodos　〃path〃　（combined　with　the　preposition　meta；　〃according　to；〃　〃after〃）　and　so　〃method〃　too　originally　means　〃way〃　or　rather　〃according　to　a　way。〃　In　the　sense　of　method　the　word　Tao　acquires　the　significance　of　〃principle；　rationality；　or　reason；〃　then　〃the　right　way；〃　or　〃truth；〃　the　Urvernunft　of　German　mystics。　Finally　Tao　comes　to　possess　the　meaning　of　〃rational　speech〃　or　〃word；〃　and　in　this　sense　it　closely　resembles　the　Greek　Logos；　for　in　addition　to　its　philosophical　significance　the　term　Tao　touches　a　religious　chord　in　the　souls　of　the　Chinese　just　as　did　the　word　Logos　among　the　Platonists　and　the　Greek　Christians。　The　term　Tao　denotes　〃word〃　and　also　〃way〃　in　the　same　religious　sense　in　which　they　are　used　in　the　New　Testament：　the　former　in　the　first　verse　of　the　Fourth　Gospel；　〃In　the　beginning　was　the　word〃；　and　the　latter　in　the　saying　of　Christ；　〃I　am　the　way；　the　truth；　and　the　life〃　（John　xiv。　6）。　In　both　passages　the　word　Tao　is　the　right　term　by　which　to　translate　〃word；〃　〃way；〃　and　〃truth。〃

　　The　Tao　of　man；　jan　tao；　is　the　process　of　ratiocination；　and　as　such　it　is　fallible；　but　there　is　an　Eternal　Reason；　ch慳ng　tao；　also　called　t慽en　tao；　〃Heaven's　Reason；〃　i。　e。；　the　world…order　which　shapes　all　things；　and　the　burden　of　Lao…tze's　message　is　to　let　this　Heaven's　Reason　or　Eternal　Reason　prevail。　The　man　who　is　guided　by　the　Eternal　Reason　is　the　master；　chi黱；　the　superior　thinker；　chi黱　tze；　he　is　the　holy　man；　shan　jan；　the　man　of　Reason；　yin　tao　che　or　tung　y？tao　che；　and　the　man　of　truth；　chen　jan。

　　We　translate　Tao　by　〃Reason；〃　and　we　capitalize　the　word　in　order　to　remind　the　reader　that　it　is　not　the　reason　of　the　rationalist；　nor　the　rationality　of　argument；　but　the　universal　world…order；　or　in　other　words；　the　eternal　Reason　of　the　divine　dispensation；　the　Logos；　to　which　man　looks　up　with　reverence。

　　The　second　word　of　the　title；　Teh；　〃virtue；〃　which；　strange　enough；　Legge　translates　〃attribute；〃　is　made　up　of　characters　meaning　〃man；〃　〃heart〃　and　〃straight。〃　It　denotes　man's　straightness　of　heart。

　　The　favorite　phrase　of　Lao…tze's　ethics；　which　furnishes　a　key　to　his　mode　of　thought；　reads　wei　wu　wei；　〃act　non…act；〃　and　we　have　commonly　translated　the　words　by　〃act　with　non…assertion。〃

　　The　Chinese　wei　means　not　only　〃to　do　something；〃　but　also　〃to　act〃　as　on　the　stage；　or　〃'to　make　a　show；　to　show　off；　to　pose；　to　parade　oneself。〃　The　phrase　wei　wu　wei　might　be　translated　〃to　do　without　ado〃　or　〃to　act　without　acting〃　（viz。；　without　posing）；　were　it　not　for　the　fact　tha