Annotated Laozi

Paul Fischer is Professor of Asian Religions and Cultures at Western Kentucky University. He is the author of Self-Cultivation in Early China (also published by SUNY Press) and the translator and editor of Shizi: China's First Syncretist.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroductionKey ConceptsTranslator's NoteThe Annotated Laozi: Translation and ExplanationAppendix: The Chinese TextIndex

"Fischer provides a new and different translation of Laozi's Daodejing … Fischer's translation makes the text intelligible to those formed by contemporary liberalism; it thus provides an alternative to more historically oriented translations." — CHOICE"Fischer's careful and creative translation offers a very accessible introduction to the received Laozi. While aimed at students and general readers with little or no background in Chinese language or history, the book also provides sufficient context for seasoned sinologists to grapple with, without getting bogged down too much in philological issues or speculative history. The focus on non-supernaturalistic religion, an ethics of non-contentiousness, and a philosophy rooted in fallibilism is a refreshing way to be re-presenting the Laozi to a contemporary audience." — Joseph E. Harroff, American University