Tao is a very indescribable concept, which is sometimes even not well explained to ordinary Chinese, let alone for foreign readers to understand. Early sinologists used domestication in the process of translation (they obscured) the differences between eastern and western cultures) play a certain role in the dissemination of sinology, and the Chinese classics were more popular with foreign readers. With the continuous development of China, the previous translations are being revised, and the differences between Chinese and western cultures are gradually emerging.
关于“道可道,非常道;名可名,非常名”许渊冲先生的译版在我看来比较切合老子哲学的方法论。“The divine law (or truth) can be known, but it may not be the law well-known to you (or well-known truth). Things may be named, but names are not the things.”天法客观之道是可以为人所认识,即“可知论”,但不是人们经常说的世俗观念的道理;万物可以取名命名,但是名字仅为符号,不等于实物。将“常”译为“well-known",这又与《老子》后继出现的“无欲” “无为”“无德” 有着微妙的联系。
Daoism pays more attention to inner world. while Confucianism focuses more on external world.
道的四种翻译:the metaphysical and transcendantal being, from which all beings are generated/Such laws as the law of the transformation of the opposites or of circulating movement/behavior norms/ the way
Q:What is the difference between de or virtue in Confucianism and that in Daoism?
Some notes:
Confucianism : of positivism-- personal and societal upbringing ✖
Daoism: of pessimism-- retreat from cultivation ✖
For both aim at balance: harmony-- make peace with the world.
Difference: Confucianism: peace with the external world-- society & ethical regulations
vs Daoism: peace with the inner world-- one's physical and mental state of being
Dao: obscure, immaterial, still & solitary
Dao: unfathomable, ineffable, indescribable (即“道不可道”)free from desire
Methodology of Dao: Wuwei -- one no obsessed with what the name asks of oneself
Wuwei: trying to separate "wei" from what "wei", to do usually entails, forgeting about what is entailed in "doing", and get what you want throug "not doing"
The translation of Dao in Chinese: the metaphysical and transcendental being, the law of the transformation of the opposition, or circulating movement, behavior norms, and the way
Why the missionaries view Dao as God: target readers, domestication-- convenient for the universality of Christianity
Why foreignization: the declining of western belief
The translators give different versions out of different purposes.
1.Christian God. This version was used by missionaries, early sinologists and philosophers in 18-19 centuries. They considered the target readers. “Christian God” was more understandable to the westerners.
2.The Way/Tao. The background was that people began to discover the alien cultures.
I found it interesting that Dao is unnamable, and the Dao can be defined is not real Dao. It reminds me of what I learned in Linguistics class, the naming theory. I think maybe names help us to comprehend the world and spread our thinking in the first place, but they gradually fall into misunderstanding and limitation.
Also I found the concept of Wuwei quite thought-provoking, but I wonder that can we say Wuwei stresses accumulation? Like, "don't be obsessed with your goal, and work hard every day"? If so, if one is really free from desire and obey the doctrine of Wuwei, and suppose he succeeds, can he still be happy (as he has no desire, so he has no sense of accomplishment)?
As it is mentioned in the vedio, there are so many versions of translation of "Dao". So what are the differences among them? How can we judge which one is better for the translation of Dao De Jing?
顺道为德。以道为体,以德为用。道家之德,非儒家之德。
In this material world, the secular etiquette essentially restrains the human nature, and Confucianism emphasizes to follow the rules of the secular etiquette. The taoists insist that you just go back to your natural nature.
Dao De Ching is a book of preaching. The word Tao can be simply understood as the law between heaven and earth.
One of the virtues of Taoism is to conform to the law between heaven and earth. Then go with your own nature.
So the first part Dao Ching is about the nature of heaven, and the second part De Ching is about how to conply with the cycle of heaven and how to conform to one's own nature.
I still can't understand why Dao is achieved through the absence of desire. Is there any absolute relationship between the two? At this level, how do we understand the Dao related to desire?
desire: such a desire is in nature linguistic,trying to keep the referential relationship between words and their usual concepts.
For example, "virtue" usualy refers"self-scrafice" or "women should be confined with household" at that time. But, if one even doesn not know the cause he is scraficing himself with, such endeavor is a kind og fooliness.
So the Dao recipe is to forget about what is entailed in "doing", and then get what you want through "not doing". The story of "萧规曹随"reveals the opinion that to"do" does not mean to "busy up"oneself. We could break such settled approximate like"get up early and study hard to achieve success" , and to do the things in a harmonly way( to comply with the natural law,不妄为)
Much of the attrection of the Dao De Jing is the product of its very powerful rhtoric. It is written in a uniquely resonate style, and fortunately it is possible to capture some of this resonance even in English translation.