The Tao Te Ching [Dao de jing] (The Book of The Way and its Power) is the earliiest of the classic texts of the school of Chinese thought known as Taoism (pronounced "Daoism'). Of all Chinese classics, it is the one most fiequently transhted into English, with around forty versions having been made so far. The Chinese text is composed of just over five thousand characters, yet within this brief compass is stmmarised a view of the nature and origin of all things, and the consequences of that view in the spheres of moralityand politics. The ideas put forward in this text comtitute the fret statement of one of the three key philosophies on which the Chinese tradition of thought rests, the other two being Confucianism and Buddhism. 

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Dating from around 300BC, Tao Te Ching is the first great classic of the Chinese school of philosophy called Taoism. Within its pages is summed up a complete view of the cosmos and how human beings should respond to it. A profound mystical insight into the nature of things forms the basis for a humane morality and vision of political utopia. The ideas in this work constitute one of the main shaping forces behind Chinese spirituality, art and science, so much so that no understanding of Chinese civilisation is possible without a grasp of Taoism.

This edition presents the authoritative translation by Arthur Waley, with a new Introduction reflecting recent developments in the interpretation of the work.