Tao Te Ching

The Tao Te Ching is a Chinese classic text written around 400 BC and traditionally credited to the sage Laozi. Laozi was a semi-legendary ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher and his life is shrouded in many mysteries. But the Tao Te Ching is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism. It also strongly influenced other schools of Chinese philosophy and religion. Many artists, including poets, painters, calligraphers, and gardeners, have used the Tao Te Ching as a source of inspiration. Its influence has spread widely within the globe’s artistic and academic spheres. Tao Te Ching is one of the most translated texts in world literature, it has been translated into Western languages over 250 times, mostly to English, German, and French. The first English translation of the Tao Te Ching was produced in 1868 by the Scottish Protestant missionary John Chalmers, entitled The Speculations on Metaphysics, Polity, and Morality of the "Old Philosopher" Lau-tsze. This one is the translation by James Legge. He produced it for Oxford’s Sacred Books of the East.