Taoist Philosophies · Taoist Philosophy & Internal Practice

Reading the Classics: the Tao Te Ching and The Art of War

Selected chapters of Laozi and Sunzi in the original Chinese, with pinyin, word-by-word glosses and public-domain translations.

Level: Beginner
Lessons: 24 lessons in 4 modules
Estimated study: About 14 hours
Format: Online, self-paced

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About this course

Read two of the most quoted books in Chinese the way careful students do: one line at a time, in the original. Each lesson gives a passage in traditional characters with pinyin, a gloss for every character, the public-domain translation by James Legge (1891) or Lionel Giles (1910), a plain-English rendering and the main ways readers have understood it, including what the Guodian, Mawangdui and Yinqueshan manuscripts change. The course links the Eastern Wisdom survey, the Decisive Battles strategy course and Mandarin Foundations, and ends with a commentary journal of your own. No Chinese is required to start.

Course outline

What the two books are, what is known and debated about their authors and dates, the manuscripts found in the twentieth century, the basics of classical Chinese and pinyin, and how to check a quotation.

Two short books and the people named on them35 minFree preview
Bamboo, silk and print: how the texts reached us35 min
How classical Chinese works: characters, particles and tones35 min
Translations, misquotes and reading responsibly35 min

Chapters 1, 8, 11, 16, 22, 33, 43, 64 and 76, each read in full or in its core lines with pinyin, gloss, Legge's translation and the main readings and variants.

Chapter 1: the Dao that can be spoken35 min
Chapter 8: the highest good is like water35 min
Chapter 11: the use of what is not there35 min
Chapter 16: stillness and returning to the root35 min
Chapter 22: bend and be whole35 min
Chapter 33: knowing others and knowing yourself35 min
Chapter 43: the softest thing in the world35 min
Chapter 64: a journey begins beneath your feet35 min
Chapter 76: the living are soft and supple35 min

Laying plans, waging war, attack by stratagem, tactical dispositions, terrain and the use of spies, read with pinyin, gloss, Giles's translation and the main readings.

Chapter 1, Laying Plans: the five factors and the temple calculation35 min
Chapter 2, Waging War: cost, speed and the danger of long campaigns35 min
Chapter 3, Attack by Stratagem: winning without fighting35 min
Chapter 3, Attack by Stratagem: know the other side and know yourself35 min
Chapter 4, Tactical Dispositions: first make yourself unbeatable35 min
Chapter 10, Terrain: reading the ground and owning your mistakes35 min
Chapter 13, The Use of Spies: knowledge comes from people35 min

Water in both books, concealment and the strategist reading of Laozi, two pictures of leadership, and a capstone commentary journal that applies the texts to training, conflict, leadership and daily life.

Water in both books35 min
Concealment, deception and the strategist reading of Laozi35 min
Leading people: the ruler the people barely notice and the general who cares35 min
Capstone: your commentary journal35 min

Related assessed programs

This course belongs to the following optional programs. Each has its own required course bundle, evidence review and separate fee. Each program page shows its approved fee and current registration status.