Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way
Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way by Laozi (Lao Tzu) is available here as the complete text, split into 164 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
Ancient poetic philosophy on harmony with the natural order, humility, non-action (wu wei), and quiet strength.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 163 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
This edition of Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way by Laozi (Lao Tzu) carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #216, divided into 2 chapters and 164 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry, and each section carries a contextual illustration generated from the passage itself.
Where can I read Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way in full?
The complete text of Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #216 and divided into 164 sections.
This page carries the whole of Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way by Laozi (Lao Tzu), not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #216, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 820 sentences across 2 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.
How is Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way divided for reading?
Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way is presented in 2 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 164 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The 2 chapters follow the divisions of the source edition, and each section carries a contextual illustration drawn from the passage it accompanies rather than a stock image.
Can I hear Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.
Questions about reading Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way
Common questions about reading Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way by Laozi (Lao Tzu) on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way?
Yes. All 820 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #216 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #216, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way take to read?
About 68 minutes of reading across 164 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way section by section
How to work through Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way
Words and structures a reader meets early in Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Trodden
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Enduring
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Unchanging
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Named
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.