The Four Chinese Classics: Tao Te Ching, Chuang Tzu, Analects, Mencius

Understanding Chinese history and culture requires a familiarity with these four great texts of the Chinese antiquity. I bought this book because I wanted a common translation for all four texts and I knew David Hinton's translations are widely recognized for there clarity and excellence. I found the texts to be very readable and inbued with a spirit of life and freshness. What I did not realize prior to reading this book was the depth and insight provided by the commentaries by David Hinton. They are dense, full of information, and written at a level commensurate with Hinton's scholarship. Not only have I been able to appreciate the texts, but I have gained a depth of understanding thanks to the excellent commentary. This is a great volume to read at a very inexpensive price that will open one's mind to the breadth and color of the Chinese antiquity. I have learned much thanks to this book and David Hinton, and I offer not just my highest recommendation, but my eternal gratitude for the excellent exegesis. If you have an interest in Chinese history or culture, you will find this book indispensable. Of the many books I have read, I would definitely rate this is one of the best. Thank you, David Hinton.

This is a fantastic translation and a wonderful book to add to your collection of philosophy/Eastern thought books. To borrow some Alan Watts speak, these volumes are really more about a path of liberation than a true philosophy or religion. It's incredibly difficult for a western born and raised person to truly grasp what that means, but these texts help. I believe David Hinton understands this intuitively, and while he's taken some incredible artistic license with the texts compared to a simple translation or transliteration, his prose is much more readable and puts the concepts in a better light. You can typically find the Tao Te Ching, Confucius and Chuang Tzu readily available for a few bucks, but it's harder to find a cheap copy of Mencius, and for that alone this book is well worth the price. The print quality is also fantastic. Many of the extant books by these authors were printed decades ago and the quality of the text on the pages is subpar. You won't get a headache reading this book.

If you’re a fan of all 4 authors, then purchase this book. It’s full of Chinese philosophy. A very good read indeed.

This is a beautifully translated and carefully introduced group of texts. It is absolutely a must-buy for any library of Chinese philosophy and spirituality. It is also an enormous bargain if you want each of these texts in one convenient and well-binded place. As other reviewers have noted, Mencius alone makes this a fantastic deal. There is only one minor flaw, the text excludes the outer chapters of Chaung Tzu. I have not been convinced that these chapters are superflous. In particular, the chapter commonly called "Horse's Hoofs" would have been a great addition as it is a short and sweet early discussion of our species nature that foreshadows the later idea of species being that Karl Marx crystallized in his 1844 manuscripts. Watson's translation can be found free online and Palmer's is the best in print, but it is a shame to see this chapter and others omitted. But that's a minor qualification. I wholeheartedly recommend both this text and Hilton's historical collection of Chinese poetry. Both are masterful, accessible, and elegant.

Edited* Since first writing this review over a year ago, I have read Mr. Hinton’s book, China Root. It is a very insightful work on the roots of Ch’an. I have now returned back to his translation of the Tao, accompanied by his own glasses and have deeply appreciated this translation of the Tao. He is deliberately treating to tap into something other translations of the Tao have not. And I value this work more deeply than ever before. I read Chinese to a better degree than many, and I hope many will appreciate his contribution. —— I am inclined to think Mr Hinton’s translation of this book will come as a challenge if readers are using it as a text to accompany older books or commentary by other scholars such as Alan Watts (Way of Zen). Mr. Hinton’s translation is quite different than how other scholars in the past have translated the Tao, it may leave one confused. However, in his defense, he is justified in his ‘new’ translation, for Chinese characters are like that— each character possesses multiple layers and possibilities of meaning and string them together they can seem to turn the sentence upside down. In this he brings a fresh new perspective to the one-sided interpretations. But the challenge is that it is phrased so differently, the reader is at a loss to find congruency and a dialogue with previous translators of the Tao. For example, the very first line is: “The Way called the way is not the perennial Way.” Compare that with the more accepted translation, “The Tao which can be spoken is not the eternal Tao”. Perennial vs. Eternal? Called vs. Spoken? I am more inclined toward the older translations (such as Ch’u Ta-KOA) which seems to me to capture more of the ‘spirit’ of the Tao.

As an old student of Western philosophy--especially ethics--that has turned my studies East, I LOVED this book. The Eastern idea of Way/Tao, Humanity/Jen, Integrity/Ti... were a most welcome antidote to the post-Augustine "I/my" ideologies of the West that I have come to reject. Mencius may overcome Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics as the most important book I've ever read. I thank David Hinton for his translation of these important books. I have purchased another copy for my kid who is an ivy-League philosophy PhD in hopes they read it. I now await his translations of the ancient songs and poems as well as another translator's Xunzi so that I can dive deeper into the Eastern well of thought. 🏞️🌳🙇‍♂️

There comes a time when a man realizes he cannot live on bread alone, and so he turns to rice because it's the perfect half to hitting your protein macros for the day with minimal carb count. But what happens after you hit that 300lbs bench? You realize, there's always a monster that can out lift you because genetics is a cruel lottery, and some guys don't get tickets. When that day comes, you too may realize that the wisdom that lifted up entire civilizations and were preserved even as said civilizations crumbled to dust around them are the true daily protein, for your brain. Or you're also using this as a reference for your thesis paper and enjoyed the convenience of having so many classics in one handy book. I know my roommate must ave, because the dude never gave it back and in return left me with his half of the Wifi bill and his 24 hour duty watch. Screw you, Caleb. If you're still reading this, I bought this book twice. So yeah it's pretty good.

Get this book if you seek enlightenment in today’s dumpster fire of a society

I’ve read many translations of the TTC. Not as familiar with the other works in the volume but from what I read in the TTC I really feel the author has delivered something exceptional. The meanings seem clear to me while also presenting the text in an elegant style all while not taking too many liberties with the text. When you read the Tao Te Ching, or any spiritual text for that matter, you want it to feel profound yet familiar, kind of like when a western mind might read the Psalms. This is what I get when I read this translation.

O único que ainda não conhecia por outras traduções é Mêncio. Não me considero competente para avaliar a tradução, uma vez que não sei uma palavra de chinês (infelizmente…), mas o nome de Hinton parece ser respeitado. É prático ter as quatro obras reunidas num só volume.

The erudite translation of the Four Chinese Classics provide a rigorous foundation for understanding the treasured poems, analects and enigmatic writings in a manner accessible to the non-Chinese reader. There may be more poetic and equally mysterious versions.

quality translation, good introductions

A book of four Chinese classics that are fairly well known in the west but an excellent collection to own and to read. Decently translated and excellent compilation. It’s a good idea to educate yourself in this day of expanding globalization. Help understand the differences and sames of each other by reading this book of classics!