Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Thread of the Path: The Dao De Jing with Wang Bi's Commentary

The Thread of the Path: The Dao De Jing with Wang Bi's Commentary

Laozi
Wang Bi
Dowd, Joseph Suk-Hwan

Paperback

General Eastern ReligionsTaoism

ISBN13: 9798234185198
Publisher: Joseph Dowd
Published: Sep 10 2026
Pages: 710
Weight: 3.05
Height: 1.42 Width: 8.00 Depth: 10.00
Language: English
The third-century philosopher Wang Bi wrote one of the most influential commentaries on the Daoist classic known as the Laozi or Daodejing, offering an interpretation that radically inverts ordinary ideas about leadership.

According to Wang Bi, the great dao described in the Laozi is the nothingness from which things arise and within which they grow and develop. By remaining quiet and unnoticed, rulers can share in the dao's emptiness. Achievements spontaneously arise from such rulers, just as the world of things arises from the dao.

Written in simple, straightforward English, The Thread of the Path enables non-specialists to engage in close textual study of the Laozi and of Wang Bi's commentary. Part I contains a concise translation of both works that preserves much of their ambiguity. Part II works through the Chinese word by word, showing how to get from the original text to Part I's English translation. By consulting Part II, readers can decide where they agree and disagree with various Laozi translations-including this one.

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