# Tao Te Ching by Laozi

32 Hacker News commenters recommended Tao Te Ching by Laozi and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 9 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Short, succinct classic of philosophy; people especially recommend Ursula K. Le Guin's translation and suggest comparing it with others. Some critics feel translations miss the original's meaning.

## Why people recommend it

- Ursula K. Le Guin's translation praised (4 comments): "Ursula's notes really enrich the work. Fantastic ways to render insights in words." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46746418)) "none dissolved me into the flow as deeply and effortlessly as Ursula's" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48604905)) "She's captured the poetry and beauty of the received text very well." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46746304))
- Worth comparing multiple translations (4 comments): "I really liked Brook Ziporyn's translation of the Dao and particular his deep dive into the A / B / True A move" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46750640)) "look at multiple translations of ancient texts to see how they vary wildly" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49191391)) "Worth comparing different translations, I am partial to David Hinton's." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50297675))
- Daily reading and reflection (3 comments): "Every night, I read one new passage — then every morning, I read that same passage again." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46750030)) "This gives you time to digest each passage, be it in dreams or daytime." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46749045)) "Studying and learning daily you grow larger." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46747296))

## What people warn about

- Translation misses the original's meaning (3 comments): "I always felt she was dropping the ball a bit" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46746393)) "it doesn't make much sense to Chinese people either" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46749697)) "The very first sentence misses the point." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46746495))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig](https://hackerapproved.com/p/zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance.md): 24 recommend
- [Meditations by Marcus Aurelius](https://hackerapproved.com/p/meditations.md): 17 recommend
- [I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter](https://hackerapproved.com/p/i-am-a-strange-loop.md): 16 recommend
- [Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard](https://hackerapproved.com/p/simulacra-and-simulation.md): 12 recommend
- [The Republic by Plato](https://hackerapproved.com/p/republic.md): 11 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1429597054?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781429597050) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Tao Te Ching by Laozi", https://hackerapproved.com/p/tao-te-ching-translated/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).