The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu

The Chuang Tzu (rendered Zhuangzi in pinyin, which is becoming the standard transliteration these days) is second only to Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching in its popularity and veneration in the Taoist world. If you've not heard of or read this book before, you're in for a real treat! The first time I read the Inner Chapters of the Chuang Tzu was like a revelation--the thoughts and ideas expressed in these passages still resonate today for their acuity, humor, satire, stabbing profundity, and life-changing potential. Indeed, after better understanding the thought this book expresses, I felt like so many loose ideas and insights I'd gleaned from other philosophy, literature, music, and poetry had been tied up together and formulated into a concise and elegant package that is urgently relevant to every day life--pretty amazing for a text that is well over 2000 years old!I recently completed reading the last of three complete translations of the Chuang Tzu, and I decided to wait until I read all of them before reviewing any of the three. Since this text is written in ancient Chinese, a language that was reserved for the intellectual and cultural elite two thousand years ago and has been considered effectively "dead" (like Latin) for quite a while, even understanding what the author(s) were trying to say is difficult, let alone translating the words from Chinese to English. So I figured reading a few different translations is probably the best way to get a broad and deep understanding of the text, and the cumulative effect would make up for each translation's weaknesses. This proved a good strategy--the other translations I chose were Victor Mair's  Wandering on the Way: Early Taoist Tales and Parables of Chuang Tzu  and A.C. Graham's  The Inner Chapters . All three were rewarding and worthwhile reads (I mean, it IS the Chuang Tzu!), but I still come back to Burton Watson's Complete Works as my favorite. For the rest of this review, I'll try and explain why, and try to be helpful in pointing different types of readers to a translation that suits their individual needs. I won't go into depth about what the Chuang Tzu says, since the writing in the text is so eloquent and vivid that any description won't do it justice, and because I would probably ramble on forever about either the academic issues and questions regarding the text's authorship, historicity, and philosophy, or about how mind-blowingly intellectually stimulating it is!In a nutshell (I'll be writing complete reviews for both), A.C. Graham's translation of the Chuang Tzu is the most philosophically rigorous translation and commentary of the Chuang Tzu I've read, but more often than not the actual text of the translation is very awkward and difficult to read. Victor Mair's goal in translating was to create the most philologically accurate translation possible (i.e. directly from Chinese to English, with as few alterations or ornamentations as possible), but it occasionally reads a bit flat and can be confusing because it contains no footnotes whatsoever regarding the philosophical nuances of the text. In my opinion, Burton Watson best captures the spirit and feel of Chuang Tzu's thought and character in the actual text of the translation. His translations seem to bring more laughs out of the humorous passages, and more oomph into the hard-hitting and breathtaking wisdom of the most philosophical sections. The predominate attitude of the most famous and moving passages in this text is a mystical one--the author's goal is to attempt to convey the powerful, ineffable feeling of contemplating and experiencing the Tao (that is, the way existence--the universe, life, and the patterns and very fabric of their being--works). Watson doesn't attempt to gut the effortless beauty of the Chuang Tzu by picking apart the ideas piece by piece or getting overtechnical with the terminology. His translation exudes the type of intuitive easy flow that Chuang Tzu is always arguing for in the anecdotes the text relays. Although he doesn't spell it out explicitly, Watson's wording has it all--when you contemplate the ideas to the point that they click, you'll find out just how good of a job Watson did.Of course, the Chuang Tzu is what it is--a very uneven text composed by different authors and including very different philosophy in some places. Watson offers some helpful footnotes in the Outer and Miscellaneous chapters, which are generally not as sparkling as the Inner chapters, though there are always flashes of brilliance. If you're brand new to the Chuang Tzu, I highly recommend you start with  Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings , translated by Burton Watson and including all of the Inner chapters and highlights from the rest of the book. It's the same translations you find here, but packs a more direct punch without the confusion and diluted quality of some of the other chapters. If you're already very familiar with the Chuang Tzu and haven't read it, go for A.C. Graham's translation--his introduction and chapter prefaces are some of the most illuminating commentaries I've read on this text (if only I could get Watson's translation with Graham's commentaries!). I'd only really recommend Mair's translation if you're interested in getting a slightly different perspective on the text and have read it numerous times. By the way, this book is a hearty hardcover with a gorgeous binding (it's more maroon than Amazon's picture lets on). They're selling it for cheaper now than when I bought it, and a good hardcover version of this text is an investment that will last a lifetime--I'm sure I'll still be awed by it for decades to come.

The item at a good price and arrives quickly

Disappointed with the vague passages in the Tao Teh Ching, I read this book in the hopes that it would better explain Taoism. In general I would say that the Complete Works of Chuang Tzu met that hope. On more than several occasions it points out that benevolence and righteousness may end up getting you killed, therefore it is better to practice inaction. Although I did one slow read-through, I think a second read-through would be beneficial. Of all the religions I've studied (see my Listmania list) Taoism is, in my opinion, the most vague.Adding to the confusion is the fact that there is frequent mention of Confucius, which makes me ponder: Is Taoism an offshoot of Confucianism, or is it a sort of anti-Confucianism? Reading the chapters it can sometimes be difficult to tell if a statement belongs to Taoist, Confucian or Mo-ist thought.While the content can be vague, the translation is exceptional. I've read some translations of Eastern religions that nearly make you want to pull your hair out. The footnotes at the bottom also are helpful, pointing out notes on people, legends and other interpretations of the original written characters.Aesthetically speaking, this is a very nice hardback book with thick pages capable of withstanding my note-takings in the margins. While most hardback books are large and bulky, this one is small enough to read comfortably.If you're interested in studying Taoism I would recommend this edition, but more for its translation than for its content.

It has to be courageous to attempt translating the celebrated works of one of the most revered ancient Chinese master philosophers, Chuang Tzu (Zhuangzi), 370-319 B.C., whose teachings espouse freedom and spontaneity and who can forget his "Butterfly Dream" - the dreamlike nature of reality - which is to some extent explored in Mircea Eliade's novella and Francis Ford Coppola's latest and most defining film "Youth Without Youth".Of course, there's nothing like reading the poetic and beautifully written original Chinese text which is inevitably lost in translation. But if you don't read Chinese, this is the next best thing to the complete thirty-three books inclusive of the inner and outer chapters in the one volume. Professor Burton Watson's translation is thoughtful and readable. Highly recommended.

Cover damaged,worn out,although i bought New one!??😡👎👎

I purchased this as a gift for my dad he absolutely loved it. Excellent quality. Its a beautiful book.

Enjoys the reputation of being the best translation available in English or in French. This is the fifth translation I have in my library and enjoy it thoroughly.

great book and resource to learn about the Tao