Appendix 1  The Dao De Jing of Lao Zi (Translation)-part one

With particular reference to the Mawangdui silk-copy versions of the Dao De Jing and other old versions, including those of Wang Bi and Heshang Gong, this revised edition is largely based on the recent philological studies done by such leading Lao Zi scholars as Gu Di, Zhou Ying, Chen Guying, Ren Jiyu, Gao Heng, Ma Shulun, Yan Lingfeng, Sha Shaohai and Ai Qi. It has benefited considerably from two works in Chinese, namely, Lao Zi Tong (Gu Di & Zhou Ying) and Lao Zi Zhu Yi Ji Ping Jie  (Chen Guying), which are virtual encyclopedias of Lao Zi studies at the present stage. In addition, the English rendering of the book owes a great deal to the existing translations by Chan Wing-tsit, Robert G. Henricks, He Guanghu, Gao Shining, Song Lidao and Xu Junyao. I would like take this opportunity to acknowledge my gratitude to all these scholars.