Page "Tao Te Ching" Paragraph 18

Among the many transmitted editions of the Tao Te Ching text, the three primary ones are named after early commentaries.

The " Yan Zun Version ," which is only extant for the Te Ching, derives from a commentary attributed to Han Dynasty scholar Yan Zun ( 巖尊, fl.

80 BC-10 AD ).

The " Heshang Gong Version " is named after the legendary Heshang Gong ( " Riverside Sage ") who supposedly lived during the reign ( 202-157 BC ) of Emperor Wen of Han.

This commentary ( tr.

Erkes 1950 ) has a preface written by Ge Xuan (, 164-244 AD ), granduncle of Ge Hong, and scholarship dates this version to around the 3rd century AD.

The " Wang Bi Version " has more verifiable origins than either of the above.

Wang Bi (, 226 – 249 AD ) was a famous Three Kingdoms period philosopher and commentator on the Tao Te Ching ( tr.

Lin 1977, Rump and Chan 1979 ) and the I Ching.