The Difficulty in Translating Chinese

A Facebook friend recently posted a translation of a chapter of the Tao Te Ching. That translation made me almost fall off my chair. She named the chapter “Mind-less.”

Dao De Jing, chapter 65

Since ancient times, those who have been skilled in following Dao,

Did not enlighten people,

But left them unenlightened/mindless/unknowledgeable (which made them less sophisticated, less complex, and closer to the Primordial Simplicity).

It is difficult to govern people,

When they are full of (mind) knowledge (which makes them sophisticated, complex, and far from Primordial Simplicity).

Therefore, governing the country with the help of (mind, not heart) knowledge,

Brings trouble to the country;

Governing the country without (mind) knowledge (which can lead people to Primordial Simplicity),

Leads the country to happiness.

The original Chinese text is as follows:

古之善為道者，非以明民，將以愚之。民之難治，以其智多。故以智治國，國之賊；不以智治國，國之福。

Apparently, the translator did a literal translation. However, such a literal translation does not do justice to the deep meaning of the text. It creates the impression that Lao Tzu wanted the ruler to make the people dumb and mindless. The relevant Chinese words are 愚之. It can indeed be translated as “stupify.” But a much better translation of the…