My Academic Story with China | Misha Tadd: There are far more translations of the "Laozi" than we might imagine

BEIJING, May 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from Global Times:

【Misha Tadd, associate professor of Nankai University College of Philosophy and director of the Global Laozegetics Research Center】

Laozi holds a very high status throughout the entire history of Chinese culture. He has another distinctive feature: his works have the most translations overseas, far exceeding the translations of the Analects of Confucius.

Therefore, I began studying the translations of Laozi. Then I increasingly discovered that the number of Laozi's translated versions is far greater than we imagine. Moreover, in terms of its spread, for example, in Iran, there should be at least forty translations in Persian.

As a result, I proposed the concept of "Global Laozegetics." I believe it is best to view it from a holistic perspective. Because whether it is the various traditional interpretations or how people overseas interpret it, the most fundamental process is actually the same.

(They all) read the original text. There is an exchange and dialogue between the original text and the reader, and the result is the emergence of a new interpretation. Then, regardless of whether it is in classical Chinese, modern Chinese, or various foreign languages, this fundamental process is interconnected.