The Book of Chuang Tzu

Questions About The Book of Chuang Tzu

by Zhuangzi

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Can anyone recommend a specific translation, maybe easier to understand than others? Either in english or spanish would be great.
Juan Devoto I have read/skimmed through three translations, two in English, one in Spanish. Burton Watson's, Martin Palmer's, and Iñaki Preciado's.
Watson's is mor…moreI have read/skimmed through three translations, two in English, one in Spanish. Burton Watson's, Martin Palmer's, and Iñaki Preciado's.
Watson's is more formal and contains notes and references every page explaining everything that can be explained (when Chuang-Tzu makes puns, when he mentions other people, when he mentions books, etc.).
Palmer's is the one to go if you want for it to be read like an assortment of tales, a bag full of funny, paradoxical, witty tales which contain wisdom. He simplifies the language a bit, mostly writes no notes, and focuses on the story rather on the history.
Preciado's is even more formal than Watson, and contains more references per page than him, as far as I see. Every detail is given importance, and you'll be stopped every time if you go and read the notes.
The three of them have their advantages and disadvantages, if you want to go light at first, go with Palmer's and then complement with Watson's or Preciado's for all the historical details and a more "accurate" and formal translations, but already knowing the flow of the story.(less)
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