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Every page on Tales with Lee, organized by section. 308 pages across the main tracks, content libraries, and supplementary pages.
Main Tracks 7
Explore 5
Guides & Tools 4
Information 4
Tao Te Ching 81
36 Stratagems 36
Stories 24
Concepts 24
Topics 37
Questions 74
Learning Paths 12
Main Tracks (7)
Home Ancient wisdom for modern life — Chinese philosophy explained in plain English Tao Te Ching All 81 chapters of the Tao Te Ching with commentary and context Tao Te Ching Overview What the Tao Te Ching is, who wrote it, and how to read it 36 Stratagems The complete guide to all 36 ancient Chinese stratagems 36 Stratagems Guide How to use the stratagems in modern life Stories Chinese tales and parables with modern interpretation Videos Video essays and visual explorations of Chinese philosophy
Explore (5)
Topics Practical topics — applying ancient ideas to modern challenges Questions Common questions about Taoism, philosophy, and practice Concepts Core Chinese philosophical concepts explained clearly Learning Paths Structured journeys through related content About Lee The person behind Tales with Lee
Guides & Tools (4)
Information (4)
Tao Te Ching (81)
- Chapter 1: The Tao That Can Be Named
- Chapter 2: Understanding Beauty
- Chapter 3: Without Competition
- Chapter 4: The Mystery of the Tao
- Chapter 5: The Heart of Heaven
- Chapter 6: The Spirit of the Valley
- Chapter 7: The Sage's Immortality
- Chapter 8: Be Like Water
- Chapter 9: Knowing When to Stop
- Chapter 10: The Art of Being
- Chapter 11: The Use of Emptiness
- Chapter 12: The Danger of Senses
- Chapter 13: The Danger of Favor
- Chapter 14: Seeing the Invisible
- Chapter 15: The Scholar's Virtue
- Chapter 16: Returning to the Root
- Chapter 17: The Four Levels of Rulers
- Chapter 18: The Decline of Virtue
- Chapter 19: The Simple Path
- Chapter 20: The Difference Between
- Chapter 21: The Manifestation of the Tao
- Chapter 22: The Paradox of Unity
- Chapter 23: The Nature of Nature
- Chapter 24: Standing on Tiptoe
- Chapter 25: The Four Constants
- Chapter 26: The Source of Heaviness
- Chapter 27: The Art of Non-Action
- Chapter 28: Knowing the Male
- Chapter 29: The Danger of Control
- Chapter 30: The Warning Against Force
- Chapter 31: The Unease of Weapons
- Chapter 32: The Tao Is Like Water
- Chapter 33: Knowing Others
- Chapter 34: The Great Tao Flows Everywhere
- Chapter 35: The Attraction of the Tao
- Chapter 36: The Principle of Reversal
- Chapter 37: Non-Action in the World
- Chapter 38: The Loss of Virtue
- Chapter 39: The Unity of Things
- Chapter 40: The Return
- Chapter 41: How Different People Hear the Tao
- Chapter 42: The Birth of the Ten Thousand Things
- Chapter 43: The Softest
- Chapter 44: Knowing Enough
- Chapter 45: Great Perfection
- Chapter 46: Knowing Enough in a World at Peace
- Chapter 47: Without Going
- Chapter 48: The Pursuit of Learning
- Chapter 49: The Sage's Heart
- Chapter 50: Life and Death
- Chapter 51: The Growth of Things
- Chapter 52: Knowing the Mother
- Chapter 53: The Way of the Great Road
- Chapter 54: The Art of Planting
- Chapter 55: The Strength of the Infant
- Chapter 56: Mysterious Accord
- Chapter 57: Governing Through Non-Action
- Chapter 58: The Subtle Government
- Chapter 59: Governing the People
- Chapter 60: Governing a Large Nation
- Chapter 61: The Great Nation's Posture
- Chapter 62: The Dao's Value
- Chapter 63: Practicing Non-Action
- Chapter 64: Attend to Things Before They Emerge
- Chapter 65: Returning to Simplicity
- Chapter 66: The Sea Is the King of All Streams
- Chapter 67: The Three Treasures
- Chapter 68: The Perfect Warrior
- Chapter 69: Using Inverseness
- Chapter 70: The Inner Law
- Chapter 71: Knowing What You Do Not Know
- Chapter 72: Do Not Oppress the People
- Chapter 73: The Courage of Not Contending
- Chapter 74: Not Fearing Death
- Chapter 75: The People's Hunger
- Chapter 76: The Value of Flexibility
- Chapter 77: The Nature of the Tao
- Chapter 78: The Softest Thing
- Chapter 79: Reconciling Enmity
- Chapter 80: The Small Country
- Chapter 81: The True Treasure
36 Stratagems (36)
- Stratagem 1: Deceive the Heavens
- Stratagem 2: Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao
- Stratagem 3: Kill with a Borrowed Knife
- Stratagem 4: Wait at Leisure While the Enemy Labors
- Stratagem 5: Loot a Burning House
- Stratagem 6: Make a Feint to the East and Attack in the West
- Stratagem 7: Create Something from Nothing
- Stratagem 8: Openly Repair the Walkway, Secretly March to Chencang
- Stratagem 9: Watch the Fire from the Opposite Shore
- Stratagem 10: Hide a Dagger Behind a Smile
- Stratagem 11: Sacrifice the Plum Tree to Preserve the Peach Tree
- Stratagem 12: Take the Opportunity to Pilfer a Goat
- Stratagem 13: Beat the Grass to Startle the Snake
- Stratagem 14: Borrow a Corpse to Return the Soul
- Stratagem 15: Lure the Tiger from the Mountain
- Stratagem 16: To Catch Something, First Let It Go
- Stratagem 17: Throw a Brick to Attract Jade
- Stratagem 18: Capture the Ringleader to Catch the Gang
- Stratagem 19: Remove the Firewood from Beneath the Cauldron
- Stratagem 20: Fish in Troubled Waters
- Stratagem 21: Shed the Cicada's Golden Shell
- Stratagem 22: Shut the Door to Catch the Thief
- Stratagem 23: Befriend the Distant, Attack the Near
- Stratagem 24: Borrow a Route to Attack Guo
- Stratagem 25: Replace the Beams and Pillars
- Stratagem 26: Point at the Mulberry, Curse the Locust
- Stratagem 27: Pretend Foolishness, Not Madness
- Stratagem 28: Lure Them Onto the Roof
- Stratagem 29: Adorn the Tree with False Blossoms
- Stratagem 30: Turn the Guest into the Host
- Stratagem 31: The Beautiful Woman Stratagem
- Stratagem 32: The Empty Fortress Stratagem
- Stratagem 33: Counter-Espionage
- Stratagem 34: Inflict Injury on Yourself
- Stratagem 35: The Chain Stratagem
- Stratagem 36: Retreat Is the Best Option
Stories (24)
- The Nian Beast Story: How a Chinese New Year Legend Explains the Festival
- Chang'e: The Moon Goddess and the Price of Immortality
- The Guodian Bamboo Slips: What the Oldest Tao Te Ching Tells Us
- Liu Bei: The Leader Who Won by Refusing to Win the Wrong Way
- Louguantai: The Place Where the Tao Te Ching Was Born
- Qingcheng Mountain: Walking Into the Cradle of Taoism
- Three Kingdoms: Where to Start with China's Greatest Epic
- Cao Cao: The Villain Everyone Still Studies
- Five Elements Mountain: The Stop the Monkey King Needs
- Guan Yu: The God of War Who Became a Symbol of Loyalty
- Guanyin, Compassion, and Control in Journey to the West
- The Jade Emperor and Heavenly Bureaucracy: Why Heaven Looks So Administrative in Journey to the West
- Mulan: Duty, Identity, and the Cost of Becoming More Than One Role
- Nezha: The Child Who Refuses His Given Form
- Pigsy, Appetite, and Desire: The Character Most Modern People Pretend Not to Be
- Sha Wujing: The Virtue of Steadiness No One Brags About
- Tang Sanzang: The Weakness That Leads
- The White Dragon Horse: The Discipline of Carrying On
- White Snake: Love, Desire, and the Fear of Mixing Worlds
- Why Journey to the West Still Matters
- Why Sun Wukong Fails Before He Grows
- Zhuge Liang: The Strategist Who Turned Weakness Into Strength
- The Weaver Girl and the Cowherd: What a 2,000-Year-Old Legend Says About Love
- The Monkey King's Ego Problem (And Yours)
Concepts (24)
- De: The Taoist Idea of Natural Power and Integrity
- Desire in Taoism: The Point Where Wanting Starts Distorting Reality
- Emptiness in Taoism: Why Space Makes Life Work
- Enoughness: The Taoist Discipline That Corrected My Sense of More
- Humility in Taoism: The Strength That Stops Needing to Advertise Itself
- Indirect Action in Taoism: How Wu Wei Changes the Way You Move
- Mission in Taoist Reading: The Direction That Makes Power Bearable
- Non-Contention in Taoism: Why Not Fighting Is Stronger Than Fighting
- Returning in Taoism: The Movement I Keep Resisting and Needing
- Reunion in Taoism: The Round Moon and Wholeness
- Reversal in Taoism: Why Life Turns Exactly Where We Stop Expecting It
- Service in Taoist Practice: The Correction Ego Usually Resists
- Softness in Taoism: The Strength I Kept Mistaking for Weakness
- Steadiness in Taoism: The Quality That Looks Small Until Life Gets Hard
- Stillness in Taoism: The Kind That Clarifies Rather Than Escapes
- The Moon in Taoism: Yin & the Wisdom of Waning
- The Tao: The Pattern I Kept Missing Until Life Slowed Me Down
- The Uncarved Block: The Taoist Image I Took Too Softly at First
- Timing in Taoism: Why When You Act Matters As Much As What You Do
- Water in Taoism: What I Learned from Watching a Beijing Downpour
- What Is the Tao? A Beginner's Guide to the Core Concept of Taoism
- Wu Wei: The Art of Non-Action
- Yin and Yang: How Balance and Change Actually Work
- Ziran: The Taoist Art of Letting Life Be Natural
Topics (37)
- Autumn Begins: Letting Go as a Seasonal Skill
- Autumn Equinox and the Taoist Art of Balance
- Chinese Classics, Explained: A Beginner's Guide to Tao Te Ching, 36 Stratagems & the Great Stories
- Chinese Culture: Traditions and Modernity
- Taoism and Letting Go
- Taoism and Letting Go of Control
- Taoism and Minimalism
- Taoism and Money
- Taoism for Anger
- Taoism for Anxiety
- Taoism for Burnout
- Taoism for Change
- Taoism for Comparison and Envy
- Taoism for Conflict
- Taoism for Daily Life Rhythm
- Taoism for Decision Making
- Taoism for Difficult People
- Taoism for Discipline
- Taoism for Failure
- Taoism for Fear
- Taoism for Leadership: Core Ideas
- Taoism for Loneliness
- Taoism for Motivation
- Taoism for Overthinking
- Taoism for Patience
- Taoism for Productivity
- Taoism for Purpose
- Taoism for Relationships: Core Ideas
- Taoism for Sleep
- Taoism for Success Without Burnout
- Taoism for Uncertainty
- Taoism on Death and Letting Go
- The Thirty-Six Stratagems in English: A Reader-Friendly Guide
- Thirty-Six Stratagems Translations Compared: Which English Version Should You Read?
- Which Journey to the West Translation Should You Read? — Scholar, Classic, or Modern
- Which Tao Te Ching Translation Should You Read? A Chinese Reader's Honest Guide
- Wu Wei and the Seasons: Living With Natural Timing
Questions (74)
- Best Tao Te Ching Translation? My Honest Guide After Reading the Wrong Ones First
- Can a Taoist Drink Alcohol? What I Actually Know About This Question
- Can Taoism Help You Sleep?
- Carl Jung and the Tao Te Ching: What the Psychologist Found in Ancient China
- Confucius vs Lao Tzu: A Tension I Feel Every Day
- D.C. Lau's Tao Te Ching: The Translation I Use When I Need to Be Sure
- Does Taoism Actually Help with Anxiety? What I Think It Can and Cannot Do
- Does Taoism Allow Homosexuality? The Text, the Tradition, and What I Actually Know
- Does Taoism Believe in God? What I Tell People Who Ask Me This
- Does Taoism Help with Anger?
- Does Taoism Help with Change?
- Does Taoism Help with Comparison?
- Does Taoism Help with Loneliness?
- Does Taoism Help with Motivation?
- Does Taoism Help with Overthinking?
- Eckhart Tolle and the Tao Te Ching: The Spiritual Teacher's Favorite Book
- George Harrison and the Tao Te Ching: The Beatle Who Loved Taoism
- Gia-fu Feng and Jane English: The Edition I Give to First-Time Readers
- How Do You Practice Enoughness?
- How Many Chapters in the Tao Te Ching? And Why 81 Matters
- How to Apply the 36 Stratagems in Modern Life
- How to Practice Taoism in Daily Life: What Actually Worked for Me
- How to Practice Wu Wei in Daily Life (Practical Guide)
- How to Pronounce Tao Te Ching (And Why Getting It Right Changes How You Hear the Text)
- How to Start Reading the Tao Te Ching: The Method That Finally Worked for Me
- Is Bruce Lee a Taoist? What I Found When I Looked Past the Quotes
- Is Taoism a Religion? Philosophy, Practice, or Both?
- Is Taoism Anti-Ambition?
- Is Taoism Good for Grief?
- Is the Tao Te Ching a Religious Text or a Philosophy Book? My Answer Changed After Visiting China's Temples
- Is the Tao Te Ching Hard to Read? What I Tell People Who Are Nervous to Start
- Is the Tao Te Ching Still Relevant Today?
- Is Wu Wei About Laziness? The Biggest Taoism Misunderstanding
- Marcus Aurelius vs Lao Tzu: Two Kinds of Inner Peace I Have Tried
- Nietzsche and the Tao Te Ching: What I Found in Both That Neither Could Give Alone
- Red Pine's Tao Te Ching: The Edition I Open When I Want to Go Deeper
- Stephen Mitchell's Tao Te Ching: The Translation I Recommend — With a Warning
- Stoicism vs Taoism: I Tried Both, and They Calm Different Parts of the Mind
- Tao Te Ching vs Bhagavad Gita: Two Paths to Peace I Have Tried Walking
- Tao Te Ching vs Bible: Two Books I Read Very Differently
- Tao Te Ching vs Dao De Jing: Why There Are Two Names and Why It Confuses Beginners
- Tao Te Ching vs I Ching: Two Books I Use for Completely Different Reasons
- Tao Te Ching vs Modern Psychology: What I Found When I Stopped Choosing
- Taoism for Leadership: Principles That Actually Work
- Taoism vs Buddhism: What's the Difference?
- Ursula K. Le Guin's Tao Te Ching: The Version I Read When I Need Something Gentle
- Wayne Dyer and the Tao Te Ching: How He Made It a Bestseller
- What Are the 36 Stratagems? Complete Guide to Ancient Chinese Strategy
- What Does De Mean in Taoism? The Part of the Tao Te Ching I Underestimated
- What Does Desire Mean in Taoism?
- What Does Discipline Mean in Taoist Practice?
- What Does Emptiness Mean in Taoism?
- What Does Enoughness Mean in Taoism?
- What Does Humility Mean in Taoism?
- What Does Mission Mean in Taoist Reading?
- What Does Patience Mean in Taoism?
- What Does Returning Mean in Taoism?
- What Does Reversal Mean in Taoism?
- What Does Service Mean in Chinese Classics?
- What Does Softness Mean in Taoism?
- What Does Steadiness Mean in Taoism?
- What Does Stillness Mean in Taoism?
- What Does the Monkey King Story Mean? Journey to the West Explained
- What Does Wu Wei Really Mean? The Mistake I Made When I Treated It Like Laziness
- What Does Yin-Yang Actually Mean? Beyond the Tattoo
- What Is the Tao Te Ching? A Beginner's Introduction From China
- What Is the Tao? A Simple Explanation
- What Is the Uncarved Block in Taoism?
- What Is Ziran in Taoism?
- Who Was Lao Tzu? History, Legend, and Why I Stopped Needing a Perfect Answer
- Why Is the Monkey King So Popular?
- Why Is Water Closest to the Tao? Chapter 8 Explained
- Why Western Translations Misunderstand the Tao: What I Keep Seeing Go Wrong
- Zen Buddhism — The Illegitimate Child of Taoism?
Learning Paths (12)
- Calm the Mind with Taoism
- Journey to the West for Beginners
- Letting Go After Loss
- Monkey King Starter Path
- Reduce Anxiety with Taoism
- Simplicity and Letting Go
- Start Reading Taoism
- Taoism for Emotional Balance
- Taoism for Leadership: A Learning Path
- Taoism for Relationships: A Learning Path
- Taoism for Work and Burnout
- Taoist Decision Making