The edition of Tao Te Ching is a unique phenomenon. According to statistics, before the Qing Dynasty, there were 103 editions of Tao Te Ching. In the process of copying and engraving ancient books for thousands of years, there will inevitably be errors. So far, there are more than 3000 revised books. At present, the academic circles pay more attention to Wang Bi's version. The two manuscripts unearthed in Mawangdui, Changsha are called Silk Book A and Silk Book B, and the silk book Tao Te Ching is more than 400 years earlier than Wang Bi. In recent years, many scholars admire silk books, but the first edition lacks 1400 and the second edition lacks 600 words. The earliest version of Tao Te Ching that we can see today is the bamboo slips of the Warring States period unearthed from the Chu tomb in Guodian, Jingmen, Hubei.
The most widely circulated versions in history are Hanshu River Notes and Cao Wei Wang Bi Notes. Other important editions include Yan Zun's annotation in the Western Han Dynasty, Fu Yi's ancient edition in the Tang Dynasty, and the stone building engraved with the Tao Te Ching in the Tang Dynasty.
At present, the versions of books sold in the market are very different; Even the chapter order is different. The editions include Fu Ben, He Ben, Wang Ben, Du Fu, Guodian Chu bamboo slips and other editions of Tao Te Ching buried with princes and ministers in different years. The original version we can see now is Laozi, a bamboo slip unearthed from Guodian Chu Tomb in Jingmen, Hubei Province in 1993, which is more than 100 years earlier than the silk book Tao Te Ching written by Mawangdui. Other editions, such as Fu Ben, He Ben, Ben Xiang, Wang Ben and Jin Ben, are all editions after the Han Dynasty. 1973 Laozi, a silk book unearthed from No.3 Han Tomb in Mawangdui, Changsha, is a version of the early Western Han Dynasty. The Classic of Virtue was placed before the Classic of Taoism, which was also valued by scholars.