Tao

The Tao or Dao (Chinese: 道; pinyin: dào; Jyutping: dou6) is the source and fundamental principle of the universe,[1][2] primarily as conceived in East Asian philosophy and religions. The concept is represented by the Chinese character 道, which has meanings including 'way', 'path', 'road', and sometimes 'doctrine' or 'principle'.[3]

According to Tao Te Ching, Tao is self-existent, formless, eternal, omnipresent, and is the source of all existence. While all phenomena in the universe change continuously, Tao, as the source of all, remains motionless and changeless intrinsically:

> There is something undifferentiated and yet complete.
>  Which existed before heaven and earth.
>  Soundless and formless.
>  It depends on nothing and does not change.
>  It operates everywhere and is free from danger.
>  It may be considered the Mother of the universe.
>  I do not know its name; I call it Tao.

>     ━━━ from Chapter 25 of Tao Teh Ching [4][5][6]

Tao is also described as invisible, intangible, and beyond intellectual understanding, as it is written in Tao Te Ching :

> We look at it, and we do not see it, and we name it 'the Equable.'
>  We listen to it, and we do not hear it, and we name it 'the Inaudible.'
>  We try to grasp it, and do not get hold of it, and we name it 'the Subtle.'
>  With these three qualities, it cannot be made the subject of description;
>  and hence we blend them together and obtain The One.

>     ━━━ from Chapter 14 of Tao Teh Ching [7]

Other chapters of Tao Te Ching, as well as other Taoist scriptures such as Ultra Supreme Elder Lord's Ultra Plainness Scripture, and The Wonderful Scripture on the Constant Purity and Tranquility Spoken by the Ultra Supreme Elder Lord, etc., reiterate that Tao is formless, invisible, omnipresent, and is the source of all.[8][9][10][11]

Based on these descriptions, Tao is considered to be the Absolute Truth independent of any conditions, and the Ultimate Reality behind all phenomena. It is the underlying natural order of the universe whose ultimate essence is difficult to circumscribe because it is non-conceptual yet evident in one's being of aliveness.

## Contents

* 1 Personification of Tao
* 2 Description and uses of the concept
* 2.1 De
* 3 Interpretations
* 3.1 Taoism
* 3.2 Confucianism
* 3.3 Buddhism
* 3.4 Neo-Confucianism
* 3.5 Chinese folklore
* 3.6 Christianity
* 4 Linguistic aspects
* 4.1 Orthography
* 4.2 Phonology
* 4.3 Semantics
* 4.4 Etymology
* 4.5 Other languages
* 5 See also
* 6 Notes
* 7 References
* 7.1 Citations
* 7.2 Works cited
* 8 Further reading
* 9 External links

## Personification of Tao

In Tao Te Ching, Tao is often described as a feminine concept or figure. For example, in some chapters, Tao is described as the Mother of the universe who gives birth to all existence and sustains them,[12][13] while in some other chapters, the practice of adhering to Tao is called "keeping to the Mother", "keeping to the Feminine" or "being fed by the Mother".[14][15][16][17][18][19]

Additionally, some ancient Chinese classics describe a supreme goddess considered an embodiment of Tao, known as Holy Mother the Original Lord (聖母元君), Ultimate One Original Lord (太一元君), Uncreated Original Empress (先天元后), Supreme Original Lord (無上元君), etc.[20][21][22] According to the ancient classics, She is the teacher of Yellow Emperor, Lao Tzu and Ninth Heaven Mysterious Goddess (九天玄女).[23][24][25]

According to Taoist Scriptures, Ultra Supreme Elder Lord (太上老君) is also an embodiment of Tao, and the historical Lao Tzu is considered an incarnation of him.[26][27][28]

## Description and uses of the concept

The word "Tao" has a variety of meanings in both the ancient and modern Chinese language. Aside from its purely prosaic use meaning road, channel, path, principle, or similar,[29] the word has acquired a variety of differing and often confusing metaphorical, philosophical, and religious uses. In most belief systems, the word is used symbolically in its sense of "way" as the right or proper way of existence, or in the context of ongoing practices of attainment or of the full coming into being, or the state of enlightenment or spiritual perfection that is the outcome of such practices.[30]

Some scholars make sharp distinctions between the moral or ethical usage of the word "Tao" that is prominent in Confucianism and religious Taoism and the more metaphysical usage of the term used in philosophical Taoism and most forms of Mahayana Buddhism;[31] others maintain that these are not separate usages or meanings, seeing them as mutually inclusive and compatible approaches to defining the principle.[32]

Conventionally used to refer to something that cannot otherwise be discussed in words, the term was originally used as a form of praxis rather than theory. Early writings such as the Tao Te Ching and I Ching are careful to distinguish between conceptions of the Tao (sometimes referred to as "named Tao") and the Tao itself (the "unnamed Tao"), which cannot be expressed or understood in language.[note 1][note 2][33] Liu Da asserts that the Tao is properly understood as an experiential and evolving concept and that there are not only cultural and religious differences in the interpretation of the Tao but personal differences that reflect the character of individual practitioners.[34]

The Tao can be roughly thought of as the "flow of the universe", or as some essence or pattern behind the natural world that keeps the Universe balanced and ordered.[35] It is related to qi, the essential energy of action and existence. The Tao is a non-dualistic principle—it is the greater whole from which all the individual elements of the Universe derive. Catherine Keller considers it similar to the negative theology of Western scholars,[36] but the Tao is rarely an object of direct worship, being treated more like the Hindu concepts of karma, dharma, or Ṛta than as a divine object.[37] The Tao is more commonly expressed in the relationship between wu (void or emptiness, in the sense of wuji) and the natural, dynamic balance between opposites, leading to its central principle of wu wei (inaction or inexertion).

> 道貫三才為一炁耳。天以氣而運行，地以氣而發生，陰陽以炁而慘舒，風雷以炁而動蕩，人身以炁而呼吸，道法以炁而感通。 用將元神自靈，製邪則鬼神自伏。
>  The Dao pervades the Three Realms—Heaven, Earth, and Humanity—as a single qi. By this qi the heavens revolve, the earth brings forth life, yin and yang ebb and flow, wind and thunder surge and subside. Humans draw breath through qi, Daoist rites communicate through qi. When the Original Spirit shines of itself, evil is quelled and demons bow in submission.

— — Daofa Huiyuan, Qingwei Daofa Shuniu, collected in Daozang, vol. 28[38]

The Tao is usually described in terms of elements of nature, and in particular, as similar to water.[39][40] Like water it is undifferentiated, endlessly self-replenishing, soft and quiet but immensely powerful, and impassively generous.[note 3] The Song dynasty painter Chen Rong popularized the analogy with his painting Nine Dragons.[39]

Much of Taoist philosophy centers on the cyclical continuity of the natural world and its contrast to the linear, goal-oriented actions of human beings, as well as the perception that the Tao is "the source of all being, in which life and death are the same."[42]

In all its uses, the Tao is considered to have ineffable qualities that prevent it from being defined or expressed in words. It can, however, be known or experienced, and its principles (which can be discerned by observing nature) can be followed or practiced. Much of East Asian philosophical writing focuses on the value of adhering to the principles of the Tao and the various consequences of failing to do so.

The Eight Trigrams, a system commonly used to represent Tao and its pursuit

The Tao was shared with Confucianism, Chan Buddhism and Zen, and more broadly throughout East Asian philosophy and religion in general. In Taoism, Chinese Buddhism, and Confucianism, the object of spiritual practice is to "become one with the Tao" (Tao Te Ching) or to harmonize one's will with nature to achieve 'effortless action'. This involves meditative and moral practices. Important in this respect is the Taoist concept of de ('virtue'). In Confucianism and religious forms of Taoism, these are often explicitly moral/ethical arguments about proper behavior, while Buddhism and more philosophical forms of Taoism usually refer to the natural and mercurial outcomes of action (comparable to karma). The Tao is intrinsically related to the concepts of yin and yang, where every action creates counter-actions as unavoidable movements within manifestations of the Tao, and proper practice variously involves accepting, conforming to, or working with these natural developments.

In Taoism and Confucianism, the Tao was sometimes traditionally seen as a "transcendent power that blesses" that can "express itself directly" through various ways, but most often shows itself through the speech, movement, or traditional ritual of a "prophet, priest, or king."[43] Tao can serve as a life energy instead of qi in some Taoist belief systems.[44]

### De

Main article: Philosophy:De (Chinese)

De (德; 'power', 'virtue', 'integrity') is the term generally used to refer to proper adherence to the Tao. De is the active living or cultivation of the way.[45] Particular things (things with names) that manifest from the Tao have their own inner nature that they follow in accordance with the Tao, and the following of this inner nature is De. Wu wei, or 'naturalness', is contingent on understanding and conforming to this inner nature, which is interpreted variously from a personal, individual nature to a more generalized notion of human nature within the greater Universe.[46]

Historically, the concept of De differed significantly between Taoists and Confucianists. Confucianism was largely a moral system emphasizing the values of humaneness, righteousness, and filial duty, and so conceived De in terms of obedience to rigorously defined and codified social rules. Taoists took a broader, more naturalistic, more metaphysical view on the relationship between humankind and the Universe and considered social rules to be at best a derivative reflection of the natural and spontaneous interactions between people and at worst calcified structure that inhibited naturalness and created conflict. This led to some philosophical and political conflicts between Taoists and Confucians. Several sections of the works attributed to Zhuang Zhou are dedicated to critiques of the failures of Confucianism.

## Interpretations

### Taoism

The translator Arthur Waley observed that:

> [Tao] means a road, path, way; and hence, the way in which one does something; method, doctrine, principle. The Way of Heaven, for example, is ruthless; when autumn comes 'no leaf is spared because of its beauty, no flower because of its fragrance'. The Way of Man means, among other things, procreation; and eunuchs are said to be 'far from the Way of Man'. Chu Tao is 'the way to be a monarch', i.e. the art of ruling. Each school of philosophy has its tao, its doctrine of the way in which life should be ordered. Finally in a particular school of philosophy whose followers came to be called Taoists, tao meant 'the way the universe works'; and ultimately something very like God, in the more abstract and philosophical sense of that term.[47]

"Tao" gives Taoism its name in English, in both its philosophical and religious forms. The Tao is the fundamental and central concept of these schools of thought. Taoism perceives the Tao as a natural order underlying the substance and activity of the Universe. Language and the "naming" of the Tao is regarded negatively in Taoism; the Tao fundamentally exists and operates outside the realm of differentiation and linguistic constraints.[48]

There is no single orthodox Taoist view of the Tao. All forms of Taoism center around Tao and De, but there is a broad variety of distinct interpretations among sects and even individuals in the same sect. Despite this diversity, there are some clear, common patterns and trends in Taoism and its branches.[49]

The diversity of Taoist interpretations of the Tao can be seen across four texts representative of major streams of thought in Taoism. All four texts are used in modern Taoism with varying acceptance and emphasis among sects. The Tao Te Ching is the oldest text and representative of a speculative and philosophical approach to the Tao. The Daotilun is an eighth century exegesis of the Tao Te Ching, written from a well-educated and religious viewpoint that represents the traditional, scholarly perspective. The devotional perspective of the Tao is expressed in the Qingjing Jing, a liturgical text that was originally composed during the Han dynasty and is used as a hymnal in religious Taoism, especially among eremites. The Zhuangzi uses literary devices such as tales, allegories, and narratives to relate the Tao to the reader, illustrating a metaphorical method of viewing and expressing the Tao.[50]

A Taoist monk practicing calligraphy with water on stone. Water calligraphy, like sand mandalas, evokes the ephemeral nature of physical reality.

The forms and variations of religious Taoism are incredibly diverse. They integrate a broad spectrum of academic, ritualistic, supernatural, devotional, literary, and folk practices with a multitude of results. Buddhism and Confucianism particularly affected the way many sects of Taoism framed, approached, and perceived the Tao. The multitudinous branches of religious Taoism accordingly regard the Tao, and interpret writings about it, in innumerable ways. Thus, outside of a few broad similarities, it is difficult to provide an accurate yet clear summary of their interpretation of the Tao.[51]

A central tenet in most varieties of religious Taoism is that the Tao is ever-present, but must be manifested, cultivated, and/or perfected to be realized. It is the source of the Universe, and the seed of its primordial purity resides in all things. Breathing exercises, according to some Taoists, allowed one to absorb "parts of the universe."[52] Incense and certain minerals were seen as representing the greater universe as well, and breathing them in could create similar effects. The manifestation of the Tao is de, which rectifies and invigorates the world with the Tao's radiance.[49]

Alternatively, philosophical Taoism regards the Tao as a non-religious concept; it is not a deity to be worshiped, nor is it a mystical Absolute in the religious sense of the Hindu brahman. Joseph Wu remarked of this conception of the Tao, "Dao is not religiously available; nor is it even religiously relevant." The writings of Laozi and Zhuangzi are tinged with esoteric tones and approach humanism and naturalism as paradoxes.[53] In contrast to the esotericism typically found in religious systems, the Tao is not transcendent to the self, nor is mystical attainment an escape from the world in philosophical Taoism. The self steeped in the Tao is the self grounded in its place within the natural Universe. A person dwelling within the Tao excels in themselves and their activities.[54]

However, this distinction is complicated by hermeneutic difficulties in the categorization of Taoist schools, sects, and movements.[55]

Some Taoists believe the Tao is an entity that can "take on human form" to perform its goals.[56]

The Tao represents human harmony with the universe and even more phenomena in the world and nature.

### Confucianism

The Tao of Confucius can be translated as 'truth'. Confucianism regards the Way, or Truth, as concordant with a particular approach to life, politics, and tradition. It is held as equally necessary and well regarded as de and ren ('compassion', 'humanity'). Confucius presents a humanistic Tao. He only rarely speaks of the 'Way of Heaven'. The early Confucian philosopher Xunzi explicitly noted this contrast. Though he acknowledged the existence and celestial importance of the Way of Heaven, he insisted that the Tao principally concerns human affairs.[57]

As a formal religious concept in Confucianism, Tao is the Absolute toward which the faithful move. In Zhongyong (The Doctrine of the Mean), harmony with the Absolute is the equivalent to integrity and sincerity. The Great Learning expands on this concept explaining that the Way illuminates virtue, improves the people, and resides within the purest morality. During the Tang dynasty, Han Yu further formalized and defined Confucian beliefs as an apologetic response to Buddhism. He emphasized the ethics of the Way. He explicitly paired "Tao" and "De", focusing on humane nature and righteousness. He also framed and elaborated on a "tradition of the Tao" in order to reject the traditions of Buddhism.[57]

Ancestors and the Mandate of Heaven were thought to emanate from the Tao, especially during the Song dynasty.[58]

### Buddhism

See also: Philosophy:Zen

Buddhism first started to spread in China during the first century AD and was experiencing a golden age of growth and maturation by the fourth century AD. Hundreds of collections of Pali and Sanskrit texts were translated into Chinese by Buddhist monks within a short period of time. Dhyana was translated as 禅; chán, and later as "zen", giving Zen Buddhism its name. The use of Chinese concepts, such as the Tao, that were close to Buddhist ideas and terms helped spread the religion and make it more amenable to the Chinese people. However, the differences between the Sanskrit and Chinese terminology led to some initial misunderstandings and the eventual development of Buddhism in East Asia as a distinct entity. As part of this process, many Chinese words introduced their rich semantic and philosophical associations into Buddhism, including the use of "Tao" for central concepts and tenets of Buddhism.[59]

Pai-chang Huai-hai told a student who was grappling with difficult portions of suttas, "Take up words in order to manifest meaning and you'll obtain 'meaning'. Cut off words and meaning is emptiness. Emptiness is the Tao. The Tao is cutting off words and speech." Zen Buddhists regard the Tao as synonymous with both the Buddhist Path and the results of it, the Noble Eightfold Path and Buddhist enlightenment. Pai-chang's statement plays upon this usage in the context of the fluid and varied Chinese usage of "Tao". Words and meanings are used to refer to rituals and practices. The "emptiness" refers to the Buddhist concept of sunyata. Finding the Tao and Buddha-nature is not simply a matter of formulations, but an active response to the Four Noble Truths that cannot be fully expressed or conveyed in words and concrete associations. The use of "Tao" in this context refers to the literal "way" of Buddhism, the return to the universal source, dharma, proper meditation, and nirvana, among other associations. "Tao" is commonly used in this fashion by Chinese Buddhists, heavy with associations and nuanced meanings.[60]

### Neo-Confucianism

During the Song dynasty, neo-Confucians regarded the Tao as the purest thing-in-itself. Shao Yong regarded the Tao as the origin of heaven, earth, and everything within them. In contrast, Zhang Zai presented a vitalistic Tao that was the fundamental component or effect of qi, the motive energy behind life and the world. A number of later scholars adopted this interpretation, such as Tai Chen during the Qing dynasty.[57]

Zhu Xi, Cheng Ho, and Cheng Yi perceived the Tao in the context of li ('principle') and t'ien li ('principle of Heaven'). Cheng Hao regarded the fundamental matter of li, and thus the Tao, to be humaneness. Developing compassion, altruism, and other humane virtues is following of the Way. Cheng Yi followed this interpretation, elaborating on this perspective of the Tao through teachings about interactions between yin and yang, the cultivation and preservation of life, and the axiom of a morally just universe.[57]

On the whole, the Tao is equated with totality. Wang Fuzhi expressed the Tao as the taiji, or 'great ultimate', as well as the road leading to it. Nothing exists apart from the Principle of Heaven in Neo-Confucianism. The Way is contained within all things. Thus, the religious life is not an elite or special journey for Neo-Confucians. The normal, mundane life is the path that leads to the Absolute, because the Absolute is contained within the mundane objects and events of daily life.[57]

### Chinese folklore

Yayu, the son of Zhulong who was reincarnated on Earth as a violent hybrid between a bull, a tiger, and a dragon, was allowed to go to an afterlife that was known as "the place beyond the Tao".[61] This shows that some Chinese folk storytelling and mythological traditions had very differing interpretations of the Tao between each other and orthodox religious practices.

### Christianity

Noted Christian author C.S. Lewis used the word Tao to describe "the doctrine of objective value, the belief that certain attitudes are really true, and others really false, the kind of thing the Universe is and the kind of things we are."[62] He asserted that every religion and philosophy contains foundations of universal ethics as an attempt to line up with the Tao—the way mankind was designed to be. In Lewis's thinking, God created the Tao and fully displayed it through the person of Jesus Christ.

Similarly, Eastern Orthodox hegumen Damascene (Christensen), a pupil of noted monastic and scholar of East Asian religions Seraphim Rose, identified logos with the Tao. Damascene published a full commented translation of the Tao Te Ching under the title Christ the Eternal Tao.[63]

In some Chinese translations of the New Testament, the word λόγος (logos) is translated as 道, in passages such as John 1:1, indicating that the translators considered the concept of Tao to be somewhat equivalent to the Hellenic concept of logos in Platonism and Christianity.[64]

## Linguistic aspects

See also: Social:Daoism–Taoism romanization issue

The Chinese character 道 is highly polysemous: its historical alternate pronunciation as dǎo possessed an additional connotation of 'guide'. The history of the character includes details of orthography and semantics, as well as a possible Proto-Indo-European etymology, in addition to more recent loaning into English and other world languages.

### Orthography

Bronze script

Chu slip and silk script

Large seal script

Small seal script

"Tao" is written with the Chinese character 道 using both traditional and simplified characters. The traditional graphical interpretation of 道 dates back to the Shuowen Jiezi dictionary published in 121 CE, which describes it as a rare "compound ideogram" or "ideographic compound". According to the Shuowen Jiezi, 道 combines the 'go' radical 辶 (a variant of 辵) with 首; 'head'. This construction signified a "head going" or "leading the way".

"Tao" is graphically distinguished between its earliest nominal meaning of 'way', 'road', 'path', and the later verbal sense of 'say'. It should also be contrasted with 導; 'lead the way', 'guide', 'conduct', 'direct'. The simplified character 导 for 導 has 巳; '6th of the 12 Earthly Branches' in place of 道.

The earliest written forms of "Tao" are bronzeware script and seal script characters from the Zhou dynasty (1045–256 BCE) bronzes and writings. These ancient forms more clearly depict the 首; 'head' element as hair above a face. Some variants interchange the 'go' radical 辵 with 行; 'go', 'road', with the original bronze "crossroads" depiction written in the seal character with two 彳 and 亍; 'footprints'.

Bronze scripts for 道 occasionally include an element of 手; 'hand' or 寸; 'thumb', 'hand', which occurs in 導; 'lead'. The linguist Peter A. Boodberg explained,

> This "tao with the hand element" is usually identified with the modern character 導 tao < d'ôg, 'to lead', 'guide', 'conduct', and considered to be a derivative or verbal cognate of the noun tao, "way," "path." The evidence just summarized would indicate rather that "tao with the hand" is but a variant of the basic tao and that the word itself combined both nominal and verbal aspects of the etymon. This is supported by textual examples of the use of the primary tao in the verbal sense "to lead" (e. g., Analects 1.5; 2.8) and seriously undermines the unspoken assumption implied in the common translation of Tao as "way" that the concept is essentially a nominal one. Tao would seem, then, to be etymologically a more dynamic concept than we have made it translation-wise. It would be more appropriately rendered by "lead way" and "lode" ("way," "course," "journey," "leading," "guidance"; cf. "lodestone" and "lodestar"), the somewhat obsolescent deverbal noun from "to lead."[65]

These Confucian Analects citations of dao verbally meaning 'to guide', 'to lead' are: "The Master said, 'In guiding a state of a thousand chariots, approach your duties with reverence and be trustworthy in what you say" and "The Master said, 'Guide them by edicts, keep them in line with punishments, and the common people will stay out of trouble but will have no sense of shame."[66]

### Phonology

In modern Standard Chinese, 道's two primary pronunciations are tonally differentiated between falling tone dào; 'way, path' and dipping tone dǎo; 'guide, lead' (usually written as 導).

Besides the common specifications 道; dào; 'way' and 道; dǎo (with variant 導; 'guide'), 道 has a rare additional pronunciation with the level tone, dāo, seen in the regional chengyu 神神道道; shénshendāodāo; 'odd, bizarre', a reduplication of 道 and 神; shén; 'spirit, god' from northeast China.

In Middle Chinese (c. 6th–10th centuries CE) tone name categories, 道 and 導 were 去聲; qùshēng; 'departing tone' and 上聲; shǎngshēng; 'rising tone'. Historical linguists have reconstructed MC 道; 'way' and 導; 'guide' as d'âu- and d'âu (Bernhard Karlgren),[67] dau and dau[68] daw' and dawh,[69] dawX and daws (William H. Baxter),[70] and dâuB and dâuC.[71]

In Old Chinese (c. 7th–3rd centuries BCE) pronunciations, reconstructions for 道 and 導 are *d'ôg (Karlgren), *dəw (Zhou), *dəgwx and *dəgwh,[72] *luʔ,[70] and *lûʔ and *lûh.[71]

### Semantics

The word 道 has many meanings. For example, the Hanyu Da Zidian dictionary defines 39 meanings for 道; dào and 6 for 道; dǎo.[73]

John DeFrancis's Chinese-English dictionary gives twelve meanings for 道; dào, three for 道; dǎo, and one for 道; dāo. Note that brackets clarify abbreviations and ellipsis marks omitted usage examples.

> 2dào 道 N. [noun] road; path ◆M. [nominal measure word] ① (for rivers/topics/etc.) ② (for a course (of food); a streak (of light); etc.) ◆V. [verb] ① say; speak; talk (introducing direct quote, novel style) ... ② think; suppose ◆B.F. [bound form, bound morpheme] ① channel ② way; reason; principle ③ doctrine ④ Daoism ⑤ line ⑥〈hist.〉 [history] ⑦ district; circuit canal; passage; tube ⑧ say (polite words) ... See also 4dǎo, 4dāo

> 4dǎo 导/道[導/- B.F. [bound form] ① guide; lead ... ② transmit; conduct ... ③ instruct; direct ...

> 4dāo 道 in shénshendāodāo ... 神神道道 R.F. [reduplicated form] 〈topo.〉[non-Mandarin form] odd; fantastic; bizarre[74]

Dao, starting from the Song dynasty, also referred to an ideal in Chinese landscape paintings that artists sought to live up to by portraying "nature scenes" that reflected "the harmony of man with his surroundings."[75]

### Etymology

The etymological linguistic origins of dao "way; path" depend upon its Old Chinese pronunciation, which scholars have tentatively reconstructed as *d'ôg, *dəgwx, *dəw, *luʔ, and *lûʔ.

Boodberg noted that the shou 首 "head" phonetic in the dao 道 character was not merely phonetic but "etymonic", analogous with English to head meaning "to lead" and "to tend in a certain direction," "ahead," "headway".

> Paronomastically, tao is equated with its homonym 蹈 tao < d'ôg, "to trample," "tread," and from that point of view it is nothing more than a "treadway," "headtread," or "foretread "; it is also occasionally associated with a near synonym (and possible cognate) 迪 ti < d'iôk, "follow a road," "go along," "lead," "direct"; "pursue the right path"; a term with definite ethical overtones and a graph with an exceedingly interesting phonetic, 由 yu < djôg," "to proceed from." The reappearance of C162 [辶] "walk" in ti with the support of C157 [⻊] "foot" in tao, "to trample," "tread," should perhaps serve us as a warning not to overemphasize the headworking functions implied in tao in preference to those of the lower extremities.[76]

Victor H. Mair proposes a connection with Proto-Indo-European drogh, supported by numerous cognates in Indo-European languages, as well as semantically similar Semitic Arabic and Hebrew words.

> The archaic pronunciation of Tao sounded approximately like drog or dorg. This links it to the Proto-Indo-European root drogh (to run along) and Indo-European dhorg (way, movement). Related words in a few modern Indo-European languages are Russian doroga (way, road), Polish droga (way, road), Czech dráha (way, track), Serbo-Croatian draga (path through a valley), and Norwegian dialect drog (trail of animals; valley). .... The nearest Sanskrit (Old Indian) cognates to Tao (drog) are dhrajas (course, motion) and dhraj (course). The most closely related English words are "track" and "trek", while "trail" and "tract" are derived from other cognate Indo-European roots. Following the Way, then, is like going on a cosmic trek. Even more unexpected than the panoply of Indo-European cognates for Tao (drog) is the Hebrew root d-r-g for the same word and Arabic t-r-q, which yields words meaning "track, path, way, way of doing things" and is important in Islamic philosophical discourse.[77]

Axel Schuessler's etymological dictionary presents two possibilities for the tonal morphology of dào 道 "road; way; method" < Middle Chinese dâuB < Old Chinese *lûʔ and dào 道 or 導 "to go along; bring along; conduct; explain; talk about" < Middle dâuC < Old *lûh.[78] Either dào 道 "the thing which is doing the conducting" is a Tone B (shangsheng 上聲 "rising tone") "endoactive noun" derivation from dào 導 "conduct", or dào 導 is a Later Old Chinese (Warring States period) "general tone C" (qusheng 去聲 "departing tone") derivation from dào 道 "way".[79] For a possible etymological connection, Schuessler notes the ancient Fangyan dictionary defines yu < *lokh 裕 and lu < *lu 猷 as Eastern Qi State dialectal words meaning dào < *lûʔ 道 "road".

### Other languages

Many languages have borrowed and adapted "Tao" as a loanword.

In Chinese, this character 道 is pronounced as Cantonese dou6 and Hokkian to7. In Sino-Xenic languages, 道 is pronounced as Japanese dō, tō, or michi; Korean do or to; and Vietnamese đạo.

Since 1982, when the International Organization for Standardization adopted Pinyin as the standard romanization of Chinese, many Western languages have changed from spelling this loanword tao in national systems (e.g., French EFEO Chinese transcription and English Wade–Giles) to dao in Pinyin.

The tao/dao "the way" English word of Chinese origin has three meanings, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

> 1\. a. In Taoism, an absolute entity which is the source of the universe; the way in which this absolute entity functions.

> 1\. b. = Taoism, taoist

> 2. In Confucianism and in extended uses, the way to be followed, the right conduct; doctrine or method.

The earliest recorded usages were Tao (1736), Tau (1747), Taou (1831), and Dao (1971).

The term "Taoist priest" (道士; Dàoshì), was used already by the Jesuits Matteo Ricci and Nicolas Trigault in their De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas, rendered as Tausu in the original Latin edition (1615),[note 4] and Tausa in an early English translation published by Samuel Purchas (1625).[note 5]

## See also

* Tathātā
* Holy Wisdom
* Ātman (Hinduism)
* Actionlessness (無爲)
* Asha
* Brahman
* Absolute
* Nu (mythology)
* Wuji
* Manitou
* Teotl
* Logos (Christianity)
* Logos

## Notes

1. ↑ Tao Te Ching, Chapter 1. "It is from the unnamed Tao
That Heaven and Earth sprang;
The named is but
The Mother of the ten thousand creatures."
2. ↑ I Ching, Ta Chuan (Great Treatise). "The kind man discovers it and calls it kind;
the wise man discovers it and calls it wise;
the common people use it every day
and are not aware of it."
3. ↑ Water is soft and flexible, yet possesses an immense power to overcome obstacles and alter landscapes, even carving canyons with its slow and steady persistence. It is viewed as a reflection of, or close in action to, the Tao. The Tao is often expressed as a sea or flood that cannot be dammed or denied. It flows around and over obstacles like water, setting an example for those who wish to live in accord with it.[41]
4. ↑ De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas suscepta ab Societate Jesu, Book One, Chapter 10, p. 125. Quote: "sectarii quidam Tausu vocant". Chinese gloss in Pasquale M. d' Elia, Matteo Ricci. Fonti ricciane: documenti originali concernenti Matteo Ricci e la storia delle prime relazioni tra l'Europa e la Cina (1579-1615), Libreria dello Stato, 1942; can be found by searching for "tausu". Louis J. Gallagher (China in the Sixteenth Century: The Journals of Matteo Ricci; 1953), apparently has a typo (Taufu instead of Tausu) in the text of his translation of this line (p. 102), and Tausi in the index (p. 615)
5. ↑ A discourse of the Kingdome of China, taken out of Ricius and Trigautius, containing the countrey, people, government, religion, rites, sects, characters, studies, arts, acts; and a Map of China added, drawne out of one there made with Annotations for the understanding thereof (excerpts from De Christiana expeditione apud Sinas, in English translation) in Purchas his Pilgrimes, Volume XII, p. 461 (1625). Quote: "... Lauzu ... left no Bookes of his Opinion, nor seemes to have intended any new Sect, but certaine Sectaries, called Tausa, made him the head of their sect after his death..." Can be found in the full text of "Hakluytus posthumus" on archive.org.

## References

### Citations

1. ↑ Oxford Reference - Tao
2. ↑ Merriam-Webster Dictionary - Tao
3. ↑ Zai (2015), p. [page needed].
4. ↑ Tao Teh Ching Translations
5. ↑ Another translation of Chapter 25 of Tao Teh Ching : There is a thing that is perfect and complete in nature. It always exists, even before the creation of heaven and earth. Being quiescent and formless, it is self-existent and changeless. It circulates everywhere and never becomes exhausted. It is the Mother of heaven and earth. I do not know its name, but call it Tao.
6. ↑ Another translation of Chapter 25 of Tâo Teh King : There was something undefined and complete, coming into existence before Heaven and Earth. How still it was and formless, standing alone, and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere and in no danger (of being exhausted)! It may be regarded as the Mother of all things. I do not know its name, and I give it the designation of the Tao (the Way or Course).
7. ↑ The nature of Tao described in Chapter 14 of Tao Teh Ching
8. ↑ It is written in Ultra Supreme Elder Lord's Ultra Plainness Scripture :
The Way (Tao) is immense and formless, also hidden and nameless. Beyond Heaven and Earth, it is profound and unseen. Inside Heaven and Earth, it is ample and vigorous. The Way is everywhere between Heaven and Earth.
9. ↑ It is written in The Wonderful Scripture on the Constant Purity and Tranquility, Spoken by the Ultra Supreme Elder Lord :
The Great Tao, being formless, creates heavens and earths;
The Great Tao, being emotionless, runs the sun and the moon;
The Great Tao, being nameless, eternally nurtures all beings.
I do not know its name, and artificially call it "Tao".
10. ↑ Chapter 34 of Tao Teh Ching says :
The Way is broad, reaching to the left as well as right.
The myriad creatures depend on it for life yet it claims no authority.
It accomplishes its task yet lays claim to no merit.
It clothes and feeds the myriad creatures yet lays no claim to being their master.
11. ↑ Another translation of Chapter 34 of Tâo Teh King :
All-pervading is the Great Tao! It may be found on the left hand and on the right. All things depend on it for their production, which it gives to them, not one refusing obedience to it. When its work is accomplished, it does not claim the name of having done it. It clothes all things as with a garment, and makes no assumption of being their lord.
12. ↑ Tao Teh Ching Translations Chapter 25, 52, 51
13. ↑ A Comparison of the Femininity of Lady Wisdom of Proverbs in the Old Testament and Dao of Daodejing by Soon-Young Kim
14. ↑ Tao Teh Ching Translations Chapter 52, 28, 20
15. ↑ Chapter 52 of Tao Teh Ching :
There was a beginning of the universe
Which may be called the Mother of the Universe.
He who has found the mother (Tao)
And thereby understands her sons (things)
And having understood her sons,
Still keeps to its mother,
Will be free from danger throughout his lifetime.
16. ↑ Another translation of Chapter 52 :
There was a beginning of the universe
Which may be regarded as the Mother of the Universe.
From the Mother, we may know her sons.
After knowing the sons, keep to the Mother.
Thus one's whole life may be preserved from harm.
17. ↑ Chapter 28 of Tao Teh Ching :
Know the masculine.
Keep to the feminine.
And be the Brook of the World
To be the Brook of the World is
To move constantly in the path of Virtue
Without swerving from it
And to return again to infancy.

18. ↑ Another translation of Chapter 28 :
He who knows the male
and keeps to the female
Becomes the ravine of the world.
Being the ravine of the world.
He will never depart from eternal virtue.
But returns to the state of infancy.
19. ↑ Chapter 20 of Tao Teh Ching :
I alone am different from others
And value being fed by the Mother.
20. ↑ City Yung's Collective Record of Immortals (墉城集仙錄) : Holy Mother the Original Lord is an embodiment of the mysterious and harmonious energy of the Feminine Principle. She is the teacher of the Heavenly Emperor.
21. ↑ Master Loy's Spring and Autumn Annals (呂氏春秋.大樂) : Tao is the ultimate essence, which is formless and nameless. To name it artificially, it can be called Ultimate One. (道也者，至精也，不可為形，不可為名，強為之，謂之太一。)
22. ↑ The Ultimate One generates Water (太一生水) : Heaven and Earth are created by Ultimate One.
23. ↑ Heavenly Classic of the Seven Essences (雲笈七籤) : Ninth Heaven Mysterious Goddess is a disciple of Yellow Emperor's mentor known as Holy Mother the Original Lord.
24. ↑ Master who Embraces the Plainness (抱朴子) : Yellow Emperor and Lao Tzu received the essential teachings through learning from Ultimate One Original Lord.
25. ↑ Record of Immortals throughout the Ages (歷世真仙體道通鑑後集) : Lao Tzu traveled afar and arrived at Mountain Loe, where he met Ultimate One Original Lord. He learnt from her the secret teachings of Golden Elixir.
26. ↑ The Eighty-one Incarnations of the Elder Lord (老子八十一化) : The Elder Lord is the root of the Original Light, the true essence of creation. He is an embodiment of the Self-existent principle, which is Tao.
27. ↑ According to The Eighty-one Incarnations of the Elder Lord (老子八十一化), many important divine immortals in Taoist mythology are incarnations of the Elder Lord.
28. ↑ Heavenly Classic of the Seven Essences (雲笈七籤) : Lao Tzu is actually the Elder Lord, who is the embodiment of Tao, the source of the Original Energy, and the root of Heaven and Earth.
29. ↑ DeFrancis (1996), p. 113.
30. ↑ LaFargue (1992), pp. 245–247.
31. ↑ Chan (1963), p. 136.
32. ↑ Hansen (2000), p. 206.
33. ↑ Liu (1981), pp. 1–3.
34. ↑ Liu (1981), pp. 2–3.
35. ↑ Cane (2002), p. 13.
36. ↑ Keller (2003), p. 289.
37. ↑ LaFargue (1994), p. 283.
38. ↑ Yan, Z.; Pei, M. (2026). "Divine Talisman Writing: A Study on the Spiritual Power Sources of Daoist Fulu Writing and Its Revelatory Significance for Contemporary Calligraphic Art Creation". Arts 15 (3). doi:10.3390/arts15030059. 59. ISSN 2076-0752.
39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Carlson et al. (2010), p. 704.
40. ↑ Jian-guang (2019), pp. 754, 759.
41. ↑ Ch'eng & Cheng (1991), pp. 175–177.
42. ↑ Wright (2006), p. 365.
43. ↑ Carlson et al. (2010), p. 730.
44. ↑ "Taoism" (in en). https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/taoism.
45. ↑ Maspero (1981), p. 32.
46. ↑ Bodde & Fung (1997), pp. 99–101.
47. ↑ Waley (1958), p. [page needed].
48. ↑ Kohn (1993), p. 11.
49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Kohn (1993), pp. 11–12.
50. ↑ Kohn (1993), p. 12.
51. ↑ Fowler (2005), pp. 5–7.
52. ↑ "Daoism". Microsoft. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761555647/Daoism.html.
53. ↑ Moeller (2006), pp. 133–145.
54. ↑ Fowler (2005), pp. 5–6.
55. ↑ Mair (2001), p. 174.
56. ↑ Stark (2007), p. 259.
57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 57.2 57.3 57.4 Taylor & Choy (2005), p. 589.
58. ↑ Harl (2023), p. 272.
59. ↑ Dumoulin (2005), pp. 63–65.
60. ↑ Hershock (1996), pp. 67–70.
61. ↑ Ni (2023), p. 168.
62. ↑ Lewis, C.S.. The Abolition of Man. p. 18.
63. ↑ Damascene (2012), p. [page needed].
64. ↑ Zheng (2017), p. 187.
65. ↑ Boodberg (1957), p. 599.
66. ↑ Lau (1979), p. 59, 1.5; p. 63, 2.8.
67. ↑ Karlgren (1957), p. [page needed].
68. ↑ Zhou (1972), p. [page needed].
69. ↑ Pulleyblank (1991), p. 248.
70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 Baxter (1992), pp. 753.
71. ↑ 71.0 71.1 Schuessler (2007), p. [page needed].
72. ↑ Li (1971), p. [page needed].
73. ↑ Hanyu Da Zidian (1989), pp. 3864–3866.
74. ↑ DeFrancis (2003), pp. 172, 829.
75. ↑ Meyer (1994), p. 96.
76. ↑ Boodberg (1957), p. 602.
77. ↑ Mair (1990), p. 132.
78. ↑ Schuessler (2007), p. 207.
79. ↑ Schuessler (2007), pp. 48–41.

### Works cited

* Baxter, William H. (1992). A Handbook of Old Chinese Phonology. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-110-12324-1.
* Bodde, Derk; Fung, Yu-Lan (1997). A short history of Chinese philosophy. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-684-83634-3.
* Boodberg, Peter A. (1957). "Philological Notes on Chapter One of the Lao Tzu". Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 20 (3/4): 598–618. doi:10.2307/2718364.
* Cane, Eulalio Paul (2002). Harmony: Radical Taoism Gently Applied. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 1-4122-4778-0.
* Carlson, Kathie; Flanagin, Michael N.; Martin, Kathleen; Martin, Mary E.; Mendelsohn, John; Rodgers, Priscilla Young; Ronnberg, Ami; Salman, Sherry et al. (2010). Arm, Karen. ed. The Book of Symbols: Reflections on Archetypal Images. Köln: Taschen. ISBN 978-3-8365-1448-4.
* Chang, Stephen T. (1985). The Great Tao. Tao Publishing, imprint of Tao Longevity. ISBN 0-942196-01-5.
* Ch'eng, Chung-Ying; Cheng, Zhongying (1991). New dimensions of Confucian and Neo-Confucian philosophy. SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-0283-5.
* Chan, Wing-tsit (1963). A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy. Princeton. ISBN 0-691-01964-9.
* Damascene, Hieromonk (2012). Christ the Eternal Tao (6th ed.). Valaam Books.
* DeFrancis, John, ed (1996). ABC Chinese-English Dictionary: Alphabetically Based Computerized (ABC Chinese Dictionary). University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1744-3.
* DeFrancis, John, ed (2003). ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary. University of Hawaii Press.
* Dumoulin, Henrik (2005). Zen Buddhism: a History: India and China. World Wisdom. ISBN 0-941532-89-5.
* Fowler, Jeaneane (2005). An introduction to the philosophy and religion of Taoism: pathways to immortality. Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 1-84519-085-8.
* Hansen, Chad D. (2000). A Daoist Theory of Chinese Thought: A Philosophical Interpretation. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-513419-2.
* (in Chinese) Hanyu Da Zidian. 6. Wuhan: Hubei Cishu Chubanshe. 1989. ISBN 978-7-5403-0022-7.
* Harl, Kenneth W. (2023). Empires of the Steppes: A History of the Nomadic Tribes Who Shaped Civilization. United States: Hanover Square Press. ISBN 978-1-335-42927-8.
* Hershock, Peter (1996). Liberating intimacy: enlightenment and social virtuosity in Ch'an Buddhism. SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-2981-4.
* Jian-guang, Wang (December 2019). "Water Philosophy in Ancient Society of China: Connotation, Representation, and Influence". Philosophy Study 9 (12): 750–760. https://www.davidpublisher.com/Public/uploads/Contribute/5e05a4e1c4c77.pdf.
* Karlgren, Bernhard (1957). Grammata Serica Recensa. Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities.
* Keller, Catherine (2003). The Face of the Deep: A Theology of Becoming. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-25648-8.
* Kirkland, Russell (2004). Taoism: The Enduring Tradition. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-26321-4.
* Kohn, Livia (1993). The Taoist experience. SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-1579-1.
* Komjathy, Louis (2008). Handbooks for Daoist Practice. Hong Kong: Yuen Yuen Institute.
* LaFargue, Michael (1994). Tao and Method: A Reasoned Approach to the Tao Te Ching. SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-1601-1.
* LaFargue, Michael (1992). The tao of the Tao te ching: a translation and commentary. SUNY Press. ISBN 0-7914-0986-4.
* Lau (1979). The Analects (Lun yu). Penguin.
* Li, Fanggui (1971). "Shanggu yin yanjiu" (in zh). Tsinghua Journal of Chinese Studies 9: 1–61.
* Liu, Da (1981). The Tao and Chinese culture. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0-7100-0841-4. https://archive.org/details/taochinesecultur0000dali.
* Mair, Victor H. (1990). Tao Te Ching: The Classic Book of Integrity and the Way, by Lao Tzu; an entirely new translation based on the recently discovered Ma-wang-tui manuscripts. Bantam Books.
* Mair, Victor H. (2001). The Columbia History of Chinese Literature. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-10984-9.
* Martinson, Paul Varo (1987). A theology of world religions: Interpreting God, self, and world in Semitic, Indian, and Chinese thought. Augsburg Publishing House. ISBN 0-8066-2253-9. https://archive.org/details/theologyofworldr0000mart.
* Maspero, Henri (1981). Taoism and Chinese Religion. University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 0-87023-308-4. https://archive.org/details/taoismchineserel00henr.
* Meyer, Milton Walter (1994). China: A Concise History (2nd ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Littlefield Adams Quality Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-8476-7953-9.
* Moeller, Hans-Georg (2006). The Philosophy of the Daodejing. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-13679-X. https://archive.org/details/philosophyofdaod0000moel.
* Ni, Xueting C. (2023). Chinese Myths: From Cosmology and Folklore to Gods and Immortals. London: Amber Books. ISBN 978-1-83886-263-3.
* Pulleyblank, E.G. (1991). Lexicon of Reconstructed Pronunciation in Early Middle Chinese, Late Middle Chinese, and Early Mandarin. UBC Press.
* Schuessler, Axel (2007). ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2975-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=nIvqAC7FNBQC.
* Sharot, Stephen (2001). A Comparative Sociology of World Religions: virtuosos, priests, and popular religion. New York: NYU Press. ISBN 0-8147-9805-5.
* Stark, Rodney (2007). Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief (1st ed.). New York: HarperOne. ISBN 978-0-06-117389-9.
* Sterckx, Roel (2019). Chinese Thought. From Confucius to Cook Ding. London: Penguin.
* Taylor, Rodney Leon; Choy, Howard Yuen Fung (2005). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Confucianism, Volume 2: N-Z. Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8239-4081-0.
* Waley, Arthur (1958). The way and its power: a study of the Tao tê ching and its place in Chinese thought. Grove Press. ISBN 0-8021-5085-3.
* Watts, Alan Wilson (1977). Philosophy:Tao: The Watercourse Way with Al Chung-liang Huang. Pantheon. ISBN 0-394-73311-8.
* Wright, Edmund, ed (2006). The Desk Encyclopedia of World History. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-7394-7809-7.
* Zai, J. (2015). Taoism and Science: Cosmology, Evolution, Morality, Health and more. Ultravisum. ISBN 978-0-9808425-5-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=-WzMCQAAQBAJ.
* Zheng, Yangwen, ed (2017). Sinicizing Christianity. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-33038-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=M9YkDwAAQBAJ.
* Zhou Fagao (周法高) (1972). "Shanggu Hanyu he Han-Zangyu" (in zh). Journal of the Institute of Chinese Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong 5: 159–244.

## Further reading

* Translation of the Tao te Ching by Derek Lin
* Translation of the Dao de Jing by James Legge
* Legge translation of the Tao Teh King at Project Gutenberg
* Feng, Gia-Fu & Jane English (translators). 1972. Laozi/Dao De Jing. New York: Vintage Books.
* Komjathy, Louis. Handbooks for Daoist Practice. 10 vols. Hong Kong: Yuen Yuen Institute, 2008.
* Mitchell, Stephen (translator). 1988. Tao Te Ching: A New English Version. New York: Harper & Row.
* Robinet, Isabelle; Brooks, Phyllis; Robinet, Isabelle (1997). Taoism: growth of a religion. Stanford University Press. ISBN 978-0-8047-2839-3.
* Sterckx, Roel. Chinese Thought. From Confucius to Cook Ding. London: Penguin, 2019.
* Dao entry from Center for Daoist Studies
* The Tao of Physics, Fritjof Capra, 1975

## External links

* v
* t
* e

Chinese philosophy

Schools of Thought|

* Agriculturalism
* Confucianism
* Taoism
* Han learning
* Huang-Lao
* Legalism
* Mohism
* Neo-Confucianism
* Neo-Taoism
* New Confucianism
* Chinese Marxist Philosophy
* School of Diplomacy
* School of Names
* School of Naturalists
* Yangism

See also: Nine Schools of Thought and Hundred Schools of Thought

Philosophers|

* Confucius
* Gaozi
* Gongsun Long
* Han Feizi
* Huan Tan
* Huang Zongxi
* Jin Yuelin
* Laozi
* Li Si
* Lu Jiuyuan
* Mencius
* Mozi
* Shang Yang
* Su Qin
* Sunzi
* Tu Weiming
* Wang Chong
* Wang Fuzhi
* Wang Yangming
* Xu Xing
* Xunzi
* Yang Zhu
* Zhang Yi
* Zhu Xi
* Zhuangzi
* Zou Yan

Concepts|

* Dào: Way
* Dé: Virtue
* Fǎ: Model
* Jiān ài: Universal Love
* Jing: Reverence
* Jìngzuo: Meditation
* Lĭ: Ritual propriety
* Li: Law
* Mìng: Mandate or fate
* Qì: Energy
* Qing: Essence
* Rén: Humaneness
* Shén: Spirit
* Si: Reflection
* Tǐ: Substance
* Tiān: Divine force
* Wú wéi: Nonaction
* Xiào: Filial piety
* Xin: Disposition or intuition
* Xing: Human nature
* Yì: Righteousness
* Yīnyáng: Interdependent opposites
* Yòng: Function
* Zhèngmíng: Rectification of names
* Zhì: Intention or will; Wisdom or cleverness
* Zìrán: Self-so or natural

Topics|

* Aesthetics
* Epistemology
* Ethics (Role ethics
* State consequentialism)
* Logic
* Metaphysics
* Political philosophy
* Social philosophy
* Theology

Regional schools|

* Lingnan Confucianism

* v
* t
* e

Daoism

Fundamentals|

* Dao (Tao)
* De (Te)
* Wuji
* Taiji
* Yin-Yang
* Wu Xing
* Qi
* Neidan
* Waidan
* Wuwei

Texts|

* Laozi (Daodejing)
* Zhuangzi
* Liezi
* Huainanzi
* Taipingjing
* Xiang'er
* Baopuzi
* Sanhuangjing
* Huahujing
* Qingjing Jing
* Baopuzi
* Daozang

Deities|

* Three Pure Ones
* Yuhuang
* Guan Shengdi
* Eight Immortals
* Yellow Emperor
* Xiwangmu
* Jade Emperor
* Chang'e
* Li Hong
* Other deities

Code of ethics|

* Five Precepts
* Ten Precepts

People|

* Laozi
* Zhuangzi
* Lie Yukou
* Heshanggong
* Zhang Daoling
* Zhang Jue
* Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
* Ge Hong
* Kou Qianzhi
* Tao Hongjing
* Cheng Xuanying
* Chen Tuan
* Wang Chongyang
* Qiu Chuji
* fangshi

Schools|

* Huang–Lao
* Taiping
* Wudoumi
* Tianshi
* Xuanxue
* Shangqing
* Lingbao
* Northern Celestial Masters
* Chongxuan
* Quanzhen (Longmen)
* Zhengyi
* Wuliu
* Yao

Sacred sites|

* Grotto-heavens
* Mount Penglai
* Mount Kunlun
* Wudang Mountains
* Louguan Tower
* Baiyun Monastery

0.00

(0 votes)

Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao. Read more

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Philosophy:Tao&oldid=4306618"
*[c.]: circa
*[MC]: Middle Chinese
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template