Description

The Tao Te Ching original text with translation by modern Chineseand English translation. The Tao Te Ching, Daodejing or Dao De Jing(道德經: 道 dào "way"; 德 dé "virtue"; 經 jīng "classic" or "text"), alsosimply referred to as the Laozi, is a Chinese classic text.According to tradition, it was written around 6th century BC by thesage Laozi (or Lao Tzu, "Old Master"), a record-keeper at the Zhoudynasty court, by whose name the text is known in China. The text'strue authorship and date of composition or compilation are stilldebated,[3] although the oldest excavated text dates back to thelate 4th century BC. The text is fundamental to both philosophicaland religious Taoism (Daojia, Chinese: 道家, Pinyin: Dàojiā; Daojiao,Chinese: 道教, Pinyin: Dàojiào) and strongly influenced otherschools, such as Legalism, Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism, whichwhen first introduced into China was largely interpreted throughthe use of Daoist words and concepts. Many Chinese artists,including poets, painters, calligraphers, and even gardeners haveused the Daodejing as a source of inspiration. Its influence hasalso spread widely outside East Asia, and is amongst the mosttranslated works in world literature. The Wade–Giles romanization"Tao Te Ching" dates back to early English transliterations in thelate 19th century; its influence can be seen in words and phrasesthat have become well-established in English. "Daodejing" is thepinyin romanization.