Tao

FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

TaoorDao(/da/Chinese:pinyin: Do)isaChinesewordsignifying'way','path','route','key'or
sometimesmoreloosely'doctrine'or'principle'.WithinthecontextoftraditionalChinesephilosophyandreligion,
theTaoistheintuitiveknowingof"life"thatcannotbegraspedfullheartedlyasjustaconceptbutisknown
nonethelessthroughactuallivingexperienceofone'severydaybeing.TheTaodiffersfromconventional(Western)
ontologyinthatitisanactiveandholisticpracticeofthenaturalorderofNatureanditsuniversalawakening,
ratherthanastatic,atomisticone.
LaoziintheTaoTeChingexplainsthattheTaoisnota'name'fora'thing'buttheunderlyingnaturalorderofthe
Universewhoseultimateessenceisdifficulttocircumscribeduetoitbeingnonconceptualyetevident'inone's
beingofaliveness.TheTaois"eternallynameless(TaoTeChing32.Laozi)andtobedistinguishedfromthe
countless'named'thingswhichareconsideredtobeitsmanifestations,therealityoflifebeforeitsdescriptionsof
it.
TheTaolendsitsnametothereligioustradition(WadeGiles,TaoChiaoPinyin,Daojiao)andphilosophical
tradition(WadeGiles,TaochiaPinyin,Daojia)thatarebothreferredtoinEnglishwiththesingletermTaoism.

Contents
1 Descriptionandusesoftheconcept
1.1 De
2 Religious,philosophical,andculturalinterpretations
2.1 Taoistinterpretations
2.1.1 Diversityofviews
2.2 Confucianinterpretations
2.3 Buddhistinterpretations
2.4 NeoConfucianinterpretations
2.5 ChristianInterpretations
3 Linguisticaspects
3.1 Characters
3.2 Pronunciations
3.3 Meanings
3.4 Etymologies
3.5 Loanwords
4 Seealso
5 Notes
6 Citations
7 Bibliography
7.1 Furtherreading

Descriptionandusesoftheconcept
Theword"Tao"()hasavarietyofmeaningsinbothancientandmodernChineselanguage.Asidefromits
purelyprosaicusetomeanroad,channel,path,principle,orsimilar,[1]thewordhasacquiredavarietyofdiffering
andoftenconfusingmetaphorical,philosophicalandreligioususes.Inmostbeliefsystems,thewordisused
symbolicallyinitssenseof'way'asthe'right'or'proper'wayofexistence,orinthecontextofongoingpracticesof

attainmentorofthefullcomingintobeing,orthestateof
enlightenmentorspiritualperfectionthatistheoutcomeofsuch
practices.[2]
Somescholarsmakesharpdistinctionsbetweenmoralorethicalusage
oftheword"Tao"thatisprominentinConfucianismandreligious
Taoismandthemoremetaphysicalusageofthetermusedin
philosophicalTaoismandmostformsofMahayanaBuddhism[3]
othersmaintainthatthesearenotseparateusagesormeanings,seeing
themasmutuallyinclusiveandcompatibleapproachestodefiningthe
principle.[4]Theoriginaluseofthetermwasasaformofpraxisrather
thantheoryatermusedasaconventiontorefertosomethingthat
otherwisecannotbediscussedinwordsandearlywritingssuchas
theTaoTeChingandtheIChingmakepainstodistinguishbetween
Thebagua,asymbolcommonlyusedto
conceptionsoftheTao(sometimesreferredtoas"namedTao")andthe
representtheTaoanditspursuit.
Taoitself(the"unnamedTao"),whichcannotbeexpressedor
understoodinlanguage.[notes1][notes2][5]LiuDaassertsthattheTaois
properlyunderstoodasanexperientialandevolvingconcept,andthattherearenotonlyculturalandreligious
differencesintheinterpretationoftheTao,butpersonaldifferencesthatreflectthecharacterofindividual
practitioners.[6]
TheTaocanberoughlythoughtofastheflowoftheUniverse,orassomeessenceorpatternbehindthenatural
worldthatkeepstheUniversebalancedandordered.[7]Itisrelatedtotheideaofqi,theessentialenergyofaction
andexistence.TheTaoisanondualisticprincipleitisthegreaterwholefromwhichalltheindividualelements
oftheUniversederive.KellerconsidersitsimilartothenegativetheologyofWesternscholars,[8]buttheTaois
rarelyanobjectofdirectworship,beingtreatedmoreliketheHinduconceptsofkarmaordharmathanasadivine
object.[9]TheTaoismorecommonlyexpressedintherelationshipbetweenwu(voidoremptiness,inthesenseof
wuji)andyinyang(thenaturaldynamicbalancebetweenopposites),leadingtoitscentralprincipleofwuwei(non
action,oractionwithoutforce).
TheTaoisusuallydescribedintermsofelementsofnature,andinparticularassimilartowater.Likewateritis
undifferentiated,endlesslyselfreplenishing,softandquietbutimmenselypowerful,andimpassivelygenerous.[10]
MuchofTaoistphilosophycentersonthecyclicalcontinuityofthenaturalworld,anditscontrasttothelinear,
goalorientedactionsofhumanbeings.
Inallitsuses,theTaoisconsideredtohaveineffablequalitiesthatpreventitfrombeingdefinedorexpressedin
words.Itcan,however,beknownorexperienced,anditsprinciples(whichcanbediscernedbyobservingNature)
canbefollowedorpracticed.MuchofEastAsianphilosophicalwritingfocusesonthevalueofadheringtothe
principlesoftheTaoandthevariousconsequencesoffailingtodoso.
TheTaowassharedwithConfucianism,ChnandZenBuddhismandmorebroadlythroughoutEastAsian
philosophyandreligioningeneral.InTaoism,ChineseBuddhismandConfucianism,theobjectofspiritual
practiceisto'becomeonewiththeTao'(TaoTeChing)ortoharmoniseone'swillwithNature(cf.Stoicism)in
ordertoachieve'effortlessaction'(Wuwei).Thisinvolvesmeditativeandmoralpractices.Importantinthisrespect
istheTaoistconceptofDe(virtue).InConfucianismandreligiousformsofTaoism,theseareoftenexplicitly
moral/ethicalargumentsaboutproperbehavior,whileBuddhismandmorephilosophicalformsofTaoismusually
refertothenaturalandmercurialoutcomesofaction(comparabletokarma).TheTaoisintrinsicallyrelatedtothe
conceptsyinandyang(pinyin:ynyng),whereeveryactioncreatescounteractionsasunavoidablemovements
withinmanifestationsoftheTao,andproperpracticevariouslyinvolvesaccepting,conformingto,orworkingwith
thesenaturaldevelopments.

De
De("powervirtueintegrity")isthetermgenerallyusedtorefertoproperadherencetotheTaoDeisthe
activelivingorcultivationoftheway.[11]Particularthings(thingswithnames)thatmanifestfromtheTaohave
theirowninnernaturethattheyfollow,inaccordancewiththeTao,andthefollowingofthisinnernatureisDe.
Wuwei(Pinyin:wwi)or'naturalness'arecontingentonunderstandingandconformingtothisinnernature,
whichisinterpretedvariouslyfromapersonal,individualnaturetoamoregeneralizednotionofhumannature
withinthegreaterUniverse.[12]
Historically,theconceptofDedifferedsignificantlybetweenTaoistsandConfucianists.Confucianismwaslargely
amoralsystememphasizingthevaluesofhumaneness,righteousness,andfilialduty,andsoconceivedDeinterms
ofobediencetorigorouslydefinedandcodifiedsocialrules.Taoiststookabroader,morenaturalistic/metaphysical
viewontherelationshipbetweenhumankindandtheUniverse,andconsideredsocialrulestobeatbesta
derivativereflectionofthenaturalandspontaneousinteractionsbetweenpeople,andatworstcalcifiedstructure
thatinhibitednaturalnessandcreatedconflict.Thisledtosomephilosophicalandpoliticalconflictsbetween
TaoistsandConfucianisms.SeveralsectionsoftheworksattributedtoChuangTzuarededicatedtocritiquesofthe
failuresofConfucianism.

Religious,philosophical,andculturalinterpretations
Taoistinterpretations
[Tao]meansaroad,path,wayandhence,thewayinwhichonedoessomethingmethod,doctrine,
principle.TheWayofHeaven,forexample,isruthlesswhenautumncomes'noleafissparedbecause
ofitsbeauty,noflowerbecauseofitsfragrance'.TheWayofManmeans,amongotherthings,
procreationandeunuchsaresaidtobe'farfromtheWayofMan'.ChuTaois'thewaytobea
monarch',i.e.theartofruling.Eachschoolofphilosophyhasitstao,itsdoctrineofthewayinwhich
lifeshouldbeordered.Finallyinaparticularschoolofphilosophywhosefollowerscametobecalled
Taoists,taomeant'thewaytheuniverseworks'andultimatelysomethingverylikeGod,inthemore
abstractandphilosophicalsenseofthatterm.[13]
TheTaoiswhatgivesTaoismitsEnglishname,inbothitsphilosophicalandreligiousforms.TheTaoisthe
fundamentalandcentralconceptoftheseschoolsofthought.TaoismperceivestheTaoasanaturalorder
underlyingthesubstanceandactivityoftheUniverse.Languageandthe"naming"oftheTaoisregarded
negativelywithinTaoismtheTaofundamentallyexistsandoperatesoutsidetherealmofdifferentiationand
linguisticconstraints.[14]
Diversityofviews
TheTaocausesthepeopletobefullyinaccordwiththeruler.
SunTzu,ArtofWar
ThereisnosingleorthodoxTaoistviewoftheTao.AllformsofTaoismcenteraroundTaoandDe,butthereisa
broadvarietyofdistinctinterpretationsamongsectsandevenindividualswithinthesamesect.Despitethis
diversity,therearesomeclear,commonpatternsandtrendswithinTaoismanditsbranches.[15]

ThediversityofTaoistinterpretationsoftheTaocanbeseenacrossfourtextsrepresentativeofmajorstreamsof
thoughtwithinTaoism.AllfourtextsareusedinmodernTaoismwithvaryingacceptanceandemphasisamong
sects.TheTaoTeChingistheoldesttextandrepresentativeofaspeculativeandphilosophicalapproachtotheTao.
TheTaoT'iLunisaneighthcenturyexegesisoftheTaoTeChing,writtenfromawelleducatedandreligious
viewpoint,thatrepresentsthetraditionalscholarlyperspective.ThedevotionalperspectiveoftheTaoisexpressed
intheCh'ingChingChing,aliturgicaltextthatwasoriginallycomposedduringtheHandynastyandisusedasa
hymnalinreligiousTaoism,especiallyamongeremites.TheZhuangzi(alsospelledChuangTzu)usesliterary
devicessuchastales,allegories,andnarrativestorelatetheTaotothereader,illustratingametaphoricalmethodof
viewingandexpressingtheTao.[16]
TheformsandvariationsofreligiousTaoismareincrediblydiverse.They
integrateabroadspectrumofacademic,ritualistic,supernatural,
devotional,literary,andfolkpracticeswithamultitudeofresults.
BuddhismandConfucianismparticularlyaffectedthewaymanysectsof
Taoismframed,approached,andperceivedtheTao.Themultitudinous
branchesofreligiousTaoismaccordinglyregardtheTao,andinterpret
writingsaboutit,ininnumerableways.Thus,outsideofafewbroad
similarities,itisdifficulttoprovideanaccurateyetclearsummaryoftheir
interpretationoftheTao.[17]
AcentraltenetwithinmostvarietiesofreligiousTaoismisthattheTaois
everpresent,butmustbemanifested,cultivated,and/orperfectedinorder
toberealized.ItisthesourceoftheUniverseandtheseedofitsprimordial
purityresidesinallthings.ThemanifestationoftheTaoisDe,which
rectifiesandinvigoratestheworldwiththeTao'sradiance.[15]
Alternatively,philosophicalTaoismregardstheTaoasanonreligious
conceptitisnotadeitytobeworshiped,norisitamysticalAbsolutein
thereligioussenseoftheHinduBrahman.JosephWuremarkedofthis
ATaoistmonkpracticingChinese
conceptionoftheTao,"Daoisnotreligiouslyavailablenorisiteven
calligraphywithwateronstone.
religiouslyrelevant."ThewritingsofLaoTzuandChangTzuaretinged
Watercalligraphy,likesand
withesoterictonesandapproachhumanismandnaturalismas
mandalas,evokestheephemeral
[18]
natureofphysicalreality.
paradoxes. Incontrasttotheesotericismtypicallyfoundinreligious
systems,theTaoisnottranscendenttotheselfnorismysticalattainmentan
escapefromtheworldinphilosophicalTaoism.TheselfsteepedintheTaoistheselfgroundedinitsplacewithin
thenaturalUniverse.ApersondwellingwithintheTaoexcelsinthemselvesandtheiractivities.[19]
However,thisdistinctioniscomplicatedbyhermeneutic(interpretive)difficultiesinthecategorizationofTaoist
schools,sectsandmovements.[20]SomescholarsbelievethatthereisnodistinctionbetweenDaojiaand
Daojiao.[21]AccordingtoKirkland,"mostscholarswhohaveseriouslystudiedDaoism,bothinAsiaandtheWest,
havefinallyabandonedthesimplisticdichotomyofDojiandDojio,'philosophicalDaoism'and'religious
Daoism.'"[22]

Confucianinterpretations
TheDao,orWay,ofConfuciuscanbesaidtobe'Truth'.ConfucianismregardstheWay,orTruth,asconcordant
withaparticularapproachtolife,politics,andtradition.ItisheldasequallynecessaryandwellregardedasDe
(virtue)andren(humanity).Confuciuspresentsahumanistic'Dao'.Heonlyrarelyspeaksofthet'ienDao(Wayof

Heaven).AninfluentialearlyConfucian,HsiinTzu,explicitlynotedthiscontrast.Thoughheacknowledgedthe
existenceandcelestialimportanceoftheWayofHeaven,heinsistedthattheDaoprincipallyconcernshuman
affairs.[23]
AsaformalreligiousconceptinConfucianism,DaoistheAbsolutetowardswhichthefaithfulmove.In
Zhongyong(TheDoctrineoftheMean),harmonywiththeAbsoluteisequivalenttointegrityandsincerity.The
GreatLearningexpandsonthisconceptexplainingthattheWayilluminatesvirtue,improvesthepeople,and
resideswithinthepurestmorality.DuringtheTangdynasty,HanYufurtherformalizedanddefinedConfucian
beliefsasanapologeticresponsetoBuddhism.HeemphasizedtheethicsoftheWay.Heexplicitlypaired'Dao'and
'De',focusingonhumanenatureandrighteousness.Healsoframedandelaboratedona"dotng"(traditionofthe
Way)inordertorejectthetraditionsofBuddhism.[23]

Buddhistinterpretations
BuddhismfirststartedtospreadinChinaduringthefirstcenturyADandwasexperiencingagoldenageofgrowth
andmaturationbythefourthcenturyAD.HundredsofcollectionsofPaliandSanskrittextsweretranslatedinto
ChinesebyBuddhistmonkswithinashortperiodoftime.Dhyanawastranslatedasch'an(andlateraszen),giving
ZenBuddhismitsname.TheuseofChineseconcepts,suchasDao,thatwereclosetoBuddhistideasandterms
helpedspreadthereligionandmakeitmoreamenabletotheChinesepeople.However,thedifferencesbetweenthe
SanskritandChineseterminologyleadtosomeinitialmisunderstandingsandtheeventualdevelopmentofEast
AsianBuddhismasadistinctentity.Aspartofthisprocess,manyChinesewordsintroducedtheirrichsemantic
andphilosophicalassociationsintoBuddhism,includingtheuseof'Dao'forcentralconceptsandtenetsof
Buddhism.[24]
PaichangHuaihaitoldastudentwhowasgrapplingwithdifficultportionsofsuttas,"Takeupwordsinorderto
manifestmeaningandyou'llobtain'meaning'.Cutoffwordsandmeaningisemptiness.EmptinessistheDao.The
Daoiscuttingoffwordsandspeech."Ch'an(Zen)BuddhistsregardtheDaoassynonymouswithboththe
BuddhistPath(marga)andtheresultsofittheEightfoldPathandBuddhistenlightenment(satori).Paichang's
statementplaysuponthisusageinthecontextofthefluidandvariedChineseusageof'Dao'.Wordsandmeaning
areusedtorefertoritualsandpractice.The'emptiness'referstotheBuddhistconceptofsunyata.FindingtheDao
andBuddhanatureisnotsimplyamatterofformulations,butanactiveresponsetotheFourNobleTruthsthat
cannotbefullyexpressedorconveyedinwordsandconcreteassociations.Theuseof'Dao'inthiscontextrefersto
theliteral'way'ofBuddhism,thereturntotheuniversalsource,dharma,propermeditation,andnirvana,among
otherassociations.'Dao'iscommonlyusedinthisfashionbyChineseBuddhists,heavywithassociationsand
nuancedmeanings.[25]

NeoConfucianinterpretations
DuringtheSongdynasty,NeoConfuciansregardedDaoasthepurestthinginitself.ShaoYongregardedtheDao
astheoriginofheaven,earth,andeverythingwithinthem.Incontrast,ZhangZaipresentedavitalisticDaothat
wasthefundamentalcomponentoreffectofch'i,themotiveenergybehindlifeandtheworld.Anumberoflater
scholarsadoptedthisinterpretation,suchasTaiChenduringtheQingDynasty.[23]
ZhuXi,ChengHo,andChengYiperceivedtheDaointhecontextofli(Principle)andt'ienli(thePrincipleof
Heaven).ChengHaoregardedthefundamentalmatterofli,andthusDao,tobehumaneness.Developing
compassion,altruism,andotherhumanevirtuesisthefollowingoftheWay.ChengYifollowedthisinterpretation,
elaboratingonthisperspectiveofDaothroughteachingsaboutyinyanginteractions,thecultivationand
preservationoflifeandtheaxiomofamorallyjustuniverse.[23]

Intotal,theDaoisequatedwiththeAbsolute.WangFuzhiexpressedtheDaoasthetaichi,TheGreatUltimate,as
wellastheroadleadingtoit.NothingexistsapartfromthePrincipleofHeaveninNeoConfucianism.TheWayis
containedwithinallthings.Thus,thereligiouslifeisnotaneliteorspecialjourneyforNeoConfucians.The
normal,mundanelifeisthepaththatleadstotheAbsolute,becausetheAbsoluteiscontainedwithinthemundane
objectsandeventsofdailylife.[23]

ChristianInterpretations
NotedChristianauthorC.S.LewisusedthewordTaotodescribe"thedoctrineofobjectivevalue,thebeliefthat
certainattitudesarereallytrue,andothersreallyfalse,thekindofthingtheUniverseisandthekindofthingswe
are."[26]Heassertedthateveryreligionandphilosophycontainsfoundationsofuniversalethicsasanattemptto
lineupwiththeTaothewaymankindwasdesignedtobe.InLewis'thinking,GodcreatedtheTaoandfully
displayeditthroughthepersonofJesusChrist.Christianity,then,wouldbethepaththatlineshumanbeingsup
withtheTaomosteffectively.
AlsotheGreekwordusedinN.T.fortheWayis(hodos).HeretheWayreferstothepathofrighteousness
andsalvationasrevealedthroughChrist.
InChinesetranslationsoftheNewTestament,(logos)istranslatedwiththeChineseworddao()(e.g.
John1:1),indicatingthatthetranslatorsconsideredtheconceptofTaotobesomewhatequivalenttologosin
Greekphilosophy.

Linguisticaspects
ThetermdaoisanalyzableintermsofChinesecharacters,alternatedo"way"ordo"guide"pronunciations
andmeanings,apossibleProtoIndoEuropeanetymology,andloanwordssuchasEnglishDaoordao.

Characters
DaoiswrittenwiththeChinesecharacterinbothTraditionalChinese
andSimplifiedChinese.IttypifiesthemostcommonChinesecharacter
classificationof"radicalphonetic"or"phonosemantic"graphs,which
compounda"radical"or"signific"(roughlyprovidingsemantic
information)witha"phonetic"(suggestingancientpronunciation).
Daographicallycombinesthechuo(or)"go"radicalandshou
"head"phonetic.Furthermore,daoisthephoneticelementindao
"guidelead"(withthecun"thumbhand"radical)anddao"atree
name"(withthemu"treewood"radical).
Bronzescriptfordao

Thetraditionalinterpretationofthecharacter,datingbacktothe(121
CE)ShuowenJiezidictionary,wasararehuiyi"compoundideogram"
or"ideogrammiccompound".Thecombinationofchuo"go"andshou"head"(numbers162and185inthe
Kangxiradicals)signifieda"headgoing"or"toleadtheway".
Daoisgraphicallydistinguishedbetweenitsearliestnominalmeaningofdao"wayroadpath"andthelater
verbalsenseof"say".Itshouldalsobecontrastedwithdao"leadthewayguideconductdirect".The
Simplifiedcharacterfordaohassi"6thofthe12EarthlyBranches"inplaceofdao.

Theearliestwrittenformsofdaoarebronzewarescriptandsealscript
charactersfromZhouDynasty(1045256BCE)bronzesandwritings.
Theseancientdaocharactersmoreclearlydepicttheshou"head"
elementashairaboveaface.Somevariantsinterchangethechuo"go
advance"radicalwiththexing"goroad"radical,withtheoriginal
bronze"crossroads"depictionwritteninthesealcharacterwithtwoand
"footprints".
Bronzescriptsfordaooccasionallyincludeanelementofshou
"hand"orcun"thumbhand",whichoccursindao"lead".The
linguistPeterA.Boodbergexplained,
This"taowiththehandelement"isusuallyidentifiedwiththe
moderncharactertao<d'g,"tolead,""guide,""conduct,"
andconsideredtobeaderivativeorverbalcognateofthenoun
tao,"way,""path."Theevidencejustsummarizedwould
indicateratherthat"taowiththehand"isbutavariantofthe
basictaoandthattheworditselfcombinedbothnominaland
verbalaspectsoftheetymon.Thisissupportedbytextual
examplesoftheuseoftheprimarytaointheverbalsense"to
lead"(e.g.,Analects1.52.8)andseriouslyunderminesthe
unspokenassumptionimpliedinthecommontranslationof
Taoas"way"thattheconceptisessentiallyanominalone.Tao
wouldseem,then,tobeetymologicallyamoredynamic
conceptthanwehavemadeittranslationwise.Itwouldbe
moreappropriatelyrenderedby"leadway"and"lode"("way,"
"course,""journey,""leading,""guidance"cf."lodestone"and
"lodestar"),thesomewhatobsolescentdeverbalnounfrom"to
lead."[27]

Largesealscriptfordao

Smallsealscriptfordao

TheseConfucianAnalectscitationsofdaoverballymeaning"toguidetolead"are:"TheMastersaid,'Inguidinga
stateofathousandchariots,approachyourdutieswithreverenceandbetrustworthyinwhatyousay"and"The
Mastersaid,'Guidethembyedicts,keeptheminlinewithpunishments,andthecommonpeoplewillstayoutof
troublebutwillhavenosenseofshame."[28]

Pronunciations
InModernStandardChinese,dao'spronunciationsaretonallydifferentiatedbetween4thfallingtonedo"way
path"and3rddippingtonedo(usuallywritten)"guidelead".
Besidesthesecommon4thand3rdtonalspecificationsdo"way"anddo(or)"guide",hasarare1st
leveltonedopronunciationintheregionalidiomaticexpressionshnshendodo"oddbizarre".This
reduplicationofshen"spiritgod"anddaooccursinNortheastChinaspeech.
InMiddleChinese(ca.6th10thcenturiesCE)tonenamecategories,and/werequsheng"departing
tone"andshangsheng"risingtone".HistoricallinguistshavereconstructedMiddle"way"and"guide"
asd'uandd'u:(BernhardKarlgren),[29]dauanddau(ZhouFagao),[30]daw'anddawh(EdwinG.Pulleyblank,
"EarlyMiddle"),[31]dawXanddaws(WilliamH.Baxter),[32]andduBandduC(AxelSchuessler).[33]

InOldChinese(ca.7th3rdcenturiesBCE)pronunciations,reconstructionsfor"way"and/"guide"are
*d'g(Karlgren),*dw(Zhou),*dgwxand*dgwh(LiFanggui),[34]*lu(Baxter),and*land*lh
(Schuessler).

Meanings
Theworddaohasmanymeanings.Forexample,theChineseHanyuDaZidiandictionarydefines39meanings
fordo"waypath"and6fordo()"guidelead".[35]
JohnDeFrancis'sexemplaryChineseEnglishdictionarygivestwelvemeaningsfordo"waypathsay",three
fordo(or)"guidelead",andonefordoinan"odd,bizarre"idiomaticexpression.Notethatbrackets
clarifyabbreviationsandellipsismarksomittedusageexamples.
2doN.[noun]roadpathM.[nominalmeasureword](forrivers/topics/etc.)(foracourse

(offood)astreak(oflight)etc.)V.[verb]sayspeaktalk(introducingdirectquote,novelstyle)
thinksupposeB.F.[boundform,boundmorpheme]channelwayreasonprinciple
doctrineDaoismlinehist.[history]districtcircuitcanalpassagetubesay(polite
words)Seealso4do,4do
4do/[/]B.F.[boundform]guideleadtransmitconductinstructdirect
4doinshnshendodoR.F.[reduplicatedform]topo.[topolect,nonMandarin

"dialect"]oddfantasticbizarre[36]

Etymologies
Theetymologicallinguisticoriginsofdao"waypath"dependuponitsOldChinesepronunciation,whichscholars
havetentativelyreconstructedas*d'g,*dgwx,*dw,*lu,and*l.
Boodbergnotedthattheshou"head"phoneticinthedaocharacterwasnotmerelyphoneticbut"etymonic",
analogouswithEnglishtoheadmeaning"tolead"and"totendinacertaindirection,""ahead,""headway".
Paronomastically,taoisequatedwithitshomonymtao<d'g,"totrample,""tread,"andfromthat
pointofviewitisnothingmorethana"treadway,""headtread,"or"foretread"itisalsooccasionally
associatedwithanearsynonym(andpossiblecognate)ti<d'ik,"followaroad,""goalong,"
"lead,""direct""pursuetherightpath"atermwithdefiniteethicalovertonesandagraphwithan
exceedinglyinterestingphonetic,yu<djg,""toproceedfrom."ThereappearanceofC162[]
"walk"intiwiththesupportofC157[]"foot"intao,"totrample,""tread,"shouldperhapsserveus
asawarningnottooveremphasizetheheadworkingfunctionsimpliedintaoinpreferencetothoseof
thelowerextremities.[37]
VictorH.MairproposesaProtoIndoEuropeanetymologyfordao,supportedbynumerouscognatesinIndo
Europeanlanguages,andsemanticallysimilarArabicandHebrewwords.
ThearchaicpronunciationofTaosoundedapproximatelylikedrogordorg.ThislinksittotheProto
IndoEuropeanrootdrogh(torunalong)andIndoEuropeandhorg(way,movement).Relatedwords
inafewmodernIndoEuropeanlanguagesareRussiandoroga(way,road),Polishdroga(way,road),

Czechdrha(way,track),SerboCroatiandraga(paththroughavalley),andNorwegiandialectdrog
(trailofanimalsvalley)..ThenearestSanskrit(OldIndian)cognatestoTao(drog)aredhrajas
(course,motion)anddhraj(course).ThemostcloselyrelatedEnglishwordsare"track"and"trek",
while"trail"and"tract"arederivedfromothercognateIndoEuropeanroots.FollowingtheWay,then,
islikegoingonacosmictrek.EvenmoreunexpectedthanthepanoplyofIndoEuropeancognatesfor
Tao(drog)istheHebrewrootdrgforthesamewordandArabictrq,whichyieldswordsmeaning
"track,path,way,wayofdoingthings"andisimportantinIslamicphilosophicaldiscourse.[38]
AxelSchuessler'setymologicaldictionarypresentstwopossibilitiesforthetonalmorphologyofdo"road
waymethod"<MiddleChineseduB<OldChinese*landdoor"togoalongbringalongconduct
explaintalkabout"<MiddleduC<Old*lh.[39]Eitherdo"thethingwhichisdoingtheconducting"isa
ToneB(shangsheng"risingtone")"endoactivenoun"derivationfromdo"conduct",ordoisaLater
OldChinese(WarringStatesperiod)"generaltoneC"(qusheng"departingtone")derivationfromdo
"way".[40]Forapossibleetymologicalconnection,SchuesslernotestheancientFangyandictionarydefinesyu<
*lokhandlu<*luasEasternQiStatedialectalwordsmeaningdo<*l"road".

Loanwords
ManylanguageshaveborrowedandadaptedChinesedao"theway"asaloanword.
InChinese,thischaracterispronouncedasCantonesedou6andTaiwaneseto7.InSinoXeniclanguages,is
pronouncedasJapanesed,t,ormichiKoreandoortoandVietnameseo,do,ornho.
Since1982,whentheInternationalOrganizationforStandardizationadoptedPinyinasthestandardromanization
ofChinese,manyWesternlanguageshavechangedfromspellingthisloanwordtaoinnationalsystems(e.g.,
FrenchEFEOChinesetranscriptionandEnglishWadeGiles)todaoinPinyin.
Thetao/dao"theway"EnglishwordofChineseoriginhasthreemeanings,accordingtotheOxfordEnglish
Dictionary.
1.a.InTaoism,anabsoluteentitywhichisthesourceoftheuniversethewayinwhichthisabsolute
entityfunctions.
1.b.=Taoism,taoist
2.InConfucianismandinextendeduses,thewaytobefollowed,therightconductdoctrineor
method.
TheearliestrecordedusageswereTao(1736),Tau(1747),Taou(1831),andDao(1971).
Aderivative,Daoshi(Chinese:,"Daoistpriest"),wasusedalreadybytheJesuitsMatteoRicciandNicolas
TrigaultintheirDeChristianaexpeditioneapudSinas,renderedasTausuintheoriginalLatinedition(1615),[41]
andTausainanearlyEnglishtranslationpublishedbySamuelPurchas(1625).[42]

Seealso
DaoismTaoismromanizationissue
Dharma
Logos

LookupinWiktionary,
thefreedictionary.

Fard
Rta
God
Absolute(philosophy)

Lookuptaoin
Wiktionary,thefree
dictionary.

Notes
1.TaoTeChing,Chapter1."ItisfromtheunnamedTao
ThatHeavenandEarthsprang
Thenamedisbut
TheMotherofthetenthousandcreatures."
2.IChing,TaChuan(GreatTreatise)."Thekindmandiscoversitandcallsitkind
thewisemandiscoversitandcallsitwise
thecommonpeopleuseiteveryday
andarenotawareofit."

Citations
1.DeFrancis(1996)p.113
2.LaFargue(1992),pp.2457.
3.Chan(1963)p.136
4.Hansen(2000),p.206.
5.Liu(1981),pp.13.
6.Liu(1981),pp.23.
7.Cane(2002),p.13.
8.Keller(2003),p.289.
9.LaFargue(1994)p.283.
10.Waterissoftandflexible,yetpossessesanimmense
powertoovercomeobstaclesandalterlandscapes,even
carvingcanyonswithitsslowandsteadypersistence.It
isviewedasareflectionof,orcloseinactionto,the
Tao.TheTaoisoftenexpressedasaseaorfloodthat
cannotbedammedordenied.Itflowsaroundandover
obstacleslikewater,settinganexampleforthosewho
wishtoliveinaccordwithit.Ch'engandCheng(1991),
pp.1757.
11.Maspero(1981),p.32.
12.Bodde&Fung(1997),pp.99101.
13.ArthurWaley,Thewayanditspower:astudyofthe
TaotchinganditsplaceinChinesethought(Grove
Press,1958).ISBN0802150853
14.Kohn(1993),p.11.
15.Kohn(1993),pp.1112.
16.Kohn(1993),p.12.
17.Fowler(2005),pp.57.
18.Moeller(2006)pp.133145.
19.Fowler(2005),pp.56.
20.Mair(2001)p.174
21.Robinet(1997),p.3.
22.Kirkland(2004)p.2.
23.Taylor&Choy(2005),p.589.
24.Dumoulin(2005),pp.6365.
25.Hershock(1996),pp.6770.
26.Lewis,C.S.,TheAbolitionofManpg18
27.Boodberg(1957),p.599

28.1.5and2.8,tr.Lau(1979),p.59andp.63.
29.Karlgren(1957).
30.Zhou(1972).
31.Pulleyblank(1991).
32.Baxter(1992).
33.Schuessler(2007).
34.Li(1971).
35.HanyuDaZidian(1989),pp.38643866.
36.DeFrancis(2007),pp.172,829.
37.Boodberg(1957),p.602.
38.Mair(1990),p.132.
39.Schuessler(2007),p.207
40.Schuessler(2007),p.48and41.
41.DeChristianaexpeditioneapudSinassusceptaab
SocietateJesu(https://books.google.com/books?id=iLs
WAAAAQAAJ),BookOne,Chapter10,p.125.Quote:
"sectariiquidamTausuvocant".Chineseglossin
PasqualeM.d'Elia,MatteoRicci.Fontiricciane:
documentioriginaliconcernentiMatteoRiccielastoria
delleprimerelazionitral'EuropaelaCina(1579
1615),LibreriadelloStato,1942canbefoundby
searchingfor"tausu"at
https://books.google.com/books?
id=zRw8AAAAMAAJ.LouisJ.Gallagher(Chinain
theSixteenthCentury:TheJournalsofMatteoRicci
1953),apparentlyhasatypo(TaufuinsteadofTausu)in
thetextofhistranslationofthisline(p.102),andTausi
intheindex(p.615)

42.AdiscourseoftheKingdomeofChina,takenoutof
RiciusandTrigautius,containingthecountrey,people,
government,religion,rites,sects,characters,studies,
arts,actsandaMapofChinaadded,drawneoutof
onetheremadewithAnnotationsfortheunderstanding
thereof(excerptsfromDeChristianaexpeditioneapud
Sinas,inEnglishtranslation)inPurchashisPilgrimes,
VolumeXII,p.461(1625).Quote:"...Lauzu...leftno
BookesofhisOpinion,norseemestohaveintended
anynewSect,butcertaineSectaries,calledTausa,made
himtheheadoftheirsectafterhisdeath..."Canbe
foundinthefulltextof"Hakluytusposthumus"(http
s://archive.org/stream/hakluytusposthu14purcgoog/hakl
uytusposthu14purcgoog_djvu.txt)onarchive.org.The
bookalsoappearsonGoogleBooks(https://books.goog
le.com/books?id=wrBAXK9wOnUC),butonlyin
snippetview.

Bibliography
Baxter,WilliamH.AHandbookofOldChinesePhonology(MoutondeGruyter,1992).
Bodde,Derk&Fung,YuLan.AshorthistoryofChinesephilosophy(SimonandSchuster,1997).ISBN0
684836343.
Boodberg,PeterA."PhilologicalNotesonChapterOneoftheLaoTzu"(HarvardJournalofAsiaticStudies,
1957,20:598618).
Cane,EulalioPaul.Harmony:RadicalTaoismGentlyApplied(TraffordPublishing,2002).ISBN14122
47780.
Chang,Dr.StephenT.TheGreatTao.TaoPublishing,imprintofTaoLongevityLLC.1985.ISBN0
942196015.
Ch'eng,ChungYing&Cheng,Zhongying.NewdimensionsofConfucianandNeoConfucianphilosophy
(SUNYPress,1991).ISBN0791402835.
ChanWingtsit.ASourceBookinChinesePhilosophy(Princeton,1963).ISBN0691019649.
DeFrancis,John(ed.).ABCChineseEnglishDictionary:AlphabeticallyBasedComputerized(ABCChinese
Dictionary)(UniversityofHawaiiPress,1996).ISBN0824817443.
DeFrancis,John,(ed.).ABCChineseEnglishComprehensiveDictionary.(UniversityofHawaiiPress,
2003).
Dumoulin,Henrik(Heisig,James&Knitter,Paultr.).ZenBuddhism:aHistory:IndiaandChina(World
Wisdom,2005).ISBN0941532895.
Fowler,Jeaneane.AnintroductiontothephilosophyandreligionofTaoism:pathwaystoimmortality
(SussexAcademicPress,2005).ISBN1845190858.
Hansen,ChadD.ADaoistTheoryofChineseThought:APhilosophicalInterpretation(OxfordUniversity
Press,2000).ISBN0195134192.
Hershock,Peter.Liberatingintimacy:enlightenmentandsocialvirtuosityinCh'anBuddhism(SUNYPress,
1996).ISBN0791429814.
Karlgren,Bernhard.GrammataSericaRecensa(MuseumofFarEasternAntiquities,1957).
Keller,Catherine.TheFaceoftheDeep:ATheologyofBecoming(Routledge,2003).ISBN0415256488.
Kirkland,Russell.Taoism:TheEnduringTradition(Routledge,2004).ISBN9780415263214
Kohn,Livia.TheTaoistexperience(SUNYPress,1993).ISBN0791415791.
Komjathy,Louis.HandbooksforDaoistPractice.10vols.HongKong:YuenYuenInstitute,2008.
LaFargue,Michael.TaoandMethod:AReasonedApproachtotheTaoTeChing(SUNYPress,1994)ISBN
0791416011.
LaFargue,Michael.ThetaooftheTaoteching:atranslationandcommentary(SUNYPress,1992).ISBN
0791409864.
Lau,D.C.,tr.TheAnalects(Lunyu),(Penguin,1979).

LiFanggui.Shangguyinyanjiu(TsinghuaJournalofChineseStudies1971,9:161).
(Chinese)

Liu,Da.TheTaoandChineseculture(Taylor&Francis,1981).ISBN0710008414.
Mair,VictorH.TaoTeChing:TheClassicBookofIntegrityandtheWay,byLaoTzuanentirelynew
translationbasedontherecentlydiscoveredMawangtuimanuscripts(BantamBooks,1990).
Martinson,PaulVaro.Atheologyofworldreligions:InterpretingGod,self,andworldinSemitic,Indian,
andChinesethought(AugsburgPublishingHouse,1987).ISBN0806622539.
Maspero,Henri.TranslatedbyFrankA.Kierman,Jr.TaoismandChineseReligion(Universityof
MassachusettsPress,1981).ISBN0870233084.
Moeller,HansGeorg.ThePhilosophyoftheDaodejing.(ColumbiaUniversityPress,2006).ISBN0231
13679X.
Pulleyblank,E.G."LexiconofReconstructedPronunciationinEarlyMiddleChinese,LateMiddleChinese,
andEarlyMandarin"(UBCPress,1991).
Schuessler,Axel.ABCEtymologicalDictionaryofOldChinese(https://books.google.com/books?id=nIvqA
C7FNBQC)(UniversityofHawaiiPress,2007).
Sharot,Stephen.AComparativeSociologyofWorldReligions:virtuosos,priests,andpopularreligion(New
York:NYUPress,2001).ISBN0814798055.
Taylor,RodneyLeon&Choy,HowardYuenFung.TheIllustratedEncyclopediaofConfucianism:NZ,
Volume2ofTheIllustratedEncyclopediaofConfucianism(RosenPublishingGroup,2005).ISBN08239
40810.
Watts,AlanWilson.Tao:TheWatercourseWaywithAlChungliangHuang(Pantheon,1977).ISBN0394
733118.
ZhouFagao."ShangguHanyuheHanZangyu"(JournaloftheInstituteof
ChineseStudiesoftheChineseUniversityofHongKong19725:159244).(Chinese)

Furtherreading
[1](http://taoism.net/tao/)TranslationoftheTaoteChingbyDerekLin
http://ctext.org/daodejingTranslationoftheDaodeJingbyJamesLegge
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/216LeggetranslationoftheTaoTehKingatProjectGutenberg
GiaFuFeng&JaneEnglish(translators).1972.Laozi/DaoDeJing.NewYork:VintageBooks.
Komjathy,Louis.HandbooksforDaoistPractice.10vols.HongKong:YuenYuenInstitute,2008.
Robinet,Isabelle.Taoism:GrowthofaReligion(Stanford:StanfordUniversityPress,1997[originalFrench
1992])page14,20.ISBN0804728399.
DaoentryfromCenterforDaoistStudies(http://www.daoistcenter.org/dao.html)
TheTaoofPhysics,FritjofCapra,1975
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tao&oldid=745934817"
Categories: Taoism Taoistcosmology Chinesewordsandphrases Chinesephilosophy
Thispagewaslastmodifiedon24October2016,at07:37.
TextisavailableundertheCreativeCommonsAttributionShareAlikeLicenseadditionaltermsmayapply.
Byusingthissite,youagreetotheTermsofUseandPrivacyPolicy.Wikipediaisaregisteredtrademark
oftheWikimediaFoundation,Inc.,anonprofitorganization.