The written style is laconic, has few grammatical particles, and encourages varied, contradictory interpretations. It has two parts, the Tao Ching ( 道經 chapters 1–37) and the Te Ching ( 德經 chapters 38–81), which may have been edited together into the received text, possibly reversed from an original Te Tao Ching. There is some evidence that the chapter divisions were later additions-for commentary, or as aids to rote memorization-and that the original text was more fluidly organized. The Tao Te Ching is a short text of around 5,000 Chinese characters in 81 brief chapters or sections ( 章). Known versions and commentaries date back two millennia, including ancient bamboo, silk, and paper manuscripts discovered in the twentieth century. The Tao Te Ching has a long and complex textual history.
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Other titles of the work include the honorific " Sutra (or "Perfect Scripture") of the Way and Its Power" ( Daode Zhenjing) and the descriptive "5,000- Character Classic" ( Wuqian Wen). The title "Daodejing", with its status as a classic, was only first applied from the reign of Emperor Jing of Han (157–141 BC) onward. As such, the Tao Te Ching is also sometimes referred to as the Laozi, especially in Chinese sources. Īncient Chinese books were commonly referenced by the name of their real or supposed author, in this case the "Old Master", Laozi. It has also been translated as The Tao and its Characteristics, The Canon of Reason and Virtue, The Classic Book of Integrity and the Way, and A Treatise on the Principle and Its Action. Thus, the Tao Te Ching can be translated as The Classic of the Way's Virtue(s), The Book of the Tao and Its Virtue, or The Book of the Way and of Virtue. The first character can be considered to modify the second or can be understood as standing alongside it in modifying the third. 經 ( Chinese: 经 pinyin: jīng Wade–Giles: ching 1) as it is used here means "canon", "great book", or "classic". Compare the compound word 道德 ( pinyin: dàodé Wade–Giles: tao⁴-tê²), literally "ethics", "ethical principles", "morals" or "morality". The semantics of this Chinese word resemble English virtue, which developed from the Italian virtù, an archaic sense of "inner potency" or "divine power" (as in "healing virtue of a drug") to the modern meaning of "moral excellence" or "goodness". 德 ( pinyin: dé Wade–Giles: tê²) means "virtue", "personal character", "inner strength" (virtuosity), or "integrity". This term, which was variously used by other Chinese philosophers (including Confucius, Mencius, Mozi, and Hanfeizi), has special meaning within the context of Taoism, where it implies the essential, unnameable process of the universe. 道 ( pinyin: dào Wade–Giles: tao⁴) literally means "way", or one of its synonyms, but was extended to mean "the Way". The Chinese characters in the title ( simplified Chinese: 道德经 traditional Chinese: 道德經 pinyin: Dàodéjīng Wade–Giles: Tao⁴ Tê² Ching 1) are: In English, the title is commonly rendered Tao Te Ching / ˌ t aʊ t iː ˈ tʃ ɪ ŋ/, following Wade–Giles romanization, or Dao De Jing / ˌ d aʊ d ɛ ˈ dʒ ɪ ŋ/, following pinyin. 2.2 Historical authenticity of the author.Its influence has spread widely outside East Asia and it is among the most translated works in world literature. Many artists, including poets, painters, calligraphers, and gardeners, have used the Tao Te Ching as a source of inspiration. It also strongly influenced other schools of Chinese philosophy and religion, including Legalism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, which was largely interpreted through the use of Taoist words and concepts when it was originally introduced to China. The Tao Te Ching, along with the Zhuangzi, is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism.
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The oldest excavated portion dates back to the late 4th century BC, but modern scholarship dates other parts of the text as having been written-or at least compiled-later than the earliest portions of the Zhuangzi.
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The text's authorship, date of composition and date of compilation are debated. The Tao Te Ching ( UK: / ˌ t aʊ t iː ˈ tʃ ɪ ŋ/, US: / ˌ d aʊ d ɛ ˈ dʒ ɪ ŋ/ simplified Chinese: 道德经 traditional Chinese: 道德經 pinyin: Dàodé Jīng ( listen)) is a Chinese classic text traditionally credited to the 6th-century BC sage Laozi.