Tao Te Ching

This article is about the Chinese classic text. For the book by William Bennett, see The Book of Virtues.

Tao Te Ching

Ink on silk manuscript of the Tao Te Ching – from Mawangdui (2nd century BCE)
Author	Laozi (trad.)
Language	Classical Chinese
Subject	Philosophy
Publication date	4th century BCE
Publication place	China
Published in English	1868
Original text	Tao Te Ching at Chinese Wikisource
Translation	Tao Te Ching at Wikisource
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	道德經
Simplified Chinese	道德经
Literal meaning	"Classic of the Way and Virtue"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dào Dé Jing Bopomofo ㄉㄠˋ   ㄉㄜˊ   ㄐㄧㄥ Wade–Giles Tao4 Tê2 Ching4 Yale Romanization Dàu Dé Jīng IPA [tâʊ tɤ̌ tɕíŋ] ⓘ Wu Romanization Dau Teh Cin Hakka Romanization Tau4 Dêd5 Gin1 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Douh Dāk Gīng Jyutping Dou6 Dak1 Ging1 IPA [tɔw˨ tɐk̚˥ kɪŋ˥] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Tō Tek Keng Tâi-lô Tō Tik King Middle Chinese Middle Chinese DɑuX Tək̚ Keŋ Old Chinese Baxter (1992) *luʔ tɨk keng Baxter–Sagart (2014) *[kə.l]ˤuʔ tˤək k-lˤeŋ
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese	老子
Literal meaning	"The Old Master"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǎozǐ Bopomofo ㄌㄠˇㄗˇ Wade–Giles Lao3 Tzŭ3 Yale Romanization Lǎudž IPA [lǎʊ tsɹ̩̀] Wu Suzhounese Lau6-tsy3 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Lóuhjí Jyutping Lou5zi2 IPA [lɔw˩˧.tsi˧˥] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Ló-chú Tâi-lô Ló-tsú Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *C.rˤuʔ tsəʔ
Second alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	道德真經
Simplified Chinese	道德真经
Literal meaning	"Sutra of the Way and Its Power"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Dàodé Zhēnjīng Bopomofo ㄉㄠˋ ㄉㄜˊ ㄓㄣ ㄐㄧㄥ Wade–Giles Tao4> Tê2 Chên1 Ching1 Yale Romanization Dàudé Jēnjīng IPA [tâʊ tɤ̌ ʈʂə́n tɕíŋ] Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *[kə.l]ˤuʔ tˤək ti[n] k-lˤeŋ

The Tao Te Ching or Dào Dé Jīng, (traditional Chinese: 道德經; simplified Chinese: 道德经; lit. 'Classic of the Way and its Virtue') also known simply as the Laozi, is an ancient Chinese classic text traditionally credited to the sage Laozi. Central to both philosophical and religious Taoism, it has been "profoundly influential" in Chinese culture, art and medicine.

The texts' authorship and dating is debated, with several similar early versions recovered. Its oldest excavated manuscript fragments, the Guodian Chu slips, date to around the 300 BCE, the latter half of the Warring States period (475 – 221 BCE), nominally taken as a version from the fourth century BCE (400-300 BCE). While tradition places Laozi earlier, a conservative estimation would date modern versions of the text to the mid third century BCE - the late Warring States period.

Terminology originating within the text has been reinterpreted and elaborated upon by Legalist thinkers, Confucianists, and particularly through Chinese Buddhism, which arrived in China well after the formation and wide spread use of this text. First translated into French in the early nineteenth century, it is one of the most translated texts in world literature, next to the Bible.