Lao Tzu's names
Chinese name:	老子
Pinyin:	Lǎozǐ
Wade-Giles:	Lao Tzu
Other spellings:	Lao Tse, Laotse, Lao Tze, Laotze
Posthumous name:	Dān
Laozi leaves China on his water buffalo.

Laozi (Chinese: 老子; pinyin: Lǎozǐ; Wade-Giles: Lao Tzu; also Lao Tse, Laotze, Lao Zi, and in other ways) was an ancient Chinese philosopher. According to Chinese tradition, Laozi lived in the 6th century BC, however many historians contend that Laozi actually lived in the 4th century BC, which was the period of Hundred Schools of Thought and Warring States Period, while others contend he was a mythical figure.^[1] Laozi was credited with writing the seminal Taoist work, the Tao Te Ching (originally known as the Laozi). This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... A posthumous name (Traditional Chinese: 諡號/謚號 Simplified Chinese: 谥号; Pinyin: shì hào; Romaji: shigō/tsuigō; Revised Romanization of Korean: siho) is a honorary name given to royalty in some cultures posthumously, that is, after the persons death. ... This work is copyrighted. ... For the controversy at the University of Pennsylvania, see Water buffalo incident. ... Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), commonly called Pinyin, is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... Wade-Giles, sometimes abbreviated Wade, is a Romanization (phonetic notation and transliteration) system for the Chinese language based on Mandarin. ... The times before writing belong either to protohistory or to prehistory. ... The philosopher Socrates about to take poison hemlock as ordered by the court. ... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 6th century BC started on January 1, 600 BC and ended on December 31, 501 BC. // Monument 1, an Olmec colossal head at La Venta The 5th and 6th centuries BC were a time of empires, but more importantly, a time... (2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 4th century BC started on January 1, 400 BC and ended on December 31, 301 BC. // Overview Events Bust of Alexander the Great in the British Museum. ... The Hundred Schools of Thought (諸子百家 Pinyin: zhÅ« zǐ bÇŽi jiā) was an era of great cultural and intellectual expansion in China that lasted from 770 BCE to 222 BCE. Coinciding with the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and also known as the Golden Age of Chinese thought... Alternative meaning: Warring States Period (Japan) The Warring States Period (Traditional Chinese: 戰國時代; Simplified Chinese: 战国时代; Pinyin: Zhànguó Shídài) covers the period from sometime in the 5th century BC to the unification of China by the Qin in 221 BC. It is nominally considered to be the second part... Taoism is the English name referring to a variety of related Chinese religious and philosophical traditions and concepts. ... The Tao Te Ching (道德經, Pinyin: D Jīng, thus sometimes rendered in recent works as Dao De Jing; archaic pre-Wade-Giles rendering: Tao Teh Ching; roughly translated as The Book of the Way and its Virtue (see dedicated chapter below on translating the title)) is...

Taishang Laojun was a title for Laozi in the Taoist religion. It refers to One of the Three Pure Ones. For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ...

Biography

Laozi became an important cultural hero to subsequent generations of Chinese people. Ostensibly, Laozi's wise counsel attracted followers, but he refused to set his ideas down in writing, worrying that written words might solidify into formal dogma. Laozi laid down no rigid code of behavior. He believed a person's conduct should be governed by instinct and conscience. He believed "simplicity" to be the key to truth and freedom. Laozi encouraged his followers to observe, and seek to understand the laws of nature; to develop intuition and build up personal power; and to wield power with love, not force.

According to the legend and the biography included in Sima Qian's work, Laozi was a contemporary of Confucius, and worked as an archivist in the Imperial Library of the Zhou Dynasty (1122–256 BC). Hearing of Laozi's wisdom, Confucius traveled to meet him. Confucius met him in Zhou, near the location of modern Luoyang, where Confucius was going to browse the library scrolls. According to this story, Confucius and Laozi discussed ritual and propriety (cornerstones of Confucianism) over the following months. Laozi strongly opposed what he felt to be hollow practices. Taoist legend claims that these discussions proved more educational for Confucius than did the contents of the libraries. Sima Qian Si Ma Qian (司馬遷) (c. ... Confucius (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kung-fu-tzu, lit. ... Boundaries of the Western Zhou Dynasty (1050 - 771 BC) in China The Zhou Dynasty (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chou Ch`ao; 1122 BC to 256 BC (ref) followed the Shang (Yin) Dynasty and preceded the Qin Dynasty in China. ... Zhou refers to Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC - 256 BC) or Zhou state Zhou Dynasty (690 AD - 705 AD) Zhou (political division) — Zhou is the name of a political/administrative division of China. ... Luoyang (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, Peoples Republic of China. ... The image above is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

Laozi perceived that the kingdom's affairs were disintegrating, so it was time to leave. He was traveling West when he came to the Han Gu Pass, which was guarded. The keeper of the pass realized Laozi was leaving permanently, never to return, so he requested that Laozi write out some of his wisdom so that it could be preserved once he was gone, Laozi climbed down from his buffalo and immediately wrote the Tao Te Ching. He then left and was never heard of again.

According to the Taoist fables, Laozi lived for over 900 years, which would explain how he was both the senior and the contemporary of Confucius. These fables held that Laozi had been a court advisor in all of his previous twelve incarnations, starting at the time of the Fuxi, one of the Three August Ones and Five Emperors. No historical text supports these beliefs. Fu Hsi (伏羲; pinyin fú xī; Pao-hsi), was the mythical First Emperor of China. ... The Three August Ones and Five Emperors (Chinese: 三皇五帝; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: san-huang wu-ti) were mythological rulers of China during the period from c. ...

Laozi, from Myths and Legends of China (1922) by E.T.C. Werner

Lao Tzu akak Lao Zi - Project Gutenberg eText 15250 From http://www. ... Lao Tzu akak Lao Zi - Project Gutenberg eText 15250 From http://www. ...

Taoism

Laozi's work, the Tao Te Ching, is one of the most significant treatises in Chinese philosophy. It is his magnum opus, covering large areas of philosophy from individual spirituality and inter-personal dynamics to political techniques. The Tao Te Ching is said to contain 'hidden' instructions for Taoist adepts (often in the form of metaphors) relating to Taoist meditation and breathing. Magnum opus (sometimes Opus magnum, plural magna opera), from the Latin meaning great work,[1] refers to the best, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an author, artist, or composer, and most commonly one who has contributed a very large amount of material. ...

Laozi developed the concept of "Tao", often translated as "the Way", and widened its meaning to an inherent order or property of the universe: "The way Nature is". He highlighted the concept of wu wei, or "action without action". This does not mean that one should hang around and do nothing, but that one should avoid explicit intentions, strong wills or proactive initiatives. This article is about the Chinese character and the philosophy it represents. ... Wu wei (trad. ...

Laozi believed that violence should be avoided as much as possible, and that military victory should be an occasion for mourning rather than triumphant celebration.

Laozi said that the codification of laws and rules created difficulty and complexity in managing and governing.

As with most other ancient Chinese philosophers, Laozi often explains his ideas by way of paradox, analogy, appropriation of ancient sayings, repetition, symmetry, rhyme, and rhythm. The writings attributed to him are often very dense and poetic. They serve as a starting point for cosmological or introspective meditations. Many of the aesthetic theories of Chinese art are widely grounded in his ideas and those of his most famous follower Zhuang Zi. // Chinese art has varied throughout its ancient history, divided into periods by the ruling dynasties of China and changing technology, as well as influenced by great philosophers, teachers and religion. ... // The Person Zhuāng Zǐ (pinyin), Chuang Tzu (W-G), or Chuang Tse (Chinese 莊子, literally meaning Master Zhuang) was a famous philosopher in ancient China who lived around the 4th century BC during the Warring States Period, corresponding to the Hundred Schools of Thought philosophical summit of Chinese thought. ...

The Anarcho-capitalist economist Murray N. Rothbard suggests that Laozi was the first libertarian, likening Laozi's ideas on government to F.A. Hayek's theory of spontaneous order. [1] (See also: [2]PDF (1.20 MiB).) Similarly, the Cato Institute's David Boaz includes passages from the Tao Te Ching in his 1997 book The Libertarian Reader. [3] Philosopher Roderick Long, however, argues that libertarian themes in Taoist thought are actually borrowed from earlier Confucian writers. [4]PDF (129 KiB) Anarchism is a form of social criticism, a political movement as well as a political philosophy. ... Alan Greenspan, former chairman, United States Federal Reserve. ... Murray Newton Rothbard Murray Newton Rothbard (March 2, 1926 - January 7, 1995) was an American economist and political theorist belonging to the Austrian School of Economics who helped define modern libertarianism and anarcho-capitalism. ... Friedrich Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek (May 8, 1899 – March 23, 1992) was an economist and social scientist of the Austrian School, noted for his defense of free-market capitalism against a rising tide of socialist thought in the mid-20th century. ... Spontaneous order (sometimes called self-organization) is a phenomenon that happens when individuals each follow a set of self-interest-based rules without a central authority designing a plan for everyone. ... Portable Document Format (PDF), sometimes mistaken for Printable Document Format, is an open file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 and is now being prepared for submission as an ISO standard. ... A mebibyte (a contraction of mega binary byte) is a unit of information or computer storage, abbreviated MiB. 1 MiB = 220 bytes = 1,048,576 bytes = 1,024 kibibytes 1 MiB = 1024 (= 210) kibibytes (KiB), and 1024 MiB equal one gibibyte (GiB). ... The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Institutes stated mission is to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and peace by seeking greater involvement of the... David Boaz is the executive vice president of the influential libertarian U.S think tank the Cato Institute. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Roderick Long Roderick Long (born February 4, 1964) is a professor of philosophy at Auburn University and libertarian political commentator. ... Confucianism (儒家 Pinyin: rújiā The School of the Scholars), sometimes translated as the School of Literati, is an East Asian ethical, religious and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of Confucius. ... Portable Document Format (PDF), sometimes mistaken for Printable Document Format, is an open file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 and is now being prepared for submission as an ISO standard. ... A kibibyte (a contraction of kilo binary byte) is a unit of information or computer storage, commonly abbreviated KiB (never kiB). 1 kibibyte = 210 bytes = 1,024 bytes The kibibyte is closely related to the kilobyte, which can be used either as a synonym for kibibyte or to refer to...

Influences

Laozi's most famous follower, Zhuangzi, wrote a book that had a great deal of influence on Chinese Literati, through the ideas of individualism, freedom, carefree living, and art, which may well be the cornerstone of Chinese aesthetic, although the author never speaks about it.^{[citation needed]} Zhuāngzǐ (pinyin), Chuang Tzŭ (Wade-Giles), Chuang Tsu, Zhuang Tze, or Chuang Tse (Traditional Chinese characters: 莊子; Simplified Chinese characters: 庄子, literally meaning Master Zhuang) was a famous philosopher in ancient China who lived around the 4th century BCE during the Warring States Period, corresponding to the Hundred Schools of Thought... An intellectual is a person who uses his or her intellect to study, reflect, and speculate on a variety of different ideas. ... // Chinese art has varied throughout its ancient history, divided into periods by the ruling dynasties of China and changing technology, as well as influenced by great philosophers, teachers and religion. ...

Names

The name "Laozi" is an honorific. Lao means "venerable" or "old". Zi or tzu translates literally as "son", but it was also a term for a rank of nobleman equivalent to viscount, as well as a term of respect attached to the names of revered masters; thus, "Laozi" can be translated roughly as "the old master". A viscount is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl (in Britain) or a count (his continental equivalent). ...

The character for Zi can also signify "midnight".

Laozi's personal name may have been Li Er. His courtesy name may have been Boyang, and also Dan, which also means "mysterious". Cha can also refer to a Latin American dance, also called the Cha-cha-cha. ...

Laozi is also known as:

• Laodan
• Great Lord
  • Li the Great Lord
  • Lao the Great Lord
• Lao Tzu the Lord of Tao

During the Li Tang Dynasty, in order to create a connection to Laozi as the ancestor of the imperial family, he was honoured as The Emperor of Xuanyuan, meaning "Profoundly Elementary" with a temple name of Shengzu, meaning "Saintly/Sagely Progenitor". Li or li may refer to: Lee or Li is a transliteration of several Chinese and Korean family names, see Li (Chinese name) and Lee (Korean name). ... For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ... Temple names (Traditional Chinese: 廟號 Simplified Chinese: 庙号 Pinyin: miào hào;), are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Vietnamese (such dynasties as Tran,Anterior Lê and Nguyen Dynasty) and most Korean rulers of the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Laozi

Wikisource has original works written by or about:

Laozi

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Laozi

• 老子 Lǎozĭ 道德經 Dàodéjīng - 拼音 Pīnyīn+王弼 WángBì+馬王堆 Mǎwángduī+郭店 Guōdiàn+大一生水 Tàiyī Shēngshǔi +new English+German transl.: verbatim+analogous+poetical (Dr.Hilmar KLAUS)
• Article by Bing YeYoung "The Shamanic Orgins of Laozi and Confucius"
• A reconstructed portrait of Laozi, based on historical sources, in a contemporary style.
• Lao Tzu Page that provides teachings on Laozi, his life and philosophical concepts.
• A collection of resources on Laozi by Patrick Jennings: Critical Thinkers: Lao Tse & Daoism.
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry
• "The Philosophers: Lao-Tzu" - a poem that criticized Laozi by Po Chu-I, translated by Arthur Waley
• Works by Lao Zi at Project Gutenberg
• Extensive explanations of how Laozi's works relate to and improve everyday life and matters at TheGreatTao.com
• "The Looks of Laozi"PDF (709 KiB), Livia Kohn, Boston University
• Biography resources dedicated to Lao Tse
• Quotes of Lao Tzu

Image File history File links Wikiquote-logo-en. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ... Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and distribute cultural works. ... Portable Document Format (PDF), sometimes mistaken for Printable Document Format, is an open file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 and is now being prepared for submission as an ISO standard. ... A kibibyte (a contraction of kilo binary byte) is a unit of information or computer storage, commonly abbreviated KiB (never kiB). 1 kibibyte = 210 bytes = 1,024 bytes The kibibyte is closely related to the kilobyte, which can be used either as a synonym for kibibyte or to refer to...

Bibliography

• Lau, D. C. Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching. London: Penguin Classics, 1963. ISBN 0-14-044131-X
• Wing-tsit Chan, "The Natural Way of Lao Tzu". Chapter 6, A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1963. ISBN 0-691-01964-9
• Henricks, Robert (translator). Lao-Tzu, Te-Tao Ching: A New Translation Based on the Recently Discovered Ma-wang-tui Texts. New York: Ballantine Books, 1989. ISBN 0-345-37099-6
• Hua-ching Ni, The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching & Hua Hu Ching. SevenStar Communications 1997. ISBN 0-937064-00-9
• Kohn, Livia ed. Daoism Handbook. Leiden: Brill, 2000.
• Waley, Arthur (translator). The Way and Its Power: A Study of the Tao Te Ching and Its Place in Chinese Thought. New York: Grove Press, 1958. ISBN 0-394-17207-8
• Welch, Holmes. Taoism: the Parting of the Way. Boston: Beacon Press, 1965. ISBN 0-8070-5973-0

Professor Wing-tsit Chan (1901 - August 12, 1994) was one of the worlds leading scholars of Chinese philosophy and religion, active in the United States. ... Nassau Street, Princetons main street. ... The Princeton University Press is a publishing house, a division of Princeton University, that is highly respected in academic publishing. ... Look up translate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Ma-wang-tui Texts (馬王堆帛書; pinyin Mawangdui) are texts of Chinese philosophical and medical works, which include the earliest attested manuscripts of seminal texts such as the I Ching and two similar versions of the Tao Te Ching that were written on silk, buried in... New York, NY redirects here. ... Ballantine Books, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine, is a major book publisher and is currently owned by Random House. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Arthur David Waley (August 19, 1889 – June 27, 1966) was a noted English Orientalist and Sinologist. ... Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Location in Massachusetts, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Suffolk County Government  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D) Area  - City  89. ... Beacon Press, founded in 1854 and a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association, operates as a book publisher in the United States of America. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

Notes

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.