c. 600 BC · 6th century BC
Laozi, also spelled Lao-tzu, is the legendary Chinese sage to whom the Tao Te Ching is attributed, a short book of eighty-one chapters on the Tao, the Way, and its power. Traditionally said to have lived in the sixth century BC, he is considered the founder of Taoism, one of the great philosophical and religious traditions of China.
A legendary life
Almost nothing is known for certain about Laozi, whose name simply means the Old Master. The historian Sima Qian, writing around 100 BC, said that he was called Li Er, came from the state of Chu and was keeper of the archives at the court of the Zhou dynasty, in the sixth century BC.
According to the same account, Confucius visited him to ask about rituals and came away deeply impressed, comparing him to a dragon. Many modern scholars doubt that Laozi was a single historical person.
The journey west
Tradition says that, saddened by the decline of the Zhou, Laozi decided to leave China, riding westward on a water buffalo. At the frontier pass, the keeper Yin Xi recognised him as a sage and asked him to write down his wisdom before leaving.
Laozi then wrote a book of some five thousand characters in two parts, on the Way and on its virtue, and disappeared to the west. No one knows where he died.
The Tao Te Ching
The Tao Te Ching probably took shape between the sixth and fourth centuries BC. In short, poetic chapters, it describes the Tao, the nameless source of all things, and recommends simplicity, humility, non-action, wu wei, and gentleness, comparing the sage to water, which overcomes the hardest things by yielding.
It is one of the most translated books in the world. Ancient manuscripts discovered at Mawangdui in 1973 and at Guodian in 1993 have shown that early versions differed in places from the traditional text.
Anecdotes
A meeting with Confucius
According to Sima Qian, Confucius visited Laozi to ask him about ritual and was gently rebuked for his pride and ambition. Afterwards he told his disciples that he could understand birds, fish and beasts, but that Laozi was like a dragon riding the wind and clouds.
Silk manuscripts
In 1973, archaeologists excavating tombs at Mawangdui, in Hunan, found two copies of the Tao Te Ching written on silk around 200 BC, the oldest then known. In them the two parts of the book appear in reverse order.
Frequently asked questions
Did Laozi really exist?
It is uncertain. Ancient sources give a legendary biography, and many scholars think the Tao Te Ching is a compilation by several hands.
What is the Tao?
In Taoism, the Way: the nameless, invisible source and order of all things, which the sage follows by living simply and in harmony with nature.
Which translation of the Tao Te Ching is quoted on Guesseo?
The translation by the Scottish scholar James Legge, published in 1891 in the Sacred Books of the East.