老子
Laozi
Taoism · personLaozi is the traditional figure associated with the Daodejing; historical details are uncertain.
道可道，非常道；名可名，非常名。
— Tao Te Ching, Chapter 1 (Laozi)
What Are the Key Facts About Laozi?
- Tradition: Taoism
- Chinese: 老子
- Category: Person
- Definition: Laozi is the traditional figure associated with the Daodejing; historical details are uncertain.
What Cards Are Related to Laozi?
What Concepts Are Related to Laozi?
Tao 道Guides That Go Deeper on Laozi
Tao Te Ching Complete GuideWhat Other Guides Cover Taoism?
Frequently Asked Questions About Laozi
Who is Laozi in Taoism?
Laozi is the traditional figure associated with the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching). The association is central to Taoist textual and religious history, but the historical details of Laozi's life and the relation between one person and the received text remain uncertain.
How are the Daodejing and Laozi related?
The Daodejing is traditionally attributed to Laozi, while modern scholarship treats its textual formation and layers with caution. It is safest to describe Laozi as the traditional figure associated with the received work and to attribute specific ideas to the text or to later Laozi traditions.
How did later Daoist traditions understand Laozi?
Later Daoist traditions elevated Laozi within their religious imagination. That development belongs to reception history and does not settle the biography of the historical person.
Sources and Limits
- Chinese Text Project — Dao De JingReceived text traditionally associated with Laozi
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy — LaoziLaozi and the received Daodejing