Laozi

c. 6th–4th century BCE · China

First attested
300 BCEGuodian bamboo slips (c. 300 BCE); Mawangdui silk manuscripts (c. 168 BCE).

By non-action (wu wei), nothing is left undone; yield and remain whole.

Legendary ancient Chinese philosopher and archivist attributed as the author of the Daodejing (Tao Te Ching). Laozi taught alignment with the Dao (the unnamable source and flow of all existence) through wu wei (effortless action or non-forcing), humility, simplicity (pu), and yielding strength like water.

Light

Organic harmony, humility, profound adaptability, and effortless efficacy.

Shadow

Passivity, apathy, or neglect of necessary societal and institutional duties.

Sources and verification2 sources · 1 link

Primary source

Scholarship

Linked entries

  • Gave rise toZhuangziAttested

    Zhuangzi elaborates and plays with the foundational paradoxical metaphors established in the Daodejing.

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