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’) or Laozi in Chinese and scholarship, is an ancient Chinese classic text and the foundational work of Daoism. Central to both philosophical and religious Daoism, it has been highly influential on Chinese philosophy and religious practice.
Traditionally credited to the sage Laozi, the texts’ authorship and dating is debated, with several similar early versions recovered. The oldest excavated portion dates to the late 4th century BCE. While tradition places Laozi earlier, a more conservative estimation would date modern versions of the text only as far back as the late Warring States period (475 – 221 BCE).
Terminology originating within the text has been reinterpreted and elaborated upon by Legalist thinkers, Confucianists, and particularly Chinese Buddhists, introduced to China significantly after the initial solidification of Taoist thought. One of the most translated texts in world literature, the text is well known in the West.