Dictionary

Taoism en · PROPN

Pronunciation

• /ˈtaʊ̯.ɪzm̩/
• /ˈdaʊ̯.ɪzm̩/ (sometimes)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree English Tao Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English Taoism From Tao + -ism.

Meanings

1. A Chinese mystical philosophy traditionally founded by Lao-tzu in the 6th century B.C.E. that teaches conformity to the tao by wu wei, naturalness, and simplicity, long closely intertwined with Chinese folk religion and influenced by Buddhism, with which it shares five precepts.
   • Taoism puts a significant emphasis on noninterference, imbuing the decision not to act with moral quality. As a result, Taoism seems like a virtue ethic, with wu-wei as its chief virtue. 2022 Jan-Mar, Liam C. Butchart, “Taoism, bioethics, and the COVID-19 pandemic”, in Tzu Chi Medical Journal, volume 34, number 1, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 Jun 2022:
   • The philosophical Taoism of the “Tao Te Ching” seeks to remain connected to this “mother of the world,” the formless Tao (meaning “Way” or “Course”), that is seemingly the opposite of all we value, but is actually the source of all we value, as manure is to flowers, as the emptiness of a womb is to the fullness of life. 2020 September 16, George Yancy, quoting Brook Ziporyn, “How to Die (Without Really Trying)”, in New York Times, archived from the original on 16 Sep 2020:
   • The Chinese New Year holiday period, being disrupted this year by the outbreak of a viral illness, has evolved over more than 3,000 years to become the most important of China’s traditional festivals. As celebrated in China and in many other places where its known as the Lunar New Year, it is largely a secular holiday, yet it includes rituals and traditions that derive from Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, as well as from ancient myths and folk religions. 2020 January 23, David Crary, “Chinese New Year secular now but kept religious underpinning”, in AP News, archived from the original on 15 Jun 2022:
2. (Singapore) Traditional Chinese folk religion.
   • Buddhism is the most followed religion in Singapore, with over 40 percent of the population declaring themselves believers, according to the latest census. Most of these practice a form of the religion that incorporates elements of Taoism and traditional Chinese faiths. 2010 May 17, Edgar Su, “Lasers, iPods, for a Singapore funeral of a lifetime”, in Miral Fahmy, editor, Reuters, archived from the original on 15 Jun 2022, Lifestyle:

Forms

Coordinates

Confucianism · Neo-Confucianism

Hypernyms

philosophy

Relateds

Taoist · tao

Translations (61)

cmn 道家 (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · id Taoisme (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · fr taoïsme (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · is daoismi (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · ca taoisme (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · pt taoismo (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · ka დაოსიზმი (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · pl taoizm (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · mr ताओ धर्म (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · fi taolaisuus (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · be даасі́зм (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · bg даои́зъм (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · sh taoìzam (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · da taoisme (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · vi Đạo giáo (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · ms Taoisme (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · hu taoizmus (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · de Daoismus (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · ko 도교 (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · ru даоси́зм (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · vi đạo Tiên (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · hak 道教 (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · nan-hbl 道教 (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · mk таои́зам (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · hi ताओ धर्म (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · yue 道家 (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · yue 道教 (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · es taoísmo (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · cs taoismus (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · nb taoisme (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · el ταοϊσμός (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · vi Tiên giáo (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · ja 道教 (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · lt daoizmas (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · sh даоѝзам (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · my တာအိုဘာသာ (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · uk даоси́зм (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · sw Utao (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · ar طَاوِيَّة (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · cmn 道教 (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · vi đạo Hoàng Lão (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · ta தாவோயியம் (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · vi Tiên Đạo (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · fi taoismi (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · da daoisme (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · sk taoizmus (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · mr ताओवाद (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · ru таои́зм (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · ru таоси́зм (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · sh daoìzam (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · lv daoisms (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · sh таоѝзам (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · pl daoizm (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · vi đạo Lão (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · km សាសនាតាវ (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · cy Taoaeth (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · de Taoismus (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · tr taoizm (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · th ลัทธิเต๋า (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · sl daoizem (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu) · nl taoïsme (Chinese philosophy founded by Lao-tzu)