Home Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
dao
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Confucius Zhuangzi taiji
For Students
dao summary
Related Questions
Read Next
Confucius statue at a Confucian Temple in Shanghai, China. Confucianism religion
What is the Difference Between Daoism and Confucianism?
Candles Burning On Table In Church
What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?
African American man praying in church with stained glass in background
Why Do People Say “Amen” at the End of a Prayer?
Stained glass window showing ten Christian saints. St Peters Church, Cound, Shropshire, England.
Too Good to Rot? Saints with Incorrupt Bodies
Ahura Mazda - relief of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda at the ancient ruins of Persepolis in Iran. Also known as Ormazd Zoroastrianism,
Which Religion Is the Oldest?
Discover
Solar eclipse of the sun.
The Sun Was Eaten: 6 Ways Cultures Have Explained Eclipses
Albert Einstein in Washington, D.C. c. 1921-1923. Physicist
The Solar Eclipse That Made Albert Einstein a Science Celebrity
Solar Eclipse, Eclipse, Solar Flare, Outer Space, Astronomy
What Causes Lunar and Solar Eclipses?
Artist interpretation of a Space meteoroid impact. Meteor impact. Asteroid, End of the world, danger, destruction, dinosaur extinct, Judgement Day, Planet Earth, Doomsday Predictions, comet
10 Failed Doomsday Predictions
Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).
What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?
Periodical Cicada, Adult, Magicicada spp. Requires 17 years to complete development. Nymph splits its skin, and transforms into an adult. Feeds on sap of tree roots. Northern Illinois Brood. This brood is the largest emergence of cicadas anywhere
Why Do Some Cicadas Appear Only Every 17 Years?
Black widow spider
9 of the World’s Deadliest Spiders
Chinese philosophy
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://64.176.36.150/topic/dao
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://64.176.36.150/topic/dao
Also known as: tao
Fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Confucius
Confucius
See all media
Category: History & Society
Chinese:
“way,” “road,” “path,” “course,” “speech,” or “method”
Wade-Giles romanization:
tao
Key People:
Zhuangzi
Laozi
Liezi
See all related content →

dao, the fundamental concept of Chinese philosophy. Articulated in the classical thought of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods of the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 bce), dao exerted considerable influence over subsequent intellectual developments in China. The word for this concept, dao, indicates a “way” in the sense of a road or a path. Owing to the contextual nature of Chinese languages and depending upon its use in a sentence, dao can function as a noun or a verb. It may indicate the road upon which one travels, the act of wayfaring or traveling down a road, or even ...(100 of 723 words)

Access the full article
Help support true facts by becoming a member.