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Daodejing

The Classic of the Way and its Virtue: the short Daoist scripture attributed to Laozi.

Also: Tao Te Ching, Laozi

Daoism and Chinese thought

The Daodejing, in eighty-one brief chapters, teaches the nameless Dao, the power of emptiness and softness, non-action and the humble rule of the sage. Tradition attributes it to Laozi, an older contemporary of Confucius; scholars date it to the fourth or third century BCE. It is among the most translated books in the world.