Daodejing Chapter Summaries

The Daodejing is an important religious work in China’s history and culture. It teaches about Dao, or “The Way” and how to apply its concepts to one’s life. It is the second most translated text in the world and has been the subject of extensive commentaries.
Throughout history, it was generally accepted that the Daodejing was written between the 8th and 3rd centuries BCE by Laozi, a curator of the Chinese imperial archives. In fact, the book used to be simply called Laozi in his honor. He is well known as the founder of Daoism, Dao meaning “the Way” (www.britannica.com). Legends regarding Laozi’s life say that he decided to live in the wilderness to escape from society. When asked to record his journey, he immediately wrote the entirety of
This was time of cultural expansion. A writing system was put into place. This period gave rise to many of the most popular Chinese philosophers and thinkers, such as Confucius and Sun Tzu (www.ancient.eu/china). It is even said that Confucius visited Laozi as a young man, and this encounter inspired his life devoted to philosophical thought. This is most likely a fictional account, but the philosophy of Laozi had an impact on other great thinkers of the time nonetheless (www.ancient.eu/lao-tzu). The Way and Virtue were important to all philosophers at this time, but many of them were not in agreement. These topics were the subjects of many philosophical debates (Norton Anthology, 781). Politically, Zhou China was under a feudal system of sorts. There were many separate territories with their own rulers, but these were all under the authority of the emperor (www.ancient.eu/Zhou_Dynasty). However, the time from 403-221 BCE, during which the Daodejing is thought to have been completed, was known as the “Warring States Period” (Norton Anthology, 781). The states began gaining more power and becoming increasingly independent. The leaders of each of the seven states all wanted to gain power over all of the rest. However, the similarity of their war strategies meant that no one had the upper hand. This continued until Ying Zheng eventually became emperor and united the states in 221 BCE
In the Daodejing, Laozi expands on the concept of Dao, which was already known in Chinese philosophy, although not well defined. This thoughtful writing on the subject would eventually lead to the founding of Daoism. One of the basic tenets of the Daodejing’s philosophy is non-action. It teaches that things should be left to take their natural course, without people interfering. Thus, the Dao can flow as it should, eventually allowing peace to come about (www.britannica.com). The Dao is depicted both as a creative force and the ultimate source of the cosmos, and as the “mode of action by which the world operates” (www.newworldencyclopedia.com). There are many metaphors used to describe the Dao, such as the gateway of the manifold secrets, the spirit of the valley, or the mysterious female (Norton Anthology, 781). It is also described in more plain, physical terms, such as water and uncarved wood. These philosophies are meant to be applied by rulers and common people alike. The philosophy of non-action is still meant to be for one’s benefit. “Thus what we gain is Something, yet it is by virtue of Nothing that this can be put to use” (784). Seemingly in contradiction with its own philosophy, the Daodejing suggests that rulers should take action, but in a way that their subjects don’t notice, so that all seems natural to them. It says “He always keeps them innocent of knowledge