Compilation of the Daodejing and the rise of Daoism
- Date
- c. 4th century BCE
- Category
- Culture, arts & philosophy
- Region
- China (Warring States)
- Era
- Classical Antiquity
- Significance
The Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), the foundational text of philosophical Daoism, was traditionally attributed to the sage Laozi (Lao Tzu), said to be a contemporary of Confucius in the 6th century BCE.
Most modern scholars instead date the text's compilation to the Warring States period; bamboo-slip versions excavated at Guodian in 1993 confirm that portions were already circulating by the 4th century BCE. The work teaches harmony with the Dao ('the Way'), the underlying order of the cosmos, and advocates wu wei ('effortless action'), simplicity, humility, and yielding over force. Alongside the writings of Zhuangzi, it became the core of a tradition that profoundly shaped Chinese cosmology, art, medicine, and statecraft, and which later developed into an organised religious Daoism with deities, rituals, and quests for immortality. Together with Confucianism and, later, Buddhism, Daoism formed one of the 'three teachings' that structured Chinese religious and intellectual life.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Empires active in c. 4th century BCE
- Roman Republic509 BCE – 27 BCE
- Achaemenid Empire550 BCE – 330 BCE
- Kingdom of Kush1070 BCE – 350 CE
- Carthaginian Empire650 BCE – 146 BCE
- Odrysian Kingdom480 BCE – 46 CE
- Scythians800 BCE – 300 BCE
Related culture, arts & philosophy events
- Panini composes the Ashtadhyayi, the first systematic grammarc. 400 BCE
- Plato founds the Academy at Athensc. 387 BCE
- Trial and execution of Socrates399 BCE
- Zeno of Citium founds Stoicism in Athensc. 300 BC
- Herodotus completes the Histories, founding the writing of historyc. 430–425 BCE
- Life and teaching of Confucius in China551–479 BCE
Further reading
The wider story
The Story of Art
The best-selling art history ever written, from cave paintings to the modern age.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.