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Tao Te Ching

The ''Tao Te Ching'' or ''Dào Dé Jīng'',; in English often , ;Less common romanisations include ''Daodejing'', ''Tao-te-king'', and .}} () often ''Laozi'' in Chinese and scholarship, is an ancient Chinese classic text, becoming a foundational work of Taoism. Traditionally credited to the sage Laozi, with several similar early versions recovered, the texts' authorship and dates of composition and compilation are debated. The oldest excavated portion dates to the late 4th century BCE. While tradition places Laozi earlier, a more conservative estimation would date ''modern versions'' of the text only as far back as the late Warring States period (475 – 221 BCE).

The ''Tao Te Ching'' is central to both philosophical and religious Taoism, and has been highly influential on Chinese philosophy and religious practice in general. It is generally taken as preceding the ''Zhuangzi'', the other core Taoist text. Terminology originating within the text has been reinterpreted and elaborated upon by Legalist thinkers, Confucianists, and particularly Chinese Buddhists, introduced to China significantly after the initial solidification of Taoist thought. One of the most translated texts in world literature, the text is well known in the West. Provided by Wikipedia