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
the Daodejing. This was the last time he was seen (www.newworldencyclopedia.org). Obviously, this story is not completely factual, and not much is known about Laozi In the 1800s, people began to question the Daodejing’s authorship, even to the point of wondering whether Laozi himself truly existed (www.britannica.com). In fact, Laozi was a title he was give, meaning ‘Old man’ or ‘Old teacher’, so we do not even know his true name. Many scholars believe that the Daodejing was written by a group of scholars, perhaps even over a longer period of time, not simply one man (www.ancient.eu/lao-tzu). Other documents that were written at the same time that the Daodejing was traditionally believed to have been penned make no mention of the work or its author, lending credibility to this belief. These scholars believe the text was finished in the mid 3rd century BCE (www.newworldencyclopedia.org).
The Daodejing is a set of eighty-one short chapters divided into two parts. One part describes “the Way” (dao), which is the natural way of being in all things. The second describes “Virtue” (de), which is the natural power in all things. These chapters are written in rhythmic verse (Norton Anthology, 780). It is written in simple language, but is often cryptic and even contradictory. This has led to hundreds of commentaries being written on the text (www.newworldencyclopedia.org).
The time when Laozi was believed to have lived was during the Zhou dynasty.
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
(www.ancient.eu/china).
In a time of political unrest, Laozi wanted to show a way to achieve harmony (www.britannica.com).
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
and free from desire, and ensures that the clever never dare to act” (Norton Anthology, 783). Perhaps this will lead the people to view their leader as an extension of the Dao and make them less likely to rebel (Norton Anthology, 781).
Despite being written many hundreds of years ago, the Daodejing is still popular today, and was influential throughout history. Literature often referenced the Daodejing, along with other Daoist works and principles. Daoism influenced Buddhism, which many people still practice today. In turn, Buddhism also influenced Daoism. In fact, when the Chinese first heard of Buddhism, they thought of it as another form of Daoism. Buddhist text were translated using Daoist terminology. There was even a theory that Laozi became the Buddha after his disappearance. Daoism was still commonly practiced in Taiwan until the mid 1900s (www.britannica.com/topic/Daoism/Influence). Despite its unimposing length, the Daodejing has been a highly influential and much debated work throughout history. Both its authorship and its philosophy have been questioned and studied extensively. Its influence has been felt throughout Asia since it was written, its principles spreading as cultures interacted. This work is truly a fascinating and important piece of history.