Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing)
Original Language: Classical Chinese
[1] Overview
Foundational text of Taoism attributed to Laozi. 81 chapters on the Tao (Way), virtue, and natural harmony.
Origin
Ancient China
Dating
6th-4th century BCE
Authorship
Laozi (traditional); possibly multiple authors (scholarly)
Structure
81 chapters in 2 parts: Tao (1-37), Te (38-81)
81 verses/entries
[2] The Numerology System
Chinese Numerology
How It Works
Chinese numerology based on phonetic associations and I Ching trigram values. Numbers carry meanings: 1=origin, 2=duality, 3=creation, 4=death (homophone), 8=prosperity.
Example Calculation
Tao (42): 'Tao gives birth to One, One to Two, Two to Three, Three to ten thousand things' - cosmogonic sequence
[3] Key Numbers in This Tradition
| Number | Significance |
|---|---|
| 0 | Wu (emptiness) - the useful void |
| 1 | The One - Tao before differentiation |
| 2 | Yin and Yang - complementary opposites |
| 3 | The Three Treasures; Heaven-Earth-Human |
| 81 | 9x9 - chapters; completion squared |
| 10,000 | The 'ten thousand things' - all of manifestation |
[4] Search This Text
Search for words, phrases, or concepts in the original text or translation.
[5] Calculate Gematria
[6] Scholarly Sources
- Lau, D.C. 'Tao Te Ching' Translation (1963)
- Henricks, Robert. 'Lao Tzu: Te-Tao Ching' (1989)
- Chan, Wing-tsit. 'The Way of Lao Tzu' (1963)
This information is presented for educational purposes. Interpretations vary among traditions and scholars.
[7] Cross-Tradition Connections
Numbers that appear across multiple sacred traditions: