Taoism ( Daoism ) is a philosophy and later also developed into a religion based on the texts the Tao Te Ching ( Dào Dé Jīng ; ascribed to Laozi ) and the Zhuangzi ( partly ascribed to Zhuangzi ).

Although it serves as a rival to Confucianism, a school of active morality, this rivalry is compromised and given perspective by the idiom " practise Confucianism on the outside, Taoism on the inside.

The opposition and combination of the universe's two basic principles of yin and yang is a large part of Chinese philosophy, and is an important feature of Taoism, both as a philosophy and as a religion.

Philosophical Taoism also proposes a transcendent operant principle — transliterated in English as tao or dao, meaning ' the way ' — which is neither an entity or a being per se, but reflects the natural ongoing process of the world.

In religious Taoism, Lao Tsu is venerated as a saint with his own powers.

The provenance of the pronunciation with of Taoism is a gap in the English phonemic paradigm for the unvoiced unaspirated in dào ' way '.

An inherent problem with the arcane Wade – Giles use of apostrophes to differentiate aspiration is that many English readers do not understand it, which has resulted in the frequent mispronunciation of Taoism as instead of.

In loanword terminology, English Taoism / Daoism is a " calque ", " loan-rendering ", or " hybrid " that blends a borrowed word with a native element, for example, chopstick ) blends Chinese Pidgin English chop (< Cantonese kàp, pinyin kuài 快 " fast ; quick ") with English stick.

Taoism / Daoism is one of a few Chinese-ism borrowings, along with Confucianism, Mohism, and Maoism.

The English word Taoism is unquestionably older and more familiar than Daoism.

Some prefer the Wade-based Taoism because it is more familiar than Daoism and because the borrowing is a fully assimilated English word anyway ; such words are generally unaffected by later systems of romanization.

The text is fundamental to both philosophical and religious Taoism ( Daojia,, Pinyin: Dàojiā ; Daojiao,, Pinyin: Dàojiào ) and strongly influenced other schools, such as Legalism, Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism, which when first introduced into China was largely interpreted through the use of Daoist words and concepts.

Philosophical vacuity is a common theme among Asian wisdom traditions including Taoism ( especially Wu wei " effortless action "), Buddhism, and some aspects of Confucianism.

The relation between Taoism and Buddhism and Chan Buddhism is complex and fertile.

Similarly, the relationship between Taoism and Confucianism is richly interwoven, historically.

Often referred to as Gaianism, or the Gaian Religion, this spiritual aspect of the philosophy is very broad and inclusive, making it adaptable to other religions: Taoism, Neo-Paganism, Pantheism, Judeo-Christian Religions, and many others.

" It is not a personal god, but rather an impersonal divinity similar to the Tao of Taoism.

While the general concept of a " Spirit " that permeates the cosmos is a general feature of most religions ( e. g. Brahman in Hinduism and Tao in Taoism and Great Spirit among Indigenous peoples of the Americas ), the term Holy Spirit specifically refers to the beliefs held in the Abrahamic religions.

The story is likely to have its origin in Taoism.

In Taoism, the Seven-Star Lamp qi xing deng 七星燈 is a seven-branched oil lamp lit to represent the 7 stars of the Northern Dipper.

The early Taoism of Lao Zi and Zhuangzi is also sometimes considered pantheistic.

In the tradition of its leading thinkers Lao Tzu and Zhuangzi, Taoism is comparable with Pantheism, as The Tao is always spoken of with profound religious reverence and respect, similar to the way that Pantheism discusses the " divinity " of the Universe.

The first organized form of Taoism, the Tianshi ( Celestial Masters ') school ( later known as Zhengyi school ), developed from the Five Pecks of Rice movement at the end of the 2nd century AD ; the latter had been founded by Zhang Daoling, who claimed that Laozi appeared to him in the year 142.

* Shen Dao, Chinese philosopher known for his blend of Legalism and Taoism ( approximate date ) ( d. c. 275 BC )

He is known for his blend of Legalism and Taoism ( approximate date ) ( b. c. 350 BC )

Wu Xing (), the five phases, or five elements, is an ancient Chinese mnemonic and symbolic figure widely known in East Asia and used traditionally in applications such as medicine, acupuncture, feng shui, and Taoism.

In Taoism, he is known as " 正陽祖師 " ( Zhèngyáng Zǔshī ), literally the True-Yang Ancestor-Master.

Also known as the Mago-Mythology 마고신화 ( 麻姑神話 ), this is actually one of the lesser-known Korean cosmologies due in part to the rising influence of Buddhism and Taoism around this period, as well as the imposition of a patriarchal system which desisted the heavily goddess-oriented nature of the legend.

It is the universal symbol of the religion known as Taoism and is also often used by non-Taoists to represent the concept of opposites existing in harmony.

Following the dawn of Chinese civilization, an early indigenous form of religious practice in Chinese history began to develop from the more primitive elements of animism, folk religions and shamanism ; known as Taoism, and is considered a traditional Chinese religion along with Confucianism and other Chinese folk religions with a constituency of almost 400 million followers in China alone.

It is known in different spiritual traditions ; " the most sacred body " ( wujud al-aqdas ) and " supracelestial body " ( jism asli haqiqi ) in Sufism, " the diamond body " in Taoism and Vajrayana, " the light body " or " rainbow body " in Tibetan Buddhism, " the body of bliss " in Kriya Yoga, and " the immortal body " ( soma athanaton ) in Hermeticism.

The Grand Pure One is also the treasurer of spirits, known as the Lord of Man who is the founder of Taoism.

Both of these ideas are part of what is known as ' economic Taoism '.

The teachings of Buddhism and Taoism speak of a state of mind known as the " action of inaction " or " doing without doing " that greatly resembles the idea of flow.

It is known as one of the birthplaces of Taoism.

In 700, Wu Zetian, in order to give her lovers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong legitimacy in their entries into the palace, had Li Jiao head a project to create a work known as the Essence of Pearls from the Three Religions ( 三教珠英, Sanjiao Zhuying ) -- a compilation of various poetry about Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism -- and had Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong involved in the project as well.

Zhang Ling (; 34 – 156 ), style name Fuhan (), was an Eastern Han Dynasty Taoist hermit who founded the Way of the Celestial Masters sect of Taoism, which is also known as the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice.

Wang's teachings were referred to the " Teachings of the Complete Perfection " ( after the hut ) and his branch of Taoism became known as the Quanzhen School.

Followers of the Tao ( The Way ) adhere to the teachings of the ancient Chinese religious philosophy of Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, also known as the Pure One, Celestial Worthy of the Way, or Tai Shang Lao Jun The Talismanic and Register Sect of mainstream Taoism is seen as the most influential through the numerous presence of spiritual mediums.

Modern Hell bank notes are known for their large denominations, ranging from $ 10, 000 to several billions, and usually bear an image of the Jade Emperor, the presiding monarch of heaven in Taoism, with his signature ( romanized as Yu Wong, or Yuk Wong ) and the signature of Yanluo, King of Hell ( 閻羅 ).

The priests of the Evergreen Taoist Church of Australia are devotees of an order of Taoism known as the Evergreen Taoist Religious Order ( EVTRO ).

While serving there, he participated in a project, headed by Li Jiao to create a work known as the Essence of Pearls from the Three Religions ( 三教珠英, Sanjiao Zhuying ) -- a compilation of various poetry about Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, in which Wu Zetian's lovers Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong also participated, to give them a legitimate reason to enter the palace.