About

Chinese Text

The Chinese text is in simplified characters, using the punctuation common in Wang Bi–line readings (e.g., Chapter 1 uses 故常无，欲以观其妙 rather than 故常无欲，以观其妙).

The Dao De Jing text is ancient and in the public domain. This digital transcription is used with permission of the site owner.

English Translation

The English translation is by James Legge (1891), sourced from Project Gutenberg ebook #216— The Tao Teh King, or the Tao and its Characteristics.

The Legge 1891 translation is public domain in the United States. Indented verse lines from the original are preserved as separate paragraphs.

Pinyin

Pinyin romanization is generated with pinyin-pro (MIT license), with classical phrase overrides and a hand pass on key characters:

• 徼 → jiào (boundary, limit)
• 玄 → xuán (dark, profound, mysterious)
• 道 → dào (way, path, Tao)

Fonts

• Source Serif 4 — English body text (Google Fonts, SIL Open Font License)
• Noto Serif SC — Chinese characters (Google Fonts, SIL Open Font License)
• Inter — UI elements (Google Fonts, SIL Open Font License)

This Site

The Way of Tao is a reading and study resource for Western readers interested in classical Taoist texts. It is not affiliated with any religious organization.

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