Laozi information

Transcriptions
	老子 in seal script (top); and standard script (bottom);
Honorific Name
Chinese	老子
Hanyu Pinyin	Lǎozǐ
Literal meaning	the Old Master; or; the Old One;
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Lǎozǐ
Bopomofo	ㄌㄠˇ ㄗˇ
Gwoyeu Romatzyh	Laotzyy
Wade–Giles	Lao3-tzu3
Tongyong Pinyin	Lǎo-zǐh
Yale Romanization	Lǎudž
IPA	[làʊ.tsɹ̩̀]
Wu
Suzhounese	Lâ-tsỳ
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	Lóuhjí
Jyutping	lou5 zi2
IPA	[lou˩˧ tsiː˧˥]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ	Ló-chú
Tâi-lô	Ló-tsú
Old Chinese
Baxter–Sagart (2014)	C.rˤuʔ tsəʔ
Personal Name
Chinese	李耳
Hanyu Pinyin	Lǐ Ěr
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Lǐ Ěr
Wade–Giles	Li3 Erh3
Tongyong Pinyin	Lǐ Ěr
IPA	[lì àɚ]
Old Chinese
Baxter–Sagart (2014)	C.rəʔ C.nəʔ
Courtesy name
Traditional Chinese	李伯陽
Simplified Chinese	李伯阳
Hanyu Pinyin	Lǐ Bóyáng
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Lǐ Bóyáng
Bopomofo	ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄛˊ ㄧㄤˊ
Wade–Giles	Li3 Po2-yang2
Tongyong Pinyin	Lǐ Bó-yáng
IPA	[lì pwǒ.jǎŋ]
Old Chinese
Baxter–Sagart (2014)	C.rəʔ pˤrak laŋ
Posthumous Name
Chinese	李聃; 老聃;
Hanyu Pinyin	Lǐ Dān; Lǎo Dān;
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Lǐ Dān; Lǎo Dān;
Bopomofo	ㄌㄧˇ ㄉㄢ; ㄌㄠˇ ㄉㄢ;
Wade–Giles	Li3 Tan1; Lao3 Tan1;
Tongyong Pinyin	Lǐ Dan; Lǎo Dan;
IPA	[lì tán]; [làʊ tán];
Theonym
Chinese	老君
Hanyu Pinyin	Lǎojūn
Literal meaning	the Old Lord
Hanyu Pinyin
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Lǎojūn
Bopomofo	ㄌㄠˇ ㄐㄩㄣ
Wade–Giles	Lao3-chün1
Tongyong Pinyin	Lǎo-jyun
IPA	[làʊ.tɕýn]
Japanese name
Kanji	老子
Hiragana	ろうし
Katakana	ロウシ
Revised Hepburn
Transcriptions
Revised Hepburn	Rōshi
Kunrei-shiki	Rousi

Laozi
老子
Laozi; 老子;
	Portrait by Zhang Lu
Born	Trad. 6th century BC; Sometimes 4th century BC; ; Quren Village, Chu (present-day Luyi, Henan)
Died	Trad. 5th century BC
Notable work	Tao Te Ching
Era	Ancient philosophy
Region	Chinese philosophy
School	Taoism
Notable ideas	Tao; Wu wei;

Laozi (/ˈlaʊdzə/, Chinese: 老子), also romanized as Lao Tzu and various other ways, was a semi-legendary ancient Chinese philosopher, author of the Tao Te Ching, the foundational text of Taoism along with the Zhuangzi. Laozi is a Chinese honorific, typically translated as "the Old Master". Modern scholarship generally regards his biographical details as invented, and his opus a collaboration. Traditional accounts say he was born as Li Er in the state of Chu in the 6th century BC during China's Spring and Autumn period, served as the royal archivist for the Zhou court at Wangcheng (in modern Luoyang), met and impressed Confucius on one occasion, and composed the Tao Te Ching in a single session before retiring into the western wilderness.

A central figure in Chinese culture, Laozi is generally considered the founder of Taoism. He was claimed and revered as the ancestor of the 7th–10th century Tang dynasty and is similarly honored in modern China as the progenitor of the popular surname Li. In some sects of Taoism, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Chinese folk religion, it is held that he then became an immortal hermit.^[2] Certain Taoist devotees held that the Tao Te Ching was the avatar – embodied as a book – of the god Laojun, one of the Three Pure Ones of the Taoist pantheon, though few philosophers believe this.^[3] The Tao Te Ching had a profound influence on Chinese religious movements and on subsequent Chinese philosophers, who annotated, commended, and criticized the texts extensively. In the 20th century, textual criticism by modern historians led to theories questioning Laozi's timing or even existence, positing that the received text of the Tao Te Ching was not composed until the 4th century BC Warring States period, and was the product of multiple authors.

^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference baxsag was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Wright, Edmund, ed. (2006). The Desk Encyclopedia of World History. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 365. ISBN 978-0-7394-7809-7.
^ Goldin, Paul R. The Art of Chinese Philosophy: Eight Classical Texts and How to Read Them. Princeton University Press. p. 110. doi:10.1515/9780691200811-008. ISBN 9780691200811. S2CID 242423709.

[baxsag-1] Cite error: The named reference baxsag was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[2] Wright, Edmund, ed. (2006). The Desk Encyclopedia of World History. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 365. ISBN 978-0-7394-7809-7.

[3] Goldin, Paul R. The Art of Chinese Philosophy: Eight Classical Texts and How to Read Them. Princeton University Press. p. 110. doi:10.1515/9780691200811-008. ISBN 9780691200811. S2CID 242423709.

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Laozi 老子
Portrait by Zhang Lu
Born	Trad. 6th century BC Sometimes 4th century BC Quren Village, Chu (present-day Luyi, Henan)
Died	Trad. 5th century BC
Notable work	Tao Te Ching

Era	Ancient philosophy
Region	Chinese philosophy
School	Taoism
Notable ideas	Tao Wu wei

Taoism
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Outline History
Concepts Daoxue Dao De Wuji Taiji Yin-Yang Bagua Wu xing (Five Phases) Bianhua Fan (reversal) Wu-wei (non-action) Ziran Xian (immortal) Zhenren Zhenxing (true name) Three Treasures Jing Qi Shen Hun and po
Practices Three Treasures (virtues) Five Precepts Ten Precepts Meditation Neidan Waidan Bugang Chu Diet (Bigu) Sexual practices Art Talismans Priesthood
Texts I Ching Daodejing Zhuangzi Huainanzi Taipingjing Xiang'er Liezi Sanhuangjing Huahujing Qingjing Jing Baopuzi Daozang
Deities Hongjun Laozu Three Pure Ones Yuanshi Tianzun Lingbao Tianzun Daode Tianzun Four Sovereigns Yuhuang Dadi (Great Jade Emperor) Ziwei Dadi (Great Emperor of the North Star) Gouchen Dadi (Great Emperor of the Curved Array) Houtu Huang Diqi (Empress of the Earth) Others Xiwangmu (Queen Mother of the West) Dongwanggong (King Father of the East) Three Great Emperor-Officials Eight Immortals Chang'e Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors Yellow Emperor Guan Shengdi Li Hong Other deities
People Laozi Zhuangzi Lie Yukou Heshanggong Wei Boyang Zhang Daoling Gan Ji Zhang Jue Zhang Lu Ge Xuan He Yan Wang Bi Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove Guo Xiang Sun Hanhua Wei Huacun Ge Hong Bao Jingyan Kou Qianzhi Lu Xiujing Tao Hongjing Cheng Xuanying Chen Tuan Zhang Boduan Sun Bu'er Wang Chongyang Qiu Chuji Zhang Guoxiang Zhang Sanfeng Zhu Quan Fangshi
Schools Huang–Lao Way of the Taiping Xuanxue Shangqing Lijia Lingbao Chongxuan Quanzhen (Longmen) Wuliu Tianshi (Celestial Masters) Wudoumi Southern Tianshi Northern Tianshi Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Folk Taoism Yao Taoism
Sacred places Grotto-heavens Sacred Mountains of China Wudang Mountains Mount Penglai Mount Kunlun Taoist temple White Cloud Temple (Baiyun Monastery) Louguantai Temple Cebu Taoist Temple Taoist Temple (Hanford, California)
Institutions and organizations Chinese Taoist Association Celestial Masters Taoist priests
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