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Word file #009Cooling offBig ideas

What does dao mean?

道dào

Say itDOW/daʊ/noun

Character by character
  1. 道dàoway, path

In Chinese philosophy, especially Taoism, the Way: the source and guiding principle of all things and the natural course they follow; loosely, the true art of doing something.

Written by the Second Language TeamWritten

Dao, also spelled Tao, means “the Way.” In Taoism (also spelled Daoism), the Dao is the source of everything, and it is also the natural process that all things follow. In Confucianism, it is the right path of moral behavior. A looser meaning is the true art of doing something, as in “the Tao of archery” [1]. You meet the word in books about Chinese philosophy, in the title of the Tao Te Ching, and in self-help titles that follow the “Tao of X” pattern. It also appears in translated Chinese fantasy novels, dramas, and games. In those stories, the Dao is the law of the universe that heroes spend their lives trying to understand.

English speakers usually say DOW, which rhymes with “how,” for both spellings. In Mandarin it is 道 dào, with the falling fourth tone: start high and drop fast, like a firm “dow!” The Mandarin d is close to the t in “stop,” with no puff of air, and that is why the older spelling wrote it with a t. The character is the same in simplified and traditional Chinese, and in Cantonese it is said dou6. The word is neutral and polite. It is often written with a capital letter when it means the Way.

Word stats

Known in English
Many English speakers have seen Tao in a book title. Fewer know that Dao is the same word.
Said in China today
Chinese speakers say 道 all day, but mostly for roads, questions, and dishes. The philosophical Way is only one slice of it.
Polite
Perfectly polite. The worst it can do is make you sound very deep at a party.
Freshness
Fewer people look it up than last year. The Way is patient. It can wait.

Spotted in the wild

Group chat · Sunday, 4:15 pm
  1. Priyamy dad just sent me a 40 page doc called “the tao of grilling”
  2. Youis it about inner peace or about burgers
  3. Priyaboth. chapter one is “let the meat rest. let yourself rest.”

What it means here: “The tao of grilling” means the true, calm art of grilling; this is the loose English “Tao of X” pattern.

Comments under a fantasy drama clip
  1. Kaiep 12 when he finally understands the dao and the whole mountain starts glowing 😭
  2. Ana500 years of meditating for one glowing scene. worth it
  3. Kaiand his dao companion waited for him the whole time

What it means here: In cultivation stories, the Dao is the law of the universe that characters try to understand; a “Dao companion” (道侣 dàolǚ) is a partner on that path, usually a spouse.

Study chat · Thursday, 9:05 pm
  1. Lin这道题 is destroying me
  2. Youwait, the dao is in your math homework?
  3. Linlol no. here 道 just counts questions. no universe involved

What it means here: Lin writes 这道题 (zhè dào tí, “this question”); here 道 is an everyday measure word, not the philosophical Way.

How to use it

  • the Tao / the DaoTaoists try to live in harmony with the Tao.
  • the Tao of + activityShe wrote a short book on the Tao of gardening.
  • follow the DaoTo follow the Dao, the old teacher said, stop fighting the river.
  • comprehend the Dao (fantasy fiction)After a hundred years in the mountains, the hero finally comprehended the Dao.

Don’t say it like this

  • Sounds off“道 is a holy word, so Chinese people only use it to talk about philosophy.”

    Say this“道 is an everyday word: road, method, reason, ‘to say,’ and a measure word. The Way is one of its meanings.”

    English borrowed only the philosophical slice. In Chinese, 道 turns up in homework, menus, and apologies.

  • Sounds offSaying Tao as “TAY-oh” or “TAH-oh”

    Say this“DOW,” one syllable that rhymes with “how”

    Tao is an older spelling of the same sound as Dao. The t was the old way of writing a soft d.

  • Sounds off“I just finished the Dao Te Ching.”

    Say this“I just finished the Tao Te Ching” (or “the Daodejing”).

    Tao Te Ching is the older spelling and Daodejing is the pinyin one. A mix of the two looks like a typo.

  • Sounds off“Here’s the Tao of resetting your password: click ‘Forgot password.’”

    Say this“Here’s how to reset your password: click ‘Forgot password.’”

    “The Tao of X” means the deep, natural art of something. A list of steps is just instructions, unless you are joking.

dao or not?

Is each of these dao? Pick an answer to find out.

  1. A blog post called “The Tao of Slow Running” tells you to run at your body’s natural pace and stop fighting the hill.

  2. Your Chinese teacher points at the board and says 这道题很难 (zhè dào tí hěn nán, “this question is hard”).

  3. In a cultivation drama, a hero meditates for centuries to understand the law behind heaven and earth.

  4. Your friend steps on your foot, and her mom tells her 快道歉 (kuài dàoqiàn, “apologize, quick”).

The dao family

  • Tao Te Ching / Daodejing (道德经)The classic book of Taoism, traditionally credited to Laozi; its title means roughly “the classic of the Way and its virtue.”A short book that people have been explaining at great length for a very long time.
  • wu wei (无为 wúwéi)“Not forcing”: acting in step with the Dao instead of pushing against it.It means not forcing things. It does not mean leaving the dishes in the sink.
  • Dao companion (道侣 dàolǚ)In Chinese fantasy fiction, a partner who walks the path of cultivation with you, usually a spouse.A relationship where the anniversary is counted in centuries.

Where it came from

  1. Before DaoismThe word dao is older than Taoism. Every school of Chinese philosophy used it, including Confucianism [3].
  2. 1704The Oxford English Dictionary’s earliest English evidence for tao comes from N. Langobardo’s A Short Answer. The word is borrowed from Chinese dào [2]. Merriam-Webster gives a later date, 1736, as the first known use of Tao [1].
  3. TodayBoth spellings live on: Tao in older titles and in Taoism, and Dao in academic writing and in translated Chinese fantasy fiction.

Dao in English vs. 道 in Chinese

In English, dao is always a big idea. In Chinese, 道 is a big idea too, but it is also a small, busy word that turns up in homework, at dinner, and in apologies.

PointEnglish dao / TaoChinese 道
Main meaningThe Way of Taoism, or the right path of conductRoad, way, method, principle, and also the Way of philosophy
Other uses“The Tao of X”: the true art of doing X“To say,” as in 道歉 dàoqiàn (“say sorry”), and a measure word for exam questions, orders, long thin things, and dishes in a meal
Where you meet itPhilosophy books, self-help titles, fantasy fictionEverywhere: roads (道路 dàolù), schoolwork (这道题 zhè dào tí, “this question”), and everyday talk (道理 dàoli, “reason, sense”)
SpellingTao (older) or Dao (pinyin)One character, 道, in both simplified and traditional script

The word is older than Taoism. Every school of Chinese philosophy used it, Confucianism included, and its literal meanings include “way,” “path,” “road,” “course,” “speech,” and “method” [3]. For Confucians, the dao is a morally correct path of behavior. For Taoists, it is bigger: it is the visible process of nature by which all things change, and also the principle under that process [3].

The character 道 has two parts: 辶, a sign for walking, and 首, which means “head.” Sources disagree on whether 首 adds meaning or only a hint of the sound. So “a head walking down a path” is a nice way to remember it, but not a proven fact.

Why two spellings? Tao comes from Wade–Giles, an older system for writing Chinese in Latin letters. In that system, a t without a mark stands for the soft d-like sound. Pinyin, the system used in China today, writes the same sound with a d. Both spellings are still common. Dao is now usual in academic writing and in translated web novels, games, and dramas. Tao lives on in older titles and in words like Taoism. Pick one spelling and keep it through a whole piece of writing.

Sources

  1. Tao Definition & MeaningMerriam-Webster
  2. tao, n. meanings, etymology and moreOxford English Dictionary
  3. TaoismEncyclopaedia Britannica

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