Daoist Chinese Characters

The following are selected important Daoist Chinese characters and their definitions.

In Chinese, there are different styles to write a character. This is because the characters developed from Pre-Qin dynasty to today, went though many stages of development.

• Zhuan Shu (Seal Style)
  
  
  
  • Jia Gu Wen - written on animal bones and tortoise shells
  • Jin Wen - written on bronze wares
  • Zhou Wen
  • Da Zhuan (Big Seal)
  • Xiao Zhuan (Small Seal)
• Li Shu (Official Style)
• Kai Shu (Standard Style)
  
  
  
  • Simplified Chinese (China)
  • Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and other countries)
• Cao Shu (Cursive Style)
• Xing Shu

The earliest discovered Chinese characters were found written on pre-Qin dynasty tortoise shells and animal bones (Jia Gu Wen) and this led to writing on old bronze wares (Jin Wen). Also popular during this era was Zhou Wen, Da Zhuan (Big Seal), and Xiao Zhuan (Small Seal). All these categories of calligraphy became collectively known as Zhuan Shu (Seal Style). The more popular and standardized Zhuan Shu is Xiao Zhuan, which came about because the first emperor of Qin dynasty tried to gather all the scripts at that time and this led to its creation. Zhuan Shu was difficult to write, so a version was made to make it more efficient which becamed known as Li Shu (Official Style). From Li Shu, calligraphers created a fast cursive style call Cao Shu. Li Shu also spawned the Kai Shu (Standard Style), which is the standard version you see in most Chinese newspapers today. Inbetween Cao Shu and Kai Shu is the Xing Shu, which is inbetween cursive and regular Kai Shu block structure.

The China government in the 1950's simplified the Chinese characters into a version called Simplified Chinese, and the original one then became know as Traditional Chinese (used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and elsewhere). Note that the Chinese characters in brackets used on this site are the Simplified Chinese Kai Shu version.

Since Lao Zi was in the Zhou dynasty (which is pre-Qin dynasty: See Chinese History), the Chinese style that the Dao De Jing was written in was a variant of the Zhuan Shu.

Kai Shu










"Dao" - Way



Description
"Dao" (way or path) is the main concept from Daoism. Below is the Kai Shu calligraphy style of the character Tao.
 
Tao and First Line of Tao Te Ching

 Zhuan Shu
 
"Dao" - Way

Description
The same "Dao" written in Zhuan Shu calligraphy style (note the variation of Zhuan Shu writing style for character Tao).







Tao and First Line of Tao Te Ching


Kai Shu

"Dao" - Way


"De" - Virtue

 
"Jing" - Scripture

 Description
 The Dao De Jing [Tao Te Ching] is broken up into two books, Tao (Way: Ch 1-37) and Te (Virtue: Ch 38-81). Below is Chapter 38 (first chapter of "Te") in Kai Shu (Regular Script) style.



 Chapter 38 of Tao Te Ching in Kai Shu style

 Zhuan Shu
 
"Dao" - Way


"De" - Virtue


"Jing" - Scripture

 Description
 The Dao De Jing [Tao Te Ching] is the primary scripture of Daoism. Below is Chapter 1 as it was originally written in Zhuan Shu (Seal Script) style.



Chapter 1 of Tao Te Ching in Zhuan Shu style


Kai Shu

"Lao" - Old


"Zi" - Child

Zhuan Shu
 
"Lao" - Old


"Zi" - Child 

Description 
 Lao Zi [Lao Tzu] (sometimes translated as "honorable elder", from "Zi Lao") is the author of the Dao De Jing [Tao Te Ching]. He is also known as Li Er [Li Erh]. He is on the right in the painting below (along with Buddha and Confucius.)

 Three Vinegar Tasters Painting



Kai Shu

"Li" - Plum tree



"Er" - Ear

 Zhuan Shu

 
"Li" - Plum tree


"Er" - Ear

Description
Li Er is the birth name of Lao Zi.

 Lao Zi Riding Ox

 Description

 Li Er is the birth name of Lao Zi.

 Lao Zi Riding Yak


Kai Shu

"Wu" - Without (Effortless) 

 
"Wei" - Action 

 Zhuan Shu

 
"Wu" - Without (Effortless)

 
"Wei" - Action

Description
  Wu-Wei is one of the main concepts from Daoism

Wu-Wei Calligraphy

Kai Shu

"Yin" - Feminine or negative principle 

 
"Yang" - Masculine or positive principle 

 Zhuan Shu

 
"Yin" - Feminine



"Yang" - Masculine

 Description
 Yin and Yang are the negative and positive principles of the universe.

 Yin Yang Calligraphy

Thank you http://www.edepot.com/taocalig.html

Daoist Cosmology

All cause and effect is due to the Dao, the Way. The Way can be explained as the reason or cause of everything which followed.

Before Dao there was: Wu-wu (Not Nothing).
With Dao there was: Wu Ji (No Limit).
From Wu Ji, evolved Hun Tun (Chaos).
In Hun Tun, Tai Ji (Great Pole) became the first fixed point in space and time.
From Tai Ji came the Tai Yi (Great Change)
Tai Yi went through two stages...

1. Tai Chu (Great First)
   
   
   
   • has Xing (Form)
2. Tai Shi (Great Beginning)
   
   
   
   • has Qi (Breath)

Xing and Qi combined to create...

• Tai Su (Great Primordial)
  
  
  
  • has Zhi (Substance)

The first substances has Yin and Yang. All things terrestrial and celestial fall into one of five groups, the Wu Xing (Five Elements). The five elements are...

1. Wood
2. Fire
3. Earth
4. Metal
5. Water

The five elements are usually in a state of flux. They can be arranged in a number of sequences, but the two usually encountered are the productive sequence and the destructive sequence.

• Productive sequence
  
  
  
  • Wood burns, creating...
  • Fire leaves ashes, creating...
  • Earth contains ore, creating...
  • Metal melts, creating...
  • Water nourishes plant life, creating (back to Wood)...
• Destructive sequence
  
  
  
  • Wood draws strength from, destroying...
  • Earth pollutes, destroying...
  • Water puts out, destroying...
  • Fire melts, destroying...
  • Metal chops down, destroying (back to Wood)...

The five elements are also used to symbolize different things...

• Wood
  
  
  
  • Direction: East
  • Season: Spring
  • Color: Green
• Fire
  
  
  
  • Direction: South
  • Season: Summer
  • Color: Red
• Earth
  
  
  
  • Direction: Center
  • Season: None
  • Color: Yellow
• Metal
  
  
  
  • Direction: West
  • Season: Autumn
  • Color: White
• Water
  
  
  
  • Direction: North
  • Season: Winter
  • Color: Black