Taoism

(noun)

A Chinese mystical philosophy traditionally founded by Lao-tzu in the 6th century BCE that teaches conformity to the tao by unassertive action and simplicity.

Related Terms

Examples of Taoism in the following topics:

  • Pantheism

    • Taoism also contains elements of pantheism.

  • Painting during the Tang Dynasty

    • The theory of painting also developed during this time, and Buddhism, Taoism, and traditional literature were absorbed and combined into painting.

  • Chinese Influences in Vietnamese Art

    • Chinese-influenced philosophies such as Confucianism, Mahayana Buddhism, and Taoism left lasting impressions on Vietnamese culture and art, which continued to flourish between the 10th and 15th centuries after Chinese dominance had waned.

  • The Song Dynasty

    • Neo-Confucianism was an attempt to create a more rationalist and secular form of Confucianism by rejecting superstitious and mystical elements of Taoism and Buddhism that had influenced Confucianism during and after the Han Dynasty.
    • Although the Neo-Confucianists were critical of Taoism and Buddhism, the two did have an influence on the philosophy, and the Neo-Confucianists borrowed terms and concepts from both.

  • Three Kingdoms Period

    • Their original religions appear to have been shamanistic, but they were increasingly influenced by Chinese culture, particularly Confucianism and Taoism.

  • Painting under the Song Dynasty

    • The emphasis laid upon landscape painting in the Song period was grounded in Chinese philosophy: Taoism stressed that humans were but tiny specks among vast and greater cosmos, while Neo-Confucianist writers often pursued the discovery of patterns and principles that they believed caused all social and natural phenomena.