Glossary of Taoism

March 29, 2024 · updated March 29, 2024

acupuncture
Traditional Chinese medical treatment using needles to stimulate the flow of ch'i in the body.
Celestial Master
(Chinese T'ien-shih). Title held by the hereditary leader of Orthodox Unity Taoism.
ch'ang
(Chinese, "enduring"). The permanent and eternal.
ch'i
(Chinese, "air, "breath, "strength"). Life energy that flows throughout the human body and the universe.
chai
(Chinese). Ritual of purification.
Chang Kuo-lao
One of the Eight Immortals. Connected with a historical figure of the T'ang dynasty, his symbol is a fish-drum.
Chang San-feng
Taoist immortal traditionally considered the founder of t'ai-chi ch'uan.
ching
(Chinese, "semen", "seed"). Vital essence.
Chuang-tzu (Zhuangzi)
Taoist text named for its primary author, "Master Chuang" (c. 369-286 BCE). Also known as Nan-hua chenching (“The Pure Classic of Nan-hua”). Composed in the 4th or 3rd century BCE.
Chung-li Ch'uan
One of the Eight Immortals. He is depicted as a stout man with a near-bald head but a long beard. His symbol is a fan, indicating power to raise the dead.
Dōkyō
Religious Taoism in Japan.
feng-shui
(Chinese, "wind and water"). A form of divination whose goal is to place homes, cemeteries, furniture, etc. in the best location.
Han Hsiang-tzu
One of the Eight Immortals. He is depicted as a peaceful mountain-dweller with a flute, flowers and a peach. He is the patron of music.
Ho Hsien-ku
The only female Immortal.
hsien
(Chinese, "fluttering") The Immortals, who are described in the Chuang-tzu. Perhaps originally intended to be allegorical, the nature and abilities of these beings became a practical goal for later Taoists.
hsin
Chinese, "heart" or "mind."
hun
In Taoism, the three heavenly human souls. These leave the body upon a human's death.
jia
(Chinese, "school of transmission"). Philosophy.
Ling-pao P'ai
(Chinese, "School of the Magic Jewel"). Movement within religious Taoism based on Ling-pao Ching. Influenced by Buddhist devotion to bodhisattvas, it teaches that liberation depends on help from deities (t'ien-tsun).
P'an-ku
Taoist creator of the world and also the first human. He emerged from the original chaos in the form of an egg, and at this death, his body was allocated to the creation of different parts of the world.
p'u
(Chinese, "uncarved block"). State of simplicity and true nature, as in infancy, before being shaped by knowledge, morality and other influences of society. For Lao-Tzu, this is the state of the ideal ruler.
Pa-hsien
(Chinese, "Eight Immortals"). Taoist figures associated with good fortune and the eight conditions of life that are frequently portrayed in Chinese art and literature.
po
In Taoism, the seven earthly human souls.
shen
Spiritual consciousness.
t'ai chi (taiji)
(Chinese, "Great Polarity.") Yin and yang.
t'ai chi chu'uan
(Chinese, "Great Polarity Boxing.") Martial art aimed at harnessing the strength of chi.
Tao
(Chinese, "way"). Unchanging principle behind the universe; unproduced producer of all that is. The Tao-te Ching describes it as "something formlessly fashioned, that existed before Heaven and Earth."
Tao-chaio (Daojiao)
Religious Taoism. Emphasizes religious rituals aimed at attaining immortality.
Tao-chia (Daojia)
Philosophical Taoism. Emphasizes the philosophical writings of Lao-Tzu, Chuang-Tzu, and other Taoist philsophers.
tao-shih
Scholars and ritual functionaries of religious Taoism.
Tao-te Ching (Daodejing)
(Chinese, "Book of the Way and its Power.") Foundational text of Taoism. Attributed to Lao-tzu and probably composed in the 4th century BCE, it teaches about the Tao.
Tao-te t'ien-tsun
Ruler of Taoist heaven of highest purity; San-ch'ing.
Tao-tsang
Taoist canon of authoritative texts.
Tao-yin
Exercise for guiding the breath to different parts of the body.
te
(Chinese, "power" or "virtue"). Means through which the Tao becomes manifest and actualized.
tzu-jan
Spontaneity; unconditioned and totally itself. Characteristic of the Tao.
wu-wei
(Chinese, "non-action.") The ideal for rulers as set out in the Tao te Ching.
yu
Chinese, "being."