Taoism

noun

Tao·​ism ˈdau̇-ˌi-zəm How to pronounce Taoism (audio)
ˈtau̇-
variants or less commonly Daoism
1
: a Chinese mystical philosophy traditionally founded by Lao-tzu in the sixth century b.c. that teaches conformity to the Tao by unassertive action and simplicity
2
: a religion developed from Taoist philosophy and folk and Buddhist religion and concerned with obtaining long life and good fortune often by magical means
Taoist
ˈdau̇-ist How to pronounce Taoism (audio)
ˈtau̇-
adjective or noun
Taoistic adjective

Examples of Taoism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Vivienne began her career as a primary school teacher and remained always curious, studying Taoism in later years. Lily Cole, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2023 The holiday is largely secular and includes traditions deriving from Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, in addition to other traditions from myths and folk religions across Asia. Ty Roush, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024 Similarly, ancient Asian traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, and others elevated the human role in maintaining relationalharmony among interacting forces. Carl Safina, TIME, 5 Oct. 2023 And Taoism teaches that happiness comes from placing your will in harmony with life’s larger pattern. Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2023 The origins of the festival are rooted in both the Chinese religion and philosophy known as Taoism (also spelled Daoism), and in Buddhism, which has its roots in India. Minhae Shim Roth, Good Housekeeping, 23 June 2023 Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi province, one of the birthplaces of Taoism, received 4.73 million visitors during the first quarter, up 47% from the same period in 2019. Laura He, CNN, 9 June 2023 Or how about a deep dive into the Battle of Gettysburg, the history of women’s suffrage, Hollywood in the silent era, the Renaissance witch-craze or the teachings of Taoism? Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 26 May 2023 The second story was of how, in her later years, Westwood had read and reread a favorite book of Chinese poetry as part of her immersion into Taoism. Luke Leitch, Vogue, 16 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Taoism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Tao

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Taoism was in 1838

Dictionary Entries Near Taoism

Cite this Entry

“Taoism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Taoism. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Taoism

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