Tao_Te_Ching The Tao Te Ching or Dao De Jing (), originally known as Laozi (), is a Chinese classic text. Its name comes from the opening words of its two sectionsdào "way," Chapter 1, and 德 dé "virtue," Chapter 38, plus 經 jīng "classic." According to tradition, it was written around the 6th century BC by the sage Laozi (or Lao Tzu, "Old Master"), a record-keeper at the Zhou Dynasty court, by whose name the text is known in China.