Taoism; Taoist teaching; “Teaching(s) of the Way”

This term, now denoting the religion which is the topic of this encyclopedia,originally meant no more than “Teaching of the Way”—though even this ismisleading, in that inculcation rather than education is implied by “teaching.”All early instances of the term, therefore, have a rather vague application: inpreimperial times Mohists use it with reference to the classical traditions ofthe sages, more or less equivalent to Confucianism; from the late Han onwardBuddhists use it also as an elegant synonym for fojiao 佛教, “The Teachingsof the Buddha.” Only in the fifth century do we find it used in the sense thatit has now acquired; only then did such a term become necessary.