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It means that Tao doesn't force or interfere with things, but lets them work in their own way, to produce results naturally. Then whatever needs to be done is done.
Benjamin Hoff

Meaning of "Tao" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD TAO

Chinese, literally: path, way.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF TAO

Tao  [taʊ] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF TAO

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Tao is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES TAO MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Tao

Tao

Tao or Dao (/taʊ/, /daʊ/; Chinese: 道; pinyin: Dào (help·info)) is a Chinese concept signifying 'way', 'path', 'route', or sometimes more loosely, 'doctrine' or 'principle'. Within the context of traditional Chinese philosophy and religion, Tao is a metaphysical concept originating with Laozi that gave rise to a religion (Wade–Giles, Tao Chiao; Pinyin, Daojiao) and philosophy (Wade–Giles, Tao chia; Pinyin, Daojia) referred to in English with the single term Taoism. The concept of Tao was shared with Confucianism, Chán and Zen Buddhism and more broadly throughout East Asian philosophy and religion in general. Within these contexts Tao signifies the primordial essence or fundamental nature of the universe. In the foundational text of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching, Laozi explains that Tao is not a 'name' for a 'thing' but the underlying natural order of the universe whose ultimate essence is difficult to circumscribe. Tao is thus "eternally nameless” (Dao De Jing-32. Laozi) and to be distinguished from the countless 'named' things which are considered to be its manifestations.

Definition of Tao in the English dictionary

The first definition of Tao in the dictionary is that in virtue of which all things happen or exist. Other definition of Tao is the rational basis of human conduct. Tao is also the course of life and its relation to eternal truth.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE TAO

Tantra
Tantric
Tantrism
Tantrist
tantrum
tanuki
tanyard
Tanzania
Tanzanian
tanzanite
Tanzim
Taoiseach
Taoism
Taoist
Taoistic

WORDS THAT END LIKE TAO

ao
bacalao
Bilbao
cacao
Callao
carabao
chao
chiao
ciao
Davao
Gao
Hu Jintao
jiao
Lao
Liao
Macao
Mindanao
pilao
Qingdao
Takao

Synonyms and antonyms of Tao in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «Tao» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF TAO

Find out the translation of Tao to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of Tao from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «Tao» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

Tao
570 millions of speakers

English

Tao
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

ताओ
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

تاو
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

Тао
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

Tao
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

তাও
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

Tao
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Tao
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Tao
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

타오
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Wong
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

Tao
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

தாவோ
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

ताओ
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Tao
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

Tao
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

Tao
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

Тао
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

Tao
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

Τάο
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

Tao
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

Tao
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

tao
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of Tao

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «TAO»

The term «Tao» is very widely used and occupies the 6.717 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
97
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «Tao» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of Tao
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «Tao».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «TAO» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «Tao» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «Tao» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about Tao

EXAMPLES

6 QUOTES WITH «TAO»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word Tao.
1
Benjamin Hoff
It means that Tao doesn't force or interfere with things, but lets them work in their own way, to produce results naturally. Then whatever needs to be done is done.
2
Donal Logue
Then I did The Tao of Steve and that was at Sundance in 2000 where it did really well.
3
Matthew Stover
It would be misleading to say, 'I believe in the Force,' in the same sense that it would be misleading to say, 'I believe in the sun.' Give it whatever name you like - the Force, the Tao, the Holy Spirit, the Universal Mind - I see it in action everywhere I look, both in the world and in myself.
4
Matthew Stover
Perhaps the most significant thing George Lucas did in creating 'Star Wars' was to fictionalize the Tao - to spark a universe where we can talk about the Force in objective terms and show it in direct action.
5
Joshua Waitzkin
Initially I was very drawn to the Tao Te Ching, the Taoist philosophy. It was helping me deal with the balance of these external and internal issues with my chess life. Tai chi is the martial embodiment of Taoist philosophy. Initially, I had no intention of competing in the martial arts; it was just the meditation.
6
Olivia Wilde
I don't own a scale, and Tao banned the word 'fat' from our house. If we eat too much, we say, 'I feel clogged up.'

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «TAO»

Discover the use of Tao in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to Tao and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Tao Te Ching: A New Translation with Commentary
Refreshing and challenging, this is a landmark work for all those investigating Eastern religion and philosophy.
Ellen Chen, 1998
2
Tao Te Ching
Tao Te Ching, which can be translated from the traditional chinese to The Book of the Way and its Virtue, is an important classic Chinese text.
Laozi, Lao Tzu, 2006
3
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
There is nothing that is not part of it—harmonious living is to know and to move with the Tao—it is a way of life, the natural order of things, a force that flows through all life. 365 Tao is a contemporary book of meditations on what ...
Ming-Dao Deng, 2013
4
Tao Te Ching
The essential, classic text of Taoism. These 81 poems comprise an Eastern classic, the mystical and moral teachings of which have profoundly influenced the sacred scriptures of many religions.
Lao Tzu, 2007
5
Tao Te Ching
This spiritual work, one of the most influential books in history, promotes the achievement of peace and harmony through meditation.
Lao Tze, Laozi, 1997
6
The Tao of Physics
Fritjof Capra’s groundbreaking exploration of the parallels between modern physics and eastern mysticism.
Fritjof Capra, 2010
7
Tao and Method: A Reasoned Approach to the Tao Te Ching
He systematically discusses four areas necessary to recovering the Tao Te Ching's original meaning: its social background; the semantic structure of the brief aphorisms contained in the book; the concrete background of the more cosmic ...
Michael LaFargue, 1994
8
Tao Te Ching
It preserves the quirks and flavors of the original text. The translators hearkened to the message of the book itself, and kept it clear and gently strong. Of the many translations I have read in English, this is unquestionably the best.
Lao-tzŭ, Stephen Addiss, Stanley Lombardo, 1993
9
Lao-tzu and the Tao-te-ching: Studies in Ethics, Law, and ...
Examines the traditional and modern Western interpretations of the Tao-te-ching, and its author, Lao-tzu.
Livia Kohn, Michael LaFargue, 1998
10
Lao Tzu - Tao Te Ching
Chinese classic by well known best selling author.
Laozi, Ursula K. Le Guin, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «TAO»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term Tao is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Koh Tao murder trail: Lawyer claims police failed to check CCTV
Thai police conduct DNA tests on staff from two beachside bars as they investigate the murder of two British tourists on the southern resort island of Koh Tao. «Channel News Asia, Jul 15»
2
Somyot: Koh Tao case DNA 'not lost'
Authorities have possession of crucial DNA evidence in the murder trial of two Burmese migrants accused of killing two young British tourists on Koh Tao, the ... «Bangkok Post, Jul 15»
3
DNA evidence questioned as Koh Tao trial opens
KOH SAMUI — The trial of two Myanmar men accused of murdering two British backpackers on Koh Tao opened Wednesday with defence lawyers questioning ... «Bangkok Post, Jul 15»
4
Eighth cyclist to be killed in London in 2015 was Oxford graduate …
A female cyclist who was crushed to death by a tipper truck outside the Bank Of England yesterday has been named as Oxbridge graduate Ying Tao, 26. «Daily Mail, Jun 15»
5
Meet Tao Porchon-Lynch, the 96-Year-Old Dancer Who Wowed …
"There is nothing you cannot do," Tao Porchon-Lynch's website reads. And the 96-year-old, who recently competed on America's Got Talent, is living proof of that ... «People Magazine, Jun 15»
6
8 months on, Koh Tao murder suspects 'still waiting' on evidence …
Tun Tun Htike (left) and May Thein, parents of Win Zaw Tun, suspect in a murder which took place in Koh Tao, Thailand, show their son's photo during an ... «Malay Mail Online, May 15»
7
Koh Tao murders trial resumes Thursday
Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun are charged with murdering David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, on Sai Ree beach on the neighbouring island of Koh Tao ... «Bangkok Post, Apr 15»
8
Tea, Tao and Tourists: China's Mount Hua Is Three-Part Harmony
Taoism is China's indigenous spirituality, dating back to the 4th century B.C., when Laozi, the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching, was said to have been served ... «KPBS, Apr 15»
9
Third young British backpacker dies on Thai island of Koh Tao
The victim, named online as 23-year-old political activist Christina Annesley, died on Wednesday on Koh Tao, an area popular with tourists and backpackers. «Telegraph.co.uk, Jan 15»
10
Koh Tao murders: suspects in killing of David Miller and Hannah …
The two migrant workers were arrested on Koh Tao in October and during a court hearing on Friday on the nearby island of Koh Samui, a judge ruled their trial ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Dec 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Tao [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/tao>. Apr 2024 ».
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