Laozi in the context of "Tao Te Ching"

The Huangdi Sijing (simplified Chinese: 黄帝四经; traditional Chinese: 黃帝四經; pinyin: Huángdì sìjīng; lit. "Yellow Emperor's Four Classics") are ancient Chinese texts thought to be long-lost, manuscripts of which however are generally thought to have been discovered among the Mawangdui Silk Texts in 1973. Also known as the Huang-Lao boshu (simplified Chinese: 黄老帛书; traditional Chinese: 黃老帛書; pinyin: Huáng-Lǎo bóshū; lit. 'Huang-Lao Silk Texts'), or Huangdi shu 黄帝書 (Yellow Thearch Manuscripts), they are thought by modern scholars to reflect a lost branch of early syncretist Daoism, referred to as the "Huang–Lao school of thought" named after the legendary Huangdi (黃帝; "Yellow Emperor") and Laozi (老子; "Master Lao"). One finds in it "technical jargon" derived of Taoism, Legalism, Confucianism and Mohism.

Baopuzi (simplified Chinese: 抱朴子; traditional Chinese: 抱樸子) is a literary work written by Ge Hong (AD 283–343), (Chinese: 葛洪; Wade–Giles: Ko Hung), a scholar during the turbulent Jin dynasty.

Baopuzi is divided into two main sections, the esoteric Neipian (Chinese: 內篇,; lit. 'Inner Chapters') and the section intended for the public to understand: Waipian (Chinese: 外篇; lit. ''Outer Chapters''). The Taoist Inner Chapters discuss topics such as techniques to achieve "hsien" (Chinese: 仙; lit. 'immortality', 'transcendence'), Chinese alchemy, elixirs, and demonology. The Confucian Outer Chapters discuss Chinese literature, Legalism, politics, and society.

The Tao Te Ching or Dào Dé Jīng, (traditional Chinese: 道德經; simplified Chinese: 道德经; lit. 'Classic of the Way and its Virtue') often Laozi in Chinese and scholarship, is an ancient Chinese classic text, becoming a foundational work of Taoism. It is traditionally credited to the sage Laozi, though with some several early versions recovered, the texts' authorship and dates of composition and compilation are debated. The oldest excavated portion dates to the late 4th century BCE. While tradition places Laozi earlier, modern versions of the text could more conservatively be estimated to date back to the late Warring States period (475 – 221 BCE), not having been recovered that early.

The Tao Te Ching is central to both philosophical and religious Taoism, and has been highly influential on Chinese philosophy and religious practice in general. It is generally taken as preceding the Zhuangzi, the other core Taoist text. Terminology originating within the text has been reinterpreted and elaborated upon by Legalist thinkers, Confucianists, and particularly Chinese Buddhists, introduced to China significantly after the initial solidification of Taoist thought. One of the most translated texts in world literature, the text is well known in the West.

Liang, known in historiography as the Western Liang (traditional Chinese: 西涼; simplified Chinese: 西凉; pinyin: Xī Liáng; 400–421), was a dynastic state of China listed as one of the Sixteen Kingdoms. The Western Liang was founded by the Li family of Han descent. The founder of the Tang dynasty, Li Yuan (Emperor Gaozu), traced his patrilineal ancestry to the Western Liang rulers and traced the ancestry of the Western Liang rulers to Li Guang, Li Xin, and Laozi in the paternal line. The ruling Li clan of the Western Liang was known as the Longxi Li lineage (隴西李氏).

All of Western Liang's rulers declared themselves as gōngs (公), which is translated to "Dukes". Their territory encompassed modern-day northwestern Gansu, and for this reason, they were given the prefix of "Western" in historiography to distinguish them with the other Liang states at the time.

Zhoukou (Chinese: 周口; pinyin: Zhōukǒu; Wade–Giles: Chou-k’ou; postal: Chowkow) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province, China. It borders Zhumadian to the southwest, Xuchang and Luohe to the west, Kaifeng to the northwest, Shangqiu to the northeast, and the province of Anhui on all other sides. As of the 2020 census, its population was 9,026,015 inhabitants. However, as of the 2018 estimation, 1,601,300 lived in the built-up (or metro) made up of Chuanhui district and the northern part of Shangshui county.

The rich history and geographical advantages of Zhoukou have made it a unique city. As the ancient capitals of Emperor Yao and the birthplace of Laozi, it carries a profound cultural heritage of China. At the same time, the remnants of the Chen and Chu cultures endow Zhoukou with a distinctive historical charm. The development of the Lin'gang New City showcases the city's modernization process and economic vitality.

The Xunzi (Chinese: 荀子) is an ancient Chinese collection of philosophical writings attributed to (Master (zi)) Xun Kuang, a 3rd-century BC philosopher usually associated with the Confucian tradition. The Xunzi emphasizes education and propriety, and asserts that "human nature is detestable". The text is an important source of early theories of ritual, cosmology, and governance. The ideas within the Xunzi are thought to have exerted a strong influence on Legalist thinkers, such as Han Fei, and laid the groundwork for much of Han dynasty political ideology. The text criticizes a wide range of other prominent early Chinese thinkers, including Laozi, Zhuangzi, Mozi, and Mencius.

Some Xunzi chapters are especially significant. The "Discussion of Heaven (天論 Tiān lùn)" rejects the notion that heaven has a moral will. Instead, Xunzi asserts that heaven operates according to constant principles; thus people should focus on the human, social realm rather than attempting to ascertain the inner-workings of heaven. The "Discussion of Ritual Propriety (禮 lĭ)" chapter gives rules of individual and social decorum. "Dispelling Obsessions" teaches that in focusing on only one aspect of a situation, one often loses sight of the larger purpose. "Proper Use of Terms" (正名 zhēngmíng): A name becomes proper for a situation through conventional usage, but once this is fixed it is improper to deviate from this norm. "Human Dispositions are Detestable" (xìng è 性惡) rejects Mencius's claim that people have a natural inclination toward goodness. Confucius, who simply said that people are similar by nature, was not clear on the matter. Xunzi holds that man is naturally inclined towards selfishness, and that if this inclination is not curbed, human societies devolve into chaos. He argues that people become good only through conscious efforts and social constructs, emphasizing the difference between natural endowment and cultivated potential.

In Chinese philosophy, the three teachings (Chinese: 三教; pinyin: sānjiào; Vietnamese: tam giáo, Chữ Hán: 三教; Indonesian: tridarma) are Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The learning and the understanding of the three teachings are traditionally considered to be a harmonious aggregate within Chinese culture. Literary references to the three teachings by prominent Chinese scholars date back to the 6th century. The term may also refer to a non-religious philosophical grounds of aggregation as exemplified within traditional Chinese medicine.