Religions Origin of the Terms Dao and De and Their Signification in the Laozi

摘要

This article applies a synthetic approach of philological, religious, philosophical, and cultural studies to explore the original meaning of the terms dao 道 and de 德, two primary concepts in traditional Chinese intellectual history. Through an etymological analysis of the characters dao and de, and supported by both received and discovered texts and materials, this article demonstrates that dao originally represented the spirit of the Pole Star/High God and the movement of Heaven, and de, in relation to dao, originally represented the impartial virtue and power of Heaven. In terms of this new interpretation, the article further discusses the signification of dao and de in the Laozi to uncover the mystic aspects of the text.rnDao 道, the central concept in Chinese intellectual history, is frequently translated as 'way' and explained in terms of both a road to physically travel on and an abstract or mystical pathway. Some scholars have however, questioned this conventional translation and interpretation from an etymological perspective, and others have indicated dad's relationship with the Taiyi 太- ('Great One') cult in early Chinese sources. Recent archaeological discoveries, especially the Taiyi sheng shut 太-生水 (The 'Great One' Gives Birth to Water) text from Guodian 郭店, have further inspired scholars to reconsider the complicated implications of dao. This article applies a multi-disciplinary approach to explore the religious origin of dao and its signification in the Laozi, for the first time providing etymological, archaeological, and iconographic evidence to support the identification of dao with the Great One/deity of the Pole Star/High God/Heaven in Warring States to Han texts. The religious origin of de 德, another primary concept, is also re-examined.