Lao Tzu, surnamed Li Minger, was called Bo Yang, or Shu Bo Yang. At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, Chen (later Chu) was born in the Spring and Autumn Period of Zhou Dynasty. China was an ancient thinker, philosopher, writer and historian, the founder and main representative of Taoist school.

Laozi is a world cultural celebrity, one of the world's 100 historical celebrities, and is also called Laozi and Zhuangzi with Zhuangzi. In Taoism, Laozi is regarded as the ancestor of Taoism and is called "the old gentleman on the throne". In the Tang Dynasty, Laozi was regarded as the ancestor of Li.

Laozi's extant works include Tao Te Ching (also known as Laozi), which is one of the most widely circulated works in the world. In 1980s, according to the statistics of UNESCO, among the world famous cultural works, the Bible was translated into foreign languages and published with the largest circulation, followed by the Tao Te Ching.

Laozi's thought has a far-reaching influence on the development of China's philosophy, and its ideological core is simple dialectics. Politically, Laozi advocates the rule of inaction and the teaching of words. Politically, Lao Tzu pays attention to the truth that extremes meet. In terms of self-cultivation, Laozi is the ancestor of Taoist double cultivation, paying attention to modest and upright practice and not competing with others.

The reason for being called "Lao Zi":

Lao Dan has lived on Sundays for a long time. His knowledge is getting deeper and deeper, and his reputation is getting louder and louder. In the Spring and Autumn Period, learned people were called "Zi" to show respect. Therefore, people call Lao Dan "Lao Zi".

Extended data:

1, the main work Tao Te Ching:

Now Taoism says that "man is everywhere, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao follows the nature", which is a classic Taoist philosophy that uses "Tao" to explain the evolution law of all things.

Tao Te Ching, with more than 5,000 words, is also called Laozi or moral truth.

Tao Te Ching consists of two volumes, the first volume contains 37 Taoist scriptures, and the second volume contains 44 Taoist scriptures. The ideological essence of Tao Te Ching is "Tao is the foundation of virtue, and virtue is the art of Tao". Tao Te Ching is considered to be one of the three major ideological works that influenced China's social thought.

Tao Te Ching puts forward that "Tao gives birth to one, two, three and everything" and uses "Tao" to describe the changes of the universe. "Tao" means "the husband's life is always smooth", so Tao is an objective law existing in nature, such as the four seasons of the sky.

2, Taoist thought:

Taoism was one of the most important schools in hundred schools of thought during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in China. Taoism originated very early. According to legend, Xuanyuan Huangdi had the idea of harmony between man and nature.

Generally speaking, it is recognized that Laozi was the first person to establish Taoism in the Spring and Autumn Period, and Laozi elaborated it in detail in his book Laozi (Tao Te Ching).

Other representatives of Taoism include Zhuang Zhou, Li Yukou, Hui Shi and others in the Warring States Period. Taoism advocates the natural world outlook and methodology, and respects Huangdi and Laozi as founders, which is called Huang Lao.

The core of Taoist thought is "Tao", which is regarded as the origin of the universe and the law governing all movements of the universe.

In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Jing of Han ruled the country with Taoist thoughts, so that the people could recuperate from the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty. History calls it the rule of cultural scene.

Later, Confucian scholar Dong Zhongshu advocated the policy of "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone" to Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, which was adopted by later emperors. Taoism has since become a non-mainstream thought. Although Taoism has not been officially adopted, it continues to play an important role in the development of China's ancient thoughts. Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties was developed on the basis of integrating Taoist thoughts.

Taoism was later absorbed by Zhang Lu's Five Mi Dou Daoism and other religions, and evolved into one of the important religions in China-Taoism. Romantic in Wei and Jin Dynasties paid more attention to alchemy when talking about metaphysics. So Taoism and Taoism are often confused.

Baidu encyclopedia-Laozi