老子-道家思想-英文PPt

its full height in summer (fully yang) will produce seeds and die back in winter (fully yin) in an endless cycle.

It is impossible to talk about yin or yang without some reference to the opposite, since yin and yang are bound together as parts of a mutual whole (i.e. you cannot have the back of a hand without the front). A way to illustrate this idea is to postulate the notion of a race with only men or only women; this race would disappear in a single generation.
NAME ?
Name：Li Er （李耳）；Li Dan （李聃） Courtesy name：Bo Yang （伯阳）
《史记· 卷063· 老子列传》：
“老子者，楚苦县厉乡曲仁里人也。姓李氏，名耳，字聃，周守藏室之史也。
《史记正义》：
“老子，楚国苦县厉乡曲仁字聃。
Water

Water is the perfect substance according to Daoism. Water always seeks the lowest point and always takes the shape of any vessel into which it is poured. Water always flows downhill, and it always flows around any obstacle. Water seems to be the weakest substance, but it’s really the strongest. A steady drip of water can wear away a rock, a stream can create a canyon, a glacier (frozen water) can create a Grand Canyon, and water in the form of a hurricane or typhoon can erode the very continents away.

Philosophical Taoism

speaks of a permanent Tao in the way that some Western religions speak of God. The Tao is considered unnamed and unknowable, the essential unifying element of all that is. By shunning every earthly distraction, the Taoist is able to concentrate on life itself. Eventually the hope is to become immortal.
Yet, men and women together create new generations that allow the race they mutually create (and mutually come from) to survive. The interaction of the two gives birth to things.

Yin and yang are always opposite and equal qualities. Further, whenever one
quality reaches its peak, it will naturally begin to transform into the opposite quality: for example, grain that reaches

道生一，一生二，二生三，三生万物。万物负阴而 抱阳，冲气以为和。 Out of Tao, One is born; Out of One, Two; Out of Two, Three; Out of Three, the created universe. The created universe carries the yin at its back and the yang in front; Through the union of the pervading principles it reaches harmony.


上善若水。水善利万物而不争
The best of men is like water; Water benefits all things And does not compete with them.

天下之至柔，驰骋天下之至坚。
The softest substance of the world Goes through the hardest.

Yin yang constantly interacts, never existing in absolute stasis. The concept of yin and yang is often symbolized by various forms of the Taijitu symbol, for which it is probably best known in western cultures.
身长八尺八寸，黄色美眉，长耳大目，广额疏齿，方口厚唇，日月角悬，鼻有双 周时人，李母怀胎八十一年而生。”
Taoism
Lao zi and Taoism
Lu
Xun said:
"China roots deep in Taoism. If one wants to comprehend Chinese history and culture, one must comprehend Taoism first."

other through the constant flow of the universe.

The symbol is a visual depiction of the intertwined duality of all things in nature, a common theme in Taoism. It is believed to be derived from the Taijitu (Diagram of the Ultimate Power).


Yin and yang transform each other: like an undertow（回头浪） in the ocean, every advance is complemented by a retreat, and every rise transforms into a fall. Thus, a seed will sprout from the earth and grow upwards towards the sky – an intrinsically yang movement. Then, when it reaches its full potential height, it will fall.


Wu-wei

Wu-wei literally means “non-action,” but
it doesn’t mean don’t ever move.

It means to always act in accordance with the Dao, and not to do things that don’t “go with the flow.” Water does not flow uphill—does it? No, it always flows downhill—it always finds the path of least resistance, as does a good Daoist

The nature of yin–yang

In Taoist philosophy, yin and yang arise together from an initial quiescence or emptiness (wuji, sometimes symbolized by an empty circle), and continue moving in tandem (双) until quiescence（静止） is reached again.

The light, white Yang moving up blends into the dark, black Yin moving down. Yin and Yang are dependent opposing forces that flow in a natural cycle, always seeking balance. Though they are opposing, they are not in opposition to one another. As part of the Tao, they are merely two aspects of a single reality. Each contains the seed of the other, which is why we see a black spot of Yin in the white Yang and vice versa. They do not merely replace each other but actually become each