Laozi
c. 6th–4th century BCE (traditional)
daoismsimplicitybalanceleadership
Attributed author of the Dao De Jing — teaching non-forcing, soft strength, and the wisdom of not over-managing life.
Story so far
- c. 6th century BCEpersonal
Traditional birth in state of Chu
- c. 6th–5th century BCEwork
Keeper of the Zhou archives
- c. 6th–5th century BCEhighlight
Composed the Dào Dé Jīng
- c. 4th century BCEwork
Emergence of received text
- c. 91 BCElegacy
Biography in Sima Qian's Records
- c. 142 CElegacy
Deification by Celestial Masters
- 666legacy
Named 'Supremely Mysterious Emperor' by Tang court
- 743legacy
Proclaimed 'Sage Ancestor' of Tang dynasty
- 20th centurycontroversy
Modern scholarly skepticism
Life chapters will appear here once the autobiography track is generated.