\"Lao-tze, greatest of the pre-Confucian philosophers, was wiser than Teng Shih; he knew the wisdom of silence, and lived, we may be sure, to a ripe old age- though we are not sure that he lived at all. The Chinese historian, Szuma Ch\"ien, tells how Lao-tze, disgusted\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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with the knavery of politicians and tired of his work as curator of the Royal Library of Chou, determined to leave China and seek some\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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distant and secluded countryside. On reaching the frontier the warden, Yin Hsi, said to him: \"So you are going into retirement. I beg\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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you to write a book for me.\" Thereupon Lao-tze wrote a book, in two parts, on Tao and Te, extending to over five thousand words. He\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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then went away, and no one knows where he died.\" Tradition, which knows everything, credits him with living eighty-seven years.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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All that remains of him is his name and his book, neither of which may have belonged to him. Lao-tze is a description, meaning \"The Old\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Master\"; his real name, we are told, was Li - that is to say, a plum.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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China_Zhou Dynasty Philosophy_Daoism