Taoism or Daoism () is a type of belief, or a way of thinking about life. It is at least 2,500 years old and it comes from China. Taoism is now said to be a philosophy. Tao (or Dao, ) is the name of the force or the "Way" that Taoists believe makes everything in the world. Taoists think that words cannot be used to correctly describe Tao. The very first line of the "Dào Dé Jīng" (), the most important text in Taoism, says "the Way that can be explained in words is not the true Way." There are many other sacred writings by the teachers of Taoism.
t aʊ ɪ z ə m WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY d aʊ ɪ z ə m WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY t aɪ p WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ v WORD_BOUNDARY b ɪ l iː f WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY w eɪ WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ v WORD_BOUNDARY θ ɪ ŋ k ɪ ŋ WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ b aʊ t WORD_BOUNDARY l aɪ f WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ t WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY æ t WORD_BOUNDARY l iː s t WORD_BOUNDARY t uː WORD_BOUNDARY f aɪ v h ʌ n d ɹ ɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY j ɪ ɹ z WORD_BOUNDARY oʊ l d WORD_BOUNDARY æ n d WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ t WORD_BOUNDARY k ʌ m z WORD_BOUNDARY f ɹ ʌ m WORD_BOUNDARY t̠ʃ aɪ n ə WORD_BOUNDARY t aʊ ɪ z ə m WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY n aʊ WORD_BOUNDARY s ɛ d WORD_BOUNDARY t ə b i WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY f ɪ l ɑ s ə f i WORD_BOUNDARY t aʊ WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY d aʊ WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY n eɪ m WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ v ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY f ɔ ɹ s WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY w eɪ WORD_BOUNDARY ð æ t WORD_BOUNDARY t aʊ ɪ s t s WORD_BOUNDARY b ɪ l iː v WORD_BOUNDARY m eɪ k s WORD_BOUNDARY ɛ v ɹ ɪ θ ɪ ŋ WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ n ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY w ɜː l d WORD_BOUNDARY t aʊ ɪ s t s WORD_BOUNDARY θ ɪ ŋ k WORD_BOUNDARY ð æ t WORD_BOUNDARY w ɜː d z WORD_BOUNDARY k æ n ɑ t WORD_BOUNDARY b iː WORD_BOUNDARY j uː z d WORD_BOUNDARY t ə WORD_BOUNDARY k ə ɹ ɹ ɛ k t l i WORD_BOUNDARY d ɪ s k ɹ aɪ b WORD_BOUNDARY t aʊ WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY v ɛ ɹ i WORD_BOUNDARY f ɜː s t WORD_BOUNDARY l aɪ n WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ v ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY d æ oʊ WORD_BOUNDARY d eɪ WORD_BOUNDARY d̠ʒ ɪ ŋ WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY m oʊ s t WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ m p ɔ ɹ t ə n t WORD_BOUNDARY t ɛ k s t WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ n WORD_BOUNDARY t aʊ ɪ z ə m WORD_BOUNDARY s ɛ z WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY w eɪ WORD_BOUNDARY ð æ t WORD_BOUNDARY k æ n WORD_BOUNDARY b iː WORD_BOUNDARY ɛ k s p l eɪ n d WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ n WORD_BOUNDARY w ɜː d z WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY n ɑ t WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY t ɹ uː WORD_BOUNDARY w eɪ WORD_BOUNDARY ð ɛ ɹ ɑ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY m ɛ n i WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ ð ə ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY s eɪ k ɹ ɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY ɹ aɪ t ɪ ŋ z WORD_BOUNDARY b aɪ WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY t iː t̠ʃ ə ɹ z WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ v WORD_BOUNDARY t aʊ ɪ z ə m WORD_BOUNDARY