The Oral Meaning of Dao De Jing 道德真经口义

Composed by Lin Xiyi.

The Oral Meaning of Dao De Jing

Roughly completed in the second year of the Jingding reign period of Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty (1261), it consists of four volumes and is included in the Yujue (Jade Commentary) category of the Dongshen Section of the Daozang (Daoist Canon). This work is dedicated to exploring the original intent of the Laozi, stating that among the ancient commentaries, only Su Zhe’s annotation approximates the true meaning, while all other theories deviate from the original purport of the Laozi.