The Lao Tzu, as it is usually called, is the principal classic in the thought of Taoism. Traditionally ascribed to one Lao Tzu, an older contemporary of Confucius, the work is more probably an anthology of wise sayings compiled in about the fourth century ac. As a treatise both on personal conduct and on government it is moral rather than mystical in tone, and advances a philosophy of meekness as the surest path to survival. In the clear English of D. C. Lau's translation this famous Chinese book can be enjoyed especially for its pure poetry.