Tao

See also: tao

English

Etymology 1

From the Wade–Giles romanization of Mandarin 道 (Dào, literally “The Way”): Tao⁴.

Alternative forms

• Dao, dao (Hanyu Pinyin)
• tao (also from Wade–Giles)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /daʊ/, /taʊ/
• Rhymes: -aʊ

Proper noun

Tao

1. (Chinese philosophy) In Taoism, The Way, specifically the transcendental basis of nature and, and/or the ideal way to live one's life.
   • 2013, Al Gore, The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change‎^[1], New York: Random House, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page xx:

     Nor is progress exclusively a Western invention. Many interpret the Tao of ancient China as a guide for those who wish to progress as they make their way forward in the world—though its conception of progress is very different from what emerged in the West.

Translations

Chinese philosophical term

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 道 (yue) (dou⁶)

  Mandarin: 道 (zh) (dào)

• Finnish: tao (fi)
• Korean: 도(道) (ko) (do)
• Marathi: टाउ (ṭāu), टाओ (ṭāo)
• Polish: dao (pl) n, tao (pl) n
• Russian: да́о (ru) (dáo)
• Vietnamese: đạo (vi) (道 (vi))

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Hungarian: tao (hu)

Noun

Tao (countable and uncountable, plural Taos)

1. Alternative form of tao (“art or skill in harmony with essential nature”)

Etymology 2

Proper noun

Tao

1. A unisex given name from Mandarin.

References

• “Tao”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “Tao, pn.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “Tao”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Mandarin 陶 (Táo).

Proper noun

Tao

1. A surname from Mandarin.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Tao is the 7,747^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 4,286 individuals. Tao is most common among Asian/Pacific Islander (92.56%) individuals.

See also

• Green-Tao theorem

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Yami Tao (“the Tao/Yami language”), from Yami tao (“human; person”), from Proto-Philippine *tau, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tau, from Proto-Austronesian *Cau. Compare Ibatan tawo, Tagalog tao, Ilocano tao.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ta‧o
• IPA^(key): /ˈta.ʊ/

Proper noun

Tao

1. an Austronesian ethnic group native to Orchid Island (Lanyu) of Lanyu, Taitung County, Taiwan

Synonyms

• Yami

References

• Rau, Der-Hwa Victoria 何德華, Dong, Maa-Neu 董瑪女 (2018) 臺灣南島語言叢書(14):達悟語 - 語法概論 [Taiwan Austronesian Languages Series (14): Tao language - Introduction to Grammar]‎^[2], New Taipei City: 原住民族委員會, →ISBN, archived from the original on 4 November 2021, page 8
• Dong, Maa-Neu 董瑪女, Rau, Der-Hwa Victoria 何德華, Chang, Ann Hui-Huan 張惠環, editors (2012), 達悟語詞典 Yami (Tao) Dictionary‎^[3], Taipei: 國立臺灣大學出版中心 [National Taiwan University Press], →ISBN, page 238
• Blust, Robert; Trussel, Stephen; et al. (2023) “*Cau”, in the CLDF dataset from The Austronesian Comparative Dictionary (2010–), →DOI

Etymology 5

Borrowed from Georgian ტაო (ṭao).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /taʊ/

Proper noun

Tao

1. (historical) a historical region of Georgia (country)

Related terms

• Klarjeti
• Tao-Klarjeti

Anagrams

• AOT, ATO, OTA, Ota, To'a, oat, toa

Japanese

Romanization

Tao

1. Rōmaji transcription of たお