Traditionally attributed to Lao Tzu, an older contemporary of Confucius (551 - 479 BC), it is now thought that the work was compiled in about the fourth century BC.
An anthology of wise sayings, it offers a model by which the individual can live rather than explaining the human place in the universe.
The moral code it encourages is based on modesty and self-restraint, and the rewards reaped for such a life are harmony and flow of life.
