| Lao Tzu itself is a [[Chinese honorifics|Chinese honorific title]]: {{lang|zh|{{linktext|老}}}} (<small>[[Old Chinese|Old]]</small> [[reconstruction of Old Chinese|*]]''r[[Pharyngealization|ˤu]] [[glottal stop|ʔ]]'', "old, venerable")<ref name=baxsag/> and {{lang|zh|{{linktext|子}}}} (<small>[[Old Chinese|Old]]</small> [[Reconstruction of Old Chinese|*]]''tsə[[glottal stop|ʔ]]'', "master").<ref name=baxsag/> In traditional accounts, ''Laozi'''s actual [[Chinese personal names|personal name]] is usually given as Li Er {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|李|耳}}}},}} <small>[[Old Chinese|Old]]</small> [[reconstruction of Old Chinese|*]]''rə[[glottal stop|ʔ]] nə[[glottal stop|ʔ]]'',<ref name=baxsag>{{cite web |last1=Baxter |first1=William |first2=Laurent |last2=Sagart |url=http://ocbaxtersagart.lsait.lsa.umich.edu/BaxterSagartOCbyMandarinMC2014-09-20.pdf |title=Baxter–Sagart Old Chinese Reconstruction |date=20 September 2014 |accessdate=1 May 2018}}</ref> <small>[[pinyin|Mod.]]</small> ''Lǐ Ěr'') and his [[courtesy name]] as Boyang {{nowrap|(<small>[[traditional characters|trad.]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|伯|陽}}}},}} {{nowrap|<small>[[simplified characters|simp.]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|伯|阳}}}},}} <small>[[Old Chinese|Old]]</small> [[reconstruction of Old Chinese|*]]''P[[Pharyngealization|ˤrak]]-lang'',<ref name=baxsag/> <small>[[pinyin|Mod.]]</small> ''Bóyáng''). A prominent [[posthumous name]] was ''Li Dan'' {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|李|聃}}}},}} ''Lǐ Dān'').<ref>{{Harvtxt|Luo|2004|p=118}}</ref><ref>{{Harvtxt|Kramer|1986|p=118}}</ref><ref>{{Harvtxt|Kohn|2000|p=2}}</ref> [[Sima Qian]] in his biography mentions his name as ''Lǐ Ěr'', and his literary name as ''Lǐ Dān'', which became the deferential ''Lǎo Dān'' {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|老|聃}}}},}} ''Lǎo Dān'').<ref name="LDR">"Sima Qian identifies the old master as a "Lao Dan"...." in {{cite book |last1=Rainey |first1=Lee Dian |title=Decoding Dao: Reading the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) and the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) |date=2013 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-46567-7 |page=31 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YNFiAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT31 |language=en}}</ref> The name ''Lǎo Dān'' also appears interchangeably with ''Lǎo Zi'' in early Daoist texts such as the ''[[Zhuangzi (book)|Zhuangzi]]'',<ref name="LDR"/> and may also be the name by which ''Lao Tzu'' was addressed by [[Confucius]] when they possibly met.<ref name="LDR"/> According to the ''Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy'', "the 'founder' of philosophical Daoism is the quasi-legendary ''Laodan'', more commonly known as ''Laozi'' (Old Master)".<ref>"The 'founder' of philosophical Daoism is the quasi-legendary ''Laodan'', more commonly known as ''Laozi'' (Old Master)" in {{cite book |last1=Carr |first1=Dr Brian |last2=Mahalingam |first2=Indira |title=Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy |date=2002 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-96058-3 |page=497 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xIwrBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA497 |language=en}}</ref> | | Lao Tzu itself is a [[Chinese honorifics|Chinese honorific title]]: {{lang|zh|{{linktext|老}}}} (<small>[[Old Chinese|Old]]</small> [[reconstruction of Old Chinese|*]]''r[[Pharyngealization|ˤu]] [[glottal stop|ʔ]]'', "old, venerable")<ref name=baxsag/> and {{lang|zh|{{linktext|子}}}} (<small>[[Old Chinese|Old]]</small> [[Reconstruction of Old Chinese|*]]''tsə[[glottal stop|ʔ]]'', "master").<ref name=baxsag/> In traditional accounts, ''Laozi'''s actual [[Chinese personal names|personal name]] is usually given as Li Er {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|李|耳}}}},}} <small>[[Old Chinese|Old]]</small> [[reconstruction of Old Chinese|*]]''rə[[glottal stop|ʔ]] nə[[glottal stop|ʔ]]'',<ref name=baxsag>{{cite web |last1=Baxter |first1=William |first2=Laurent |last2=Sagart |url=http://ocbaxtersagart.lsait.lsa.umich.edu/BaxterSagartOCbyMandarinMC2014-09-20.pdf |title=Baxter–Sagart Old Chinese Reconstruction |date=20 September 2014 |accessdate=1 May 2018}}</ref> <small>[[pinyin|Mod.]]</small> ''Lǐ Ěr'') and his [[courtesy name]] as Boyang {{nowrap|(<small>[[traditional characters|trad.]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|伯|陽}}}},}} {{nowrap|<small>[[simplified characters|simp.]]</small> {{lang|zh|{{linktext|伯|阳}}}},}} <small>[[Old Chinese|Old]]</small> [[reconstruction of Old Chinese|*]]''P[[Pharyngealization|ˤrak]]-lang'',<ref name=baxsag/> <small>[[pinyin|Mod.]]</small> ''Bóyáng''). A prominent [[posthumous name]] was ''Li Dan'' {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|李|聃}}}},}} ''Lǐ Dān'').<ref>{{Harvtxt|Luo|2004|p=118}}</ref><ref>{{Harvtxt|Kramer|1986|p=118}}</ref><ref>{{Harvtxt|Kohn|2000|p=2}}</ref> [[Sima Qian]] in his biography mentions his name as ''Lǐ Ěr'', and his literary name as ''Lǐ Dān'', which became the deferential ''Lǎo Dān'' {{nowrap|({{lang|zh|{{linktext|老|聃}}}},}} ''Lǎo Dān'').<ref name="LDR">"Sima Qian identifies the old master as a "Lao Dan"...." in {{cite book |last1=Rainey |first1=Lee Dian |title=Decoding Dao: Reading the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) and the Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu) |date=2013 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-46567-7 |page=31 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YNFiAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT31 |language=en}}</ref> The name ''Lǎo Dān'' also appears interchangeably with ''Lǎo Zi'' in early Daoist texts such as the ''[[Zhuangzi (book)|Zhuangzi]]'',<ref name="LDR"/> and may also be the name by which ''Lao Tzu'' was addressed by [[Confucius]] when they possibly met.<ref name="LDR"/> According to the ''Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy'', "the 'founder' of philosophical Daoism is the quasi-legendary ''Laodan'', more commonly known as ''Laozi'' (Old Master)".<ref>"The 'founder' of philosophical Daoism is the quasi-legendary ''Laodan'', more commonly known as ''Laozi'' (Old Master)" in {{cite book |last1=Carr |first1=Dr Brian |last2=Mahalingam |first2=Indira |title=Companion Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy |date=2002 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-96058-3 |page=497 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xIwrBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA497 |language=en}}</ref> |
| The honorific title Lao Tzu has been romanized numerous ways, sometimes leading to confusion. The most common present form is still Lao Tzu, which is based on the formerly prevalent Wade–Giles system. Other forms include the variants Lao-tze, Lao-tsu and Laozi/Lao Zi. | | The honorific title Lao Tzu has been romanized numerous ways, sometimes leading to confusion. The most common present form is still Lao Tzu, which is based on the formerly prevalent Wade–Giles system. Other forms include the variants Lao-tze, Lao-tsu and Laozi/Lao Zi. |