 Taoism , also known as Daoism , is a religious or philosophical tradition of Chinese origin with an emphasis on living in harmony with , and in accordance to the natural flow or cosmic structural order of the universe commonly referred to as the Tao ( 道 , also romanized as Dao ) . Taoist thought and philosophy was later incorporated into the religious traditions and practices of the ancient Chinese religion hundreds of years after its original development . The term Tao means the " natural way of the universe " , " the way " , " path " , or " principle " , and can also be found in other unrelated ancient Chinese philosophies and religions other than Taoism . In Taoism , however , Tao denotes something that is both the source of , and the force behind , everything that exists . 
