god
Di
the Lord
also: the Lord, 帝, Shangdi
The high god of the early Chinese (Shang and Zhou) pantheon, lord of the ancestral spirits and of natural forces. Chapter 4's claim that the Way 'seems to be before the Lord' subordinates the oldest power in the religion to the Way.
Reading notes
- Tao Te Ching §4 the Lord
Di 帝, the high god of the Shang and Zhou pantheon. To say the Way 'seems to be before the Lord' is to set it prior to the oldest power in the religion.