The received Tao Te Ching traditionally contains 81 chapters.
The text is also called the Daodejing, a title often translated as “Classic of the Way and Its Virtue.” Its chapters are divided into two broad sections: the Dao Jing, or “Classic of the Way,” and the De Jing, or “Classic of Virtue.” The received arrangement has 37 chapters in the first section and 44 in the second, making 81 altogether.
The work is traditionally attributed to Laozi, but its authorship and formation are debated. Scholars generally view it as a layered text that reached its received form over time. Excavated manuscripts, including the Mawangdui manuscripts discovered in 1973, preserve important variant arrangements and readings.
The Tao Te Ching is not the same work as the Zhuangzi, another major Taoist classic. Translations differ considerably because the Classical Chinese is highly compressed and the text contains passages with disputed interpretations.