The Taoist concept of the Way is called the Dao, also spelled Tao. The Chinese character 道 originally means “road,” “path,” or “way,” but Taoist texts use it for the underlying pattern and source of reality.
In the Tao Te Ching, the Dao is described as nameless, formless, eternal, and beyond complete verbal definition. It is not usually presented as a creator god with human intentions; rather, it is the natural process through which the universe unfolds. Living in harmony with it is associated with wu wei, often translated as effortless or non-forcing action.
Dao is not the same as qi, which refers to vital energy or material force, nor is it identical to yin and yang, the complementary aspects through which change is described. The spelling Tao follows older Wade–Giles romanization, while Dao follows modern pinyin. Both refer to the same Chinese term, dào.