Categorization
There is debate over how, and whether, Taoism should be categorized. Traditionally, it is divided into two categories:
- Philosophical Taoism (Daojia, Chinese: 道家; pinyin: dàojiā; lit. "school of Dao") – The philosophy based on the texts of the Daodejing (道德經) and the Zhuangzi (莊子). These texts were linked together under the term of Daojia during the early Han Dynasty, but notably not before. It is unlikely that Zhuangzi was familiar with the text of the Daodejing, and Zhuangzi would not have identified himself as a Taoist as this classification did not arise until well after his death.
- Religious Taoism (Daojiao, Chinese: 道敎; pinyin: dàojiào; lit. "teachings of Dao") – A family of organized religious movements sharing concepts or terminology derived from Daojia; the first of these is recognized as the Celestial Masters school.
However, the distinction between Daojia and Daojiao is rejected by the majority of modern scholars (at least in Japan and the West). It is, amongst others, contested by hermeneutic (interpretive) difficulties in the categorization of the different Taoist schools, sects and movements. Taoism does not fall under an umbrella or a definition of a single organized religion like the Abrahamic traditions; nor can it be studied as the originator or a variant of Chinese folk religion, as although the two share some similar concepts, much of Chinese folk religion is outside of the tenets and core teachings of Taoism. Sinologists Isabelle Robinet and Livia Kohn agree that "Taoism has never been a unified religion, and has constantly consisted of a combination of teachings based on a variety of original revelations."
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