Taoism is traditionally traced back to the semi-legendary sage Laozi (also spelled Lao Tzu), who is regarded as the author of the Tao Te Ching, one of its foundational texts. According to this long-standing tradition, Laozi lived around the 6th century BCE, during the late Spring and Autumn period in China. His figure stands at the threshold between history and myth, and scholars continue to debate his historical existence. Yet, within the Taoist imagination, Laozi serves as a symbolic fountainhead, embodying the quiet, elusive wisdom that the Tao itself represents.

Over time, Taoism did not remain a single moment of inspiration but unfolded gradually as both a philosophical current and a religious tradition. Early Taoist writings, including those associated with Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), emerged around the 4th–3rd centuries BCE and significantly deepened and expanded Taoist thought. These texts helped shape a more comprehensive vision of living in accord with the Tao, moving beyond a single author or era. In this sense, Taoism can be seen less as the creation of one founder and more as a stream of insight flowing through multiple thinkers and communities.

Later centuries saw the rise of organized Taoist religious movements, particularly during the Han Dynasty, when figures such as Zhang Daoling and the Way of the Celestial Masters gave Taoism more institutional form. By the 2nd century CE, Taoism had become not only a body of philosophical writings but also a religious path with rituals, communities, and lineages. Many scholars therefore regard Taoism as an evolving tapestry woven from ancient Chinese folk traditions, early philosophical reflections, and later religious developments. Rather than a single starting point, it presents a continuum of practice and understanding, stretching from the traditional date of Laozi in the 6th century BCE through the early centuries of the common era.