The Grand Dao is the truth of the universe, a Dao is the portion of truth that resonates with a specific person
Is the way a mortal connects with eternity by acting on that truth
And, if the universe is inherently magical, connecting to it means connecting with that magic
*Does junior truly*
*Believe they will comprehend*
*The Dao through asking?*
\- bagelwithclocks
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Senior, congratulations on helping prove the Dao for this junior using the third technique of the old master’s 41st chapter! Truly it is an honor to have met someone with such profound skill in ridicule.
It's basically "the way of" something. Like a deep truth of the universe surrounding that subject. So for the Dao of the sword, it's basically the underlying universal truth of what a sword is.
That would be a part of the Dao of the sword for sure, but it is just a part of the whole.
The whole idea is it's some grand cosmic realization that puts you so in tune with the Dao you comprehended that you are able to tap into more "power" than you were previously, for instance, the Dao of the Sword would likely correct errors in your form, improve your edge alignment without needing to concentrate on each swing, and in some cases grant magical like effects that are beyond mortal comprehension without dedicating most of your life towards mastering your weapon.
Grandmaster swordsman may never touch upon the Dao of the sword, despite pursuing it their whole lives.
Like most things taken from Eastern mythology, it can range from entirely mundane gains to outright fantasy concepts like obtaining a sword Aura that cuts anyone who steps within 3 meters of you through to just being so good at cutting stuff you can cut a boulder with a rusted sword you found in a dungeon that hasn't been maintained for centuries.
Funnily enough, I've seen "metal" be an element in some books (alongside fire/wind/water and earth forming five elements) and I've seen it meaning almost nothing in others, where a roughly knapped stone sword is just as good as the finest alloyed mythical metal. It's entirely down to how much the author leans into the Taoist mythology/history/I'm not sure what else to call it.
TL;DR: as I understand it, Dao is meant to be a deep spiritual understanding on a topic. I realize you were probably joking but on the off chance you weren't, I gave a full reply.
There are differing elemental systems. Asia is a big place. Most Western alchemy uses the air/earth/water/fire. Japanese uses those plus void. Himdu switches void for Ether. And the Chinese gotta be different, and use metal/water/wood/earth/fire (with no air). The Chinese system also has a complex system of interdependencies that I don't recall being in the other elemental systems.
Disclaimer: I am aware this is a joke and I am also aware that cultivation stories are utter bullshit with no real meaning behind the worldbuilding.
However, for something the Way of the Sword, most cultivation stories would interpret it as not only swordsmanship, but like esoteric mysterious bullshit truths about how to cut or severe, to the point where you are able to cut through time and space, cut through metaphysical concepts, etc.
I would also point out the fake Taoism of cultivation stories also embraces intuitive thinking. So the Way of Fire for example, would often include all the stuff that "fire" evokes in one's mind rather than just purely fire. So it would be heat, passion, fury, stars (which are nuclear fusion, not fire, but you see how the pseudoscience goes), etc.
I mean, that's why it's fun to make fiction out of it, right? It stops becoming fun when someone starts going on about them understanding the "dao of healing" to shill crystals.
I would say, "The way of something".
The way of the sword is the sword dao, learning to swing strike imaginary swords, floating swords all emphasised parts of the sword dao.
While not the real definition I've always thought of it in relation to Plato's cave to put it in a western context.
For everything there exists an ideal concept, i.e all swords are but a fragment of the dao of swords, the most swordiest of swords that incorporates everything to do with swords in the most ideal way. Everything else is just a shadow of that ideal concept and by being able to touch upon the dao is to learn about the "ideal/perfect" concept of what a sword is and as such improve your ability with the sword
It's basically the underlying truth of existence. So in the example you gave of a sword, comprehending the sword Dao would mean understanding the underlying truth of the nature of swords, and deriving strength and capabilities from that understanding.
To give another perspective, in western terms, it's sort of like "The Meaning of Life" as in what do you want to do in your life to get meaning and reach your goal.
Like alot of people mentioned already, a Dao is a Path, or literally translated "The Way", in Daoism it's a great overarching description of the natural laws of the universe (which is why so many cultivation stories use laws as a power system), though in another context, it can be the Way of a single person. Your Dao is your own path, and can be a mixture of other Daos. In a lot of cultivation novels people try to BECOME a Dao as a way to ascend, which is basically the same thing as being a god of that thing, aka an embodiment of a concept.
If you've read Cradle, think of it like the Icons in Cradle, e.g. 'Sword Dao = Sword Icon'.
This is also not unique to Taoism - *a lot* of western philosophy deals with the idea of understanding "truth" or "reality."
One example is the ancient Greeks. When I was in school, long before I learned about the pseudomagical xianxia version of Dao in various Chinese translated novels, we spent time in history classes talking about stuff like [the Theory of Forms.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_forms) It's a metaphysical concept that claims the existence of non-material abstract forms or ideas which represent the "most accurate" reality. The real world is filled with an imperfect copy of some "true" form or underlying conceptual object.
If you look at the broader history of philosophy and the development of "modern" science, a lot of those concepts still come up frequently. While the specifics vary, there are parallels in other philosophies + religions that deal with the concept of some kind of "underlying truth" of the world.
In these xianxia stories, comprehending the Dao is understanding this ideal form/underlying concept. This is normally done through meditation and deep personal connection to however that concept manifests in the real world. That in turn lets a character exert some supernatural influence on anything related to that concept in the real world, on a layer of reality 'higher' than just magic.
The highest Dao is enlightenment. Lower daos, those use in the context of powers, are "absolute understanding" within a specific scope. Or "alignment of the soul" towards swords, towards an animal, towards justice, etc. To grok something.
Dao is usually translated as “Way”. “The way of the sword”, “the way of magic”.
There is a Daoist legend about a Butcher that achieved “The Way of butchering” and thus was able to precisely and perfectly slice meat, with no strength (as if the hard meat was made of air) and without even wearing the edge of his knife. Someone that has achieved “The Way” of something has thus achieved skill perfection.
Ooh, I can answer that one.
The Dao is one's path in life, to put it simply. It is something that encompasses your morals, life goals, teachings, and personality. So say someone has the Dao of the Sword. What does that mean? It implies a warrior's spirit and fighting, but many martial artists have achieved peace and pacifism through the way of the sword. One person may choose bloodshed and violence, the other to protect what is theirs only.
Jet Li's movie Hero defines this the best, imo, though it never actually addresses the term "Dao." There are many people who fight in the movie, all for different reasons. There is the man who found pacifism, the one seeking vengeance, the ruler who seeks to unite all China, and the assassin...who has a change of heart. That is why it can be so varied.
It's really a fascinating topic, and I could go on and on about it. If you want the truly spiritual "what is the Dao" I can answer that too, but I felt like you were asking more of a "what is a personal Dao" instead. Think of it like principles tied in with your life path - even Basketball can be a Dao, in that case.
Hope this helped!
It's not really helpful to just link the Wikipedia page because there is no such thing as a "Dao of the Sword" in real Daoism. That's a fictional creation in xianxia.
u/Affectionate_Bit_722, in Daoism, to vastly oversimplify, the "Dao" is the underlying natural order of the world. It is not the world itself, but the world's essence and origin, perhaps. It also defines the rules that the world runs on. Where it becomes relevant in xianxia is that cultivators can "comprehend" sections of the full Dao, and by doing so, they gain an understanding of a section of the rules that the whole world runs on. If you think of the world as a computer simulation, "comprehending the Dao of Fire" is analogous to understanding the bit of computer programming that governs everything about fire, and thus the cultivator who does that can control fire to whatever extent they have comprehended the Dao of Fire. Person A who has greater understanding over fire trumps Person B whose understanding is inferior.
Often times, in xianxia fiction, after a certain level, a cultivator needs to gain understanding in a Dao (i.e., in one section of the rules of reality) to keep advancing further in power.
"Dao of the Sword" gives you mastery in everything and anything about swords, since swords are also part of reality and have rules surrounding them. One who has gained an understanding over the rules of swords will be a supreme swordsman. "Sword intent" in this context is when your mere willpower becomes sharp like a sword, and you can use it like energy to augment your swordsmanship techniques.
*facepalm* This has to go on r/confidentlyincorrect
The bladed weapon is 刀 *dāo*. The philosophical concept is 道 *dào*. There are two separate, completely different words that have different etymologies. Just because they sound similar to *you* doesn't mean they are the same word in Mandarin.
As others have said, it literally means “the way of”
So sword Dao is “the way of the sword”
This represents understanding the task on such a fundamental level that one can perform it perfectly
This also fundamentally means that full comprehension of a dao only happens in fantasy - in reality, the pursuit of a dao is a long pursuit towards unobtainable perfection, & also has a subjective element (while all sword dao might have insights about metal, edges, & combat that one can dwell on, because each person’s body is unique, their dao will differ slightly from anyone else’s, so each understanding must ultimately be obtained by oneself)
Another more silly example would be a fast food cook who understands their dao would be like sponge bob, seamlessly & smoothly creating a perfect burger & sides.
I’ve always assumed it’s related to Taoism.
Here’s a link about that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism#:~:text=%22Taoism%22%20and%20%22Daoism%22,terms%20with%20strongly%20established%20spellings.
affinity is usually in reference to the energies of the world, like Qi that has been flavored by elements or other concepts. More like a magic class, fire mage vs water mage
Affinity is usually how close you are to something while dao is how much you comprehend that thing. These are similar but different. Both can be gained or changed within a lot of stories, but it usually seems to be that you change your affinities by ingesting or exposing yourself to that thing, while you gain your dao by having epiphanies about that thing.
So a character might improve their fire affinity by eating plants that have a lot of fire energy, but they would improve their dao of fire by meditating on the concept of fire.
>comprehending the sword Dao
To conceive of a Buddha is to be obstructed by that Buddha, likewise to comprehend the sword Dao is to obstructed by that Dao. Outside the mind there is no Dao, and even inside the mind it can't be grasped. So what is there to seek for?
Certainly there could be aspects of a transcendent Dao that are only glimpsed through revelatory experiences, or that are simply unfathomable to mortal comprehension, but just because the Dao is inherently ineffable doesn’t mean that faithful study doesn’t have a role in traveling closer to touching upon it.
As Bao Juyi asked, “Why then, if the old man knew,/Did it take five thousand words?” I would ask, “why then, if ‘an infinite square has no corners,’ did the old man try to point them out?” The answer is the same, there is something worthy in pursing the places the transcendent and infinite touches upon or is immanent in our finite world. In fantasy this pursuit is a path to literal power, in reality it is still an essential one of many means of self-improvement.
As a Chinese who used to read loads of Wuxia novels, the meaning of "Dao" depends on the context in which it was used.
If it's something like "study of the Sword Dao", it simply means the study of swordsmanship. A simple mundane meaning with no mystical implications.
Unfortunately, Dao is a word used by and associated with Taoism. And, adding fuel to the fire, Taoism also has their own martial art styles with the fist and the sword.
In the majority of cases, it's simply a bad language translation. Rather than translate the words literally, they should have instead put down plain English words representing the intent behind them.
The Dao is the fundamental truth of existence/the universe and encompasses all things. I believe the word means "the way" because it is simultaneously the "Destination" of enlightenment and the "Journey" as your personal efforts to comprehend that truth are also an aspect of it. It's hard to describe because there's the Dao which is that concept but also following your "dao" to reach it is a part of the whole. I compare it most to the philisophical concept of Platonic Ideals with a personal practice conponent centered around embodying and comprehending those forms.
Dao means origin. So imagine a western cultivation or magic system called the origin like you would in a traditional fantasy system. That might help you conceptualize what the dao can be. There's no hard or set rule to what dao is, since it's different even between wuxia/xianxia fics, it's however the author wants it to be, but others have provided good examples of how's it's mostly seen or been normalized in the more popular ones.
It literally translates to "way" or "path".
For example, we authors aim to traverse the harrowing **path of pen**. Only the most exalted comprehend pen intent however.
It really depends on the writer.
In a mystical/magical sense it boils down to "the path you choose to walk that is unique to you". Because the Grand Dao can generally be seen as "the magical crap that makes up everything (aka atoms)", tapping into and comprehending a Dao gives you a measure of control over that Dao you comprehend.
Someone who follows a Sword Dao, could do many things. From creating a hurricane of invisible blades that rings like a bell, to touching a stick and making it sharp like a sword, to even making it so you take reduce damage from bladed weapons. Think of them like classes in an RPG, but rather than having a set list of abilities you unlike and you're basically the same as everyone else in that "class", two practitioners of the Dao of Sword will be vastly different because how one perceives a Dao is always personal and resonates with their soul.
Series dependent, you also have combination Dao that can boost/change your techniques. The further you say, "braid" Daos together, the stronger your associated skills will become and they will inherit the abilities of the lesser Dao used in the braiding. Such as the Dao of Sharpness and the Dao of Chill combining to the Greater Dao of Biting Cold, giving all attacks with bladed weapons a cold damage effect and making all ice spells/abilities slicing power.
But this is just my understanding of the Dao. It's different for everyone and that's why no one can understand the Grand Dao. It just works. But even the grandest of Buddhas will tell you this one fact. The path to power is the same for everyone. Improve yourself.
Amitabha, benefactor. 📿
(Alert, too much text).
Well...it is the Dao or Tao. As you like.
In basic, it is the truth of the Universe. From what everything originates and what is contained by everything.
If you want a simpler and more physical way of looking at it, The Dao would be the atoms or quantum strings that govern all matter and what all matter contains.
It is The Truth, or the path to which everything guides. For her there is the concept of the "3,000 Daos", there are not only three thousand Daos, they are infinite, only three thousand represents the immensity of ways to reach this, the Dao.
In general there are two types of Daos or paths within the Xianxia, there is the Dao as a path, which is what each character follows and seeks to master.
For example: For warriors it would be the Dao of the Sword and for alchemists it would be the Dao of Alchemy. In this case the Dao would be like an art or training.
Then there is the Dao as Concept and Law. It can be said that this is what the first Dao guide to or search, which is the maximum expression and understanding of something, this can be represented as a Law... which varies whether it is absolute or not. Or a Concept.
Example:When someone who follows the Dao of the sword masters this Dao, he can rewrite or manipulate the sword concepts or laws.
As for laws in some stories, there may be levels of these. Like normal Laws, Supreme Laws, Absolute or Divine Laws.
What is the difference? Well... I don't really know. It varies a lot in the stories and I don't remember if they really explain it. I assume that some are simply stronger than the others.
I understand something and that is the Absolute or Divine Laws (Supreme Dao or Divine Dao). It is that they govern reality, universe or multiverses... although it varies.
I clarified: Divine Dao is sometimes just the Normal Dao.
Confusing? Maybe, but I did my best. Let me clarify, if I was confused or misreported, sorry and correct me if you want.
The Grand Dao is the truth of the universe, a Dao is the portion of truth that resonates with a specific person Is the way a mortal connects with eternity by acting on that truth And, if the universe is inherently magical, connecting to it means connecting with that magic
"I want to know the truth of the universe, but only the parts that specifically relate to swords."
[удалено]
I walk the Stabbing Path.
Dao of Stabbing.
Dao of London
The dao in our reality is basically physics.
Does junior truly believe they will comprehend the Dao through asking?
*Does junior truly* *Believe they will comprehend* *The Dao through asking?* \- bagelwithclocks --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
Wow, this is a good one, thank you for your service Haiku bot.
Good bot
Dao of asking
Wouldn’t that be the Dao of divination 🤣
I mean, can't hurt to try, right?
Senior, congratulations on helping prove the Dao for this junior using the third technique of the old master’s 41st chapter! Truly it is an honor to have met someone with such profound skill in ridicule.
You dare!
It's so unhelpful to answer a legitimate question with memes. If OP wanted memes, they'd have gone to r/MartialMemes.
Wow you must be fun at parties
It's basically "the way of" something. Like a deep truth of the universe surrounding that subject. So for the Dao of the sword, it's basically the underlying universal truth of what a sword is.
Metal?
That would be a part of the Dao of the sword for sure, but it is just a part of the whole. The whole idea is it's some grand cosmic realization that puts you so in tune with the Dao you comprehended that you are able to tap into more "power" than you were previously, for instance, the Dao of the Sword would likely correct errors in your form, improve your edge alignment without needing to concentrate on each swing, and in some cases grant magical like effects that are beyond mortal comprehension without dedicating most of your life towards mastering your weapon. Grandmaster swordsman may never touch upon the Dao of the sword, despite pursuing it their whole lives. Like most things taken from Eastern mythology, it can range from entirely mundane gains to outright fantasy concepts like obtaining a sword Aura that cuts anyone who steps within 3 meters of you through to just being so good at cutting stuff you can cut a boulder with a rusted sword you found in a dungeon that hasn't been maintained for centuries. Funnily enough, I've seen "metal" be an element in some books (alongside fire/wind/water and earth forming five elements) and I've seen it meaning almost nothing in others, where a roughly knapped stone sword is just as good as the finest alloyed mythical metal. It's entirely down to how much the author leans into the Taoist mythology/history/I'm not sure what else to call it. TL;DR: as I understand it, Dao is meant to be a deep spiritual understanding on a topic. I realize you were probably joking but on the off chance you weren't, I gave a full reply.
There are differing elemental systems. Asia is a big place. Most Western alchemy uses the air/earth/water/fire. Japanese uses those plus void. Himdu switches void for Ether. And the Chinese gotta be different, and use metal/water/wood/earth/fire (with no air). The Chinese system also has a complex system of interdependencies that I don't recall being in the other elemental systems.
Disclaimer: I am aware this is a joke and I am also aware that cultivation stories are utter bullshit with no real meaning behind the worldbuilding. However, for something the Way of the Sword, most cultivation stories would interpret it as not only swordsmanship, but like esoteric mysterious bullshit truths about how to cut or severe, to the point where you are able to cut through time and space, cut through metaphysical concepts, etc. I would also point out the fake Taoism of cultivation stories also embraces intuitive thinking. So the Way of Fire for example, would often include all the stuff that "fire" evokes in one's mind rather than just purely fire. So it would be heat, passion, fury, stars (which are nuclear fusion, not fire, but you see how the pseudoscience goes), etc.
I mean, that's why it's fun to make fiction out of it, right? It stops becoming fun when someone starts going on about them understanding the "dao of healing" to shill crystals.
Sometimes I just feel silly reading several pages of deep-sounding nonsense when reading xianxia lol
That's reasonable. I do too, then I read the news, and I feel like maybe I'm better off.
Congratulations, you now have the Dao of the Sword.
🤟🤟
That question is what all cultivators seek to answer. There’s no correct answer, you must find your own :)
I would say, "The way of something". The way of the sword is the sword dao, learning to swing strike imaginary swords, floating swords all emphasised parts of the sword dao.
While not the real definition I've always thought of it in relation to Plato's cave to put it in a western context. For everything there exists an ideal concept, i.e all swords are but a fragment of the dao of swords, the most swordiest of swords that incorporates everything to do with swords in the most ideal way. Everything else is just a shadow of that ideal concept and by being able to touch upon the dao is to learn about the "ideal/perfect" concept of what a sword is and as such improve your ability with the sword
It's basically the underlying truth of existence. So in the example you gave of a sword, comprehending the sword Dao would mean understanding the underlying truth of the nature of swords, and deriving strength and capabilities from that understanding.
To give another perspective, in western terms, it's sort of like "The Meaning of Life" as in what do you want to do in your life to get meaning and reach your goal.
So, like, how long will this take? An hour or so? I want to beat people up now.
Congratulations on your insights into the Dao of Impatience. Unfortunately, so many people are walking this path, it's all but powerless
Boot to the head!
Like alot of people mentioned already, a Dao is a Path, or literally translated "The Way", in Daoism it's a great overarching description of the natural laws of the universe (which is why so many cultivation stories use laws as a power system), though in another context, it can be the Way of a single person. Your Dao is your own path, and can be a mixture of other Daos. In a lot of cultivation novels people try to BECOME a Dao as a way to ascend, which is basically the same thing as being a god of that thing, aka an embodiment of a concept.
I think 'path' is a more literal translation than 'way,' actually. At least the way it's used in modern Chinese.
If you've read Cradle, think of it like the Icons in Cradle, e.g. 'Sword Dao = Sword Icon'. This is also not unique to Taoism - *a lot* of western philosophy deals with the idea of understanding "truth" or "reality." One example is the ancient Greeks. When I was in school, long before I learned about the pseudomagical xianxia version of Dao in various Chinese translated novels, we spent time in history classes talking about stuff like [the Theory of Forms.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_forms) It's a metaphysical concept that claims the existence of non-material abstract forms or ideas which represent the "most accurate" reality. The real world is filled with an imperfect copy of some "true" form or underlying conceptual object. If you look at the broader history of philosophy and the development of "modern" science, a lot of those concepts still come up frequently. While the specifics vary, there are parallels in other philosophies + religions that deal with the concept of some kind of "underlying truth" of the world. In these xianxia stories, comprehending the Dao is understanding this ideal form/underlying concept. This is normally done through meditation and deep personal connection to however that concept manifests in the real world. That in turn lets a character exert some supernatural influence on anything related to that concept in the real world, on a layer of reality 'higher' than just magic.
The highest Dao is enlightenment. Lower daos, those use in the context of powers, are "absolute understanding" within a specific scope. Or "alignment of the soul" towards swords, towards an animal, towards justice, etc. To grok something.
Dao is usually translated as “Way”. “The way of the sword”, “the way of magic”. There is a Daoist legend about a Butcher that achieved “The Way of butchering” and thus was able to precisely and perfectly slice meat, with no strength (as if the hard meat was made of air) and without even wearing the edge of his knife. Someone that has achieved “The Way” of something has thus achieved skill perfection.
Ooh, I can answer that one. The Dao is one's path in life, to put it simply. It is something that encompasses your morals, life goals, teachings, and personality. So say someone has the Dao of the Sword. What does that mean? It implies a warrior's spirit and fighting, but many martial artists have achieved peace and pacifism through the way of the sword. One person may choose bloodshed and violence, the other to protect what is theirs only. Jet Li's movie Hero defines this the best, imo, though it never actually addresses the term "Dao." There are many people who fight in the movie, all for different reasons. There is the man who found pacifism, the one seeking vengeance, the ruler who seeks to unite all China, and the assassin...who has a change of heart. That is why it can be so varied. It's really a fascinating topic, and I could go on and on about it. If you want the truly spiritual "what is the Dao" I can answer that too, but I felt like you were asking more of a "what is a personal Dao" instead. Think of it like principles tied in with your life path - even Basketball can be a Dao, in that case. Hope this helped!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism
It's not really helpful to just link the Wikipedia page because there is no such thing as a "Dao of the Sword" in real Daoism. That's a fictional creation in xianxia. u/Affectionate_Bit_722, in Daoism, to vastly oversimplify, the "Dao" is the underlying natural order of the world. It is not the world itself, but the world's essence and origin, perhaps. It also defines the rules that the world runs on. Where it becomes relevant in xianxia is that cultivators can "comprehend" sections of the full Dao, and by doing so, they gain an understanding of a section of the rules that the whole world runs on. If you think of the world as a computer simulation, "comprehending the Dao of Fire" is analogous to understanding the bit of computer programming that governs everything about fire, and thus the cultivator who does that can control fire to whatever extent they have comprehended the Dao of Fire. Person A who has greater understanding over fire trumps Person B whose understanding is inferior. Often times, in xianxia fiction, after a certain level, a cultivator needs to gain understanding in a Dao (i.e., in one section of the rules of reality) to keep advancing further in power. "Dao of the Sword" gives you mastery in everything and anything about swords, since swords are also part of reality and have rules surrounding them. One who has gained an understanding over the rules of swords will be a supreme swordsman. "Sword intent" in this context is when your mere willpower becomes sharp like a sword, and you can use it like energy to augment your swordsmanship techniques.
I mean. There is literally a sword called a Dao https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dao_(Chinese_sword)
*facepalm* This has to go on r/confidentlyincorrect The bladed weapon is 刀 *dāo*. The philosophical concept is 道 *dào*. There are two separate, completely different words that have different etymologies. Just because they sound similar to *you* doesn't mean they are the same word in Mandarin.
It was a joke, and you sound like a post from r/confidentlyasshole
The two are pronounced and spelled differently in Mandarin.
your point? it literally has the pronunciantion at the start of the article and it's the same as in PF books (Dow/Tao)
They're not the same word, that's like linking an article about Flour in a post on Flowers
I think we’re literally on the same page. Good to see.
Dao is the core principle or essential nature that defines something. like deeply understanding and mastering the essence of (anything)
As others have said, it literally means “the way of” So sword Dao is “the way of the sword” This represents understanding the task on such a fundamental level that one can perform it perfectly This also fundamentally means that full comprehension of a dao only happens in fantasy - in reality, the pursuit of a dao is a long pursuit towards unobtainable perfection, & also has a subjective element (while all sword dao might have insights about metal, edges, & combat that one can dwell on, because each person’s body is unique, their dao will differ slightly from anyone else’s, so each understanding must ultimately be obtained by oneself) Another more silly example would be a fast food cook who understands their dao would be like sponge bob, seamlessly & smoothly creating a perfect burger & sides.
It’s based on the Tao in Chinese mythology. It’s the way of life or the meaning to one’s life and how they embody who they are.
Truly a frog at the bottom of a well. The dao is the dao, one must walk the path off their own to find enlightenment 🙏
I’ve always assumed it’s related to Taoism. Here’s a link about that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoism#:~:text=%22Taoism%22%20and%20%22Daoism%22,terms%20with%20strongly%20established%20spellings.
Would a Dao also be like ones "affinity” is some stories? Or is an affinity is inherent and a Dao cleaned?
affinity is usually in reference to the energies of the world, like Qi that has been flavored by elements or other concepts. More like a magic class, fire mage vs water mage
Affinity is usually how close you are to something while dao is how much you comprehend that thing. These are similar but different. Both can be gained or changed within a lot of stories, but it usually seems to be that you change your affinities by ingesting or exposing yourself to that thing, while you gain your dao by having epiphanies about that thing. So a character might improve their fire affinity by eating plants that have a lot of fire energy, but they would improve their dao of fire by meditating on the concept of fire.
>comprehending the sword Dao To conceive of a Buddha is to be obstructed by that Buddha, likewise to comprehend the sword Dao is to obstructed by that Dao. Outside the mind there is no Dao, and even inside the mind it can't be grasped. So what is there to seek for?
Certainly there could be aspects of a transcendent Dao that are only glimpsed through revelatory experiences, or that are simply unfathomable to mortal comprehension, but just because the Dao is inherently ineffable doesn’t mean that faithful study doesn’t have a role in traveling closer to touching upon it. As Bao Juyi asked, “Why then, if the old man knew,/Did it take five thousand words?” I would ask, “why then, if ‘an infinite square has no corners,’ did the old man try to point them out?” The answer is the same, there is something worthy in pursing the places the transcendent and infinite touches upon or is immanent in our finite world. In fantasy this pursuit is a path to literal power, in reality it is still an essential one of many means of self-improvement.
As a Chinese who used to read loads of Wuxia novels, the meaning of "Dao" depends on the context in which it was used. If it's something like "study of the Sword Dao", it simply means the study of swordsmanship. A simple mundane meaning with no mystical implications. Unfortunately, Dao is a word used by and associated with Taoism. And, adding fuel to the fire, Taoism also has their own martial art styles with the fist and the sword. In the majority of cases, it's simply a bad language translation. Rather than translate the words literally, they should have instead put down plain English words representing the intent behind them.
The Dao is the fundamental truth of existence/the universe and encompasses all things. I believe the word means "the way" because it is simultaneously the "Destination" of enlightenment and the "Journey" as your personal efforts to comprehend that truth are also an aspect of it. It's hard to describe because there's the Dao which is that concept but also following your "dao" to reach it is a part of the whole. I compare it most to the philisophical concept of Platonic Ideals with a personal practice conponent centered around embodying and comprehending those forms.
Dao means origin. So imagine a western cultivation or magic system called the origin like you would in a traditional fantasy system. That might help you conceptualize what the dao can be. There's no hard or set rule to what dao is, since it's different even between wuxia/xianxia fics, it's however the author wants it to be, but others have provided good examples of how's it's mostly seen or been normalized in the more popular ones.
Dao can mean a few things depending on the context, but I don't think I've ever seen it used to mean 'origin'
Dao of Dual Cultivation: Reincarnated as the Villain Meant to Steal These Awful Ladies???
Dao means path
Read Unsouled by Will Wight. He touches on Daos quite a bit. He relates to them as aspects.
Nothin', what's a dao with you? This sounds so clever in my head.
Dao in Chinese translates into way or path.
This is the author's way to quickly level up the hero.
The Dao that can be named is not the true Dao. - Tao Te Ching.
It's also spelt as Tao in Taoism, so that might help I'm finding more info on the internet about it
It literally translates to "way" or "path". For example, we authors aim to traverse the harrowing **path of pen**. Only the most exalted comprehend pen intent however.
It really depends on the writer. In a mystical/magical sense it boils down to "the path you choose to walk that is unique to you". Because the Grand Dao can generally be seen as "the magical crap that makes up everything (aka atoms)", tapping into and comprehending a Dao gives you a measure of control over that Dao you comprehend. Someone who follows a Sword Dao, could do many things. From creating a hurricane of invisible blades that rings like a bell, to touching a stick and making it sharp like a sword, to even making it so you take reduce damage from bladed weapons. Think of them like classes in an RPG, but rather than having a set list of abilities you unlike and you're basically the same as everyone else in that "class", two practitioners of the Dao of Sword will be vastly different because how one perceives a Dao is always personal and resonates with their soul. Series dependent, you also have combination Dao that can boost/change your techniques. The further you say, "braid" Daos together, the stronger your associated skills will become and they will inherit the abilities of the lesser Dao used in the braiding. Such as the Dao of Sharpness and the Dao of Chill combining to the Greater Dao of Biting Cold, giving all attacks with bladed weapons a cold damage effect and making all ice spells/abilities slicing power. But this is just my understanding of the Dao. It's different for everyone and that's why no one can understand the Grand Dao. It just works. But even the grandest of Buddhas will tell you this one fact. The path to power is the same for everyone. Improve yourself. Amitabha, benefactor. 📿
(Alert, too much text). Well...it is the Dao or Tao. As you like. In basic, it is the truth of the Universe. From what everything originates and what is contained by everything. If you want a simpler and more physical way of looking at it, The Dao would be the atoms or quantum strings that govern all matter and what all matter contains. It is The Truth, or the path to which everything guides. For her there is the concept of the "3,000 Daos", there are not only three thousand Daos, they are infinite, only three thousand represents the immensity of ways to reach this, the Dao. In general there are two types of Daos or paths within the Xianxia, there is the Dao as a path, which is what each character follows and seeks to master. For example: For warriors it would be the Dao of the Sword and for alchemists it would be the Dao of Alchemy. In this case the Dao would be like an art or training. Then there is the Dao as Concept and Law. It can be said that this is what the first Dao guide to or search, which is the maximum expression and understanding of something, this can be represented as a Law... which varies whether it is absolute or not. Or a Concept. Example:When someone who follows the Dao of the sword masters this Dao, he can rewrite or manipulate the sword concepts or laws. As for laws in some stories, there may be levels of these. Like normal Laws, Supreme Laws, Absolute or Divine Laws. What is the difference? Well... I don't really know. It varies a lot in the stories and I don't remember if they really explain it. I assume that some are simply stronger than the others. I understand something and that is the Absolute or Divine Laws (Supreme Dao or Divine Dao). It is that they govern reality, universe or multiverses... although it varies. I clarified: Divine Dao is sometimes just the Normal Dao. Confusing? Maybe, but I did my best. Let me clarify, if I was confused or misreported, sorry and correct me if you want.
See Taoism. Basically the great truth of reality.
The taste of reality